As new parents, my husband and I love to see our baby boy hit his milestones like the boss that he is. We also get excited when it's time for us to go to the doctor to get his official measurements, because it's amazing how fast they grow.
This growth chart has been on my DIY to-do list since we found out we were pregnant. Now that the kid is almost 1, I figured I better cross this one off my list soon. 2016 seemed to be "The Year of the Baby" among our family and friends, I thought a growth chart would be a great (inexpensive, yet meaningful) Christmas gift to give, but life happens. So, today is a perfect day to get it done.. Not to mention, you can make this in under 30 minutes.
Fence pickets like these are the perfect height, size and price point for this projects like this. However, I'll be using a piece of cull lumber I found at Home Depot for under $2.
SUPPLIES
- 6 ft. piece of wood
- Acrylic Paint
- Stencil Numbers
- Paint Brushes
- Sand Paper (optional)
- screw driver
- photo hanger
DIRECTIONS
If necessary, sand the board down. I stained it with 1 part grey acrylic paint to 2 parts water so that the grain of the wood would still show through. Add as many coats as you'd like until you get the desired look and allow it to dry.
For a distressed look, you can use the dry brushing technique. Dry brushing is dipping your paint brush into a different color paint than the background, then dabbing most of the paint off until there is a small trace and the brush is almost dry. Next, you will stroke over the initial color, which will leave small traces of the second color behind to give the distressed look. I used sand paper to get my distressed look.
Grab your measuring tape (or ruler) and a pencil. Determine how high you want the growth chart off of the floor (I recommend 6" or more), then mark the inches. If you want to be a perfectionist, you can use painter's tape to block off the notches, but it's faster to use a sharpie or paint to define the lines.
Next, use the number stencils to specify the number of feet, or transfer the images onto the wood using this technique. I ran the sand paper over each number to give it a distressed look.
Finally, grab your power drill (or a regular screwdriver) and attach a photo hanger to the back. I placed mine at the 6 foot mark.
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