• Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Collaborate
  • Blog
  • Parties
    • Children’s Parties Ideas
    • Holiday Parties
    • Adult Party Ideas
  • Holiday Ideas
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Spring
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Seasons
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Project Gallery
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY
    • Good Ideas
    • Tutorials
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

  • Book
  • Speaking
  • Meet Vanessa
    • Featured

November 7, 2011

Pottery Barn Ruler Growth Chart Knock-Off

031
Or for an alternative title: “My Knock-Off of a Knock-off”!
If you partied with us at Inspiration Friday this past weekend, you heard me declare that I would definitely be copying the Ruler Growth Chart which Liz, The Naptime Decorator, knocked off from Pottery Barn.
And, I am true to my word folks!
Of course, I ended up making not just one but TWO Ruler Growth Charts.
One for each rascal in our family.
019
020
Well, actually, if I had made one for each rascal in our family there would have been one with my hubby’s name on it too. He is the Rascal Ringleader after all!
This has to be one of the easiest DIY projects ever. I simply purchased two 1x6x6 boards, a light colored wood stain and a stain/paint marker. The foot increment lines were drawn longer than the inches and then marked with the appropriate number.
The only difficult part was establishing exactly where on the wall it would be hung so that I could be certain the measurements on the chart would be correct.
For example, I knew that our charts would be hung 3 inches up from the floor, so my chart started at the 3 inch mark. Does that make sense?
So, now when my kids stand up against it, we are getting their exact height vs. having to add inches on according to where it is placed on the wall.
Clear as mud? Winking smile

001

It must not take much to amuse me because I kept finding myself chuckling over the fact that I was using a ruler to make my ruler!
I have such a well developed and mature sense of humor don’t I?
Stenciling their names to the top was the perfect way to personalize them.
014
They now hang on either side of the closet in the playroom and
add a little bit more character to this already fun space.
That little door you see in there leads to the attic where the Christmas decorations are calling to me!
Those curtains are going to be coming down soon to make way for another little project I have up my sleeve.
I hope to get started on it this week!
017
As soon as the growth charts were up, the kids raced to see how tall they were.
And mommy’s heart almost couldn’t bear seeing how tall this boy was.
4 ft. 3 inches and counting…
026
I think it’s time for the old “put a book on your head” method to slow down how quickly this boy is growing! It made me almost cry just seeing the 6ft mark and knowing that in the blink of an eye we will probably be putting a little mark next to those lines.
For now, I will enjoy the fact that he is still shorter than his mother and that I can still take him down when we wrestle!
Thanks so much for joining me today at the Fence,
1553F4F30A9801A6AFB3E9C624118E7B
This post is partying here this week:
You’re Talking Too Much: Meet Me on Monday
Ask Anna: Weekend Warrior Party
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia: Tuesday’s Treasures
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesday
DIY By Design: Fall Into Fall
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party

21 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Good Ideas

Subscribe

Get the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « Simply Sundays…join us for the “Sally List” Challenge
Next Post: Let’s get this holiday season started… »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ruby Jean says

    November 7, 2011 at 4:45 PM

    So ADORABLE and Very cost effective.. I am sure your Children couldn’t wait to get measured… : )

    Reply
  2. Liz says

    November 7, 2011 at 5:09 PM

    Looks AWESOME!!! 🙂

    Reply
  3. ℳartina @ Northern Nesting says

    November 7, 2011 at 6:35 PM

    Love them Vanessa!! Martina

    Reply
  4. Kelly says

    November 7, 2011 at 6:38 PM

    What a cute idea! Those giant rulers are adorable for a growth chart. Wish I had done that when my kids were smaller. My oldest is already done growing (we think). You did a great job copying that. I find more and more people doing that these days. Pottery Barn can be so expensive!

    Reply
  5. michelle says

    November 7, 2011 at 8:13 PM

    Those are so cute!! I love seeing how big the kids are getting, although it does bring a few tears to my eye. 😉
    Great job!!
    xoxo

    Reply
  6. Brooke @ Inside-Out Design says

    November 7, 2011 at 9:17 PM

    These came out so cute!! Great job!!

    Reply
  7. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    November 7, 2011 at 9:21 PM

    These are really cute, Vanessa! I’ll bet all their friends want to get measured now, too.

    Reply
  8. Stuff and Nonsense says

    November 7, 2011 at 9:37 PM

    i have a love-hate relationship
    with that certain bit of well-marked wall
    in our home
    that marks the growth of my children
    and the passage of time

    your new growth charts are charming
    and i’m sure your kidlets love them.

    alison

    Reply
  9. Judy says

    November 7, 2011 at 10:10 PM

    Awesome project. I love that you raced to make this knock off. It is such a cool project. I have to make one for my niece and nephew. You made me laugh with what you said about your ruler measuring a ruler. Obviously we must both have the same sense of humor. That is funny.

    Reply
  10. Michell @ Girl In Air says

    November 7, 2011 at 11:58 PM

    That is super cute!! I’m gonna have to make one for my growing boy:-) I’m sharing and pinning!

    Happy Monday!

    Reply
  11. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    November 8, 2011 at 12:21 AM

    These are so cute, Vanessa! I may have to make one for the grand kids.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

    Reply
  12. Debbiedoo's blogging and blabbing says

    November 8, 2011 at 12:40 AM

    Pottery Barn needs to look out Vanessa. This is adorable. Funny in a friends house, which was a resale, in their pantry there is a growth chart on the trim, we figured it out, LOL.

    Reply
  13. Kathryn Ferguson Griffin says

    November 8, 2011 at 2:43 AM

    So cute! Great job!! Love how neat the little closet is. Hope you’re having a grand evening. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

    Reply
  14. Christy says

    November 8, 2011 at 4:47 AM

    V-what a great and easy project. Your mad skills never cease to amazing!! Love you friend 😉

    Reply
  15. Edith says

    November 8, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    This is such a cute idea and one that my son will remember as he grows up.

    Reply
  16. Linda Jordan says

    November 8, 2011 at 1:05 PM

    What a cute project! I love that you made them each their own 🙂 And it’s such a cheap & easy DIY project, I will have to make this someday!!

    Linda
    https://lasteve1.blogspot.com

    Reply
  17. Becca says

    November 8, 2011 at 8:04 PM

    Such a FUN idea, Vanessa … love it! You make it look so easy, too … thanks for the wonderful and witty tutorial! I just might have to try it! Our growth chart is the molding on the side of the closet in Jax’s playroom … and, don’t think that I won’t rip it off and take it with me whenever we move because I will! LOL! Our kiddos are growing up way too fast, aren ‘t they? Ugh. Jax is only 5and is already 4 ft. tall … I see lots of platform shoes in my future! LOL.

    Reply
  18. Cindy says

    November 8, 2011 at 1:26 PM

    What a GREAT idea! We always marked our children’s growth on the door jamb and when wemoved I had to take it with me. That was a pain to remove and have replaced…LOL!!!
    This is a much better way to do it!!!

    Reply
  19. Traci says

    September 23, 2013 at 8:07 PM

    I love this growth chart! I had pinned one on Pinterest a long time ago but never had gotten around to making one. Now you have inspired me!

    Reply
  20. Pottery Barn Ruler Growth Chart Knock-Off says

    August 27, 2014 at 11:09 PM

    No matter if some one searches for his required thing,
    thereefore he/she wishes to be available that in detail, so that thing is maintained oer here.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. {Blogs I Love} At the Picket Fence | Celebrating everyday life with Jennifer Carroll says:
    March 7, 2013 at 3:57 AM

    […] that my little one is getting bigger, I’m realizing that I totally want one of these growth charts to mark her progress… I seen lots of these on the web but this is a really nice tutorial […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Kathryn Ferguson Griffin Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search This Blog

Take the Quiz

Stay updated!

Get all the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Get the book!

Invite Vanessa to speak at your event!

Must Reads

Recent Posts

  • A New French Country Dining Table February 3, 2021
  • Open Now December 17, 2020
  • Tradition and a Christmas Home Tour December 9, 2020
  • Tabletop Hot Cocoa Station November 29, 2020
  • A New Front Door November 10, 2020

Get all the latest straight to your inbox

Footer

Instagram

I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 y I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 years now and every year I ohhhh and ahhhh over the blossoms like it's the first time I've ever seen them. I gush and I take photos (that look exactly like the ones I took the year before and the year before that) and I make my family come outside and look at them with me which you know they just LOVE to do. 😉 I think that is one of the main reasons why I love spring so much. On the one hand, it's predictable and yet, on the other hand, it still feels like such a surprise after the long months of barren branches.

And yesterday, as I was staring at the gorgeous blossoms for the umpteenth time, I couldn't help but think that I hope this is how I feel when our lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that the predictable feels special and that the typical feels anything but. I hope that I ohhh and ahhh over the simple things I've realized I've taken for granted. And, most of all, I hope that feeling doesn't go away for a very, very long time! 💗
Are you living with great expectation friends? Bec Are you living with great expectation friends? Because He is risen!

Happy Easter from my home to yours!
Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to be a different kind of Easter for sure but some things don’t change. Have you been baking and getting ready for tomorrow? What’s one thing on your menu that you have to have every year?
If this is Good Friday, why doesn’t it feel so “good”? It all seems backward doesn’t it?

What could be good about the unspeakable pain he suffered? What could be good about the shame and betrayal?

Easter Sunday is so joyful, bright and cheery. Shouldn’t that be the day we call “good”? It just feels so much better!

But, I don’t know how to rejoice over His resurrection, unless I have felt the pain of His death. I have realized that in life the sweetest victories are the ones which were realized after a pain-filled journey.

And, so it is with Good Friday. I know there will be victory over death, but I can’t skip ahead in the story.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what he would experience. And he knew why he would go through it. He did it for me. He did it for you.

Do you know that? Have you felt it down in the very core of your soul? 
Sometimes it makes me squirm a bit. Why would anyone do that for me?

Well, because, I can’t do it for myself!

There is nothing I can do to earn that kind of love and mercy.

That is why it is called GRACE.

His grace is freely given. We don’t have to pay for it. He paid the price for us already.

Do you remember that movie from years ago called “Ransom”? A couple’s young son was kidnapped and the parents went to hell and back trying to find him and pay the “ransom” demanded by the kidnappers.

Well, Jesus is our “ransom”. (1 Timothy 2:6) His life was the payment.

Why is it called “Good Friday”? Because that wasn’t the end of the story….
.
…It was just the beginning!
Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house that’s become the landing zone for ALL THE THINGS! 🙋🏻‍♀️🤪 I’ve never been more thankful for our rarely used dining room table as it’s become command central for school books and laptops and games.

Where are things collecting in your house right now?
“Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every si “Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every single one of these emotions has made their way through our home in recent days and, my guess is, they have in your home too.

I SO needed this reminder today from the new book ‘Adore’ by @sarahagertywrites.

Adoration isn’t just sitting at His feet gazing longingly with stars in my eyes. It’s bringing my fears and my sorrows and gray roots in my hair that desperately needs to be colored and my messy house and all of the things that threaten to send me over the edge right now and laying them down before Him, soaking up His word and His presence so that when I stand back up, I am changed for having spent the time adoring the ONE who is... Healer, comforter, peace-giver, deliverer, redeemer.

What do you need to bring to Him today? I’ll share mine in the comments and I’d love to hear from you too!
I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole lockdown thing began, I’ve come to appreciate this time of day even more.

It feels the most...normal. Daytime is strange and foreign right now. My husband has taken over our home office, I’m suddenly taking over the responsibility of managing my kids’ distance learning and let me just say that teaching 7th grade algebra to my daughter is hugely ironic since I struggled with math all the way through school. I’m trying to do my own work but it feels utterly futile with the constant interruptions which take precedence right now. In the daytime, I’m constantly reminded of how upside down life feels.

But, in the evening, I cook dinner like I’ve always done and we gather around the table like we’ve always done and we laugh and tell stories and then clean up and play games or go on a walk or watch a show. And that feels SO gloriously normal.

So now I love evenings even more than I ever did before and I’m so grateful for this little chunk of time where the rhythms we established years ago are helping to sustain us now when so much of life feels outside of our control.

What feels ‘normal’ to you right now? Whatever it is, keep doing it. 🌿
When I was in college I would frequently call home When I was in college I would frequently call home and pour my heart out to my mom, sharing with her all that was happening in my life in that completely unfiltered way that you can talk with the person who potty trained you. These phone calls usually took place at night and my mom would patiently listen as I vented frustrations about professors, roommates, boyfriends and the food in the cafeteria. And, inevitably, they would end with my mom saying, “Everything seems worse when you’re tired. Try not to overthink things or make any major decisions tonight, especially when you are feeling emotional.” Dear friends, may I pass along this advice to you today?

If you don’t absolutely HAVE to make a decision right now, I want to encourage you to wait until life gets back to normal. If you are finding yourself over-analyzing relationships and family dynamics, I want to encourage you to remember that everything seems more dramatic when looked at under a microscope. And, let’s face it, being homebound with our loved ones non-stop makes us all feel like lab rats in an experiment.

If you are tempted to quit a job, start a business, start homeschooling permanently, stop homeschooling permanently, move to a new city, buy a farm, quit pursuing your dream, join a commune or make any other major life decision just…wait. Because, if it is in fact the right decision, it will be made even clearer once our lives return to their ‘regularly scheduled programming’. Instead, in this strange season, let’s all just take a deep, collective breath and let it out slowly, releasing the anxiety that threatens to overtake us. Let’s help each other maintain some perspective and not slip into a posture of over-thinking every little thing in our lives. Let’s remember that the enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to use this time when things feel dark to manipulate us into thinking that aspects of our lives are worse than they actually are.

My prayer for you in these days is that you will have the clarity to know what is true and that you will be filled with peace even while we live in this season of so many unknowns.
Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking thes Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking these days! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m trying to avoid gaining the #corona15 but my daughter and I LOVE baking together and it does help to pass the time plus it counts as a science lesson right?

If you’re able to find flour in the stores (for the love people please stop overbuying!) and you’re doing more baking at your house too you need to add this apricot bread to your list of new recipes to try!

Normally I’d point you to my blog for the directions but I’m going to do you a solid and leave the full recipe in the comments.

What have you baked so far during this time of social distancing? I’d love some new ideas!
There are a LOT of people out walking in our neigh There are a LOT of people out walking in our neighborhood right now (but still social distancing!) and she decided that she wanted to bring them some joy and put a smile on their face when they pass by our house. Also, the square with ‘say no to coronavirus’ is priceless. 😂 I just love her so much!
Follow
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 At The Picket Fence