If you’re looking to give some fun and unique gifts this year, try making your own DIY gifts! There are so many different kinds of DIY gifts you can make for everyone on your list. We are sharing with you three different DIY gifts that you can make by reusing old board games.
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Old game boards that are missing pieces or boxes are great for recycling into new, usable objects.
If you don’t have any lying around your house, you can get them relatively cheap at garage sales and thrift stores.
You can also purchase board games on Amazon and Ebay.
Besides DIY gifts made out of board games, you can make other DIY gifts as well.
DIY Gifts #1 — Framed Board Games
One unique way to use old board games is to put the game board and pieces in a picture frame as artwork.
I found a vintage Clue game, but it didn’t have a very nice box, and it was missing pieces. I thought it would be nice to display it, even if I couldn’t play it.
At a garage sale, I found a large, framed picture for only a couple dollars.
After taking everything out of the frame, I cleaned it really well. Then, I mounted my game board on poster board.
I glued everything down with tacky glue.
After letting the glue dry, I put the mounted game in the frame, the original cardboard behind it, and then nailed some tiny nails into the frame to hold the cardboard in place.
I then covered the back with brown packaging paper that comes on a roll. To make it look nice, I cut it to fit and glued it to the frame.
In order to hang it up on the wall, I used heavy duty wire to make a hanger.
You can frame any kind of board game that appeals to you or the person receiving the gift.
It is nice for decorating and makes a great conversation piece.
You can also make the artwork more practical by just framing the game board and placing the pieces in a bag attached to the back of the frame.
For example, you could frame the game board from checkers and place all the checkers in a bag attached to the back.
Any time you want to play checkers, you just remove the frame from the wall and play. It is a fun way to store games (especially if you don’t have a lot of space).
DIY Gifts #2 — Board Game Boxes
You can always use an old game board (especially one that doesn’t have pieces) to make a storage box.
Cut the game board into the shape you want it, then tape all the seams with colored masking tape that matches the board.
Tape the lid on like a cigar box lid in order for it to open and close easily.
Sometimes I use a game pawn or die for a knob to open the box.
I made a lot of these boxes last Christmas and used them to hold cookies.
DIY Gifts #3 — New Games
You can use an old board game to make a new game.
You can make up your own game or a different version of that game.
There is an endless amount of possible games that you can create.
Depending on what you like or the person you’re making a gift for, you could make a character version of any game, a totally new game, an educational version of game, or anything else you want.
G.K. Chesterton Game
The first game I ever helped make was a game about the author G.K. Chesterton.
We used an old Cranium game and covered it with contact paper.
We made cards and our own spinner.
It wasn’t fashioned after another game, we just made it up because there isn’t anything like it at all.
Other DIY Games
Other games we have made have been a different version of something that already exists.
One year for Christmas, my daughter and I made a family Guess Who game with pictures of a lot of our family members.
It was for a White Elephant gift exchange, and everyone really liked it.
> Other Christmas Gift Exchange Ideas <
The other games we have made have been special versions of Monopoly, Candy Land, and Mystery Date.
You can see tutorials for each of the games below.
Star Wars Mystery Date
See how to create your very own Star Wars Mystery Date game with free printables here.
Harry Potter Mystery Date
You can make a Harry Potter version of Mystery Date as well. Click here to see the tutorial with free printables.
Harry Potter Candy Land
If you want a really simple game to make, create your own Harry Potter Candy Land with our tutorial and free printables.
Harry Potter Monopoly
You can make a regular or Christmas version of Harry Potter Monopoly with our tutorial and free printables.
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Other DIY Gift Ideas:
