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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Inside Our House ·

Tuesday Talk: Our Sign Wall


Hey there Tuesday!

It’s Tuesday Talk!

Once a month, I link up with Ashley and Erika who host this fun little blog link up.

Every month, you are supposed to chat about anything and everything.

In January, we chatted about whether or not I should keep my home phone.  (You overwhelmingly told me TO keep it!)

In February, we chatted about preparing for sitters at your house.

In April, we chatted about a book I read called Unstuffed.

In May, we chatted about what TV shows are good for kiddos.

In July, we chatted about bows and clothes for little girls.

In August, we chatted about whether or not I should get an e-reader (Whoa!  Lots of opinions!!)

And today, we’re chatting about OUR SIGN WALL.

I get asked for updates on our sign wall all the time, so I thought today was the perfect day to show you guys some newer pics of it.  For those of you who don’t know, when Kensington was a baby, I had a sign made with her name on it when she was born to hang in her room.  And then, for her first birthday, I had one made.  And then Smith came along four months later, and I had a sign made for his room and then for Kensington’s second birthday, I had one made.  And so on and so on and so on…and now, we have a bunch 🙂 .  When we moved into our new house, we grouped them all in one spot and every year on their birthday, we add a new one.  Each sign has their age on there somewhere (it’s like playing Where’s Waldo to find it) and the theme of their birthday for that year.  When we adopted Ashby and Madeley, we had signs made with their names and then have added one with each birthday.  Here are a few pics of them from birthdays…

 

 

 

 

 

So, after their parties, we hang their signs on our birthday wall…

 

 

 

 

 

…so fun, right?!  This wall just makes me happy 🙂 .

Okay, some frequently asked questions I get about this tradition:

1: What are you going to do when you run out of room on that wall?   I’ll just find another place to group them. I think we have enough random wall space to group them all.

2: How long are you going to do this?: In my head, I’ll have a sign made until they’re 18.  That might not happen…but in my head, that’s what I’m thinking 😉 .

3: Who makes your signs?: The most popular question!!!  My friend Amy makes the signs and no matter how many times I ask, beg and plead, she will not allow me to share her info online because she says right now, they’re fun to make…but she doesn’t want to make a business out of it.  (Although, I think she should!)  I’m sure someone on Etsy can do the same thing for you if it’s something you like (or some of you are crafty and creative enough to do it yourselves!).  If Amy ever decides to start a business, you guys will be the first to know!

So, what are some fun traditions you guys have at your house?  Anything!  Just name it!  I love stuff like this.  This is what makes a house a home 🙂 .

 

 

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Comments

  1. Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says

    The signs are really nicely made! Did you really do it all yourself/with the kids? I thought you outsourced it to a company, they look so professional! Super cute!
    –
    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
    http://charmainenyw.com

  3. Sarah says

    So fun!!! And if Amy is reading – YES, she needs to start a business!!!!

    We need to start some fun traditions like that!! For now, my plan is to have a big gallery wall that will eventually showcase one fun family photo from each year! Right now the wall is a work in progress, and the photos are all the little years since that’s where we are 🙂

    Hope you have a great Tuesday!!

    -Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com

  4. Beth says

    So neat I love things like this! Similar to Kensington’s birthday scavenger hunt, when I was younger my parents always did a scavenger hunt for me for one of my Christmas presents. I loved this tradition and looked forward to it every year! The clues were challenging too, so it took a lot of time and thinking to find!

  6. Tara G. says

    My husband gives the girls the number of roses they are in years each birthday – one gets yellow, the other pink. All 3 kids get a written blessing/letter from him & a special prayer said over them. I keep them in an album for each (+ a picture of him gifting the flowers each year) & the kids love to read those throughout the year.

    • Emily says

      My dad does the same thing for me every year and has since I was born. Even at 23 it is still so special and one of the things I look most forward to each birthday.

  7. Elspeth Mizner says

    What a great idea! How early in adnavnce do you plan for the parties? What a memorable special touch.

  8. Erika Slaughter says

    My favorite sign has to be Ashby’s Popsicle Party!!! I love all those crazy popsicle sticks! Amy has some TALENT! And such a fun way to look back on all their parties. Thanks for linking up, friend!

  9. Courtney says

    I absolutely love this! Your kids are going to look back over their 18 years and smile at all their memories. In our house, my husband and I take a picture in the same location each year on our anniversary, holding the picture frame of the picture from the year before! 🙂
    XO
    Courtney
    http://www.greywoodmama.com

  12. Lauren says

    I make a birthday book. Invitation, pictures from party, actual birthday if it fell on different day, special cards & letters written to birthday boy & any other significant keepsake. We always have balloons & whatever birthday person picks to eat/do!

  17. Lis says

    I absolutely love these! Amy, if you’re reading this – please please please start a business! I would 100% buy one for every birthday…it’s such a sweet idea!

  18. Rechelle says

    Every year for our anniversary I create a little graphic of all the things that made up another year of our marriage. States we visited, fave restaurants, shows we watched, gifts we gave, things we both did and didn’t do, lessons learned, etc. Then I print it out to frame and hang on the wall next to the others! Its so neat and very encouraging to look back on where we’ve been and all we’ve accomplished, plus to see how it has changed over time!

  19. Erin Port says

    Such a fun tradition and a great way to look back on such sweet memories. She is so talented! xoxo ERIN

  21. Erica @ Whimsical September says

    I have always loved this tradition with the signs. When it comes to keepsakes for my kids, I always think “If my parents gave “x item from my childhood” to me as an adult, would I appreciate it?” And if it were these signs, it would be a YES! Such a sweet idea.

  22. Kelly says

    Love these! If anyone has any information on someone else who does something very similar, please share!

  26. Debbie says

    Great Talent Amy!! Shay, awesome for respecting her privacy! Great post and they all look awesome displayed on the wall!

  27. kellie carrara says

    So fun! I love seeing your traditions, and these signs are such an amazing reminder of great birthday memories.
    Our birthday tradition is “presents on the table” — the night before anyone’s birthday, the birthday person has to go to bed a smidge early because they get to wake up a smidge early. While they’re in bed, the others get to work on “the birthday set up” — we typically have a theme for each person and do a special table cloth and put out balloons/flowers; cards and gifts. Many times our Elf on the Shelf shows up to surprise us! The next morning you can have anything you like for breakfast and enjoy your birthday set up while opening gifts BEFORE work or school.

    For many years we had the tradition of taking our daughter to American Girl for dinner and shopping, but this year she’ll be 13 and we’re going to NYC!

  28. Sarah @ Foxy's Domestic Side says

    I have always wondered what happens when you run out of wall space, haha. Also can you at least ask her how she makes them so that those of us that are crafty can make one ourselves? Like where does she get the boards that she uses? Hehe, thanks! Such a fun tradition. We don’t have anything that fun, the only thing we do is decorate their door so that they have to “break” out of the room by running through something, this year is streamers and balloons. And we do a half birthday party for my son as he was born on Christmas morning. So we do his big party in June.

  31. Stacey says

    We have a tradition but I don’t think its particularly unique, maybe it is or just a Midwest thing? We have my daughter’s height marked on her trim on her bedroom door, she will be 19 on Friday needless to say it has been in a holding pattern since she was 14,lol. She also has a tradition of wearing the same pajamas on Christmas Eve since she was 4, they are a size 6 and were originally pinned up (don’t ask), they have now become capri’s. Lucky she is tiny or this would never work, crazy girl!

  34. Angela Ellingson says

    Those signs are amazing! I love them so much. I was trying to pick a favorite, but I just can’t. I especially love the 3-D ones though.

  35. Angelique at FourPointsMom.com says

    Okay, I now realize how much I need a tradition like this in my home. I’m taking notes from all of you other lovely ladies and I’m going to get to work! These signs are just incredible and Amy is so unbelievably talented.

    http://www.fourpointsmom.com

  36. Emmaleigh says

    I wonder if Amanda @ That Inspired Chick would be able to make Birthday Signs since Amy doesn’t want to ship to the masses! LOL Just a thought!

  37. Chrissy says

    Love the sign wall! Every Christmas Eve my two girls get to open one present each. And it’s always the same thing, in the same Cinderella blue and Cinderella pink pre-wrapped boxes they got when they were babies. Their matching Christmas jammies! They still squeal and run to get changed into them, along with their annual jammie picture by the tree, with santa’s cookies…although they’re beyond the secret, it’s still magical having our tradition.

  41. Kaiabean says

    Not sure if this counts as a traditional. I have 2 boys 22 and 20. They don’t know this, but since the year they were born, I have bought them each a Christmas ornament and written on a card why I purchased that particular one that year. They each have an ornament box with the ornaments and cards in it. When they leave and get their own place, I plan on wrapping up the box and giving it to them. I think they will get a kick out of seeing the ornaments and reading why I bought them!

  42. Patty says

    I just love these signs! Amy is so very clever! Do you work on the design together or do you just give her the theme and she runs with it?
    In our family we give the girls a new CHRISTmas ornament each year which represented something from that year, and as they each left home they had a nice collection which reminded them of special memories from year they received them. I also bought each girl a nativity set as they prepared to leave our home for a new one.
    Also, being in a military family, I love the sign we have which lists all of the places we’ve been stationed in our career.

  43. Kim says

    Hi Shay! I completely agree these are the things that make a house a home. What a happy wall and a great reminder of wonderful memories made. Thank you for sharing!! ? P.S. Have you ever seen the movie About Time?

  45. Lindsay @ Lindsay's Sweet World says

    I could not love this more, Shay! I have always adored seeing each new sign that your kids have for their birthdays!!

    We have a similar tradition, but instead of birthdays it’s for vacations and instead of signs it’s picture frames. ;o) My hubs and I have been together for 14 years and I have bought a tacky souvenir picture frame from every single place that we have been together. Every time we go somewhere we take a picture, pop it in the frame, and we now have every single frame displayed on some Ikea pictures ledges in the kids’ playroom. I posted about it here:

    http://www.lindsayssweetworld.com/2016/08/our-travel-gallery-wall.html

  47. Emily Autry says

    The birthday tradition in our house was my moms would make pancakes but she would spell out Happy Birthday and the number for how old we were. It was always a fun traditon. I now have a 15 month old and I carried on the tradition for his first birthday this year.

  49. Cristin says

    Our “tradition” is to buy a painting or litho from each city we spend the night in while on vacation. It is always a city skyline or famous landmark. They are all framed in black frames and fill our stairwell. We have something like 75 pieces of art from all around the world.

    We also (me and my kiddo each) collect brass Christmas ornaments from any place we visit. While the art only represents overnights, the ornaments represent all of our adventures. I have filled every branch of an 8 foot Christmas tree in 10 years and my 7 year old has filled a 5 foot tree. We call them our “travel trees”.

  50. Lisa N says

    Love the way you make all birthdays and every season something to look forward to! They will want to do the same for their families one day:)
    As my girls grew up my traditions have too! First day of school bags on the seat of their cars filled with gum, mints, lip gloss, shout wipes, band aids and now that they are teachers themselves they get more of the same plus snacks, desk supplies and Advil! Many of the ideas come from you. Last year I added the Evian water mist for hot recess days:)
    They also share a last day of school sand pail filled with summer fun things that started out with nail polish, sunscreen, etc and have evolved into themes. I do a last day of school for the Christmas break surprise that is sometimes new pj’s and DVD’s, popcorn and candy and sometimes themed (beauty supplies or game night,etc) And I still fill the same Easter baskets they’ve always had with fun stuff like beach towels, flip flops (the gold Reefs you recommended and they still LOVE) and a few years ago I started first day of Fall with new scarves for our favorite season.
    One of them is getting married in November and I’m sure the traditions will continue? It’s as fun for me as it is for them.

  51. Elizabeth says

    I LOVE these signs! Has anyone found someone that does something similar?? Would love to start this tradition with my little guy.

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