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9.30.2013


We are slowly but surely adding the finishing touches to Bentley's nursery. It is by far the most decorated room in our home and, I'm totally okay with that! I have loved putting my focus there. It has truly been a labor of love! For his nursery, I chose the "Nautical" theme for multiple reasons. I absolutely love that theme (if you haven't noticed here and here) and I really wanted something that he could grow with and wasn't just "baby".

One of my favorite pieces has been this growth chart. I love that no matter where move to, we can always take it with us and keep those precious little memories! It completely amazes me how much our little boy has grown. Seriously wishing I could stop that! Here's what you'll need to make your own :)
We had everything on hand except for the pine board so this project cost us a total of about $12. Not bad right?! I wasn't sure how the stain and paint would go together since we already had them but I love how it turned out! These were the ones we used.
1. First off, my pine board in this picture will look different than the one you have. For this tutorial, I used the back side of the one I had already made. (I'm lame and didn't take pictures of it the first time around because I wasn't sure how it would turn out). So it had already been stained before in the picture! I used 2 garbage bags and cut them in half to put underneath of the board. 

2. Dip your paint sponge into the stain and go in strokes up and down the board. I would do a straight line from the top all of the way to the bottom without stopping. The pine will absorb the stain so its best to distribute the stain evenly to avoid the blotches. Mine wasn't perfect at all. If you look closely at the pictures below you will see the stain is a little bit uneven in places but I was kind of happy with a more "weathered" look. You can apply as many coats of stain as you want. It will get darker with each application but wait for it to dry in between coats if you choose to do multiple coats. 

3. & 4. All done! Let the stain dry completely. Yes, I know it's hard :) 

5. I couldn't find our measuring tape so I had to improvise a little bit. I used a permanent marker and marked inch marks all of the way down the board. 

6. Next, you will need to decide how you want it painted! I chose to do a stripe every 6 inches. Double and triple check this part to make sure everything is even and you have taped off the correct areas. This is the most tricky part! You can see how I taped off ours below. I painted 3-4 coats of the cream white paint so it would cover the stain. Make sure to let each coat dry completely before doing another! That way you will avoid clumps. 


7. Once the paint has dried, remove the painters tape and your ready to mark your board! I chose to start our board at the 1/2 foot mark that way I can hang it a 1/2 foot off the floor. I used just a regular permanent marker for this and I used a stencil to trace out the numbers.  



Our big boy is already measuring in at 2 1/2 feet. Of course, I had to include that hair! I love that we can document our sweet Bentley's growth for many years to come! :) 

30 comments:

  1. Such a wonderful idea! My parents did something similar when I was a kid and we still have it.
    Thanks for sharing! Have a wonderful week!

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  2. I love this!! You did a great job, and thanks for the tutorial!!! I'd really like to do this in the future!

    -Chelsea

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  3. I am obsessed with Nautical too (and did little bits of Charli's nursery with nautical touches) and I am obsessed with this growth chart!!!!!! Love it!! We have a oversized light pink wooden pencil as a 'growth chart' for Charli (but I am kind of loving this more!!) hehe!! With my husband being in the military and we move every couple of years, having something like this that we can take to every home we live in would is amazing!!

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  4. That growth chart is too cute! Love your style. :)

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  5. I absolutely love this!! Love the theme & the sweet mama & baby boy that goes with it!!

    http://boyohmamasboys.blogspot.com

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  6. Oh my goodness, it is so adorable!!! It looks great on your wall!

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  7. I absolutely adore Bentley's nautical themed room. And that growth chart is such a great idea!!

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  8. Love this!! I have been thinking that the nursery needs this eventually. Seems like a pretty easy project.

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  9. That is SUPER cute! It looks absolutely perfect in his nursery. Great job!

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  10. Love this!! Very cute will have to keep in mind for future little's!

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  11. Okay, this is SO cute!! I have been wanting to do something similar for our girls' room for awhile...you may have just inspired me to get it done!

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  12. Oh my gosh I love growth charts and of course nautical themed anything, so this is amazing!! Love it!

    Sarah @ Life As Always

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  13. I love your nautical growth chart! It's so adorable and creative! (My boy is almost measuring 4 feet--sniff, and he only turned five last month.)

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  14. I love your nautical growth chart! It's so adorable and creative! (My boy is almost measuring 4 feet--sniff, and he only turned five last month.)

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  15. What a cool DIY! Absolutely love it. :)

    -Ashley
    http://lestylorouge.com

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  16. This is the cutest!! He has just the cutest style. :)

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  17. I'm loving this!! I like the idea of making something you can take with you if/when you move!!

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  18. What a great DIY, this looks amazing!
    Ginny

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  19. okay, DARLING!! i am obsessed. i need to pin everything on your site for when i have kids someday haha xoxo

    the well-traveled wife

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  20. Love this! We have a growth chart in our little one's nursery (also the most finished room in our house!)

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  21. This is a really cute idea. Bentley is crazy tall! My daughter is about the same age and no where close to that tall-WOW!

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  22. Hey! Super cute DIY project! I was wondering where Bentley's jeans were from? I have a skinny 14 month old and have the hardest time finding jeans/shorts that fit him. Thanks! :)
    -Amanda
    thebanisterfamilyblog.wordpress.com

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  23. Seriously adorable!!! Your so good!

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