I have been thinking about making a growth chart for Luke ever since he could walk.
I love the idea of having something tangible to see how fast kids grow
vs. only writing down numbers in a baby book.
I also really like the concept of being able to compare the
height difference in all your kids at the same age.
Plus unlike writing on a wall you can take this one with you no matter where you move to.
height difference in all your kids at the same age.
Plus unlike writing on a wall you can take this one with you no matter where you move to.
So as usual I didn't really like anything I found out there.
I am really picky when it comes to kids things and really don't like characters/animals
of any kind on just about anything.
So I said to myself why don't I just make one?
Something that is classic and can transfer to any room no matter the age or stage of the child.
I decided to go to Lowe's to check out their wood supply.
I found the perfect board in solid wood and had it cut there to 6ft.
The board cost me a total of $4.50.
I had some wood stain in a color I liked and bought a spray can of polyurethane.
We took our pre cut board home and sanded it with a power sander.
You could do this by hand with the paper it would take just a bit more time.
I wanted the edges to be rounded for a softer look.
Once the board was completely smooth, we put on two coats of our wood stain.
Within an hour of staining we covered the board with the polyurethane.
Once dried this left a slightly rough surface from the spray.
So we took a very fine piece of sand paper dipping it in water (makes it ever finer)
and began to smooth the surface out.
I had previously ordered some vinyl numbers at this etsy store
since I knew my handwriting would fail me here.
I am sure you could find these at a craft store I just really wanted a
specific font with some style since this was the only thing to add character to the board.
Once we taped off the board we placed the numbers on it in our desired location. (4 inches long)
We then measured a line (3 inches long) for the middle marker between the feet.
Then made all the little lines dividing each inch to finish it off. (2 inches long)
This created a ruler effect.
All these little lines were taped off with the width and length
we wanted and filled in with a black sharpie.
It was a lot of taping but not hard at all, just a little time consuming.
And that's it!
I love the way it turned out and love the way it looks in Luke's room.
Now no matter the colors or decorations in Luke's room
this growth chart will get used for years to come.
~Total cost $12.00~
I can't wait to write in his height tonight!
The board cost me a total of $4.50.
I had some wood stain in a color I liked and bought a spray can of polyurethane.
We took our pre cut board home and sanded it with a power sander.
I wanted the edges to be rounded for a softer look.
Once the board was completely smooth, we put on two coats of our wood stain.
Within an hour of staining we covered the board with the polyurethane.
Once dried this left a slightly rough surface from the spray.
So we took a very fine piece of sand paper dipping it in water (makes it ever finer)
and began to smooth the surface out.
I had previously ordered some vinyl numbers at this etsy store
since I knew my handwriting would fail me here.
specific font with some style since this was the only thing to add character to the board.
Once we taped off the board we placed the numbers on it in our desired location. (4 inches long)
We then measured a line (3 inches long) for the middle marker between the feet.
Then made all the little lines dividing each inch to finish it off. (2 inches long)
All these little lines were taped off with the width and length
we wanted and filled in with a black sharpie.
It was a lot of taping but not hard at all, just a little time consuming.
And that's it!
Now no matter the colors or decorations in Luke's room
this growth chart will get used for years to come.
~Total cost $12.00~
I can't wait to write in his height tonight!
I had a feeling you were making a growth chart when I saw the picture of Brandon sanding on the previous post. Thanks for the vinyl idea. I have been wanting to make one and that didn't even occur to me. I was trying to figure out if I could borrow some kind of wood burning tool. Your idea is much more simple. This is very similar to the design I had in my head. You should have made two and I would have paid you $24 for it.
ReplyDeleteYou can also buy the vinyl numbers at lowes/home depot where you buy the wood. They sell them where you would buy numbers to hang on your house to show your address. They are 3" tall so perfect size for this and they are only like $0.50 a piece so you can get the whole set for just over $3 :)
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