Scrabble Board Wedding Guest Book

This wedding guest book is the perfect choice for Scrabble and board game fans, or those looking for a rustic, home-spun vibe at their wedding. That said, it doesn't have to be a wedding guest book at all! These are awesome notebooks that so many people will love. Many charity shops/thrift stores receive donated games with bits missing that would otherwise end up in landfill - and even intact, they may struggle to shift them, since everybody seems to play online anyway these days.

I like to think that every game I craft with has a history, a story to tell - I like to honour them by turning them into something new! This project is easy to complete, though if you don't have access to a binding machine you will need to take this to a print and copy store, who should be able to wire bind it for you. I hope you like it!

Step 1: Gather Equipment and Materials

You will need:

• Scrabble set - try thrift stores / charity shops if you don't have one you're happy to cut up!
• Blank paper - good quality paper if you are creating a wedding guest book, otherwise standard copy paper is fine
• Glue
• Binding wire (if binding yourself)

Equipment:

• Cutting board
• Knife and ruler
• Binding machine (if binding yourself)

Step 2: Cut the Covers

First, cut the Scrabble board straight down the middle where it folds in half. Each half is easier to work with individually.

Next, measure each side of the board and cut it in half to create two sets of two covers for your guest book (one for you, one for a gift!) Scrabble boards are a lot thicker and tougher to cut than other game boards that I have come across. Make sure that your knife is very sharp (a new blade is adviseable), and cut slowly and carefully, making many shallow cuts rather than trying to slice it with a few deep ones.

Once you have done this you will have two pairs of covers that are approximately square.

Step 3: Cut Your Pages

Next, you need to cut your pages. These need to be the same height as your covers, and approximately 1/8 inch narrower. The slight difference in width just ensures that no pages protrude from between the covers once the book is bound. You can use as many pages as you need - but if you are binding at home, do make sure that you have the appropriate gauge of wire!

If you have a paper guillotine, this will be the quickest and easiest way to cut the paper. Otherwise, carefully cut with a knife and ruler as before.

Step 4: Binding

If you don't own a binding machine, this step is easy - take your book to a copy shop and they will bind it for you! However, I will be binding my own book.

Stack the book with the covers facing out as it will eventually be once bound. Then take the back cover and place it on the front, facing inwards but with the spine on the correct edge. Doing this means you can flip the back cover afterwards and hide the join in the binding wire.

Bind the book according to manufacturer's instructions. Once the wire spine is closed, flip the back cover to its correct position. Your book is complete! Now we just need to personalise it.

Step 5: Add the Names!

To decorate, simply glue some of the tiles to the front of the book. If the bride and groom have a letter in common within their first names, then great! If not, try adding the surname, or the words GUEST and BOOK to create a point where the names can cross one another. Once the glue has dried, you are finished! I hope you like it!