Family Rules Sign

Okay, this post starts out with a good idea I had, but a strange request none the less.  You know how when you’re sitting on the toilet, you either have something to read, or you look around the restroom at the decor or whatever is in there.  Well in my guest/hall/kids restroom, there is a perfect wall for something to hang, directly in front of the ceramic tank.  Rather than put a mirror there for obvious reasons, and if you don’t get it, just imagine having a mirror to look at, directly in front of the toilet….haha, it’s not pleasant.
Anyways, I have been wanting to make a sign to go in that spot.  I thought about doing this little poem….

“If you dropped it, pick it up.
If you slept on it, make it up.
If you opened it, close it.
If you wore it, hang it up.
If you turned it on, turn it off when finished with it.
If you ate out of it, take it to the sink.
If it rings, answer it.
If it barks or meows, feed it.
If it cries, Love it.”

But the more I thought about this little poem, and the fact that every time the kids would sit in the restroom, they would have these words ingrained into their little brains.  And, not that it is a bad thing, wanting our kids to be more responsible, but it just felt like I would be lecturing them every time they were in the restroom.
So, I scanned the internet, <<looking for something I really wanted to brainwash them with>>and took a few different phrases from other “family rules” and this is what I came up with.
be happy
use kind words
keep your promises
giggle and laugh
forgive
do your best
try new things
be positive
smile
give thanx
help out
love others
say please and thankyou
dream big
be grateful
Pray
know you are loved
A Blank Board–I found this in the garage.  No cutting or sanding at all.  I just grabbed the board and started my project.
Between my old scrapbook stuff, and some stamp sets, I had a few different fonts I could use.  Man, this would had been a perfect time to own a vinyl machine, but stamping, painting, and tracing is what I ended up doing.
(THE OLD-SCHOOL WAY!)
Here is a picture of all the supplies. My tracing fonts, stamps and pad, pencil, permanent marker, and more. Notice I painted the board cream, and then started putting the words on the board.Next, just an up-close pic of the sign in progress.After I put all the words on the board, I used either a permanent marker to fill in the letters, or black paint.
I then let it dry over night.Then I took a dark stain, and rubbed it all over the sign, and even thicker around the edges.
When the sign was finished drying, I flipped it over and put a metal hanger on the back.
Took it to the restroom, threw a screw in the wall and hung’er up!!

So this is what you see when sitting on the pottie. Keep in mind, the wall is tan, so this really is much darker than it actually appears.Um….I love it so much!
Now THAT is something to ingrain in my girlies brains on a daily basis!!
Let me know what you think!