The Count's Castle

I have been working on this for some time now. I actually started the graphic's for it last year. I had wanted to do it for Halloween but time flew by and I knew I was not going to make it. So I started a Nutcracker theater, thinking I would have time to get that done before the Christmas season. Well that did not happen...lol
 

So off season or no I tend to work on my holiday projects year round because as you know by now, if I don't then it doesn't get done :)) I am calling this one "The Counts Castle" but I do intend to make some completer sheets for it in the future. Then it can be dressed for "The princess and the pea, Sleeping Beauty (a friends idea) and yes of course Haunted Halloween! It also might be a fun place for Marie Antoinette and her court to live.For those of you who have purchased the digital kit from my little etsy store, I also wanted to do a quick rundown on how I made it. I started with an old jewelry box from the local thrift shop. Then I cut a hole in the top. I left this kinda big so that it would be easy for little hands to maneuver the puppets.
 

Then I covered the box with the brick paper also in the kit. My box measured 7 inches high and 10 wide so the background paper was longer than the interior wall. Instead of wallpapering it to the back and bending it around the corners, I bowed it and just glued it in along the sides. I loved how it gave it a real theater feel.
 

I did the puppets, facade and the towers as I always do. I printed them on brochure paper but you can also use a light weight photo paper. Then I used spray glue to attach it to a medium weight matte board. You can purchase medium weight matt board at your local office supply store or just use the light weight gift boxes you get at the dollar store. Cut all the pieces out and sand the edges with a emery board..the heavy ones for artificial nails.
 

I curled the towers up and attached them to the sides. You can make them more pliable by pressing it against the corner edge of a table, in a sawing motion move the tower from side to side and it will start to curl, then go ahead and roll it into a tube. This way you will not get any wrinkles or bends in the matt board. Be sure to use a marker on the edges of all you pieces too. That way no one will see cut cardboard on the edges. If you do it right, it will be hard to tell it from a die cut image.

I have used some little wire puppet stands for display I used the picture from My Gotcher theater so you can see what the stands look like. Wands for "The show" and stands for display :) Don't forget to put a tab on the back of your doll to hook your wand to.