Measuring Up

This is one of those projects that has been a loooooong time in coming. When I first saw a growth chart ruler years ago I knew I wanted one for our house. About a year and a half ago I found an old piece of 2x12 sitting out in our pasture and knew it would make the perfect board for the ruler. And bonus, I didn't even have to fake the weathered look because it had been sitting out in the rain for so long.

Then that board sat leaning up against our garage for about six months. When I finally got tired of looking at it outside I brought it in to the garage so it could "dry out", which apparently took about a year because I just got around to bringing it inside and actually doing a project with it last week.

I mean, why rush things?

The actual project itself was actually super simple. The only prep I did to the board was give it a light sand to eliminate any big splinters. I used the Silhouette to cut the hash marks and numbers out of black matte vinyl, one foot at a time.

Now let's talk about these hash marks for a minute. The extremely OCD side of me really, really wanted to divide each foot into sixteenths just like you would see on a ruler. Twelve hashmarks just isn't a thing. BUT with a little convincing from Bryce, I realized it really does make so much more sense to have each inch marked. Thus, authenticity be darned, we've got twelve hashmarks for each foot.

My first attempt at putting the vinyl on the wood was a total failure. It just wouldn't stick. So I sent a SOS text to my fantastic and very crafty sister-in-law and she suggested using spray adhesive. She's a genius. I gave the back of the vinyl a quick spray of Elmer's Spray Adhesive before putting it on the wood and it stuck without any problem.

I had great intentions of putting a top coat on the whole thing, but so far it hasn't happened. If the vinyl starts to peel or if little hands start picking at it maybe I will, but for now I'll take the easy way out.

I've been saving the kids' visit summaries from their pediatrician since Audrey was born just to be able to one day add them to a growth chart. It's fun to be able to see just how much they've grown and how they compare to each other a different ages.

If anyone is interested I'd be happy to share the Silhouette file with the hashmarks and number. Simply leave a comment with your email address or email me directly at raising1543@gmail.com.

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