Scrabble Family Tree | DIY

I don't want to make the same mistake I made last year in not sharing the Christmas gifts Pat and I (mostly Pat) made. Last year, he went overboard turning some pens on the lathe, building a birdhouse, and crafting a life-sized nativity. However, I don't think I shared any of that. What a shame! Because his shop's not quite in the shape he wants it yet, we didn't get but one gift made this year.

It was one of those things that hit me randomly, and I just had to create it.  Let me preface it all with: Pat's mom is a big fan of the word game Scrabble. So, we created this Scrabble Family Tree of sorts for her.

Fortunately, I have a nice collection of Scrabble tiles. Some of these were bought new in the scrapbooking section of a store and some came out of thrifted Scrabble games.

I started with a list of the family names to include - didn't want to forget anyone. From there, I sketched it out to get all the names to connect to our surname, Smitherman.

Once I had a layout I liked, it was just a matter of gluing the tiles to the board. (Getting a board was another matter entirely. . .I didn't have one at the house like I thought. Gah!) E6000 glue did the job perfectly. I started in the middle and worked out so I wouldn't mess up any of the tiles.

We left the board flat to dry for a few days while Pat built a frame with some cedar he found in the pole barn.

Now, I can't explain how he built the frame or set the board in it, but if you've got some wood skills or know someone who does - I'm sure they can figure it out too.

In the end, his mom and the rest of the family thought it was really cool. And, I was pretty pleased with how well the names evolved on the board. . .as though playing the game. Stating with Smitherman, it works out that Pat's dad, then mom, then the four of them (his brothers, sister, and himself), then the rest of are added to the board working off each of the letters already down. It tickled me, but may not work as well for other families.

So, if you've got a scrabble-lover or game fanatic in your family, this might be just the right gift for them too!

Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions (even for Pat) about this project!