Jul 29, 2014

DIY Ruler Growth Chart



You guys!  This has been on my to-do list for like...EVER.  Ok really not that long, but really since Hannelore was born.  I know these are all over Pinterest, but I still love it.  I love how simple it is.


I also love rulers.  I do not know what it is, but I love them.  Actually, ever since I was little I have loved school supplies.  Call me weird...I won't care, but I do.  I do not ususally like doing all the things everyone else is doing because I feel like it will be "old" sooner if that is the case, but this was an exception for me.  I am thrilled with how it turned out.  I am so happy and excited to get it hung up.  Hannelore loves to count the numbers and measure herself.  I remember doing this when I was growing up.  We marked up a door jamb in my parents house to measure ourselves.  I can't wait to use this for many many years.

The steps were super simple.

1.  Gather materials

I bought the board, stain, and Polyurethane at Home Depot.

         The board is a 6 foot 1x8 board.  The stain I bought (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE) is Rust-oleum in Weathered Gray.  This stain doesn't look like the typical ruler which I wanted originally, but I LOVE this color.  So I went with it.  I bought the Rust-oleum Matte Polyurethane.  I bought this because I did not want it glossy at all.  I did not even want to see it really, but I wanted to put it on so the vinyl would stick well and so the board would be more protected.

2 and 3.  Sanding and staining

              I have a confession to make.  I tried to stain the board without sanding it.  DO NOT DO THIS.  Complete waste of your time and stain.  It will not "take" the stain.  See I have pictures to prove it.  You can laugh if you want.  I know I should have just sanded it first, but... I didn't.  So after staining it and then it not taking the color AT ALL.  I had a minor meltdown.  So I sanded it and then stained it and the color was perfect.  I love it.

Getting ready to stain (before sanding)

How sad it looked after staining.  Ridiculous.

What it looked like after the stain dried on it for 24 hours (before sanding it)

So I sanded it

This is what it looked like while the stain was sitting on it.  Before I sanded it this is not what it looked like.  It would puddle and it was not staying on the board and well...staining the wood.  I should have known better, but oh well.


Right after it was done being stained.  Still wet.

4.  Polyurethane

               I honestly only put one coat on.  It was smooth enough after that one coat that I was not worried about the vinyl sticking.


5.  Sticking vinyl to board

               After letting it dry for 24 hours in my very warm garage I put the vinyl on.  I put the 1 foot mark up half a foot on the board.  Therefore, when I put it on the wall I will have to place it a half a foot off the floor.  This will make the board sit 6 and a half feet up.  Since I don't worry at all about her being over 6.5 feet that was good enough for me!  I put on dashes every 3 inches and that was great for me.  You could do more or less.

I pre-marked everything and then also left the measuring tape on the side.  It worked wonderfully.  

Some very easy variations would be to paint the board a color and/or add decorative vinyl of any sort.  I went with more of the ruler look so I didn't want anything else on there.

That is it.  So easy and well I think you know this already, but I love it!  My husband wants to do a more intricate one.  We will have to see which one we end up keeping if that is the case.  If/when that happens I will do a post on it and you can vote for which one you like better.  Deal?

Make your own wooden growth chart that looks like a ruler.  Step-by-step instructions included.


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Dolen Diaries

54 comments:

Ryan said...

As your DIY/Know-it-all husband, I think you did a very good job;)

Shambray said...

Thanks honey!

ananda said...

hi shambray! this is fabulous! i love how sharp the stencils turn out, and agree you can tackle the more intricate designs! =)

Nikki @ Nikki Rae Ink said...

My husband made one not too long ago. Wish he would have seen this. He didn't use stencils, which adds a great finished touch. Great job!

Unknown said...

I know you said this was simple but to me it looks like a lot of work and I am in awe at how beautiful it turned out. Great job,

Taneja's Bride said...

What a precious idea! I would love to make one for my son one day! :)

Esther JuLee said...

you did such a great job!! i've seen these around pinterest and was meaning to make it if we ever have kids.

gillian claire said...

Wow, this looks amazing!! I love that you did it in such a classic, simple style.

M.M. Chouinard said...

This is a really great idea. And you did such a great job walking us through how to make it!

Unknown said...

Can't believe I never heard of this before. What a stylish, cute way to do the growth chart. Of course, chalkboard paint could be used in a similar way... Hm...

Dina said...

That is really cute and what's not to love about it? I think it's a genius idea and it could last multiple children. That's something I want to start when we move to our new home!

Unknown said...

Awesome! I wish I had seen your tutorial before I purchased the ruler for my nursery. I love it! I did make some wooden baby blocks though (and posted the tutorial on my blog) so at least my craftiness is on display somewhere in my nursery.

Anosa said...

This is awesome I will share with my brother so he can make one for my nephew

Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes said...

Love this! I think this is such a great idea to chronical a child's growth in such a cute way.

www.thatmamajama.com said...

This is so fantastic! I will have to make one for my son too!

FWIL Sentimental Blog Content said...

This is such a fun idea. You did a great job!

Sarah Shermann said...

This honestly has been on my to do list for ages the little ones still very small but I keep thinking I should make one before he gets big, this has inspired me to do looks much simpler than I thought :-)

Unknown said...

This is adorable! I'm about as UN-crafty as it gets, but I love this idea. May have to try it once we start having little ones!

Katie said...

Oh my gosh this is so cute! My parents would always measure us against the door frame but this is adorable! I shall definitely remember this when I come to have my own kids!

Katie <3

Shambray said...

Thanks Ananda! It was a lot of fun. Now I need to get it hung up and start using it!

Shambray said...

I am a perfectionist. So I had to use the vinyl. I'm sure yours looks fantastic!

Shambray said...

You are too kind! I promise it was simple!

Shambray said...

Do it! Kids like to measure themselves. For some reason it is really fun for them!

Shambray said...

Thank you! Yeah I pinned a similar one before I had my daughter and it has been on my to do list every since.

Shambray said...

Thank you! That is what I was going for. So hopefully I will still love the design in years from now.

Shambray said...

That means a lot. Sometimes I feel like I am all over the place with my tutorials.

Shambray said...

Yes! Chalkboard paint would be a fantastic idea!

Shambray said...

I want to use it with multiple children. So I am glad I came up with something that would be gender neutral!

Shambray said...

I saw the wooden baby blocks! I love them! So cute! I plan to make some very soon! I am following your blog. It is so cute! Can't wait to keep up on all you are doing!

Shambray said...

Yay! I hope he does it and has fun!

Shambray said...

That is what I was looking for. I love it!

Shambray said...

Yay! Do! My daughter loves it.

Shambray said...

Thank you Camille!

Shambray said...

It is really simple. It has been on my to do list for ages too! I promise it is a very fast project. The most time consuming parts is for drying time.

Shambray said...

You can do it! I promise!

Shambray said...

My parents would too! I thought this was much more cute. ;)

Alicia Snow said...

I have always wanted to make one of these, they are so cute! Thanks for the DIY!

Colleen said...

Great job! My sister in law made us one of these for Christmas last year- we haven't put it up since we moved in and I'm so glad this reminded me about it! Now that the littles are standing, it's about time we made that first mark :)

Shambray said...

Yeah I still need to get mine up. My daughter daughter tries to measure herself at least daily. I'm so glad I found your blog. I love it! I started following you! Can't wait to keep up to date on all your great ideas!

Shambray said...

Your so welcome! It was super easy and simple!

Unknown said...

What a great project. It looks great.

Raewyn @ Be A Warrior Queen said...

This is perfect! I remember writing our heights on our door jam at my grandma's because we moved our house a few times. This is easily transportable!

Shambray said...

Thank you Karissa

Shambray said...

That is actually a very good point. I was thinking solely about how it is cuter than just writing on a door jam, but it is very portable so you won't have to leave those memories behind!

Unknown said...

This idea would be perfect for my nieces room! I'll have to share this with my sister in law!

Shambray said...

Please do! It is so quick and a fun touch!

SewSweetVIntage said...

Adorable! Pinned

Shambray said...

Thanks it was so fun! Still need to get it hung up though!

avisiontoremember said...

Love this idea! I shared it today on my Roundup post from the Creative Exchange Link Party. Thanks so much for stopping by!

http://www.avisiontoremember.com/2014/08/12-ways-to-make-back-to-school-easier.html

Shambray said...

Thank you for sharing it on your round up! That means a lot to me. I love your link up party!

Shanice Bannis said...

Very cute growth chart! Thank you for sharing this post at City of Creative Dream's City of Links last Friday! I appreciate you taking the time to party with me. Hope to see you again this week :)

Shambray said...

Linked up this week! Thanks for the weekly link up!

Unknown said...

Where did you get the vinyl numbers and line?

Shambray said...

I got mine here (http://www.u-createcrafts.com/diy-ruler-growth-chart/), but she doesn't offer them anymore. However, I found this one (http://amzn.to/1xujMRl) and it seems MUCH easier to apply than the one I bought because they come in 12 inch sections. I also found this one too (https://www.etsy.com/listing/151204073/vinyl-growth-chart-inch-markings-and) and that seems easy to apply too.

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