{handmade game...don't eat the piggy}

I have a good friend who introduced this game to me. She is the mother of four children, two of which are grown, and two of which are still in high school. This game was (and still is) a favorite of their family, and the best about it is that all ages can really get into it.
With all the gift exchanges with our family and friends, I am always searching for fun family games to give. This particular one is fun, because you can personalize it for the family or individual you are giving it to. For example, you could do different themes...farm/barnyard, princess, trucks & "things that go", jungle animals, states, countries, etc. Or, you can do like I did and mix and match some fun shapes and letters (my kids' initials).
My first thought was to use a large piece of felt as the bottom piece, then cut the shapes out of of fun pieces of fabric and sew them on (or use heat 'n bond, or both!). But, today was a snow day, and since we were stuck inside, it was the perfect project to do, even though I didn't have what I needed. So, I improvised, and found some fun coordinating scrapbook paper, then went to work. (I used a 12x12 piece of cardstock as the bottom piece.) The only think I have left to do is get it laminated. I had every intention of using contact paper, but it scares me. :) I can never get it to work right, or it will crease right where I don't want it to.
It's SO easy to make, and very inexpensive, but it will provide hours of fun! Just cut your shapes out of paper or fabric, adhere them to your bottom piece (whatever you choose to use), then laminate them if you are using paper. There are some great templates online, just do a google search and you will find lots of options. I did use a few templates (the octopus and rocket) from Char over at Crap I've Made. Love them!

You are all probably asking...how do you play??? Well, here are the rules:

1. Sit in a circle, with the playing board in the middle.
2. Place a few candies (M&M's, Skittles, mini marshmallows, etc.) on each shape.
3. Have one person close their eyes, and another person point to one of the objects/shapes.
4. The person closing their eyes opens them, then start to point to an object of their choice. As long as they do not choose the object that was chosen at the beginning of the game, they get to take the candy.
5. As soon as they point to the object that was initially chosen, everyone yells, "don't eat the piggy"!!!

How fun for a Family Night! I think this would even be fun for adults to play. Enjoy!