I recently made a little growth chart for Jackson’s room to help keep track of how fast he’s growing (and let me tell you, it’s FAST). As a kid, I was always a bit envious of the people who had the little markings on their door frame of their growth over the years, and I wanted to re-create that feeling for our house, but with something that we could take with us if we ever move.
It was really easy to put together, and it turned out so cute!
All I did was take a 6-foot 1×12 board and stain it, then I taped off the chevron pattern with painters tape and added another layer of stain. I let the second layer sit a bit longer so that there would be a nice, subtle contrast between the stripes.
Once it was all dry, I added some tick marks on the side to make it look like a ruler – I made them different lengths for different measurements (for example, the foot marks are about 3-inches long and the inch marks are only about 1-inch long). If you decide to try this, be sure to plan how high you want to hang it before you make your tick marks – I knew I was hanging mine 7-inches off the ground, so my first tick mark at the bottom of my board isn’t technically the 1-inch mark, it’s the 8-inch mark.
Finally, I printed out some numbers and used a pencil transfer technique to get an outline of them on the board. I just shaded the back of the paper with a pencil, then flipped it over and lined it up where I wanted it, and traced around it with a pencil and a good amount of pressure. The lead transfers over to the board, so you’re left with a nice subtle outline of the number so you can paint. I used a tiny craft paintbrush to add a couple of coats of paint and that was it! You could use vinyl numbers or a stencil here, too, but I wanted a more rustic, handmade look so I stuck with tracing and paint.
Once we got it all hung, I used a metallic Sharpie to measure Jackson! Mr. Garland and I decided to go ahead and measure ourselves as well, so as he gets older we’ll be able to compare our heights to his!
This was a crazy simple and quick project, but it makes a big impact in his room and I have a feeling it will turn into something our whole family will cherish for a long time! We’ll be able to add any future kiddos onto the board as well, so it will be special for everyone.
Do you have a method for tracking your little one’s growth?
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
I love it! I made a similar growth chart for Baby P’s nursery. Instead of painting on the numbers I used stickers then I spray painted a clear coat on top. Now that she’s standing I should measure her!
kiwi / 511 posts
We ordered a vinyl sticker one that we put on a piece of a thin wood (very soft wood almost like a huge piece of balsa wood but not quite) we got it at home depot. We used their cutting service to make two pieces one for each kid. Then we adhered the vinyl sticker to that piece so we can take it with us, or they can take it with them if they want and we can repaint with no worries. The decal we ordered starts the measurement at 2 feet so when we hung it on the wall we just had to make sure that the 2 foot mark was actually two feet off the ground.
We also hang their yearly school picture next to each of their charts. The decal came with round stickers that we can use to mark the year etc, we use those for the yearly one (we measure every Jan 1st) and then just write in sharpie for the in between times on the wood.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
It looks great!! I am totally non-crafty so I’m just planning on buy a decal…
pomelo / 5866 posts
gorgeous!
blogger / kiwi / 675 posts
this turned out so well! You did a great job and I love the chevron technique. I used to track my girls’ growth on our playroom door frame and now I’m sad that we moved!
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
Great idea with the chevron pattern! Love it!
I actually got the vinyl to do this, already. I just need to get the wood, paint it (or stain it) and slap the vinyl on.
Definitely going to go with the chevron pattern.
Is it hard to stain something? I’ve never done it… so my fall back is the just paint it.
pomelo / 5220 posts
this is so cute! I’ll have to see if DH can make us one!
blogger / apricot / 439 posts
This is so cute! I’m so impressed!
grapefruit / 4584 posts
Cute! So what do you write for measurements? Date, age, height?
blogger / apricot / 482 posts
We made a similar one for our two little ones, but without the chevron print — love that design! We used stencils purchased from Michaels for the numbers.
olive / 59 posts
Adorable! I need to make one. I’m just using yard sticks and colored markers!
blogger / apricot / 378 posts
@bluestriped bee: So not hard! I’d recommend using a foam brush or a lint-free cloth (I prefer foam brushes)…just brush it on (use long strokes), let it sit for a bit, and wipe of the excess. I might practice once on a spare board if I were you, just to get a feel for it, but I promise it’s easy!