Growth Chart Ruler

I'm lucky enough to have an entire week off in November. I vowed to do at least one craft during that time and I wanted it to be this growth chart ruler that I had seen--and pinned--a while ago. Here's how mine came out and the steps I took are down below:

Here are the materials I used:

• 6' plank of wood
• sawhorses
• medium sanding block
• painters tape
• measuring tape
• pencil
• black sharpie
• ruler
• 3" stencils
• wood stain (with brushes and a rag)

Step #1: First, I sanded all six (6) edges of the wood. (I still ended up with at least one rough spot that I didn't discover until later.)

Step #2: I laid a strip of painters tape down the middle and marked off the feet and half-feet using a pencil. Then, using the ruler and sharpie, I made the lines for the feet 3" long and the half-feet 1 3/4" long.

Step #3: I laid down another strip of tape closer to the edge and marked off the inches. I made those lines 1" long. Here's how it looked with all the lines drawn:

Step #4: Next, I used my stencils to draw the numbers and then the sharpie to fill them in. Be strategic as you color them in! I ended up with sharpie on my pinkie that smeared the outside of the three. I was able to sand it off but I ended up having to fill in the rest like a lady with my pinkie extended.

Step #5: I applied one coat of wood stain and left it on for about 15 minutes per the directions on the can. Then I had to wait about 4-6 hours for it to dry before I applied the second coat. Here's how it came out with two coats of the pecan stain I used: 

I stained the top first and then the following day, I wrote a message to my 9 month old nephew who will be receiving it for Christmas along with a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote about growth. Then I stained the back with two coats as well.

Final Notes and Comments: The entire project took 2 days because of the hours for the stain to dry. Steps 1-4 took about an hour and a half to two hours, but that was probably because I kept stopping to take pictures and text.

The one in the original pin that I followed started with 2 because it will be mounted 1' above the floor. I just made mine to be propped against a wall because I felt like it could be a cute decoration in the room too. Also, I did not put a finish on it because I was worried that my cousin and her husband wouldn't be able to write on it if I did. It's supposed to be a growth chart, after all. It would be cute to attach a picture every year too and I'm pretty sure it would adhere better sans finish.

This one is simple but you could stain it pink or blue if  you really wanted to match a bedroom décor (or gender code it). You could also decoupage images of whatever the kids are into (e.g., Minnie Mouse, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Cars, etc.).