DIY Maileg Princess and the Pea Castle
For a long time I’ve drooled over the Maileg mice toys. I love how cute they are with their tiny outfits and itty bitty faces. I finally got the girls their own little sister mouse when I went to Denmark last summer. I had to. It’s a Danish toy and I was in Denmark. How could I not? They were the perfect stowaways.
One day I saw the Maileg princess and the pea house…eek! It is so stinking cute. I couldn’t bring myself to spend an astronomical amount on a bougie cardboard box though. I know, I know, I KNOW… it’s handmade, one of a kind, collectibles. But I didn’t know if they would play with it for a long time and to spend that kind of money on something I could make…
THAT’S how I enticed my children. “Why don’t we make our own so then we can have TWO princess and the pea castles (cause mama isn’t spending over $100 on cardboard).” They’re eyes widened and they looked at each other and said, “Yeah!” The rest is history.
They picked out their own wall paper and flooring. They added flags because every castle has a flag. And they were inspired to make their own furniture from what they saw in the fairy section at the craft store. I think they turned out quite cute!
SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR DIY MAILEG PRINCESS AND THE PEA CASTLE:
-small cardboard box
-tempera paint
-sponge paint brush
-scrapbook paper
-glue
-mini boxes
-fabric
-green bead (or pom pom)
-poly-fil
-hot glue gun
-white gesso paint
-paint brush
-The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen
HOW TO MAKE DIY MAILEG PRINCESS AND THE PEA CASTLE:
Before you make your castle, read the The Princess and the Pea together!
1. Cut the flaps off one side of a small cardboard box.
2. Use one of the longer flaps to make battlement. I cut a 1.5” square and traced it onto the cardboard. Then I cut out every other square.
3. Hot glue the battlement to the top of your box.
4. Paint your castle!
5. Cut down scrapbook paper to the size of each side of the castle.
6.Glue in scrapbook paper as wallpaper and flooring.
HOW TO MAKE PRINCESS AND THE PEA MATTRESSES:
1. Cut fabric into 6.5” x 6.5” squares.
2. Fold fabric in half, right sides facing together.
3. Use a 1/4” seam allowance and stitch around the fabric, leaving an opening for flipping the fabric.
4. Cut the extra fabric off the corners and flip the fabric so the right sides are facing outward now.
5. Use poly-fil or quilt batting to stuff the mattress.
6. Stitch the opening closed.
7. If you want, hand stitch a green bead as the pea onto one of the mattresses. Or you could use a green pom pom to place in between the mattresses.
HOW TO MAKE PRINCESS AND THE PEA FURNITURE:
1. Paint mini boxes with white gesso paint. Let it dry. I used boxes from makeup products.
2. Paint with tempera paint.
3. Turn them into fireplaces, bookcases, end tables, or dressers!
They spent hours making little trinkets for their castles. My oldest made mini books and shelving. My youngest made rugs and blankets. I was surprised how much time they were spending on making it feel homey for their little mice.
If you liked this cardboard box project, you may like some other cardboard projects we’ve done! Click the posts below to check ‘em out!!
xo L.
