I love it but what IS it? Fun with board game cards

As I wrote in my previous post, I'm looking at new ways to use old books. I love old textbooks, and a middle-school science book from 1980 recently caught my eye. The cover showed a pile of seashells. Best of all, it was large and long, with the spine on the short side.

It would make a great sketchpad, I thought. But once I got the book home, I found myself covering the seashells with cards -- cards from the many different board games in my stash.

How did that happen? Such is the mystery of the creative process. But I liked the clash of card styles -- especially the variety of fonts. Each hints at the attitude of the era that the card came from. "Ego Boost" is acid-trip late 60s. "Trust Me" in green Times Roman all caps says money money. The 2 different "Risk" cards show how world domination isn't really the goal anymore.

It took me a while to get the cards laid out just right. I took a quick photo to record the layout and then I shoved the cards aside and wrapped the entire cover in white shelf paper, as background. Then I glued down the cards, trying to keep them in alignment. Finally, I covered the whole thing in clear contact paper, to protect the cards and  prevent the edges from flipping up.

I was happy with the result. But something was missing. The color blocks made me think of Mondrian designs, popular in the 60s. What if I put a black border around each card? Was it too late? Nope. Thank goodness for duct tape!

Now I love it! But what IS it? Should I go with my original plan and add pages inside to create a sketch pad? Or instead, add fabric and make an iPad holder? I'm not sure. There's an idea here. I'll just have to percolate on it.

Can you identify the game each card comes from? Some are obvious -- Rish, Sorry, Hands Down, Clue. Others are more obscure. Below is a legend.

To know more, visit BoardGame Geek, the best website I've found to learn about board games, old and new.