Birthday Chart #2

I had made a Birthday Chart using a salt flour dough but as time passed, the humidity in the air during monsoon season was absorbed by my dough discs. It was sad to see it go but I did find a better solution. I found a web site that sells wooden disc, I only needed to drill a hole into them and taa-da!

Since I don't like waiting for my online orders to arrive in the mail, I tried looking all over my dinky little town for something that I could use for my disc. I found the widest dowel rod this town has but it wasn't quite wide enough, still, I settled for it. I used a saw and sliced and sanded little circle disc to fit in with my birthday chart.. Still, the disc were so uneven, you can really tell, but that's what I get for being impatient... oh well, it adds character.

Now, not too long after, it was time to make a birthday chart for one of my dear friends. I had a lot of work to do in preparing the board and whatnot, I decided to order my wooden disc online. Found a wonderful site: Woodworks Ltd. Make sure you order 100 extra, because once someone sees the lovely chart, they'll want one too! My mother is getting hers next...

Supplies:
Long 1" x 3" or 1"x 4" board - about 5 feet long.
Wooden disc: diameter: 1½", depth: ⅛" count: as many as birthdays you wish to put up, plus 12 months, plus extra for new births.
Acrylic paint
electric drill with small drill bit- small enough for you to screw in eyelet screws and them not fall out.
Sander
Jewellery jumpers
2 photo hanging hooks
Eyelet screws - at least 18 tiny ones that can hold at least 10 lbs.
Needle nose pliers
Yard stick
List of birthday names, months and days they were born.
Wood glue or other trusty long lasting glue
Clear gloss spray paint
Two screws to screw into the wall to hang the chart on.

Pencil

Masking tape

I started out with a long board and divided it up into two pieces, one slightly longer than the other. The longer one needs to be measured using this formula: (diameter of disc x 13) + 5.5 inches. So using the size of my disc the formula would be: (1.5 x 13) + 5.5 = 25 inches across. My second board ended up being an inch or two shorter. Sand them until they are very smooth.

I then measured and marked three spots on the bottom of the shorter board - equally spaced out so I could drill holes for 3 eyelet screws. Did the same with the top of the longer board but made sure they lined up with the marks on the bottom of the top board. On the bottom of the longer board I measured and marked: 1¼ inch and +2 inches from the previous mark- across which left me with 12 marks, one for each month disc with ½ in between each disc and away from the edges of the board. Once I was sure of my marks and that they would all line up properly, I drilled the tiniest hole for the eyelet screws to be screwed in after I was done with the clear gloss step.

I then attached the two photo hangers to the back of the short top board. I positioned them about one inch down from the top edge, maybe 3-4 inches in from the sides. Use your best judgement.

I then took each one of my wooden disc and drilled 2 small holes in them. To do that evenly and uniformly, one hole directly above the other for every one - I created a paper template. I kept 12 disc separated, they would not have holes drilled in them, they would be used for the months.

Time to decorate! What I chose to decorate the charts with depended on who I was making it for. My friend's kitchen is decorated in sunflowers, so that was the theme and paint colors I chose: browns, greens & yellows. I drew out my ideas on paper before I started painting. My moms will be red apple themed... :0)

I freehanded painted the flowers but was not confident in my lettering for the word "Birthdays". I printed on the computer the font I wanted, layered clear packaging tape over the paper to give the paper stability, then I used an exacto knife to cut out the letters. then traced the letters onto the board with a pencil for me to paint.

I painted each disc, making sure I got paint into the holes I drilled, and on the edges. Since I was hanging my chart on the wall, I didn't take the time to paint the backs of each disc. I also painted the 12 set aside for the months. I arranged the disc with holes out on the table under the month I wanted them to be in. I couldn't stand to see a group of all one color together. I took a picture so I could remember where they went when it came time to assemble them. I hand painted the names and days of birth onto each of the disc.

I painted the letter of each month on the 12 disc without holes drilled into them. Next time, I will paint the first 3-4 letters of the month instead of the first letter, I now see: J A S O N (July, August, September, October, November) on my board and I can't stop! Glue them onto the longer board evenly spaced out, centered directly over the marking on the bottom of the board.

After the painting is complete, I sprayed the clear gloss over the acrylic paint to seal the paint in. I did a second coat for good measure, follow the directions on the can.

Assembly! A tedious task, since it involves working with little tiny metal pieces. I attached my two long boards together using the jumpers and pliers. I then attached each of the disc together with three jumpers in between so they would lie flat once they were hung onto the long board. Once I had each month strand attached, I attached them onto the long board, making sure they all faced forward.

 

Done! Mark and use a level to place the screws into the wall. It helped me to use a piece of tape, place it on the back of the chart, mark the distance and move the tape to the wall and level it off. That way I wasn't holding the heavy, awkward birthday chart.