Rapunzel's Tower

My first princess is turning 2 in a couple of days and she LOVES Rapunzel. She loves her so much she carries around a frying pan all day.  So of course we are having a Rapunzel party.

It all started because I bought a pound of yellow yarn to make Rapunzel's hair. Spent an entire evening walking back and forth between our master bath towel hook and our back door handle, wrapping the yarn around so could get a giant 20' long, 2" thick, Rapunzel pony tail.  Then I started thinking that the hair would look stupid just randomly hanging around the room. It needed to hang from something. So I started making up the plans. Plus, it would keep the kids  busy during the winter and we can move it outside come summertime.

So, I got a 30" wide, 6' high concrete form tube.  I don't know if you have ever built anything out of concrete, but liquid as a mass is strong and will break through almost anything.  So this concrete form is strong, 1/2" thick, non-corrugated cardboard, and super heavy.

The kids loved it, even before I built anything with it.

But here it is as "bones".
Then I cut 2x12's to have a 30" radius and screwed 3" exterior screws through the form and into the stair tread.  Looking up from the entrance.  Each stair is about 12" high.

Then I wrapped the upper chamber in 1/8" hardy board.  Then painted stones, faux plaster and wood on the top, then vines, and more vines.  Then hot glued some old flowers on... and wha-lah!

Ok, so the frame took 2 days to cut and build (that's with 4 kids, no babysitter), then another day to paint, but all and all, for entertainment all winter... WELL worth it. 

It stands 8 feet high now.  But when we move it outside (in May or June), I'll build the vaulted cone roof and it will bring the total height to about 14 feet... I'll also be attaching a slide and swings. But as for now, we have working shutters and pulley...

Doorway to the stairs...

And the best part, the wall / door opens (not an easy feat) so we can get the munchkins out who refuse to come down when it's time for bed.

The boys... (guilty, didn't paint the tower floor (or walls for that matter)

And the stairs going down...

A little much to be considered mere "decoration for the party", still need to make a purple banner with suns, hang some "Wanted Flynn Rider" posters, but I think we'll be just fine. Got the hair draped aroud the room...

  I'll be sure to get a picture of Luella in her Rapunzel dress carrying her frying pan, in front of her tower on her birthday.  Gosh, I hope that dress doesn't restrict her climbing ability, hmm...
But there you have it... my own homemade Rapunzel Tower