I love the idea of tracking your children’s growth on something you can take with you if you so happen to move (or re-paint!).  This DIY growth ruler does just the trick and is handsome enough to display outside of your child’s bedroom!I thought this narrow wall between our bedroom and bathroom would be the perfect spot for our growth ruler.The Hubs picked up this wood for me at Home Depot for $7.50 (I originally asked for a pine floorboard so I could create the rule lip but he bought something else he doesn’t remember the name of).  I gave it a bit of a sanding before staining.I had some stain on hand that I thought would work perfectly.The wood was porous and stained more easily than I anticipated.  I wiped the stain off immediately after applying it. It was a bit blotchy and it was just about then that I remembered the concept of pre-treating wood….oops!  I was a bit disappointed with how dark it was.  If only I had another piece to try a lighter stain…  So I flipped the wood over and gave it another go!This time I used a natural stain which I also happened to have on hand.Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the dark and natural stain.  The dark wood just looked so much more finished so I figured I’d try that side first and if I didn’t like it I’d flip to the other.I had a black paint pen on hand which worked well.  I originally tried using a Sharpee but there wasn’t enough contrast between the black and the wood.  I just free handed the numbers.Then I waxed the wood carefully going around the painted parts.  If you’re noticing a Minwax trend here it just so happens to be the cheapest most affordable line of these types of products at Home Depot.The Hubs drilled two holes through parts of the painted black since we were going to use black screws.  Daylight savings is proving perfect for snapping a quick evening photo after coming home from work!We used drywall screws which I seem to be using for all my projects lately.Here’s a closeup to highlight how seamlessly the screw is incorporated into the project.And here it is on our wall.  My one little tip would be to keep in mind wall placement when marking your ruler.  As you can see, the number one starts about two inches from the bottom of the ruler.  That was intentional because I had planned on securing the ruler well above the base of the wall.  Anak was way too excited and squirmy (there’s something new on the wall!)  for me to get an accurate height reading.  Our ruler goes up to 6’7″ so he has a good bit of room to grow : ]  All in all, not bad for a $7.50 project!

Linked to Liz Marie Blog, Lines Across.

Do you keep track of your children’s height?  Do you use a growth ruler or do you have some other means?