Tuesday, April 27, 2010

giant ruler growth chart

I am pretty excited about this project mainly because it was made entirely from leftovers. I love when that works out.

We had remaining bead board from our nook project (which I will share with you next week). It was just leaning against the wall in the garage begging to be used for something. I saw a jumbo ruler growth chart in a Pottery Barn Kids magazine awhile back. It was a traditional looking ruler and I loved it, but didn't love the price so never even considered the purchase.

So, here is the story of how that tall and skinny leftover piece of bead board became a giant ruler growth chart...


My husband first cut the piece for me to the size I requested. We kept the width at 9" and then cut it off at 5 1/2 feet. I wanted the growth chart to go to 6 feet and be 6 inches off the ground so 66 inches was the answer.

Next, I got out our ol' rusty can of white paint that has been used for more projects than I can remember. I gave the piece a fresh coat of white paint...


Then I measured and marked every inch down the board...


I visited my sticker stash and found my favorite font of letters to use for my stencils. I used the outlines of numbers 1-5. I also used dashes, letter l & i, as well as exclamation point outlines to mark the inches and feet. I used a large line to mark each foot, a medium line to mark each 1/2 foot, and the smallest line to mark every inch...


I got out my black acrylic to paint the numbers and lines. I carefully painted inside the stencils with just one full coat...


This way of doing stencils is not full-proof so my trusty white paint had to make an appearance again for a bit (or a whole lot) of touching up...


Next up were a couple coats of clear spray paint applied to the ruler for protection...


Jason hung it up in the kitchen using a black screw in each corner...


I was so excited and loved it immediately. The little man was also excited and happy to get measured...


The final touch was printing off a black & white picture of each member of the family in a 2 x 3 size and using tape to apply them to the ruler. Because of the clear coat on top, the tape easily can come off at any point so the pictures can be changed periodically without effecting the paint on the ruler...


I was excited to include the littlest member of the family on our new growth chart using an ultrasound photo. My pregnancy book says our little one should be approximately 12 inches long at this point...


I was so happy with the finished product. Now we have an interactive growth chart that the kids can have fun with. I just know Avery is going to try and measure everyone that comes over.


I spent about a week on this project because I took my time and enjoyed the process instead of rushing through it (as I typically do). I love that it fits right into our kitchen and that it was essentially free! Who doesn't love a free project? I love that the kids love it and will learn from it. I love that it is another place to put pictures of their smiling faces and to watch our little blessings grow!

I will be linking up to these parties this week! Join in and visit for some fun inspiration from some fabulously creative minds!

Happy Tuesday! See you next week.

38 comments:

Unknown April 27, 2010 at 7:09 AM  

That looks great! It really does look like something you'd find from PB. The ultrasound on the bottom, made me laugh. Congrats on the newest member!!

Kelli April 27, 2010 at 7:24 AM  

This is great Tiffany...how cool that you were able to use stuff you already had. I'm sure this will get a lot of use. Thanks for sharing.

Lelan @ Good Gravy! April 27, 2010 at 7:35 AM  

This is fantastic! I laughed out loud at the pic of your little man standing next to it. So cute.

TBonesMom April 27, 2010 at 7:48 AM  

You never cease to amaze me. :o) Job well done Tiffany!

Patti @ Pandoras Box April 27, 2010 at 8:05 AM  

Nicely done...I might do this in my classroom at school - my students are always wondering their height!

I also like your paper blossoms in your last post - very sweet

Unknown April 27, 2010 at 8:43 AM  

This is fabulous! Thanks for sharing!

Mama Thompson April 27, 2010 at 9:41 AM  

That is such a great idea...

Erin A April 27, 2010 at 10:42 AM  

Wow, it turned out wonderfully!! I love that you used little pictures of all of the family members to mark their heights, what a cute touch! Funny to think that your littlest one is already over a foot tall too! I agree that you can't beat a free project too, great job.

Patrice April 27, 2010 at 11:15 AM  

Love this! Great idea :)

Florida Life April 27, 2010 at 11:25 AM  

So cute!! Great job seeing the potential! :)

Laura Bradford Kirch April 27, 2010 at 12:05 PM  

This is super cool. I am totally going to try and get my husband to make this. My almost 4 year old is always asking to be measured and we have 1 year old twin girls who are next in line for measurements. Love this project!

Unknown April 27, 2010 at 12:24 PM  

Very cute! The baby's u/s pic is an adorable touch!!!

Jessica April 27, 2010 at 12:37 PM  

Such a great idea and always a bonus when it's from left over material!

Frugal Home Designs April 27, 2010 at 12:47 PM  

Love it. My son was just asking me for one of these. I may have to give this one a go.

Morgan//Nuts and Bows April 27, 2010 at 1:07 PM  

This is too cute! I love how you added the pics!

~Morgan

Meet Virginia!
Meet Virginia!
Meet Virginia!

Mom&Grandma April 27, 2010 at 2:35 PM  

Wow, that is awesome! That looks better than the inside of my coat closet door with all the grandkids markings over the years. Nicely done and explained very well.

Lorie April 27, 2010 at 8:42 PM  

Tiffany! That is so cute! The growth chart is great, but I LOVE how you use pictures to mark their heights! What a clever idea!

I am going to feature this on my blog!

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com April 27, 2010 at 9:53 PM  

That is just so cute. I love the beadboard. It's pretty but functional too!

XOXO
Jen

Amy @ Positively Splendid April 28, 2010 at 7:32 AM  

So clever - and cute! I have to say y'all keep raising the bar with all of your terrific projects! I can't believe I haven't done it before now, but I'm now your newest follower. :)

Unknown April 28, 2010 at 10:50 AM  

I was just looking online for a nice growth chart for my son's room. I'm so glad I came across this post. You've certainly inspired be to drop the PB Kids catalog and make one of my own

chris April 28, 2010 at 6:28 PM  

Great idea. Thanks so much for sharing.

Natalie April 28, 2010 at 10:12 PM  

Tiffany, this is awesome! You did such a great job! I love it that you have all of your pictures on the same chart! I have one chart for Jonathan, but I love the idea of having everyone on the same chart! SO, SO cute! And I love it that Baby Judd is on the board too...HOW CUTE IS THAT?!?

Valerie April 29, 2010 at 8:08 AM  

Such a great idea! I never know what to do with all of my extra beadboard. Thanks so much for sharing!

Filed this at thecraftersfilebox.com. :)

Kiera April 29, 2010 at 9:43 AM  

I LOVE this so very much...might have to try something similar!

Kelly Rachel April 29, 2010 at 11:44 AM  

Cool. I can see myself making one of these. You're so smart!

Fawnda@Fireflies and Jellybeans April 29, 2010 at 8:18 PM  

Adding the pictures to it is the cutest part (although the whole thing is ADORABLE!)

Great idea! :)

Becca Ross April 30, 2010 at 7:50 AM  

Oh, my gosh!!! The picture of your little guy in front of the growth chart is precious! I loved the big ruler look, but when you put the black and white pictures, I loved it even more.

Thanks for linking up at Home and Family Friday! I can't wait to see what you ladies come up with next week.

Becca

Patricia @ 9th and Denver May 1, 2010 at 10:18 PM  

What a cutie pie!
Great idea for the growth chart.
I like the sono picture is added-- oh and congrats on your 'GROWING' FAMILY!

Jen May 2, 2010 at 9:12 PM  

This is an adorable growth chart! I love how you made it a part of your decor and added pictures. So cute.

chris May 4, 2010 at 1:16 AM  

Awesome idea and I am totally going to steal it! We are always measuring my 3 kiddos in the laundry room. I have been writing on the wall because I have "done" that room yet. Now I can re record their heights on a surface I wont have to paint over.

Thanks for sharing. I love it.

Stacey May 4, 2010 at 11:45 PM  

I love this. So cute that it is on beadboard too. Thanks for sharing at 'Look at me, I'm SO Crafty!' at Fun to Craft.

Emily Thompson May 6, 2010 at 8:09 PM  

really cute! This is something on my to-do list, make a growth chart, so great inspiration!

Cherish @ My Cup of Tea May 17, 2010 at 12:16 AM  

I love love love this idea. How cool! I'm making this next week!

ificould May 17, 2010 at 10:18 AM  

Thanks for sharing - I love this idea! I posted a link on my blog: http://ificould-ificould.blogspot.com/2010/05/growth-chart.html

If you'd like, grab a button saying you were featured: http://ificould-ificould.blogspot.com/p/featured-sites.html

Loving your blog - I'm your newest follower!

Thanks again!
Missy

Unknown December 27, 2010 at 9:18 AM  

Love this! I wish I had one already. I am featuring this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com.

Unknown April 28, 2011 at 5:51 PM  

I made a growth chart. Thanks for inspiration! I posted at the top that the original idea was yours and linked to your post. Here's mine if you want to take a look. Thanks again!

kim west May 15, 2011 at 7:57 PM  

featured this on my blog today.

www.kimboscrafts.blogspot.com

Tammy July 3, 2011 at 4:15 PM  

This is so great, I just had to make one too, here is my version http://bite-sized-food.blogspot.com/2011/07/growth-chart-ruler-style.html

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