DIY Tic Tac Toe Board {Pottery Barn Inspired}

Are you looking for a great gift for your sweetheart, or a fun game to play with your kids?

Look no further, especially if your significant other loves to play games, loves handmade things from you, or just likes Xs and Os.  

Right before Christmas, I spotted this gem in my Pottery Barn catalog (I have a hard time calling them catalogs since I really look at them as home decor and inspiration magazines).  Tyler loves to play games, and had been hounding me for weeks to play something with him. 

This seemed like the perfect little gift for him that I could make.

Let's get started with a shopping list, shall we?

Materials:

9 - 1x1 inch blocks

1 - 4x4 inch platform

1 - 1/2 inch square dowel rod*

9 'O' Metal Letters

9 'X' Metal Letters

Tools:

Wood Stain

Wood Glue

A Drill

A Hand Saw

Sander*

*I also used a small round dowel that I had around for two of the sides because my blocks were fitting too tightly after staining.  If you want your encasement to have complete walls, I'd suggest sanding the 1/2 inch square dowel sides so that the blocks don't fit so tight.

I found the majority of my supplies at Hobby Lobby:  the blocks and platform were in the woodworking section.  The Xs and Os were in the clearance section, so you might have to find these elsewhere in the future.  It looks like they are still available HERE on the designer's website.

First off, you'll want to stain your blocks and platform.

 Put all 9 blocks on the platform for measuring purposes to ensure you don't get your walls too tight for them.

Cut the dowel.  The top of my platform was 4 inches by 4 inches.  I cut the two square dowels to the full 4 inches, and then the two round dowels to about 3.5 inches.  Stain them as well and let them have a good long dry before you start putting things together.

I didn't get photos of this process because I was rushing to get done before Tyler came home from work.  I'll explain the best I can.

I used small leftover pieces of the round dowel to create wooden pegs to keep the sides more firmly attached to the platform.  To do this, drill holes into the platform and into the bottom of the sides that is the size of the dowel rod.  You will insert a the round dowel into both holes and use wood glue to keep them in place.  I'd also run some wood glue along the bottom of the side wall when you attach it.  

If you're doing two ends the way I did with the round dowel, drill into each end of the interior of the sides.  Glue the dowel in place prior to final insertion.  It was somewhat complicated to get it all together in the end with glue and all, but you'll figure it out.  

 Put your adhesive letters on the blocks, and you're ready to play tic tac toe!  When placing the letters, it is my suggestion to make sure the grain of your blocks are going a similar direction for the best looking results.  I attached my letters on the end grain so the sides would be uniform.


These are pictures of the finished product!