Dare to Make It: Holiday

How to Make a Collaged Table with a Built-in Game

Pin It

Lee Meredith, contributor

28 users recommend

You could choose a table about the same size as the board game, or one much bigger for more collage space like my table.

Lee Meredith

For my Scrabble board, I found these sign language images—perfect!

Lee Meredith

If you build the table, you can add a shelf or drawer to hold the game pieces so it's always ready for playing.

Lee Meredith

You could choose a table about the same size as the board game, or one much bigger for more collage space like my table.

Photo: Lee Meredith

Add Comment
Print

Some more collage tips and tricks... Mixing different kinds of color and black and white makes for a more interesting piece. By different kinds of color, I just mean super vibrant with dull and faded, etc.

The combination of color photo images with graphic illustration with black and white photos helps keep the different images from blending into one another.

Similar to the color variety, it looks cool to mix different kinds of images, like patterns, photos, drawings, abstract close-ups, scientific diagrams...you get the idea.

Contrasting images against an abstract patterned background image adds depth to the collage.

If you're wondering where I found my particular collage images, old science books from the '60s and '70s, found quite easily in most thrift stores, are fantastic for weird collage pictures! I think many of my table pictures came from psychology and human behavior books.

These old Life science and nature books are full of interesting, crazy, funny, beautiful imagery!

And lastly, the final finish. My Trivial Pursuit table is finished with Envirotex Lite, which is a reactive polymer compound, claiming to equal up to 50 coats of varnish. I don't know much about this stuff, but I think it's like a nontoxic, safer kind of epoxy resin. You can find it at major craft stores and online; just follow the directions included. It was well worth the extra money and effort for me—the table has a fantastic, permanent, professional-looking finish. I treat it terribly, and every time I clean it off, it wipes up like new! You can get a decent finish on your table by just using several coats of Mod Podge, and it will hold up decently well, but if you want a seriously nice finish, I do recommend going the polymer compound route.

If you build the table, you can add a shelf or drawer to hold the game pieces so it's always ready for playing.

The great thing about Trivial Pursuit is that you can use any set of cards with any board, so my generic, decorated table board is usually played using the pop culture and/or '90s edition decks. 

Add Comment Print

How to Make Perfect-Fitting Pajama Bottoms  

Back to List

How to Embroider a Festive Polarfleece Stocking

Comments (13)

Katrine writes: Hey.. Looks awesome! I want to do something like this, but with postcards. They are a little thicker. Do you think that it is possible? Thanks for you're answer

- Katrine
Posted: 1:12 pm on January 7th

veems48 writes: I used a hair dryer on high to remove the board game paper. It's timely but it comes off easier and cleaner. =) Thanks for the idea!
Posted: 3:33 pm on June 6th

MissTui writes: I love this!
Posted: 5:50 am on August 30th

msnew007 writes: So much fun! I love board games, and this is a fantasic idea for a game room or family room!
Posted: 12:36 am on July 27th

appsychology writes: A list of the best sites on the ap psychology of it .
Posted: 12:15 pm on May 11th

appsychology writes: A list of the best sites on the ap psychology of it http://www.netvibes.com/appsychology
Posted: 12:14 pm on May 11th

Jadja writes: Thank you for the idea! We have a horribly abused coffee table in our TV room, the top has been toddlerized but the sides and drawers are in great shape. I was just going to paint it but this will look awesome, it's a great way to reuse too. :)
Posted: 3:41 pm on January 19th

Anasofia writes: I LOVE YOUR IDEA
IT IS SO CREATIVE
I WILL TRY IT!
Posted: 3:04 pm on December 7th

Shannonfnp writes: I love your table. I made my daughter a similar collage toybox. To avoid having to tear original pictures, I took a digital photo and printed it with a matte (non-glossy) photo paper. This I decoupaged onto the table after cropping out what I didn't need of the image. I think the tears give your table a more artistic and authentic look overall.
Posted: 2:27 pm on November 23rd

Ldybugs writes: OOh! I love this idea. I think the ripped scrabble board adds character. I would probably intentionally rip one. but if you wanted a perfect looking one just use a steamer. I picked one up on sale at Kohls for about $20 it is a garment steamer.
Posted: 5:28 am on November 19th

Toffy writes: Too bad the game board didn't come right off. I think I would soak it in water to get it loose then iron it flat and dry. This looks like a very fun project. Great idea.
Posted: 2:32 pm on November 18th

tagoean writes: It would be easier (plus you'd save your original game board) if you could take a colour copy of the board... Any copy center could do that.

Other than that: great idea, I'm so gonna make one...
Posted: 7:14 am on November 17th

Sister_Diane writes: Super, super awesome!!
Posted: 2:11 pm on November 15th

You must be logged in to post comments. Click here to login.