When I was a kid I loved playing checkers. But, I only liked playing against someone older. After all, their checker playing skills were much more advanced – making it more challenging for me. Adults didn’t make rookie mistakes.
At the time, little did I know that checkers was not some masterful game. Once I understood that I needed to keep my back row in tact, I was the queen of checkers. Eventually, the game became boring and I stopped playing entirely.
Fast forward like 80 years…actually more like 30, my husband (boyfriend at the time) and I decided to play a game of checkers which led into him teaching me how to play chess. Wow, that was an experience. Chess requires forethought and critical thinking both of which I never included in my gaming style (boring!). This game was absolutely challenging. One wrong move can cost the entire game – oh the pressure…I loved it!
Well, we played daily and with practice I was getting better, but I wasn’t winning. Sadly, this went on for some time. Then we went to my husbands hometown in Washington. We were in the hotel lobby hanging out and noticed a chess board. We sat and played and I’m happy to say that I finally won! I was ecstatic, all that learning and practicing finally paid off.
As I was designing this journal layout, it brought back such wonderful memories of checkers and chess. Check it out.
Supplies
- Notebook/Journal
- Stencil
- Distress Ink
- Ink Application Tool
- Brush Pen (373)
- Ruler
- White Gel Pen
- Black Drawing Pen
- Days of the Week Stamps
- Acrylic Block
- Stamp Ink
- Washi Tape
(black)
Step One
I started this layout by blocking two sections of my notebook with washi tape, it’s all about the symmetry, right? I wanted to make sure I maintained a straight line as I applied a light layer of distress ink with my application tool. Once the layer was complete, I placed my checkerboard stencil right on top of the inked layer. Again, I took my ink application tool and my distress ink and applied it on top of the stencil. I went over the stencil a few times to make the checkerboard portion a dark grey, contrasting with the light grey background.
Step Two
With my ruler and brush pen (373), I drew eight boxes, four on each page. Then I lettered in the month with a brush pen, added a few details with a white gel pen, and added the dates with my black drawing pen.
Step Three
For the last part, I placed my days of the week stamps on an acrylic block, inked it with my stamp pad, and stamped each box. The days of the week stamps, by The Sassy Club, are one of my favorite stamp sets, they are perfect for my weekly layouts.
