Shell Tic Tac Toe DIY Decor

Are you in the mood for a functional and fun home decor piece? Are there extra points if it includes sea shells and looks like it belongs in a summer beach house? Then I’ve got a fun project for you! Lets make a Shell Tic Tac Toe DIY decor box.

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I love this Shell Tic Tac Toe decor box because it brings the feeling of summer and the beach inside my home. It also serves as non-electronic entertainment for my kids when we’re all just hanging out in the living room. Even better, you can store the shells inside the box and easily store it when you decide you want to replace it with a different seasonal decor.

I chose to keep my box natural instead of painting it. I liked the way the light brown looked against the sea shells and I also felt that it would help lighten up the living room.

All of the supplies used are from the local craft store. You can also find sea shells at the local dollar store if you’re lucky. There’s always handy Amazon too 😉

Lets get started!

Supplies You will need:

A wooden box with a lid.
Mini sea shell necklaces
Crushed shells
Large Sea Shells
Star Fish
Tacky Glue
Sponge stick
Hot Glue Gun
Hot Glue
Serrated Knife

How to Make this Shell Tic Tac Toe DIY:

Step 1:

Measure the length of the box. Divide the measurement by 3. Make a pencil mark at each third on both sides.

Step 2:

Measure the width of the box. Divide the measurement by 3. Make a pencil mark at each third on both sides.

Step 3:

Take one necklace and place it against the length of the box, on the first mark you measured, one third in. Make sure not to pull the necklace too taut. You will be cutting off the ends later. Use a hot glue gun to glue the shell necklace to the box.

Step 4:

Take the other side of the necklace and repeat step 3.

Step 5:

Take another shell necklace and perform the same process going across the width of the board. Push the shell necklace between the shell necklace going in the opposite directions so that the necklaces will lay flat on the box. I added some hot glue at the intersecting points.

Step 6:

Very lightly pull on the ends of each necklace and add hot glue to seal off the necklace. You need to do this to make sure that the necklaces do not fall off of the string and come apart. Once the glue has dried, use a serrated knife to saw off the excess necklace. Do this at all 8 points.

Step 7:

Remove the lid from the box.

Step 8:

Pour some Tacky Glue onto a paper plate or paper. Dip the sponge stick into the glue and wipe the glue along a small section of the box lid edge.

Step 9:

Pick up some crushed shells and pour them onto the glue on the lid. Press the shells onto the box. Continue this process while holding the lid upright. The glue takes some time to dry and you do not want the shells to fall off. However, once the glue dries, the shells will be stuck and hard to remove. Be sure to go back and fill in any empty spaces as you see fit. I performed step 9 on 2 edges of the lid, let it dry, then went back and completed the other 2 edges of the lid.

Step 10:

Once all edges are covered, allow several hours for the crushed shell pieces to dry on the box.

Step 11:

If you are placing the box on a table, be sure to place some felt squares on the bottom corners of the box. This will prevent the box from scratching the surface of the table.

Step 12:

Place shell “game pieces” inside the box when not in use or display the shells on the board.

I hope that you enjoy this DIY! It is simple to make and goes great with summer or beach home décor. Be sure to enjoy playing tic tac toe with the family!