It’s almost time for school to start back.  I’m actually really looking forward to having a schedule again.  We are still working on our small cottage here in the mountains and something I thought would be nice touch was a large rustic ruler.  We can use it as a growth chart for Boo and it also makes a great statement piece for the house.

How fun would this be in a classroom:

 

First I started with a large piece of wood that I picked up from the local hardware store. It was an 8 foot long 2″x10″….and we cut off a foot to make it 7 feet tall.  I used ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape to create my inch marks along the wood.  I tore piece in half so I could get an approximate width for each notch:

Here’s the wood completely taped off:

I masked off all the areas that I didn’t want to paint. Then I took chalkboard spray paint and sprayed a few light coats over my masked off areas. I prefer chalkboard paint because it doesn’t bleed through the wood grain:

The best part is removing the tape to see the design left behind:

 

To make my numbers I just printed off some samples in Powerpoint and traced them over white transfer paper to leave behind a template:

I carefully hand painted each letter with a small brush and some black acrylic craft paint:

 

To make the ruler more realistic I wanted to add a hole and a metal ring. I was able to find these plastic snap together grommets that look just like metal from Michaels:

The grommets come with a template to cut the hole:

My husband used a 2 1/8″ hole saw drill bit to cut straight through the wood:

2″ is pretty thick so he used a chisel to break out sections in between drills:

I used Golden Fluid Acrylics in Raw Umber to make my own wood stain:

To make an easy wood stain I mixed steel wool with white vinegar in a mason jar and let it sit overnight. The vinegar reacts with the steel wool to create a barn wood color.

 

I just squeezed drops of the Burnt Umber straight onto the damp wood and brushed it into the wood in different ways to make it seemed aged:

One the wood was stained and dry I glued on my grommet using E-6000.

The finished grommet:

The finished ruler:

Great for an indoor decor piece in a classroom or any room of the house:

Or for outside decor:

 

Also, Michaels is inviting you to create your own back-to-school project and upload a photo to your Instagram using the #Create2Educate and #sweepstakes hashtags before August 15 for a chance to win a $50 Michaels gift card!

One winner will be chosen each day!

If you don’t have an Instagram account you can also submit your photo via www.michaels.com/create2educate, which will be live on August 1.

Michaels will highlight fans’ submissions on social and on Michaels.com throughout the two week entry period.

Have fun! And Happy Back to School!

Disclaimer: I do receive occasional product from Michaels in exchange for crafty ideas. All ideas are my own.