He Rules! Ruler to End All Rulers!

How do you capture those precious moments and unforgettable life events that are happening right before our eyes?

Watching our children grow is fun, but every time I think about it, I feel like it’s happening too fast. I wanted more than simply photos to remember how they are growing. Something lasting, that will the kids can look back at, and REALLY see changes in their lives. I thought about when I was a kid and my parents marked our height on the door jam, it was tons of fun, but when we moved it was gone. So, I thought. How could I give Jude and Leland the same fun and be able to take it with us if we move?

Giant ruler, that’s how! Found this one on Pinterest and thought I’d give it a go. A super cute, easy craft project to help capture the development of those growing kiddos! This easy and life capturing craft project came to a total cost of………. A whopping $15!

For this creation you will need a few items:

 

1x6x8 common board
(I used Pine)

Wood Finish

(I like the Walnut finish)

4 screws (preferably black flat head screws)
Pencil and sharpie
Printed numbers to trace on the board
Everything is available at your local hardware store.

Start by applying wood stain to the board. 

 
For the project, if you don’t have a paint brush, or just don’t want to ruin one (it’s a pain to clean stain out of the brush) don’t worry! Just use a paper towel. I actually liked using a paper towel because I could really push the stain into the wood to give it the best effect and really showcase the boards’ grain.

You could also paint it a fun color!

 

Let it dry, and add another coat if you want (I did one liberally applied coat). After the application process is complete, it is time to add your hash marks. One thing to take into consideration is, at what measurement to start. I started at six inches since the board will be that far from the ground (on account of the baseboards).

Pick a font and a size that you like, for numbers on your board. I used a 200-point, Century for my project. A trick I recommend when applying number to the board is printing the numbers on 8 ½ X 11 paper and tracing them over the board. This will leave a slight indentation on the wood making it easier to trace the outline with a permanent marker.


 




Next mount it to the wall. Having two people makes it loads easier. One can hold the board in place while the other drills in the screws.

Finally, you are ready to mark and record those wonderful life events that come with growing children year after year.






Tips and tricks:
When applying wood finish with the towel, use a swirl motion to get a vintage looking, uneven finish. This lets the stain to sink into the groves. Using an up and down motion will not give you quite the same effect.

If you don’t want to trace, you can use vinyl stickers or wooden letters also which are available at your local Michaels Craft store.

  

Not only is the giant ruler easy and fun, it is a cute do it yourself décor item for the wall!

This was a super easy craft project and Jude had fun hanging out through the process, Dave says he had a less fun, but I suspect he wishes he’d thought of it.