John and I were out shopping last week when I spotted a book version of a board game, which was kind of like this:
I immediately flashed to what our game shelf in the closet looked like, which was kind of like this:
Let's face it: we all hide our board games in the closet, not because we're ashamed of them, but because the boxes are hideous. No decor on earth is going to work with that garish jumble of colors and graphics.
Ahhh, but what if we could make those ugly game boxes look like pretty books, so we could display them out in the open?
Like this?
As a wise Emperor once said,
"Boom, baby."
Here's what they look like from the front:
Aren't they pretty? I am so excited about this.
I modified each of these four "books" in a slightly different way, so I can show you some options for your own game box upgrades. The most exciting is my Scrabble box, since I was able to modify both the board and the box to be literally half their original size. (WOOT!) This is a huge space-saver for all those classic games that come in awkwardly long boxes!
Let's start with the one that's the easiest and the most useful, though: the card book.
You can buy this paper mache box at most craft stores for $5 or less. It's not the best quality, though, so you may want to spend a few dollars more on a pre-printed version from any home goods store, which you also wouldn't have to paint.
I actually wanted to paint mine, because I found the perfect graphic to cut with my Cricut:
I love the art deco vibes.
I painted the box with cheap craft paint, then sprayed on a glossy lacquer clear coat to give it a leather-like sheen. After that I added the gold vinyl cut with my Cricut. (This whole craft was basically an excuse to get to know my Cricut better. By the last one I was much more comfortable working in Design Space)
This little book holds all of our card games - 10 decks! - which freed up a bunch of room in the drawer where they used to be:
