DIY over sized ruler height chart |
My girls love their height/growth chart. They are bounding with enthusiasm and excitement when Daddy gets out the special book as they stand like soliders with backs against the wall and can be crestfallen if they haven't grown since he last measured them.
When I think about height charts I think about pen marks up a wall. I love the permanency of that, seeing your little people grow up before your eyes. So at the back of my mind I had a thought that I wanted to upgrade our existing chart to something that would stand the test of time.
When I first started really looking at blogs I came across this beautiful embroidered growth chart at the Student Teacher. Sadly her blog is no longer accessible but she did have a great tutorial and I strongly considered make this one.
Image: The Student Teacher |
A friend of mine whose blog is also out of action made this great height chart from old rulers, which I think may have sparked my imagination.
Image: A Year Above the Shop |
One day (or was it night?) whilst looking at Pinterest
Source: Dear Lillie oversized ruler growth chart |
I tried out various stains I already had and then went with the darker milk paint.
However I didn't like the end result. It came out blotchy, most likely application error rather than the paint itself. So I sanded it off and applied a coat of Feed-N-Wax. The end result was rather pleasing; a warm wood colour with the grain highlighted. Sometimes the best results are the product of a mistake.
The stencils were from Lowes (click for link) which turned out much cheaper than any from Michael's. I decided on the format and penciled on the numbers and lines. As per instructions on the stencil box I attached them with tape and began dabbing/blotting on the paint. An old not-washed-out-properly stiffened paint brush was the perfect applicator.
Bam! School boy stencil error! Rather serious paint bleed from the edge of the stencils. Take two: I used a spray adhesive to hold them in place which gave lovely crisp lines.
Job done. Two weeks later its finally up on the wall, now I just need to copy over our old measurements.
Old & new |
Reluctant dressed up model |
- Wood - $25
- Stencils (which are reusable) - $5.66
- Paint - $4.95 I only used a miniscual amount so plenty left for future projects
- Milk paint & wax - $0
- Wall hook - $2
Really the total cost was about $28. This doesn't include my time - a few hours, but what a saving. Got to love that.
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