Wild West Cigar Town

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I open this post with a confession. Sort of an embarrassing one. Corinne and I came up with this project for a contest we were competing in. Crafters compete against other crafters on a weekly project and people vote. This was our audition piece. It came in LAST. Like, 12th place out of of 12 submissions! We knew we were probably not going to be in first place but we are a little humbled by our quick ouster.  So we would like to give our little town a second chance and try posting it here to see if anyone out there likes it more than the "So You Think You're Crafty" voters, who clearly were underwhelmed. 
We love reusing materials and turning them into something new and special. This old

cigar box was just begging to be reused in a vintage western scene. We were thinking it's nearly summer and people will be looking for festive table decor. This is an interactive centerpiece for a burger or chili party or to put at the drinks table or use it to keep the kid's table entertained.

We drew images of buildings (saloon, bank, jail) and cowboys and cowgirls and some cacti and tumbleweeds on paper and attached them to cardboard. You can make little cardboard stands to insert at the base. We glued a desert landscape into the top lid so you can set the pieces up right in the box bu you also can scatter them about. I think older kids might enjoy making more figures and buildings to add to the display. We Googled "old west town images" to get some ideas.

 Best of all this toy is portable, so great for the upcoming Summer car trips!