Welcoming Spring with a cute project! Ladybugs and Bees tic-tac-toe

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      Like me, you've probably seen a ton of variations of this tic-tac-toe game all over Pinterest.  I have always wanted to make one for my backyard because I think my grandkids will get a kick out of it.  The Spring weather that is finally happening motivated me to finally complete this project.  I am so happy with how it turned out! 

     Last year, I wrote about how I went to Dollar Tree and picked up some of their fairy garden figures for my grandchildren to play with in the backyard.  They were such a hit with my granddaughter, she now has her own set at home.  I felt like this cute tic-tac-toe set will add to the fun of the fairy garden, bringing the magical idea of fairies, ladybug and bees being a part of our garden to life for my grandkids.  I don't know who has the most fun with it, me or them! 
     I painted this project on my own and surprised the kids with it, but it would also be fun to have them join you in creating.  One of my grandsons would love to search the yard for the perfect rocks!  All of them would love the painting part. We may have to have a party to create more for them to take to their own homes! 

      Here are the simple elements I used to create this project: 

• An 11-12 inch wood slice that I picked up at Walmart.  Or, here is one that you can order from Amazon
• Small round rock: 5 for the ladybugs and 5 elongated rounded ones for the bees
• A black Sharpie
• Acrylic Craft Paint in blue, red, black, yellow and white 
• Fine line and Flat craft brushes
• A straight edge, such as a ruler
• Matte or Glossy spray clear coat (optional)

​Step 1:  Paint the rocks

     I pictured in my brain how I would paint the bugs and bees, but each rock was different, so each ladybug and bee had to be different from the others as well.  I placed my rocks on a white piece of paper and traced around them to get their basic shape.  Then, on that shape I drew the design, deciding where the face would be, the placement of the wings and eyes, etc.  Some of the bugs I gave a top view while others are viewed from the size.  I felt like the variety was important.  the shape of the rock also dictated what I did.   Doing this gave me a guideline as I began to paint. 
      I base coated every rock black.  That took 2 coats.  Then, I added the color on top of the black.  Here are a couple of closeups of my bugs and bees to show you what I did. 

You can see that I left the head and the bottom part of the body on the ladybug black.  Then, for the bee I simply painted on yellow stripes, leaving the head at the front. 
     For the wings on the bees, I put water on my paintbrush to wash on some clear white wings.  I wanted the stripes to show through. 
     I used the pointed end of a pencil or the pointed end of a paintbrush to put the dots on the ladybug's back.  I also used white dots for the eyes, with a smaller black dot to make the pupils.  Just by changing the size and placement of the pupils, you can change the personality of your little critters.
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Step 2:  Create the Board

     Initially I had thought that I would paint the black lines for the tic-tac-toe on the board, then I realized that It would be much easier to use a Sharpie to draw them on the board.  Just measure how long and wide you want the lines to be and use a ruler to mark them and then draw them with the Sharpie.  I went over my lines twice to make them wide enough.  
     I didn't want to just leave the ends of the lines plain, so I added little flowers on the ends of the lines.  One of my first ever videos that I made from our YouTube Channel was about how to paint a little flower.  You can find it here and read about it on this post.  

     When you are all finished, you can spray your creation with acrylic spray to protect it from the elements.  Then, you will have an adorable little game to entertain your kids in the backyard.  
      If you have any ideas about the best ways to store the stones when not in use to help protect them from being lost, please share in the comments!