A little weekend DIY

Growing up we had a growth chart on the wall in our kitchen. It was always fun to look at the different heights and to get measured. Unfortunately, when we did renovations, the growth chart did not survive my parents' attempts to salvage it. I also had a friend who kept track of her family's heights on the door frame - which was all well and fine, until she moved. 

For a bit now I have been looking for an idea for a growth chart. Thanks to perusing many craft blogs and pinterest, I found it! Here is a link to a similar growth chart I found on pinterest! So this weekend I decided to make my own. Learn how to make your own below :)

Step One: Research craft blogs and pinterest for many hours (and know that it is okay if you get sidetracked and find tons of other great DIY projects to tackle at a later date!)

Step Two: Go to the local hardware store and purchase supplies: a piece of pine 6"x8"x1", wood stain and staining supplies, spray clear coat. You also need a permanent marker and tape measure.

Step Three: In a well ventilated area, 

lightly sand your piece of wood and apply wood stain as per instructions. I used Fruitwood colored stain because I didn't want anything too dark. Also, I had never worked with stain before and didn't know how it would turn out so lighter seemed safer. I only did one coat and wiped it off after about 5 minutes and was happy with how it turned out - just do what works for you!

Step Four: After it dried, I used the tape measure to mark off every inch. I started my 'ruler' from 6 inches so that I could hang it on the wall above the trim. With a permanent marker I marked my lines. You can use black paint and a thin brush if you would like, but the permanent marker was a much easier! I did my foot marks 2 inches long and every quarter foot 2 inches as well. The other marks I did 1 inch long.

Step Five: Mark your numbers at the appropriate places on the ruler. For my numbers I printed them off the computer and then traced them with a pencil where I wanted them. Once I moved the paper I could see the indent of the number and traced and colored it in.

 

Step Six: In a well ventilated area, spray the whole ruler with clear coat.

 

Step Seven: (I have yet to get this far...) Attach hanging hardware on the back. Hang your ruler on the wall six inches above the floor. If you plan to place it in a high traffic area I would recommend maybe screwing it right onto the wall so it is more secure.

Step Eight: Measure your kids and/or yourself and mark them on the ruler. Don't forget to mark the date too!

I was also thinking that this could be easily personalized with family name or kids' names!

Did you do any fun projects this weekend? I would love to hear about them!