From Patterned Nails to Patterned Games

I've been attempting to create my own digital papers for some of my games and I have been using my nails for inspiration...

This was my first attempt at tribal patterns. It was  somewhat successful - with the exception of the chevron, I was a wee-bit too heavy handed on that one! This led to my idea for an ABC matching game:

The uppercase letters have a maroon tribal pattern and the lowercase have a purple tribal pattern on the backside.  

I have been wanting to recreate this game for awhile. My original version was made on index cards - however the letters were visible when the cards were used for matching. This led to an extended playing time, as no one would turn a card over until they had stared at it long enough to deduce what letter was on the backside! I had to color the backs of the index cards, yet being my nitpicky self, I was never quite satisfied with how they looked. (Why is it that crayon never looks the same when I use it on two things!?!?) 

My next inspiration came from my vacation nails! I went for the ombre look by putting a different shade of pink on each nail. Yet sadly they did not survive the traveling/hiking/biking adventures. I was prepared however and brought some black crackle polish to re-coat them with. Voilà - a revitalized manicure!

                       

I loved how the neon pinks popped from underneath the black-which led to my next game...

I use Go Fish and Matching Games a lot to teach and review the Sight Words. This is another game that I have made various versions of on index cards. They have gotten rather worn out - plus I always prefer typed font to my own writing.  I am looking forward to using these with my students soon! 

Happy Friday!!