Height Marker - Measuring for Kids Heights

I saw something similar to this and had to try it on my own. Perfect for keeping track of the kids heights without marking the walls--great for those of us the move a lot with the military. The process is the same that I used for my Charleston Rustic Street Sign.

Step one: Paint a board black on one side (my board was about 4 inches x 1 inch x 6.5 feet. Make sure it is a strainght, smooth board without any warping.

Step two: I use Sure Cuts A Lot 2 software linked to my Cricut to cut out the numbers and hash marks for the oversized ruler. I cut them out on contact paper, so I can place the contact paper numbers on the wood and remove without leaving any residue.

 Step three: Use a measuring tape to mark off and place the contact paper numbers and hashes accurately.

Step four: Paint over the board and contact paper with a white or cream paint--I just use whatever housepaint I have extra. While the paint is still damp, peel off the contact paper. Be careful not to smudge the paint onto the revealed black paint. If you do smudge a little, don't worry, you can either go over it with a black sharpie or let the brown stain mute it out in the final step.

 Step five:  Once the paint is fully dry (a good afternoon in the sun helps), I brush one coat of stain over the front and sides of the board and prop it up to dry vertically, so that the extra stain runs down to the ground.

Finally, start marking the kids' heights with a sharpie! I'll even be able to pull this out for my future grandkids to compare how tall they are to their parents!

iPhone 4s Ringtone Making Instructions -- too easy!

Ok, through trial and error and combining several sets of directions, here’s how you make a ringtone for your iPhone (btw I have the iPhone 4s and iTunes 10.5.1 and Windows 7 on my laptop and this worked for me):

1. Open iTunes and find the song you want to make into a ringtone.

2. Listen to the song and decide what part of it you want to be the ringtone (must be less than 40 seconds).

3. Right-click on the song and select “Get Info,” then select the “Options” tab, then set the start and stop time for the section of the song you want to be the ringtone (such as 1:33 to 2:06, minute:second format).

4. Select “OK”

5. Right-click your song again and select “Convert Selection to AAC” and wait for iTunes to create a duplicate version of your song.

6. Right-click your newly converted song and select “Delete,” then select “Delete Song”, then select “Keep File.”

7.  Find the file in your computer’s folders (mine was under “Libraries>Music>iTunes>iTunes Media>Music> then, under the band’s name – you should see two files here, the shortened length (file extension is .m4a) and the original. My shortened song was listed right above the original). 

8. Right-click the shortened song and select “Rename” and change the file extension from .m4a to .m4r. If you do not see the file extension, you may have to look at the top left area of the page and select the drop down menu to Organize > folder, then select “search options” and click on the view tab. Uncheck “hide extension for known file types” then go back and rename your song with the .m4r file extension. You will probably get a warning that you are changing the file and it may affect playback, OR are you sure you want to change it—select ok.

9. To add the new ringtone to iTunes, all you have to do is double click on the new file name and it will automatically add it to your iTunes library. OR, go back to iTunes, select “File”, “Add file to library”, then find the .m4r ringtone and add it.

10. Connect your iPhone and sync your new ringtones!