Happy B-day!

Linda is my wonderful mother-in-law and today is her birthday! She is an extremely talented quilter and has a great eye for American folk art. So, in honor of her birthday, I thought I would talk about a particular type of folk art that she loves, game boards:

Penny Toss Game Board

c. 1930

Available from 1st Dibs

Game boards have been lovingly made by American craftsmen for generations. The one pictured above was originally used as a carnival game during the Great Depression. These unusual pieces of folk art aren't exactly being played with at fairs anymore. These days, colorful game boards are used for decoration and are often hung in eye catching groupings of 3 or more.

This fall we had the pleasure of visiting with the very talented game board artist, Diane Allison, in her Boone, NC studio. Diane's hand-painted reproduction game boards have appeared on the pages of Country Living and grace the walls of homes throughout the country.

Gypsy- Penny Pinch by Diane Allison

Her series based on the quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama is a very unique (and hugely popular) twist on game board art. They are a beautiful juxtaposition of two great American folk arts and some of Linda's favorites!

For more details and beautiful pictures, visit Diane's website.