DIY Farm Animal Tic-Tac-Toe

I have another video DIY for you today- and it’s an easy one. Today, I’m going go show you how I made this fun farm animals Tic Tac Toe (Xs and Os). This would make such a fun gift for the littles in your life (I hear there’s a holiday coming up that we give lots of gifts). It would also be the perfect game to pack up for a picnic, my hubby and I love to play simple games like this- it makes for good conversation. You could also make it to match a kids party theme- you get to pick the colours!
I have to admit, I was a bit more awkward in this one- I can’t remember what we were talking about in between takes, but I’m sure it was funny.

To make a game for yourself, you’ll need:

• Small plastic animals
• Medium weight felt & Scissors
• White acrylic craft paint (and fine tip squeeze bottle)
• Two colours of spray paint (I used Krylon Satin Nickel and Krylon Blue Ocean

Start by cutting your game board. I actually went out and bought felt specifically for this, then noticed the hexagon pieces I had from my honeycomb backdrop were the perfect size for a game board. I saved the felt I bought for the project to use on something else and used a hexagon. Before you cut your game board, I would lay out the pieces and confirm how big it should be. Once your game board is cut, you need to make the lines! I used a fine tip squeeze bottle with white acrylic paint to draw the lines on mine. You can see in the video how easily this works to draw on felt. I find felt is tricky to paint since the fibers get crazy if you apply pressure and drag a paint brush. I used this method for my Felt Banners as well.

Set your game board aside to dry and get to spray painting! Divide your animals in half (you’ll need 5 for each colour), and get painting! i chose quick dry paints (This kind dries in 10 minutes, guys it’s a miracle!). I’m so impatient when it comes to spray painting- after using these paints, I don’t know that I can go back to paint that takes hours to dry. Anyways, as with any spray paint project- apply it in thin coats, allowing it to dry fully between coats. This is trickier said than done because they’re tiny and need to be flipped back and forth and upside down to get them completely covered. It’s not a two minute project (the video is tricking you).

Once your spray painted animals and hand painted game board are all dry… you’re ready to play! It really couldn’t be simpler. As for playing Tic Tac Toe, I’m not sure I can help you- I totally lost every time while we were on video. I played Shane later and beat him. From what I can tell your best strategy is to start in a corner (if you go first), then go to one of the adjacent corners, before winning by going to the far corner. I have no idea how to win going second. The most I can hope for is to tie. So if there’s any masters of the game out there… let me know and I’ll call for a re-match when we’re next filming!

What do you guys think? Is this a game you like to play (or am I the only child/nerd out there)? Have you started thinking Christmas gifts yet? I have… and I’ve started buying the supplies to get crafting them! I just can’t help myself. Gifting is one of my favourite things to do!