The Cup House: Halbersma family motivates with ‘fence talk’

In 2020, when COVID-19 shutdown everyday life in our corner of the world, one Brandon family found a way to keep in touch: Fence talk

“Remember during the pandemic when putting teddy bears in the window was a thing?” asks Kayci Halbersma. “Because we live on a cul de sac, I didn’t think people were going to see them because we don’t get a lot of foot traffic in here besides our neighbors, so this was just my little way of reaching the world.”

The family’s first attempt at “fence talk” was the day that their oldest son, Cannon, was celebrating his eighth birthday. They designed and hung posters on their fence, which abuts the busy Aspen Boulevard on the city’s eastside, asking drivers to “honk” their horns. Cannon said he well remembers hearing a lot of “honks” that day.

But the Halbersma’s weren’t done “talking” yet. However, instead of using colorful pieces of tagboard, they turned to colorful hues of plastic cups to create motivational messages such as “Choose kindness” or pictures dictating the season, like flowers and butterflies in the springtime or snowflakes in the wintertime. 

Kayci, who teaches third grade at Robert Bennis Elementary, said the fence art typically changes with the season. Just before the school year got underway, they put up a message to inspire us all: “Work hard. Dream big.”

As a teacher, Kayci is surrounded by words of encouragement on a daily basis, which she often references in their fence talk. 

“If I see a little positive affirmation or something at school, I’ll jot it down, and then I’ll decide what we’re going to do next,” she said.

Husband Matt helps Kayci bring her ideas from pencil to fence.

“Matt’s an engineer, so our brains work totally differently. Sometimes he doesn’t see my vision, and I’m like, ‘Just help me make a star,’” she tells.

It’s not a simple-minded process to put their messaging on the grid-like fence. Kayci said they’ve used cross stitch patterns and pixel art to come up with a design or in making letters.

“When we’re trying to make a star, it’s not as easy as you would think,” Kayci said. “We usually lay it out first, and then we try to figure out how many letters and how may cups per letter.”

It would be fair to say the Halbersma’s have invested a dollar or two or more in plastic cups. On average, each letter takes two sleeves.

The Halbersma’s three boys – Cannon, 13, Dashel, 10, and Hendrix, 7 – assist with strategically placing the cups in the fence.

“Mom puts her finger in there and says, ‘Put it right here,’ and then we have to shove it through,” Cannon shares. 

“They stay so well and we figured out what size (of cup) fits in there perfectly. We’ve kinda got it down to a science now, and we know little hands fit in there the best,” Kayci adds.

As for the cups, they’re usually a “one and done”, which means, plenty of trips to a dollar store.

“Most recently, I was buying them at Dollar Tree, and the girl checking me out was like, ‘Are you having a party?’ And I was like, ‘No, we actually live on a highway, and we put words on our fence for people driving by,’ and the lady in line behind me said, ‘Do you live by Brandon?’ And I was like, ‘Yes.’ So now we feel like it’s just kind of our thing, and we don’t want to stop,” Kayci said.

They’ve received a couple of messages of thanks in their mailbox.

“Someone has written us cards that we’ve never known who it was that says, ‘Thanks for the motivation,’” Kayci said.

The Halbersma home has affectionately been tabbed “The Cup House.” Oftentimes, it serves as a mark when giving directions or when they’re telling someone where their home is.

“A lot of my teachers know where I live and people think it’s so cool,” Cannon shares.

Adds Dashel, “Whenever we drive past here, my bus driver, I see him smile every time.”

And when Kayci leaves each morning to teach, she said it makes her smile, too.

“It’s just a little positive thing in the morning,” she said. 

The family has no plans to stop. 

“Part of it is just the reputation of people knowing this is our house, so we can’t stop because they expect it,” Kayci said. “As long as somebody will help me, we’re stuck with it now or we’ve got to move.”

Matt admits that he didn’t see it continuing on for years.

“But now, it’s kind of cool. This is our life.”