A few months ago our family put Game Night on the calendar for Sundays. To be honest, I wasn't sure how it was going to go. It seemed like so often the last few hours of the weekend dissolved in a swirl of getting ready for Monday.
But once Game Night took hold, something lovely started to happen.
We started getting tasks done early because we wanted to make room for that family time. Weekends drew to a peaceful close with talking and laughing -- although there is sometimes a rowdy "whoop whoop!" when somebody finally clinches the win.
I'd long been collecting old games at garage sales and antique shops, so the inspiration started to bubble in my brain. Our dining room was the one room in the house that was mostly still "as is" from when we moved in four years ago. I love green, but this particular room was a dark, chalky green that seemed to soak up all the light. If I painted it over in a peachy yellow and added fun vintage games...
The whole room is a work in progress that will improve as I find neat pieces to add. In the meantime, a few old games add color to the walls. (The piece pictured below is a wire spring-powered early pinball game that still works great when you add a glass marble.)
I made a shadow box using some stray game pieces and miniature playing cards.
Then I gathered some matching jars to fill with antique game pieces. Spice racks helped make a display on a narrow wall.
Folks can choose games from a cabinet, slide one of the games from the wall, or choose something from a jar. There are one-person puzzles as well as games for duos and multiple players. (See my big jar of vintage buttons? I created a sheet outlining the games I learned to play with buttons growing up and then I scoured the web for some more to add.)
We look forward to inviting family and friends to come enjoy playing games with us. Add a pot of soup and some cheese toast, perhaps a batch of homemade cookies hot from the oven....
Come play!