I've got to be honest....I'm not good at "re-purposing" things. It's a totally cool thing to do right now--I know--but I'm not good at it. I'm good at buying things and throwing away things I deem to be broken, used up, worn out, and old-fashioned. In the name of all frugality I know I need to get better at this. So.....a while back I saw an idea on pinterest that used old Jenga blocks. I had an old Jenga game. I had some scrap-book paper. I had some Mod Podge. And.......I had a two year old that would appreciate a little game of Memory...or at least grow to appreciate it, right?
When I clicked on this Jenga memory game there was no tutorial--just a web-site where you could buy the game from a woman in the Netherlands for about $25!!! Really? I'll tell you right now--I spent $0 on this. And I would bet that a lot of us have an old Jenga game and some paper scraps. I could see someone having to go out and get some Mod Podge--if so, you're looking at $5. It's really a steal of a DIY project for your kiddos.
Here you go..............
Get your old Jenga game (I used 20 pieces for my memory game), some Mod Podge, some foam brushes (the little ones), and some scrap-booking scraps.
Cut your paper to size. This is the trickiest part of this project. And if you call this tricky--you might also struggle with tying your shoes. I mean--it's really that easy.
Look--they even sell these little foam brushes the exact size of a Jenga block--like it was meant to be. Oh, and I confess...I did actually have to buy these. A pack of about a billion for $3.
I put a layer of Mod Podge on the block itself, then adhered the paper to the block, and then did three more coats of Mod Podge on top of the paper. (Just FYI--I used the Matte Mod Podge, but the shiny will work just fine too.)
Let them dry until you can stack them up and they aren't sticking to each other--about 15 minutes.
Ta-dah! Now you have these great little blocks.....and I think they would be a super fantastic addition to a baby present too. You could customize them for the recipient.
Time to play. She's two--so the rules of Memory aren't going to be followed for a while, but she can definitely match them up.
Hands. If you can get pictures of your kids hands doing whatever they do, do it. I think they are the best pictures. This makes me want to go wake Georgia up right now so I can kiss those little purple-polished fingers.
So, that's it. So easy, really cute, and you could change this idea up in so many ways. You can do a block for each letter of the alphabet, the letters in their names, pictures of friends and family (my sister actually made me a really cool matching game with faces of important women.....Georgia can always name Martha Stewart & Tori Spelling), numbers, and the list goes on.
Side note: Old Jenga games are also useful as a present for newly-weds. Write some fun stuff on each piece and give it to them to play (alone).
Pin it!
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