Cheesy Dice

Okay, let me first say this: This is really cheesy (pun intended). But it's too fun not to do at your game night.

What is it? A Cheese Dice of course! And it's really easy to make.



Ingredients
1 (2 1/4 ounce) can sliced ripe olives (drained)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (room temperature)
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/4 cup sour cream
assorted crackers

Directions
Set aside about 20 olives. Finely chop the remaining olives.

In a bowl, combine chopped olives, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, onion powder, cayenne, and sour cream. Mix until well combined.



(I had to use my hands for this next step.) Mound the cheese mixture onto your serving plate, and using a spatula, press all sides to form a cube. Cover wit plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (With a little extra push, I could have made this more cubical, so it won't be that hard when you do it.)





Before serving, spread the remainder of the sour cream on the outside of the cheese ball. Be sure to smooth it with a long knife. Use the reserved olive slices to make the dice spots. Serve with crackers.

Place Cards

These I love! For the place cards (there were only four of us, but it's still fun to have these), I used leftover paper from the invites and some awesome Thickers. Green, of course, for all the money we were about to make in a crazy poker game!

These couldn't be any easier to make. And there are so many possibilities!

Table Setting

Following my goal of trying to use what I already have instead of buying new, I tried to find things for my table setting and centerpiece without having to buy new things.



For the centerpiece, I did what many of you fellow bloggers did for your Christmas centerpiece -- I spray-painted limbs.





I think they turned out okay, and since this game night was so close to the holidays anyway, I could have easily used this for my holiday setting too.

To add a little extra, I used stencils to cut out spades, clubs, diamonds and hearts to hang from the limbs. I punched holes in the top and strung white yarn to hang them. How many you use is totally up to you.







For the place settings, I got really lucky. A few years ago, my brother attended a Las Vegas-themed school event. They had giant playing cards printed for decorations, and he was quick enough to snag a stack of them. I used them as placemats. Perfect, right? Then I put gold chargers on top for plates.





Since game nights are usually pretty busy and crazy, I wanted to keep decorations simple. Once the food has been consumed, the table is usually cleared pretty quickly to play games. So I think this table sets a good mood without being a pain to clear when it's time to break out the games.

Game On!

This week is Game Week at Attempting Creative. Lots of ideas for how to host your best night of board games, cards, and fun. I held my own Game Night last weekend and had a great time! I'd love to hear your ideas about your past Game Nights. Leave me a comment or e-mail me. Happy gaming!

First, you'll have to invite everyone. I wanted to make my game night as inexpensive as possible to host but of course with the most wow. So I tried to use things I could find around the house.

I had some great scrapbook paper and distress ink (which I just bought a few weeks ago to try and figure out how to use it as well as other bloggers do). I printed off card shapes from my computer and got to cutting.

Here, in photos, is the invitation.