DIY "Family Rules" Wall Art

I don't know about you, but taking care of our planet feels really good. The simple things, like recycling, composting or using reusable shopping bags (even though you have to buy a new one every time you shop because you constantly forget them at home or in the car) really make a difference! 

However, my apartment complex does not have a recycling bin (I'm working on changing that!) so unfortunately for my poor husband, this means most of what can be recycled end up being saved for crafts. We have toilet paper rolls, water bottles, glass jars, milk jugs, bottle tops and more cluttering our home. This is great for me though because what's better than cheap? FREE!

Besides recycling, there's up-cycling. Basically, rather than discarding an item, you give it new life through other uses. Today for the most part, we will be up-cycling.

Have you seen these? 

At stores like Bed Bath & Beyond and Home Goods, these babies go for a whopping $40 and up! But today, we will make our own CUSTOM version for under $10.

*Sorry, but I didn't bother with an image by image tutorial because it's pretty self-explanatory.*

What You'll Need:

• An old or broken full-length mirror (frame should still be intact with a backing from mirror)
• Ruler
• Permanent marker (a DARK color of choice)
• Pencil
• Scissors
• E6000 or a glue gun
• Letter stickers of choice (NOTE: if you are not good at free-hand, I would suggest going this route, though it will increase the cost of this project- it's best to wait for them to go 50% off at Hobby Lobby)
• Approx. 2 yards of cork (a roll can be bought from Hobby Lobby for about $7 if you use the weekly coupon)

Instructions

1. Write down a list of what you'd like your family "rules" to be. See my finished product below for ideas or google "family rules sign".
2. Measure the length and width of your frame FROM THE INSIDE where the mirror is. Like so:
3. Using your pencil, draw then cut out your dimensions from your cork board. If you're going to mess up here, it's best to cut too big rather than too small or else you're left with a gappy fit.
4. Spread glue on mirror (or where mirror should be) and be sure to focus your lining along the edges, corners and just a bit in the middle. Don't get too crazy here.
5. After glue dries, use your pencil and ruler to plan your wording on your board ensuring that everything is spaced evenly. *THIS PART IS TRICKY AND MAY BE TIME-CONSUMING*
6. Once finished, place your stickers or use your marker to permanently adhere your words. Make sure you continue to use your ruler so that letters are not placed/written unevenly.
7. Touch up frame. Mine had some nicks where staining had been removed, so I used a brown permanent marker that matched the wood and colored them in.

And viola! Here is my finished product:

I began and finished free-handing mine in 30 minutes. I should have taken my time on it, but I made it on a whim so I'm happy with how it turned out. I like that I personalized it with values/morals/"rules" that are important to us specifically rather than the generic norm but I LOVE how proudly my husband announces to company: "My wife made this, isn't it great?" He's so sweet :)