fit for my kings

This past Christmas I had a really difficult time shopping for my boys. I'd been trying to purge some of the toy clutter for months so I wasn't keen on adding any more to the lot.

When you have kids, it can be hard to have balance in the home - and not have the toys take over. With every birthday and Christmas that passes there are more and more toys that slowly invade your space. Of course, as a parent, you want your children to have everything they need to learn, develop and keep their imaginations soaring. And there really are so many great toys out there for our littlest of growing minds. But my goal is to cut back a bit and focus on better quality toys. I'd love for my kids to have more natural products such as wood or fabric, and a little less generic plastic stuff in their playroom.

Sadly, replacing all of their toys with the most amazing handmade toys just isn't in the budget. So instead, I'm making small yet conscious steps in that direction. And sometimes, it takes a bit of creativity.

I took my boys to Michael's a couple of months ago and we spotted this plain wooden castle. It was $29.99 and my boys begged me to buy it for them. Armed with a 50% off coupon, how could I say no?! 

We brought it home, and I tucked it away. I had hoped to surprise my boys and have it all painted for them on Christmas morning but time just didn't allow for that. So I'm just getting to it now.

I've managed to paint the exterior. This took me quite a while because I really had no reference (there aren't too many castles in Canada). I started off by painting it all gray and hated it. So I worked at getting some more earthy tones in there and I think it looks more realistic that way. 

I have lots more to do - like paint the top and the interior. So stay tuned!