DIY // PERSONALIZED JENGA GAME

I've decided to craft for my Valentine this year (the way to a boy's heart is through Mod Podge!). I went through memorabilia crafts online and almost settled on the personalized decks of cards that have gained recent popularity for couple's gifts. Then, during a night of work at my quiet, on-campus coffee shop, the ear-shattering crash of a completed Jenga game gave me a new idea for a memory-keeping gift.

Luckily, a Jenga set has been buried in my closet since August move-in as a forgotten rainy day activity. Confidence high, I purchased acrylic paints and prepared to paint 54 individual, finished wooden blocks. I was knocked off my crafting horse very quickly and found a beautiful, fool-proof Plan B that has produced a fantastic memory that will keep for years to come!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PERSONALIZED JENGA

1. Gather supplies.

• game of Jenga
• Mod Podge
• Microsoft processor or Photoshop
• color printer
• old paintbrush
• scissors

2. Think up 54 ideas for blocks and create 2 images for each block. Measure your blocks and make boxes on a Microsoft Publisher document (size 2.88 x 0.88 inches). Then find images, photos, or text to format into each box.

3. Print images from a high quality, color printer. I used the printer in my campus library.

4. Carefully cut out the images.

5. Mod Podge one image on each slide of a Jenga block.

6. Mod Podge corners and edges carefully to prevent peeling.

7. Cover each image fully with Mod Podge. Don't worry! Mod Podge dries completely clear, which I mention four times in the video. Haha!

8. OPTIONAL: Add images to the small ends. I added my Valentine's monogram on one side and mine on the other.

9. Let dry!

10. Gift and enjoy!

Some great ways to adapt this craft to other uses:

• Ice breaker activity for recruitment or new member meetings. Print questions instead of graphic and have PNMs or new members answer each one as they play.
• Have each Sister design her own block (you may have to use more than one Jenga game) and display in your chapter room or house!
• You could do this as a chapter or make it a new member class tradition. Put a name on one side and a collage of favorite things, pictures, etc. on the other!

Tips:

• If you choose to paint, try to buy the classic Jenga game instead of the anniversary edition (the one I'm using in the video) because the pieces aren't finished and are a little larger, which would give you enough room for your masterpieces! Make sure to sand each piece well, use acrylic-based paints and a sealer to protect your art from excited Jenga players.
• To cover your blocks (or any Mod Podge craft) in glitter, mix Mod Podge with loose glitter and paint it onto your craft. The Mod Podge will dry and it will look as if you loose glittered without the mess!

Mod Podge mentions in this post: 10