Cardboard Princess Castle

Alex was starting to question my stash of cardboard rolls in the hall closet, so I did what any mother would do and went straight to Pinterest for some crafty inspiration so that the girls and I could put those babies to use. There were some really cool ideas like these binoculars, this Ring Toss Game and this super cute butterfly, but when I came across this carboard Castle and Loo Roll Men, I immediately pinned it and logged off -- my work was done here! You see, there comes a time in every little girl's life where they are utterly obsessed with princesses...

Normally, we do our arts and crafting during the week while Daddy is at work, but it was a particularly hot, humid and rainy Sunday last weekend, and Daddy had gotten caught up in a craft of his own.

McKenna and Kendall were over playing dress up and all movied out, so it was time to get this princess castle rolling.

Here's what you'll need:

Small cardboard box

4 paper towel rolls

4 toilet paper rolls

Masking tape

Felt

Scissors

Hot glue gun

Box cutter

Acrylic paint

Buttons, rhinestones, stickers, glitter, etc. to decorate

First, using a box cutter, VERY CAREFULLY carve out the crenellations on one end of all four of the paper towel rolls; these will be your turrets. Next, VERY CAREFULLY carve out the drawbridge, leaving the bottom intact. (Did I cut myself with the box cutter? No, why do you ask...) Using masking tape and the four toilet paper rolls, form the top tower. Then secure all of these pieces to the box with masking tape (turrets) and hot glue (top tower).

I couldn't get the paint out fast enough; the girls were ready to get to it!

Add glitter.

Some to the castle, too, if you like ;-)

Once the paint had dried, I cut out a semi-circle of felt and hot glued it to the top tower to form the pointed roof while the girls rummaged through the odds and ends in our crafts supplies for decoration. 

Ta-da!