This is such a fun & simple way to give those guests who “aren’t really into dancing” something to do while they are at their table.

What’s great about this project too, is that depending on what materials you use, you can make this go with any theme! I kept it cute & rustic for my wedding, but by swapping out the galvanized bucket with, say, a satin satchel and the rocks for those ultra glamorous dollar-store diamonds, you can really class it up!

This is a VERY easy project to do. Although it does help if you, or someone you know, owns a saw of some kind.

Here is what you will need (or variations of it; think about similar things that would work better for your theme/decor)

And. It’s entirely possible to create this project with spending very little money. Try using items you already have, or can use from family and friends.

I completed this project….. almost without buying anything! (Dang galvanized buckets ruined that)

 

• wood stain (I chose jacobean colour from Minwax)
• stain sealer (I used Minwax Polyurethane)
• 2x sand paper (a medium rough piece of about 80 and then a fine grain piece of about 220. I say “of about” because for me, this didn’t need to be “perfect”. If you want to get the most smooth finish you can, start rougher and then slowly work your way up the different grit numbers. It’s very time consuming. Or…. maybe splurge on already smooth wood)
• white acrylic paint
• wood (of some kind, I used scrap pieces of plywood. On a side note; if you can’t cut wood, you could even swap this out!)
• 10 stones (5 X’s & 5 O’s)
• galvanized bucket
• thin paint brush
• foam brushes
• a rag
• Staining gloves/or a bunch of shopping bags
• garbage bag

 

 

Thankfully, most of these items you can easily find at the dollarstore!

 

Step 1

**If you’ve chosen wood, cut it into the size and shape you want. Or locate something that is about 12″ square. Really you can do whatever size you want, but if you want it to be portable and nice for a table, you probably won’t want to go to big.

Sand it first with the rough paper, and then with the smoother one. The key thing here for me was just to get it so that it won’t cut people. I really didn’t want that to happen. It’s best to sand outdoors so the dust won’t spread everywhere in a room.

After you’ve finished sanding it, wipe it down to remove all the dust.

 

Step 2 

Place the garbage bag on your working surface. Stain the wood using the foam brush or rag. (If you stain with the rag, please ALSO put on the gloves) Cover the wood completely and let sit for 10 min or so.
Put on your gloves and use the rag to wipe the stain off. If it’s not dark enough, repeat the process.

After this point you’ll want to leave the stained wood to dry. Follow the directions on the can, or wait until the next day to complete.

 

Step 3

While the wood is drying, paint the stones with X’s & O’s. Let this dry as well.

 

Step 4

When the stain is completely dry, paint 2 lines vertically; “cutting” the piece of wood into thirds, and then also paint 2 lines horizontally. It’s ok if it’s not exact. There should be 9 squares in total.

Let this paint dry.

 

Step 5 

Alright! So the stones are painted and the wood is stained and painted. Now we want to seal them! Realistically, you probably don’t HAVE to do this stage. But if you like the idea of your little wonderful homemade game to last a bit longer, then….. yea…. you should seal it.

Painting with sealer is basically the same as staining, except do not wipe this off. Also, because we aren’t wiping it off, we will actually care what this looks like. So don’t seal the entire surface area. You will get weird garbage bag marks….. Yes. It happened to me.

Paint one side of the wood & one side of the rocks. Wait for it to dry and then flip it over to finish it off. It may still not be completely perfect, but it’ll look nicer than if you just went crazy with the sealer right off the hop.

Thirdly, there is such thing as too much sealer. This isn’t paint. This stuff is really watery. It should look like a lovely glossy shield. You’ll see it spread fast so you’ll know if you have used too much or not enough…..

It might be a good idea to first paint the bottom of the board. You know, the part that no one really sees anyway.

 

Step 6 

Once the sealer is dried, you are basically done! Congrats : ) I hope you enjoyed getting all crafty!

Now depending on what bucket you have purchased, you may want to decorate that. Write/paint “tic-tac-toe” or something on it and then check another thing off of that “To-Do” list you have goin’ on there!

If you make one please share your completed project here in the comments! I would love to see your version!

 

 

 

One of my favourite images from my own wedding! My beautiful mom and grandma playing tic-tac-toe. Photographed by the talented Hennygraphy