DIY Coffee Table Checkers
SUPER EXCITING! This DIY goes down in history as one of the cheapest DIY's I have ever done. I already had some of the items needed like string and paint but everything else I had to get I spent a mere $4.29 on! I think that's the least I've ever spent ANYWHERE. EVER. I really love cute coffee table accents that have a purpose or can be used ( of even played with :) ) like this checkers set. Definitely a cute and original piece that will get more use than some of the DIY I make that just sit there and look pretty! Good Luck! and Happy DIY-ing!
- Em
Items needed :
• Jute Cord - Found at Michael's in the beading cord section
• Craft Foam
• Felt
• Wood block
• Scissors
• Tacky Glue
• Paint & Brush
Step 1 : Cutting Cord & Foam
I cut the Jute cord and craft foam. you will need 20 strands of 6 1/2 inch cord for each sides pieces, 40 in all.
I also cut my craft foam, which will become a stamp, to 7/8th of an inch so that 10 squares would fit perfectly along the shortest side of the felt. I cut 2 to make my stamp thicker.
Step 2 : Making the Game Pieces
I started to make the game pieces since that was going to be the most time consuming part.
I put a dot of glue on the tip of the cord and began to roll it onto itself - exactly like in my DIY Coasters post if you've read that one - and continued till all the string was wound onto itself.
(I continued to do this process till all 40 pieces were done.)
Step 3 : Painting Game Pieces
After deciding what color you want your pieces to be you will paint 20 one color and the remaining 20 the other color. You could leave one set of pieces the color of the cord if you want to make it easier on yourself like I did!
Don't forget to paint a marking on the back to distinguish one side different from the other for when you "King" your piece in the game. You can do a crown like I did or a K for King or even just a dot.
Step 4 : Making the Stamp
To make the stamp I first glued 2 pieces of the craft foam together. I glued them to the block so the stamp would be easier to handle. since I can't see through the block of wood I glued it to the corner so it was easy to line up and see where I was stamping.
Step 5 : Stamping
Finally I began stamping the checkerboard pattern onto the felt with my white paint! Once the first row is in it was easier to line up where to stamp since you just line up the corners of the stamp to the corners of the squares bellow it.
Also for safety I ended up cutting out a 3rd square to make sure my stamping was consistent throughout the checkerboard.
THAT'S IT YOU'RE DONE! Your checkerboard is complete and all ready to go! :)
