Memory Game

While I was at Michael's a couple weeks ago getting pompoms for Parker's little 'toddler toy' bucket, I came across bags of wooden shapes. Did I need wooden shapes for anything? No. But as I picked up a package of small, round wooden discs and wondered what I could make with them I had an idea.... these would make cute memory tiles! Memory was one of my favorite games as a child, so I thought it would be fun to make my own version.

I bought a package of wooden discs that were 1.5" wide, a bottle of mod-podge for glue and a 1.25" round paper punch. The punch was a little expensive but I've been wanting a round one anyway, so I figured this would be a good time to get it. And I already had a ton of scrapbooking paper at home, so I was ready to start!

I had 22 wooden discs so I chose 11 different designs and colors of scrapbook paper to use for the game. I cut two circles out of each sheet. Since the circles are so small I was able to use up some scrap pieces of paper

The next step was to glue the paper circles onto the wooden discs. I kept hearing that mod-podge is great for craft projects, so I tried it out on these. I brushed a little onto the wood and stuck the paper circle on top. Then I brushed over the entire surface to smooth and seal it. The pieces dried within a few minutes, so I turned them over and brushed over the bottom to give both sides a nice glossy look. I thought that might be enough, so I put them aside for the night. But when I pulled them out the next day to check on them, several of the discs were stuck together. The glue was also supposed to be a sealer but it had left the tiles just tacky enough that they stuck together. Bummer. I went back to Michaels and bought a small bottle of varnish and a brush that ended up shedding bristles all over. Those kind are my favorite.
I should also mention that since this for little kids, I used non-toxic glue and varnish. I can't vouch for the random bristles, though...

I brushed a coat of varnish on the front and back of each tile and, once they were dry, brushed a second coat onto the front of each one. I left them out for an hour to thoroughly dry and they had a nice smooth, glossy feel when I checked them later! It worked! Here are all the sets...

I'm sure everyone knows how to play this super simple game, but here are the basic rules: Lay out the tiles upside-down in rows. The first player takes his turn by flipping over two tiles. If they match, he removes that pair and turns over two more. If he turns over two tiles that don't match, they are turned upside-down again and the next person takes their turn. Once all the tiles have been matched and removed the game is over. The person with the most pairs of tiles wins.