Making a Growth Chart…Girls with Tools

Yep, we are those kind of girls, we get our hands dirty, we grill, and we use power tools.  I have had it in mind for quite some time to make a growth chart of some type that is more than a door or piece for trim that is part of our house.  We are not positive that this is our “forever” house and so I wanted to make a growth chart that was almost like a piece of art to hang on the wall that we could easily take with us if/when we move.

What better project than this for my 6 year old to help me with, we used a square and power saw to cut the board to the proper length…6 feet.  Then I showed her briefly how to use the power wander and she went right to work, and did a great job.

Now we are deciding on a color/pattern/look that we like. Below are some ideas that I like, I will post ours when we finish it!

This one is from growingupvintage on Etsy

This one from growingupvintage on etsy

There are always cute one from Pottery Barn kids…..but I am sure I can beat the price with my DIY skills.

 Super cute, but $129.00!!!

You can check out our finished DIY growth chart here.

Beautifully FREE-Cycled Crate Boxes

 

I have been a regular stalker of Anna White’s blog on how to make your own furniture and other wonderful items from wood, newly purchased or reclaimed.  I have to say as a mother of 4 there is no end to the amount of things that I am constantly trying to organize and manage.  This “box”  made from pallets gave me the nudge to get my saw and safety glasses and go out to the garage.  I have to say there is something that is really liberating about using a power saw, the dust the noise, and knowing that I am making something useful.

My neighbor happened to have a pile of these pallets stacked in his garage for use as starters to neighborhood bonfires so he was more than willing to give me a few for my project. 

I am by no means a girly-girl, I am a full grown tomboy, not afraid to use these power tools, however I have not had enough regular use to consider myself confident with all the tools in the garage, so this was an adrenaline rush to be wielding a power tool, and also a bit frightening knowing that I was only 95% sure what I was doing.  anyway, no bodily injuries and mostly square, thanks to a little help from my husband, we made these boxes and this nightstand/bookshelf, for Avalon’s room.

Total cost for the boxes was free!  The pallets were free from my neighbor, minus the beer or two we shared with him and the ends were from wood we had in the garage.  The ladder table which you can tell was made by a beginner;) was about $25.00.

Now I have to decide what to store in these lovely freecycled boxes.