personalized baby shower gift | easy growth ruler

This has been the year of babies for me! Everyone is having one (or so it seems). And with babies comes many baby showers and I wanted to give a more personalized gift than blankets and outfits. I decided on a growth ruler for many reasons: 1. It will be used for many years. 2. It's a great keepsake 3. It can be moved from home to home 4. It eliminates pencil marks on walls (if your old fashioned and used a wall during your own childhood, you'll understand). 5. It's inexpensive to create 6. It can be personalized.

With that being said, there are so many ways this can be executed. First, choose what type/size surface you'll be using. I used a simple 6" wide board that's sold in 10' length. I mostly started my rulers no less than at the 1' mark due to the fact that it's wasted space otherwise. Newborns average length is most definitely not under 12". Therefore, if you wanted your board to reach the 6' mark plus some room at the top for personalizing, make the board 6'. This leaves a few inches extra on both ends.

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Once you've decided on a size (I would atleast do 6' for a boy and 5.5' for a girl), decide on a finish. Figure out what the nursery theme will be or home theme. Some parents might want to put this in a more central location and use for multiple children. Paint and stain are equally great options. Above you can see these both fit in nicely with their corresponding nursery.

Once you've laid down your base, decide how you'll make your hash marks, numbers, and phrases. Here are three of many options: 1. Good old stencil and paint (most cost effective) 2. Vinyl decals 3. Wood numbers. I have done all three options and I must say using vinyl decals for the phrase and hash marks and wood numbers has to be my most favorite combination. I love the dimension the wood numbers give and hand painting each hash mark is a royal chore. I'm fortunate enough that my father has a decal machine, which makes this so much easier.

 Using a measuring tape, I marked out the hash marks using a sharpie, then applied the decal over top or stenciled on the mark. If you opt for the wood numbers, simply use a wood glue to attach.

​ Each of these rulers I screwed a "D" ring to on the back for easy hanging. You could even include a fine point paint pen with this gift to get them started.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and I hope you give this project a try next time a baby announcement pops up in your own life!