Think handmade, functional and interactive: a tic-tac-toe game. This project is perfect to keep kids busy during summer afternoons. With a ceramic tile and some wood pieces, you can whip up a handsome game board that can sit on the coffeetable for the whole family to enjoy throughout the year.

In this sample, I used painted wood pieces, but for an extra personal touch, make five copies of a picture of a family portrait or pet, and five of another family member and then glue them to the wood pieces. So instead of using X's and O's, you can use your mugs as the game pieces.

TIC-TAC-TOE GAME

• 1 ceramic tile, 12 by 12 inches
• 1 Sharpie marker and ruler
• 4 wood balls, a half-inch in
  diameter
• 10 wood disks or squares
• Assorted water-based acrylic paints, paintbrush
• E6000 adhesive

Directions:
Paint a base coat on the disks-squares — five in one color and five in a contrasting color. Let dry and then paint an “X” on five of them and “O” on the remaining five. Set aside and let dry. Paint the wood balls and let dry. Flip the tile upside down and apply adhesive to the bottom of each ball. Place one in each corner for feet and let dry for an hour. Flip the tile right side up, and using the ruler draw four lines to create the grid for the game.