Most AWESOME craft project EVER.

I have been wanting a growth chart for my kiddos....but not just any run-of-the-mill growth chart.  I wanted a growth chart that looks like a giant ruler.  I've priced them out and the cost can be pretty steep, so a few months ago I decided I would just make my own. 

The problem was getting it started....I was a little overwhelmed at the thought of it....until I talked to my friend Kelly (who also happens to be our chiropractor and she ROCKS) and she mentioned she had been wanting to make one too.  So together we set out to tackle a project that ended up taking us quite a bit of time, but was completely worth it.

Purchased Materials...
A piece of poplar wood (mine was 6 feet high and 1 foot wide).
Polyurethane
A roller and brush for the polyurethane
Vinyl Cutouts
Sander

We started by sanding our boards (sorry I don't have any pics of the step-by-step process - I forgot my camera)!  We rounded the corners just a bit and made sure it was all smooth.  We then added 2 coats of Polyurethane.  After it dried we affixed vinyl cutouts of the dashes and numbers for the ruler.  Kelly has a Silhouette that cuts vinyl, but if you do not have access to that I think you could do some of it on a Cricket or even by hand with a stencil  (which is what I was originally planning on doing).  I will admit that this took the most amount of time because we wanted it to be as accurate as possible.

We personalized our growth charts by adding our last names (for safety reasons I have blotted them out) and the year our families were started (the year we were married).  We then added 2 more coats of polyurethane...and now we are ready to start measuring!

Like I said, this project took much longer than I think either of us realized but the end result is sooo worth it.  We have ours in our office right now and I'm not lying when I tell you I go in there just to admire it.  It's something I think our family will treasure forever.

Another good thing that came out of this little project is we discovered that Jaden and Kelly's daughter play together like two peas in a pod!  Hmmm....I'm thinking more fun projects are in our future!

"An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail."

--Edwind Land