Tuesday, May 31, 2011

DIY Growth Chart

I shared this tutorial last week at The Frugal Girls and I'm reposting it here today in case you didn't see it....

Hi everyone!  I'm so excited to be back here at The Frugal Girls!  The last time I was here, I shared about our frugal mud room storage.  This time the location hasn't changed much....still in my mud room, but it's a new addition about a foot to the right....a DIY Growth Chart...made from materials we already had around the house!  (List of materials needed:  big piece of wood, black paint, white paint, number stencils, sandpaper if you want the distressed look).


I have always loved the idea of a growth chart.  Growing up, I knew a family who dedicated one of the doorframes in their house for this purpose.  It was amazing to see all the friends and family members who had marked their height over the years!  Currently, my mom has a spot in her house where she marks the kid's height when we visit - something my son always looks forward to.  I knew I wanted to have something similar in our home someday, but my main concern was of sentimental value - what would I do if we needed to repaint the room, or even move?  I am way too sentimental to paint over something like a growth chart!
So here's what we did (following the same basic steps as my numbered coat rack):  First, grab a piece of wood.  Any big piece will do!  We found ours in our attic, left here by the previous owners, which is why it is angled at the top - it's really just an old piece of junk wood.  We wanted a distressed look, so we painted the board black and then added several coats of white paint. 

Next it was time to measure.  Sooooo thankful for my helpful husband in times like these....I would much rather just eyeball things, but clearly for this project you need to actually measure, something I really don't have the patience for!  We decided where we wanted the chart to hang on the wall and knew that the first line would be 11 inches from the floor.  He then measured and marked each inch, making the lines longer at 6 inches and again at each foot mark. 


I used black acrylic paint to trace the lines and stencil in the numbers.  Since we were planning to distress it, I knew it was fine if everything wasn't perfect. 


A few coats of paint later and then some extra time to make sure everything was dry and it was time to distress!  We used the palm sander to rough up the edges and go over the whole front, giving it a little character.


All that was left was to attach it to the wall....which took a little extra effort since it is basically ginormous!  The kids were excited to mark their heights immediately...


and I am thrilled to have what is sure to become a treasured piece of family history!


I'm loving this new addition to our mud room!



Linking up to a few of my favorites!



DIY Club

It's so exciting to be featured ~ special thanks to...





thoughts,musings, outlet for frustrations




24 comments:

Boden said...

Oh this is just so cool! Won't it be fun to look back at everyone's heights and markings in 20 years? A piece of family history for sure! Thanks so much for sharing! ~Jen

Andie Jaye said...

ooooh!! i love it. much better than my two thin pieces of wood screwed to the wall... i would love it if you shared this at my first ever tip-toe thru tuesday link party! http://crayonfreckles.blogspot.com/2011/05/1st-ever-tip-toe-thru-tuesday-party.html

andiejaye

Anonymous said...

Uh-Oh: Baby with a Sharpie! Watch out!

Susan Woods said...

That is absolutely fabulous. My hubby and sons beat me to it and started keeping track on a door frame in their room!

Desiree @ The 36th AVENUE said...

Love! I really like the simple but timeless look of this. You have inspired me! I'd love for you to share this at my link party. Great job ;)

thirtysixthavenue.com

Chef in Training said...

Love this! great idea and I LOVE the look of it! I am your newest follower and would love it if you would check out my blog and follow me too! Thanks! and great job!
-Nikki
http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

I love the simple look ~ not babyish like so many seem to be! Great work!

I would love if you would share this on our Weekly Playdate linkup at: http://beneaththerowantree.blogspot.com/2011/05/playdate-link-party-everyone-welcome.html
Itis a play and kid themed link up :)

Cheers,
Lori
Come & Play!
http://beneaththerowantree.com

Tanya said...

I just love this project! I featured it on my Blog today :) Happy Friday to you.

Annie said...

I can't wait to make this! When we painted our house they painted over our door frame that had all of the boys' measurements on them, but I saved it on a long piece of paper. I've been waiting for a cool idea to come along to transfer that onto, and now I have it! I have so many things on my TO-DO craft list, but this is definitely toward the top. LOVE it!

Moquelish said...

That is such a fun idea! My in-laws have a little area in the laundry room where they recorded heights. I love that idea. Thanks for sharing it.

~Robin~ said...

Seriously cute! I'm going to make one of these for Miss Georgia Grace (who will be 4 months in a couple of days). Can't wait to watch her grow...

Annie said...

Angie, thanks for linking me! And since you mentioned your coffee table, I just have to see it now. Do you have a pic of it on your blog?

Michelle @ Delicate Construction said...

What a cute idea! I also think it is great that it can move with you if needed! I am visiting from Ladybird Lane and I would love if you could link this up to my Delicately Constructed Friday Linky Party as well!
Thanks so much!
Have a great weekend!
Michelle

rebecca @ older and wisor said...

I've always seen the yellow rulers but never loved them.....why not do white instead?? Duh. You're brilliant. And I'm totally making this this week!

Unknown said...

This is great! I love how big it is!

Anonymous said...

I said I was going to do this last year- I should replace my middle name with procrastination! I would love it if you shared this @ Workshop Wednesday!

Mandy said...

Oh.My.word! I LOVE your growth chart! I've been wanting to do this for about a year now. I'm going to show this to my husband. I've kept growth charts from the checkups at the doctor with height and weight. I think I'll transfer those right over and continue from there. Where did you get the cute number stencils? It TOTALLY looks like a vintage wooden ruler or yard stick but larger :) Thanks for sharing!

Sommer said...

This is fabulous! I love how it ties in with the grown up decor yet has the sentimental touch =) What a fun project idea! Please stop by and join my party this weekend at http://designergarden.blogspot.com/2011/06/vip-party-18.html

Mindie Hilton said...

You have a beautiful blog.

I would love for you to link it up to my party that is running now. Any linky goes.

http://bacontimewiththehungryhypo.blogspot.com/2011/06/any-link-goes-party-running-now-summer.html

Come strut your stuff.

Its So Very Cheri said...

I am featuring this on my facebook page.

Cheri

Roeshel said...

I love it, Angie! You did a beautiful job! Your kiddos are adorable! ;)

Have a great weekend!
Roeshel

Cassie Bustamante said...

i absolutely love the scale of your growth chart- it's gorgeous!

Candace @ Candace Creations said...

I LOVE THIS! I'm featuring this awesome project on my blog today! http://candacecreations.blogspot.com swing by and check it out!

Ashley said...

I saw this a few weeks ago and definitely want to make one for my soon-to-arrive little one :) I always thought growth charts were a great idea (my parents never did one for me), but I hate that most people end up leaving them when they move to a new house. This is perfect!

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