A Flash of Inspiration in an Art Store
A Flash of Inspiration in an Art Store
For the artist Becca S., two things have always been sacred in her family: a fiercely competitive game night, and the cherished, often-told stories of their beloved childhood pets. So, a few weeks ago, while wandering through the aisles of an art store just before Father’s Day and her mother’s birthday, she stumbled upon something that sparked an immediate and brilliant idea. It was a blank, unassuming game board, a blank canvas that, in her mind, instantly filled with color, memories, and the happy, wagging tails of the past.
“I was inspired to make a custom board game we could all play together next time I visited and have it revolve around the most important members of our family: our family pets growing up,” Becca shared. The idea was perfect, a way to combine their love for games with their love for the animals who had shaped their lives.
She rushed home with the blank board, her mind buzzing with ideas. She decided to model her creation after one of her favorite childhood games, “Sorry!”, where players race their pieces around the board, trying to be the first to get to their designated home base. But in Becca’s version, which she would call “Furever Home!”, the game would have a deeply personal and heartwarming twist. “The start is going to symbolize where each pet started before we adopted them,” Becca explained. “[And] the home you’re trying to get your game pieces to is going to be our literal childhood home, where they all got to live out their lives with us.” It was going to be more than just a game; it was going to be their family’s story, playable.
Crafting a Playable History
With a clear vision in her heart, Becca got to work. This was not just a project; it was an act of love, a meticulous and joyful process of bringing her family’s history to life. She began by hand-sculpting tiny, adorable figurines of each of their pets. Then, she started painting the board, each space a tiny, colorful chapter in their shared story.
The first pet she immortalized was a beloved bichon named Turf, a dog who had only recently passed away after spending over a decade as the undisputed king of the household. “Turf was, by far, my parents’ favorite child (rightfully so) and was even the star of my mom’s yearly hand-drawn Christmas cards,” Becca said with a laugh. Turf’s starting point on the board was a lovingly painted street in Wilmington, Delaware, a nod to his humble beginnings as a stray before he was brought to the animal shelter where Becca’s mom volunteered, and subsequently into the lap of luxury for 16 wonderful years.
Next came Max, a mischievous and loyal collie who was Becca’s own personal shadow throughout her childhood. “When I think of my childhood, I think of Max,” she said. “He was my best friend.” Max’s starting point was a tiny painting of a flyer on a bulletin board, just like the one her family had seen at a friend’s job that led them to him.
Then, she painted Guenther, a handsome Bernese mountain dog and border collie mix whose time with the family was tragically short, but incredibly impactful. “Though he passed away unexpectedly just a few months after we got him, he turned my dad into a dog person, something I’ll always be grateful for,” Becca reflected. “Guenther opened the door for Max and Turf to come into our lives.”
The last “pet” to be added was a slightly unconventional but equally loved member of the family: Sarah the goldfish. “Sarah was a goldfish whom I considered to be an honorary dog based on how much I doted on her as a kid,” Becca explained. “She was my first-ever pet that I got on my 6th birthday.”
Memories, Laughter, and a Touch of Chaos
To make the game truly their own, Becca infused it with personal, hilarious, and heartwarming details. In the game “Sorry!”, there are “slide” functions that allow players to skip ahead. In “Furever Home!”, the slides were dedicated to specific, cherished memories. Turf’s slide, for example, was inspired by the frantic, joyful “zoomies” he would do around the house. Sarah the goldfish’s slide referenced an unforgettable and chaotic time she managed to jump out of her tank, an event so dramatic it somehow resulted in a police response.
Becca also created a deck of game cards, each one featuring a personalized anecdote about one of the pets, sparking a new memory with every turn. The game was a masterpiece of love and nostalgia, a playable scrapbook of their lives together. But as much as she loved creating it, the real joy was yet to come.
The Most Perfect Gift
The moment of the great reveal was everything she had hoped for, and more. As her parents carefully unwrapped their gift, their expressions shifted from curiosity to confusion, and then to a wave of pure, unadulterated shock and emotion. “They were in total shock!” Becca said. “I’ve painted my parents things in the past, but never anything this elaborate.”
As they looked closer, as they recognized the tiny, hand-painted scenes from their past and the lovingly sculpted figures of the pets they had adored, the tears began to flow. It was a gift that was so deeply personal, so thoughtful, that it left them speechless. It was a tangible piece of their family’s heart.
That evening, the family gathered around the table to play their new game for the first time. The house was filled with the sounds of laughter, of fond reminiscence, and, of course, of the cutthroat, competitive spirit that defined every family game night. Each turn of a card, each move of a tiny, familiar figurine, brought back another story, another happy memory of the four-legged (and one-finned) friends who had made their house a home.
“I wasn’t sure if it’d be too sentimental, but it turned out to be a blast,” Becca said. The game she created was the perfect gift, a beautiful and heartfelt tribute that was also, at its core, incredibly fun. It was a celebration of the love, the laughter, and the beautiful, chaotic, and unforgettable journey they had all shared.
