GROWTH CHART

I don't mean to offend anyone when I ask this question, but seriously, why are most all the Growth Charts that are out there for sale, so babyish / cheesy / too colorful / tacky - whatever? You know what I mean, right?

I have been looking for one since my first son was born almost four years ago, but everything I'd seen made me want to puke. So early last summer (before I started my serious craft blog surfing obsession), I started to formulate this idea in my head. I went to a craft store and bought some wood numbers and some 1/8" balsa wood. I knew I wanted a board with numbers running up the middle and little tick marks every 2" using the balsa wood. But I had NO idea how I wanted to decorate the board, only that it couldn't be "babyish / cheese / too colorful or tacky".

Then a few months back, while visiting a Linky Party (sorry, I don't remember which one), I saw this sign someone had made for their potting shed... all it said was "grow" - so simple, so telling. I thought I had bookmarked that project, but I didn't, so I'm sorry that I can't link you to the original inspiration for this...

My Growth Chart.

One of our friends had given me the 1X10 pine board last summer when the plan was first starting to percolate. Even though this past holiday weekend should have been spent replenishing my stock for the Farmer's Market or preparing for my family's big visit next weekend (I have 16 people coming), but no, I whipped up this bad boy.

I painted the board using leftover white interior trim paint. Then using my Cricut, I printed out the letters on Freezer Paper. I know Freezer Paper is great for making stencils, but I used the actual letter shape to trace around. I painted the letters using orange craft paint. I taped off the 1/4" wide line up the middle, and used leftover grey paint from my husband's office to paint it, the numbers and the little tick marks, which are 2" long. I then made a little template to help me equally space the tick marks, and glued them down, along with the numbers, using E600 glue.

This morning, when I took the above pictures, I wasn't sure how I was going to hang it, but then I had an idea based on something I had seen once over at Tatertots & Jello.

I knew I didn't have any wire that would be strong enough, but I did have plenty of wire hangers from my husband's dry cleaning. So I took one apart, and straightened it out before I bent it at the center.

I then drilled two tiny holes in the board and threaded the wire through. Then I just bent the wire into an interesting shape.

I chose to hang the Growth Chart in my husband's office, not because it matches the decor, but because my boys don't go in there that often, so less chance for the numbers and tick marks to get "accidentally" knocked off.

I plan to record my oldest son's growth on the left and my youngest son's growth on the right.

I REALLY LOVE how it turned out!!! Definitely (at least in my eyes) not "babyish / cheesy / too colorful or tacky". What do you think?

I'm linking up at these Linky Parties, so be sure to go there to check out all the other fabulous ideas...

A Glimpse Inside

Tatertots & Jello

Under the Table & Dreaming

Flamingo Toes

C.R.A.F.T.

Embellishing Life