The Making of Hríseyjar YATZY – A Creative Journey from Idea to Game
Over the past few months, I’ve been immersed in designing Hríseyjar YATZY – a playful twist on the classic dice game, inspired by our beautiful island. Like many of my creative ideas, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where this one came from. They tend to appear in my mind at regular intervals – uninvited but welcome. Often, though, everyday life is too busy to follow them through.
But this winter was different. Since moving to Hrísey, we haven’t had access to all our belongings while we continue to work on renovating the house we bought. That house, which we’ve unknowingly started calling Four (short for its address, Hólabraut 4), has been the center of our energy lately. And because I haven’t been able to sew as much as usual, that creative spark needed another outlet.
For a long time, I’ve been thinking about designing souvenirs that reflect Hrísey – something meaningful and fun that visitors and locals alike could enjoy. I’ve dabbled in this before: for several years, I’ve sold postcards featuring my quilt art, often with bird motifs, inspired by local nature.
I’ve also noticed how much our daughters love to bring home something from the places we visit – and how much more special those souvenirs feel when they’re both practical and tied to the location. That thought stayed with me. What if there were a fun, family-friendly souvenir that captured the spirit of Hrísey? Something you could use, not just display?
That’s how the idea for Hríseyjar YATZY was born.
It’s still the classic game we all know, but with a twist: instead of numbers, the dice are illustrated with icons representing landmarks and elements of life on Hrísey. Each image was carefully designed (by me!) to reflect the unique character of the island. The process was both challenging and deeply rewarding – and it allowed me to reconnect with my creative side in a completely new way.
Thank you to everyone who has already shown interest and support. I hope Hríseyjar YATZY brings you joy, whether you’re playing it on a rainy evening, gifting it to friends, or keeping it as a memory of this special place.
Here is a QR code you can scan to download and print more Scoring sheets:
