One idea that made the cut was how to make your own scratcher card. The original idea was in Martha Stewart Weddings and it was for a 'save the date' card.
I used it to make a lotto scratcher card for a birthday present. Michael's dad had to scratch the tickets and if any two destinations matched, he won a that trip. Of course we set it up so he has three trips to choose from for his birthday present. (In case you are wondering, no final selection has been made but the early polls show the train from Portland to Chicago as a heavy favorite.)
The scratcher paint is made from a combination of acrylic paint and dish soap. It took me a few tries to get the consistency correct and to find the right paper. I ended up putting a small piece of scotch tape over the words to protect them - and it worked perfectly. The paint stuck to the tape but scratched right off with the lucky penny and the words remained perfectly legible.
It also took several thin coats of paint to cover the words completely.
The final card was quite a feat of crafting and everyone was properly impressed.
We made sure the lucky penny included with the card was from the same year Michael's dad was born - 1942!
