Let the games begin

From Habitat magazine - issue 31, bright ideas for kids

Recreate a classic game in an unconventional format using Resene testpots to paint your own dominoes.

We painted ours first in Resene Noir with a small, flat artist’s brush and then added our number dots and lines using a fine round brush and a testpot of Resene Despacito – a creamy blush-beige – but you can use any colour combination your heart desires.

While our rocks were all golf ball-sized or smaller, you could also make a set using big rocks so that your dominoes become an outdoor game that takes over the yard where the whole family can join in.

You will need:

• Resene testpot brush
• Small round artist’s brush
• 28 smooth, flat, oblong-shaped river stones (cleaned and dried)
• Resene testpots in two colours of your choice - we used Resene Noir and Resene Despacito

Top tip:  Most Resene testpots are made using Resene Lumbersider paint which is ideal for exterior or interior use. They don’t need overcoating if being used outside. If you’d prefer a higher gloss finish you can overcoat with Resene Clearcoat UVS or Resene Concrete Clear.

How to make DIY rock dominoes:

Step 1:  Smooth rocks, like those found on a beach or in a river bed work best for this project. Take the kids out to search for ones that lay flat and are generally round or oblong in shape. If you don’t live near water, you should be able to get some from your local garden supply store. Using a testpot brush, paint your stones with 1-2 coats of Resene Noir (or another colour of your choice), allowing them to dry completely between coats. To speed up the process, use a hair dryer.

Step 2:  Using the small round artist’s brush, paint lines in Resene Despacito (or another colour of your choice) down the centre of each stone. Since a traditional domino set contains all number pairs from double zero to double six, with each pair occurring once, each one of your 28 dominoes will end up being completely different.

Visit www.habitatbyresene.com/tips for more great kids’ craft ideas.

Styling Laura Lynn Johnston. Images Bryce Carleton, Ben Whorwood.