So, I’ve been working on a secret project lately.  I’ve made cryptic comments about it… posted pictures of paint and my messy living room.  But I couldnt tell you what I was working on.  Why?  Cuz it was a present for my brother-in-law who reads my blog!

My brother-in-law (husband to TheWannaBeAthlete) turns 30 this week.  What do you get (or make) for the guy who has 1 kid, another on the way, just bought a house, and LOVES FSU football?

FSU Corn hole boards of course!

yup!  I made them!  (and yes, I’m bragging a bit about it… but look at how cool they turned out!)
Now for the “How to” so you can make them too!

There are lots of websites online that will give you the official measurements and even “how to’s” for building your boards.  So, I don’t want to spend a lot of time here going over all of that…  what I WILL do is tell you the tricks and tips that they wont tell you!
Buying the wood:

1.   Take the extra time to make sure that your 2x4s aren’t warped.  This may seem silly or obsessive when you are standing in the hardware store, but you will hate yourself later when you are trying to work with a warped board!

2.   If you dont drive a large pickup truck, getting a full sheet of plywood home can be difficult, but most large hardware stores will make cuts for you for a nominal fee (or sometimes free!). If the hardware store cuts the plywood into 2′x4′ pieces, then they will probably fit into the backseat of your car!

Now for the fun part,  the painting!

Start with your base coat.  I chose FSU Garnet (for obvious reasons).  Red is a really hard color to paint.  For that reason I did 2 coats.  After I gave it PLENTY of time to dry, I started on the designs.

I began by printing the images that I wanted to use to the size that I wanted.  Then I taped (using blue painters tape) the images to the board where I wanted them.

(oops!  I forgot to take a picture of that step!)

Then I traced the image with a ball-point pen.  The ball-point pen will leave an indent in the wood that you can use when you start painting.

Then I started painting, one color at a time.

1st black…

then white…

then the gold.

Now you just need to make the corn bags.

You will need 2 colors of duck cloth (you can find this at just about any fabric store).  I choose garnet and gold.  You will need to cut 8 squares of each color at 7″x7″.  Sew the bags using a half inch seam and double stitching them for strength. (for my non-sewers, that means that you stitch 2 seams right next to each other).

Now for the filler.  Visit your local feed store and ask them for a bag of whole kernel feed corn.  You will only need 8 lbs of it, so buy the smallest bag they sell.

Then you just need to use your kitchen scale to measure out 1 lb of corn per bag and close up your bags.

Now all that is left is to set up the boards and play!

Happy Birthday Brother-In-Law!