While I am slowly starting the purging, organizing and packing process that proceeds a move, one project I had to complete prior to leaving our home was to make a portable growth chart.
Soon after we moved in–it must have been all these plain white walls just calling out to me–we started marking our kids height on the wall next to our refrigerator. They have grown a TON this year, we’ve really gotten a kick out of looking back on how little they were when we first moved in this house not even two years ago.
So, not wanting to leave that precious little snapshot of their childhood behind, I had to move making a ruler growth chart from the “when I get to it” pile to the “today” pile. These abound on the internet, I think Pottery Barn might have originally introduced them but who can keep track these days?
My neighbor Ani has the most fabulous one. I pretty much knocked her version off because it already seemed perfect. Though when I went by to photograph it I realized hers is all cool and muted and distressed…of course it is, she is cool like that! This is hers below…
But for my version, I did this project fast, cheap and easy–the best kind, right? After all, I have boxes to get to packin’! Home Depot sells these boards already cut to size. I went with a 6′ board since my son is already the tallest kid in 2nd grade, so better to be safe then sorry, right?
I spray painted the board with heirloom white, giving it just a few quick coats so a little of the wood grain would still show through. Then, after measuring out the numbers, I used stencils to mark the numbers along the edge. I just used a black sharpie to color inside the stencil, and it worked perfectly.
Because my baseboards take up about the first 4 to 5 inches, I started my 1 foot closer then 12″ from the bottom, that way I could hang it slightly above the baseboard and be 12″ off the ground.
I just marked in pencil my kid’s height and age, matching what is on my {soon to be former} wall and I know we’ll keep going with it once we’re in our new home. They grow so fast, don’t they?
Thanks for stopping by!
