Winning Ways to Use Old Board Games

—BobVila.com

Doesn’t it seem like there’s always at least one board game in your house that’s no longer playable? Maybe there are pieces missing, or you’ve given up on the game because your sister throws a fit every time she’s outmatched. Rather than let the lonely game languish on the shelf, explore the imaginative ways you can bring Clue or Monopoly or Scrabble to play in your home decor.

1. Leave a Note

photo: brit.co

In a house that frequently plays host to guests, a sign marking the guest bathroom can be a fun and friendly touch. With the 100 letter tiles of a Scrabble set—yes, most likely minus a few—you can create many meaningful groupings of letters to suit any number of tongue-in-cheek purposes

Related: 10 Ways to Welcome a House Guest

2. Hanging Out and About

photo: thriftcore.com

In a home office or kid’s room, vintage game surfaces can make for charming, offbeat shelves. Whereas storage pieces very rarely pack personality, these are as entertaining as they are genuinely useful, thanks to the sturdy brackets undergirding the cardboard.

Related: 10 Insanely Creative Shelves You Can DIY

3. Elevate to Art Status 

photo: apartmenttherapy.com

Looking past the original purpose of a well-made wooden Chinese checkers board, Apartment Therapy celebs Greg and Deirdre chose to mount a particularly attractive one on a wall in their kitchen. With its sculptural form and geometric precision, it is, in its own distinctive way, a work of art.

Related: 10 Ways to Unleash the Potential of Your Blank Walls

4. Just Coasting Along

photo: etsy.com

If you’ve got a short stack of stylish old Bingo cards, follow the lead of Cheltenham Road and decoupage your way to a set of nostalgic coasters. A coat of clear sealer protects sweaty drinks from ruining the paper, while painted, cut-to-size scrap wood forms the half-inch-high base.

Related: 7 Classic Decoupage Projects for the Home

5. Pocket Some Extra Cash 

photo: etsy.com

Satisfy your inner child by finally putting your old Monopoly money to use. No, it won’t sub in at the cash register, but you can still admire the colorful bills when they hold your real forms of payment in a sewn-together vinyl wallet like this one from Etsy seller SadDucky.

Related: Trash to Treasure: 14 Creative Ways to Make Good Use of Old Stuff