See the transformation of a few cardboard boxes and tubes into a magnificent princess castle!

I didnt’t have a specific design in mind when I started the project. I just started with a few cardboard boxes I had laying around and winged it.

Cutting out the windows was pretty tedious, but I think they make all the difference.

It probably took a couple weeks working in the evening and weekends to get to this point.

This is about the point the girls and I started getting really excited about the project.

I had kept this big tube around for a long time for no particular reason. It was perfect for this castle.

I added some texture like they spray on walls before painting.

The texture under the paint really gives it a realistic appearance.

Coming together!

After painting the individual pieces, we experimented with a few different configurations.

I’ll admit it… I’m proud of our creation!

Sofia helped a lot.

I cut so many holes in those boxes and tubes with a box cutter it’s a miracle I didn’t cut my finger off. But I never got a single cut.

I used a ton of hot glue to hold it all together. I did burn my fingers several times, but it was worth it.

Lost track of how many trips we made to Michael’s Art Supplies for the decorations.

That’s a four-story tower, with carpeted floors and hinged doors.

Cones, flags, gold and silver rooftops and a few decorations make all the difference. Almost there…

This balcony was about the last piece to go into place, and is probably my favorite feature. Check out those ‘pearls’ around the base. (click the image to expand it).

Neuschwanstein Castle has nothing on us!

To create the movie sets I had to trace around every nook and cranny of the castle with the eraser tool in Photoshop before adding the background image. That job alone took several hours.

And the results are pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself! 🙂