Total Time Needed: Weekend Project
The towers of this desktop fortress are just right for stashing a host of school supplies.
Materials
- Foam vegetable tray
- 1 cup of dry beans
- Stiff felt or cardboard
- Corrugated cardboard
- Tacky glue
- Acrylic paints
- Scissors
- Tube of foam insulation
- Paper clips
- Paper fasteners
Instructions
Make a weighted base for the castle by filling the foam tray with the beans. Apply glue along the tray rim and gently press on the stiff felt or cardboard trimmed to fit. Once the glue is dry, flip over the tray and paint the surface.
With scissors, cut the foam pipe insulation into four 6-inch lengths, six 3-inch lengths, and four 1 1/2-inch lengths. Cut notches in the tops of the 1 1/2-inch lengths (for the castle turrets) and snip small windows in several of the other pieces. Now coat the pieces with a thin layer of gray paint.
When the paint is dry, glue together the foam pieces atop the base, using the 6-inch pieces in the corners, a 3-inch section between them on either side, and two 3-inch sections between them in the back. Cut another 3-inch section in half lengthwise and use the halves to form the castle entrance, as shown, laying the last 3-inch section across the top. Finally, slit the backs of the 4 turrets and fit them around the tops of the corner towers.
For a drawbridge, link together paper clips to make a pair of matching chains. Secure the chain ends to the front corners of the corrugated cardboard with paper fasteners. Straighten one end of the paper clip at the opposite end of each chain and insert the tip into the castle wall. Glue the base of the bridge to the foam tray, and the castle is ready to use.
Crafts
