CRAFT TIME: Turn Your Board Games Into Pretty Display Books!

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:

 

PLUS it's a handy new display piece, since I'm always looking for nice books to use as risers:

 

Ahh, I love hiding storage in plain sight!

  

The next easiest mod here is my Apples to Apples box.

All I did was paint the top lid and add the vinyl lettering and graphics:

To paint your game boxes you must - MUST - use a spray primer first. Otherwise your paint won't stick to the shiny box finish. 

I primed this one in black, then brushed on two coats of red craft paint, which left a slightly streaky finish that I really like. Then I clear coated it with the same spray lacquer as the book box.

 All of the vinyl details I found for free via Google image search.

You only need to paint the top lid of these boxes, btw, so don't bother with the bottoms! Those will be hidden regardless of how you store it on your shelf, vertical or horizontal.

For a slightly more challenging upgrade, you can cover your box lid with faux vinyl instead of painting it. That's what I did for Clue:

It took me forever to find this stick-on vinyl, which is actually a shelf liner. A 15-foot roll only costs about $8 on Amazon, too, with free Prime shipping. It's incredibly thin and easy to use, so I highly recommend this stuff. I only wish it came in more colors!

(There are also lots of other pretty shelf liner patterns you could use, too. I just like this one best because it has a slight leathery texture, while I believe the others are perfectly smooth.)

To apply the vinyl, cut and fold it over the edges of your box lid just like you would wrapping paper. If you've ever wrapped a box lid separately from the base, then this will be a breeze; it's the same process, and luckily the vinyl is NOT a permanent stick, so it's easy to reposition.

Make sure you smooth out the bubbles before moving on to the sides. This is really easy to do, since the vinyl is so low-tack.

In fact, the vinyl is SO easy to remove you'll have to add extra tape or glue to hold the edges down, just like you would with wrapping paper. It's sticky enough to cling to the flat surfaces of the box, but not much more.

 That brings me to the most complicated game box make-over: my Scrabble box.

Not gonna lie, I'm super excited about this one, because MY IDEA ACTUALLY WORKED. (Eeee!)

Here, lemme show you:

 

My modified box opens on a hinge, like this:

 

 And then the board inside folds into quarters, instead of only folding in half:

 

 The board, fully folded.

 Flip the board open once, and you'll see my taped hinge. (John gave me grief about using packing tape, but hey, IT WORKS. Plus it's on the back so you never see it.)

When the board is open you CAN see my cut line if you look closely, but it doesn't affect game play, so I don't mind.

I'm sure you can reverse engineer how I did this, but let me walk you through it anyway:

Mark the center line on the back of your folded rectangular board.

Next use a craft bladed to cut the entire board in half:

 This will take several passes with the blade, but it should cut cleanly through.

Open the board and place the two cut sides back together again, playing side down:

Now use packing tape, duct tape, or book binding tape (anything super strong, really) to tape ONLY THE LOWER HALF of the cut ends back together:

 

 The other cut side will stay loose with no tape; only this one side needs a hinge. You should also ONLY apply the tape to the back side of the board, not the front.

And that's it! Now you can make all your long rectangular board games half their size!

Ahh, and once your BOARD is half the size, look at all this extra room in the original box:

You only need half the box, you guys. We can get rid of the rest!

 This is one of those things that's easy to do but hard to explain, but basically, cut the lower half of your box like this:

 Then fold & tape that flap up to form the new lid edge, like this:

Repeat for the top half, but instead of taping that final flap up, instead GLUE that new flap to the lower half of the box, like this:

 This will give you a hinged lid that opens like a clamshell. Or like a book!

Another view:

Covering this kind of hinged box with vinyl is definitely trickier, but I was able to figure it out without too much trouble. Start with the far edge like I have here, then do the opposite edge, then move on to the sides. Remember to glue or tape the inner edges down, since the vinyl isn't sticky enough to hold on its own.

 And there you have it: four ways to upgrade your game boxes!

  

Since I'm all about showing off the things we love in our homes, I'm really excited about this DIY - and honestly I wish I had more board games to upgrade. Finding the graphics for the Cricut was surprisingly fun, plus matching the fonts to the styles and whatnot. And of course, since I'm mostly modifying what I already own, it's a pretty cheap craft.


EDITED TO ADD: 

For those of you who DON'T have a Cricut, the easiest option is to just print out labels & graphics and glue them directly to the box. This is best for the "spine" of the box where the paper won't get scraped by other books next to it. For the front side of the box you can laminate over the paper with packing tape or clear shelf liner to make it all smooth.

Another option: stick-on letters from the scrap-booking aisle. You might even find fun stickers that co-ordinate with the game, like my apple and magnifying glass.

Final option: print your graphic on card stock, cut it out with a craft blade, and you've made your own stencil! This is perfect for easy graphics like my big apple, and then you can use any color spray paint, no clear coat or laminating required.

I hope this inspires some of you gamers out there to get crafty this weekend! And if you do give your games a makeover, PLEASE SHARE PHOTOS so I can see!

Happy weekend!

*****

Looking for more DIY goodies? Then check out my Craft Page! I've got over 150 different project previews all on one page for you to scroll through. From Harry Potter snitches to steampunk rayguns, I've got a little of everything over there.

And if you'd like to help support Epbot so I can keep on craftin' on, then how about shopping through my Amazon links? (USA, UK, Canada.) Or tagging a friend who'd like this on Facebook?

Thanks, gang! I love you all 3,000. :;mwah::