Give Me a Foot, I’ll Take a Yard

While most of the world embraces the metric system,

we Americans still cling to our inches, feet and yards.

Remember the Metric Marvels?

Those cartoons sang their little hearts out,

encouraging us to learn the metric system and remember that:

“a meter, meter, a little more than a yard,

it works out fine that way, it’s really not so hard …”

Well, I’m here to shout out that I love my yardsticks and

until I find cute vintage meter sticks, I won’t be switching any time soon.

Ok, so here’s my conundrum.

I’ve been picking up these cute little numbered pieces of wood here and there.

Now they’ve turned into a collection and they need a purpose.

I mean, I can’t just have them sticking out of this basket.

So, what should I do with them?

Yardstick headboard?

Yardstick coat rack?

Yardstick stool?

* Yardsticks sticking out of basket (see above)?

Much like metric vs. standard measurement,

the Eclectically Vintage Yardstick Debate of 2012 may never be fully resolved.

So cast your vote – or give me your yardstick ideas so we can put this argument to rest.

Check out my other Cool Collections.


Sharing Here:
Savvy Southern Style, Faded Charm Cottage, Very Merry Vintage Style
Addicted 2 Decorating, Funky Junk InteriorsSouthern Hospitality
The 36th Avenue, 52 Mantels, Common Ground
At the Picket Fence, Redoux, The Thrifty Groove 

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71 Comments

  1. Oh Kelly, you and me both! My stash is stuck in the umbrella stand, of which there is not one umbrella in. We need to have a yardstick party. I do think I know what I’m making but it probably won’t be till August.

    ~Bliss~

  2. I was going to say coat rack, because I saw one that was a little different then the one you show here, where the hooks are actually on the yard sticks BUT Oh my gosh the stool and the headboard are absolutely gorgeous. I don’t know now.

  3. Hmmmm, so many great ideas. Does your vestibule need a coat rack? Or your kids room need a stool? Or your bed need a headboard? Orrrr, maybe you could make another unique window treatment out of them, I see a valance in your future. 🙂

  4. i sure do remember the song and hoping secretly that we would NEVER change…i mean how would i read a recipe???? well i am sure whatever of the 3 choices you pick you will MEASURE UP!!!!! I personally am leaning toward a stool — don’t know why — just feeling it! : ) sending hugs…stay cool!

  5. I vote that your basket and Bliss’s basket get together and party! I actually love them in the basket for display. 🙂 I think you’ll know it when you find the perfect project for them.

  6. The blue ones are gorgeous! I kind of like them in the basket, but if I had to choose a project, the stool is pretty cute, or maybe as a top for a dresser or desk. I can’t wait to see what you come up with! 🙂

  7. My all-time-favorite project with yard sticks was a vintage yard stick topped buffet. I have never been able to get it out of my mind!! {no offense to other extremely awesome yard stick projects mentioned!]
    xo Becca

  8. Never has it entered my mind that I would dearly LOVE a yardstick collection. They are soooo cute…and I love ’em in your basket. I only have 2 and now I will be looking hi and lo for more for my entry. You always collect the coolest things…:))

  9. Call me crazy, but I really love them in that basket! Sometimes it’s just fun to leave great vintage things as they are…or maybe that’s my LAZY talkin’ again!

    I’m sure that if you do use them to make something, it will no doubt be awesome, but if you don’t, it’s still a great collection in a basket.

    xo-Lisa

  10. Well I’ve seen LOTS of ideas using the yardsticks but NEVER seen them arranged in a cute basket like yours so I have to say, keep them in the basket until you find just the perfect idea for some of them!

  11. I personally like the yardsticks-in-a-basket look you have going on, but I’m extremely lazy these days since the humidity struck over the weekend. Can’t wait to see what you do. Still wish I had hung onto the 100 or so yardsticks my ex-father-in-law gave me. Oh and btw, I’m still clinging desperately to yards and feet and inches and so are most of the contractors out there since our lumber is still sold in imperial measurements. Some bright idea it was to switch us over to metric. Must have been a government operation…

    xox

  12. What about replacing the top of a table with them…I would totally want to steal one of those! Or…use them like beadboard as a backsplash…crap! Now I want them…stop making me want more stuff…my garage is full enough as is!

  13. I’m thinking I can send you my mailing address and you can pack those babies up and ship them to me so I can then whip out my miter saw and liquid nails and recover our bedroom side tables with that vintage yardstick beauty …

    🙂

    Linda

    Seriously. I’m on the hunt for vintage yardsticks but have no idea where they can be found ….

  14. We just finished redecorating a powder room. It contains all of my old advertising tins, calendars etc.
    I used the yardsticks as a border around the room on top of the beadboard wainscoting. However, here in the DC area, vintage yardsticks are hard to find. It took a lot of hunting!!!

    I can’t take credit for the idea. I saw it on Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special. It is super cute!!

  15. Your yardstick collection makes me want to run out and get a basket and comb the antique shops for these fun rulers! I LOVE them in the basket!!!! Can you imagine all the things they have measured? So fun to think about.
    I think a side table or sofa table top would look FABULOUS all ruled up!
    I just may do that myself! I am so inspired by your post!!! Thanks a bunch… or should I say a YARD?

  16. Hello Kelly! I love them in the basket just like they are!
    I love all your collections and the way you share them. I have the “collector gene” too!
    I collect vintage children’s dishes… egg cups… vintage story books… glass salt shakers…..
    Besos from Argentina! (metric system here, haha)
    Silvina

  17. Hi there,
    I’m Canadian and live in Canada and we have had the metric system for years. I’m pushing the 60 years old mark and still convert to the “real” measurements. I used to sew so knowing that 39.3 inches is a metre was easy as is 2.5cm to an inch. But if the weatherman says we’re about to have 40cm of snow, I have to go through all the rigamarole of dividing 40 by 2.5 to be able to see in my mind’s-eye what 40cm of snow looks like. Tape measures and rulers still have both measurements as do most other things. Speedometers in cars.
    Speed on a highway has been fine. 100km/hour is 60mph. Not too bad. As for litres and gallons for gas, I have a little chart from years ago that I keep in the car and I use it to convert especially when I want to see how many miles per gallon I’m getting. Did you know that the American gallon is different than ours? Yep, we go by the old Imperial measurements. Your gallon is only 5/8ths of the size of ours. Try converting that one!!!
    As for litres and quarts (i.e. for milk) one is almost the same as the other so no worries there. When it comes to baking and cooking when we were converting I bought a measuring cup that had both metric and imperial measurements. Even to this day, most recipes you find will give both measurements.
    As for ounces and pounds vs. grams and kilograms, that is truly where I am lost. The only thing I know for sure is that there are 2.2 pounds to a kilo. A bag of sugar or flour is usually a kilo.
    Then of course we have temperature – celsius vs. fahrenheit. The quick conversion of that is: when given a C temperature say 20: double it and add 32 so 20C is roughly (20×2+32) 72F. F freezing is 32; C freezing is 0. They do catch up to each other at -20: approx. the same C or F.
    So don’t worry if the States decides to convert. You won’t have to (unless you want to!). I love visiting the States as I’m so comfortable with the measurements used there.
    A bit (lots!) wordy but hopefully reassuring,
    Cathy
    P.S. I would just leave the yard sticks in the basket – they’re both unique and go very well together.
    As for temperature

    1. Cathy – my head is spinning! When I was pregnant (with twins!), I had to go to the doctor every week – as we got later into the pregnancy, my appointments were at the hospital, not the doctor’s office. They only had a metric scale there – so I have no idea how much weight I gained. I was happily oblivious as I ate whatever I wanted and simply stared blankly at the metric numbers climbing higher and higher each week. So when people ask how much I gained, I always say I have no idea – it was a metric scale! Sometimes, not knowing is a good thing! Kelly

  18. A yardstick headboard would be so cool!! What a great find!! I also think they would look cool as a centerpiece on a table!! Come link up to Centerpiece Wednesday and share this idea with us.

    Karin

  19. I found you from a link from WOW and just love the yardsticks especially that blue one! I have one vintage yardstick from my old hometown that has the name of a bank on it. I love it and would love to collect more. I love them just the way they are in the basket 🙂

  20. What a pretty collection!! You’ve got the best collections, so no surprise there. 🙂

    I think anything you do with them will be fab, but they really look pretty in the basket, too. So, it’s pretty much win-win.

    I’m pinning for inspiration!

  21. I have a large collection of vintage yardsticks too! I have several of mine displayed in a huge clear glass ‘vase’. It’s bigger than a vase but i don’t know what to call it! I like the display – at least till I get inspired to make something out of them!!

  22. I’m so jealous of your fabulous collection; the variety of colors is wonderful. I’m constantly searching for yardsticks, but they are so pricey these days. Just posted about my latest batch of yardstick hook boards last week. Love ’em!

  23. I like the idea of the stool – in fact I have been on the look out for vintage yard sticks myself to make a stool like that one. So if you want to sell me some of yours…… 🙂

  24. I just bought a little hand sewn fabric yardstick and ruler holder full of old ones. It’s not the size of your collection, but it’s a start. I’d love to find more because I enjoy seeing the old company names on them with the location. And I say abolish the metric system and let them convert over; I vote to stay American through and through! I’ll have to get thinking now that I have some of my own. Didn’t know what to do with them, but knew that an idea would eventually arise and I’d be sorry if I passed them up. I can only imagine what sort of creative idea you’ll come up with. Have fun.
    Liz

  25. Love your collection! I have seen a stool done with yard sticks but never a headboard, I think that would really be unique and certainly draw attention. Look forward to seeing what you do! Hopped over from Feathered Nest Friday and I’m happy to be your newest follower. Would love to have you stop by for a visit and follow me back. Blessings ~ Judy http://vintagestreetdesigns.com

  26. Happened here by chance. So happy I did. LOVE your yardsticks…I grew up with the inches and have learned to appreciate the metre measure [You get 4 extra inches with a metre} When in doubt as to what to do…I say send them to me LOL {shameless I know}. Seriously, you could use them on a bookcse shelf fronts. I love the loose display. Wall art as a free hanging collage, maybe mix a few words in?

  27. I vote for a yardstick head dress, or a yard stick skirt, to be worn only on special occassions, such as when you are doing special flea markets. We have seen the Duct Tape Dress, the Gum Wrapper Dress, it is high time the yard stick got its own wearable item and I think you are just the blogger to do it.

  28. You do have quite a collection- they look cute the way you have them. I have never seen a headboard made from yardsticks though. . . 🙂

  29. Hi Kelly, love your collections ❤ I saw a wall covered in vintage rulers, looked awesome, I think you need a few more though 🤣
    Just wondering if you part with any of your empoli genie decanters? Kind regards Bronny 😊

  30. Hi Kelly, I too love an old yardstick. I have several..most yards but a couple Meter sticks. And one that’s just a 4 footer. Two that are square with a leather strap at the top that are also walking sticks. Two that are folding ones that slide or fold down to one foot. I just have them all in an umbrella stand, and I use them all at different times. Lovely to meet someone who is also a collector.

  31. Yeah – I love yard sticks – the ones that were free from companies (that are now out of business are a favorite.) But I need a bucket of some sort to hold them. I knocked over the ceramic one my daughter made in school and I’m crushed. But still need something tall, thin and cheap. I’m heading to the hardware store tomorrow. Wish me luck.
    Thanks

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