How to Make a Sandcastle Centerpiece

Whether you live at the beach or just want to remember the beach, a sandcastle centerpiece will set off any beach-themed party. This sandcastle is fun to craft using odds and ends of recyclable materials and sandpaper purchased from a discount or dollar store. This craft is a wonderful rainy day project to create with your family. Enlist your children's help and let their imagination and your ingenuity produce a sandcastle centerpiece that you can complete in a short amount of time and cherish for years.

Things You'll Need

• Two cube shaped recycled boxes, approximately 4 inches and 8 inches
• Brown craft paper
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Eighteen to 20 sheets of sandpaper
• Four paper towel tubes
• Two toilet paper tubes
• Clothespins
• Small oatmeal box
• Craft glue
• Ruler
• Compass

Instructions

1. Wrap each of the cube shaped boxes in brown craft paper like you would wrap a package. Use a hot glue gun to adhere the flaps instead of tape. Measure the sides and the tops of both wrapped boxes. Cut a square of sandpaper for each measurement. Apply craft glue to the back of the sandpaper squares and attach them to the sides and tops of the boxes. Use hot glue to attach the small box to the center top of the larger box.

2. Apply craft glue to the paper towel tubes and toilet paper tubes. Wrap sandpaper around each tube. Use clothespins to hold while drying. Glue a covered paper towel tube against each corner of the largest box for castle towers. Glue each toilet paper tube to the center of each side of the small box.

3. Measure halfway down from the top of the oatmeal box and cut the oatmeal box in half. Apply craft glue to the outside and cover the cylinder with sandpaper. Hot glue the cylinder to the center top of the small box.

4. Use a compass to draw four circles on the back of a sandpaper sheet, 3-1/2 inches in diameter. Cut the circles out. Find the center of each circle and cut a slit from the edge of the circle to the center. Take a circle and overlap the cuts to create a cone shape. Glue it closed with a dab of hot glue and repeat for all four circles. Apply craft glue to the top of each paper towel tower and place a cone-shaped circle roof on top of each.

5. Use hot glue to attach a bead to the top of each roof and randomly hot glue beads to your sand castle centerpiece to emulate treasures from the sea.

Tips & Warnings

• Cube-shaped boxes can also be found at the store in the wrapping paper section. You can purchase packages of multiples sheets of inexpensive sandpaper at your local dollar store.

References

• Cyndee Kromminga, Craft and Interior Designer; Kro Crafts; Winfield, Kansas