We all have an idea of the perfect game night. The one’s where you have a cheese board & popcorn on display. Music whistling in the background. & a rowdy game of charades for all to join. Game nights, I have learned, are one of the most fun adult activities to enjoy. They are essentially low cost ways to entertain & enjoy your loved ones. One thing that I didn’t like about them however, was the collection of games we started to need. Old games turn into over done games & soon enough you have a closet dedicated to colorful boxes that were only half filled with cards or dice. Now add living in a tiny home to the mix. How on earth do you justify getting rid of some pots & pans but keeping Monopoly?

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Lucky for me, I had just purchased two ottomans with ample space for baskets underneath. Next up was how would I fit all of these games inside? Ever open a chip bag to find that it is half air? That is the extent of how they package these game boxes. Most of them do not need to take up as much space as they were leading on. I decided that there had to be a way we could store these games under the ottomans in a more neutral & space saving way. After all, it isn’t really my style to have a bunch of colors popping out everywhere. I need neutral. Whites. Creams. Here was my solution.

some of our favorite game night games

Fitting into a Smaller Space

Basically I needed all these games to fit into 1 to 2 medium sized baskets. I needed to store them in something other than the big, bulky, colorful boxes they were in & into something that would fit in the baskets but also fit all the playing pieces inside. These canvas bags were the perfect pick. I purchased these from Hobby Lobby. I found an awesome deal on Amazon here!

Using a Practical Way to Store Your Collection

Now that you have you simple canvas bags, like these, you just need a decorative basket to put them in! I have two ottomans in our living space & storing a cute basket under then was perfect. You can use stamp letters or a sharpie to write which game is which on the bags. Once you have your labels done, just line them up in your basket(s) & tuck them in their spot. You have created a neutral & textured way to store what could be a bulky, colorful mess.

Not only have you not established a multi useful decor in your living room, you have also created such a simple way to bring your game night to the public. Often we travel to a friends or families & bringing games is a safe & fun tag a long. The worst part is carting it all. Now you just have to grab your basket & you are good to go. Honestly, it is a win win win on so many levels.

I am a little too excited about this hack I created & can’t tell you how many times it has created a hassle free game night whether in our home or not already!

shop our ottomans & baskets

Perfect Game Night Formula

You want my secret Game Night formula? Okay!

Grab your game basket & my go to chip dip! It is kind of a knock off of a recipe that I was unable to fulfill at Aldi. You know how they have so much but there is always that one thing you couldn’t find there? I was sick of going to another store just for one ingredient. So here is my special secret recipe!

First. You will need two bags of tortilla chips because it is THAT good. Okay, ready? Mix together in one bowl :

24oz Sour Cream

1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning

1 can of sweet corn - drained

1ish cup of shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese - the super shredded is better than the thick shredded in my opinion!

One last tip before I send you on your way : First put the sour cream in the bowl & create a sort of a hole in the center to pour the taco seasoning in. The taco seasoning is sometimes hard to mix into the sour cream quickly so pour the corn on top of the seasoning & then mix. The corn helps move the seasoning on I think. Lastly, sprinkle the cheese in, do a final stir & grub-a-dub-dub. Blow your friends away with your prepared & host friendly game basket & chip dip.