Swashbuckling!!

Joining Stephanie today for Saturday's Artist:

Swashbuckling is common in our household.  If you have boys, you know exactly what I mean. There's nothing that can get a boy more excited than sticks, swords or sabers.  I was at a conference last year and saw these handmade swords and I knew we would have to make our own one day.  Well, the time has come.  This is so easy and inexpensive, I thought I would share it with you :)!!

Here's what you'll need: PVC-- 1/2" thick and at least 4 feet long for one large sword or maybe a couple smaller, a pool noodle, PVC pipe saw, and duct tape!  (We had some PVC piping leftover from making marshmallow shooters last year.)  To buy the materials, you can get almost everything very inexpensively at the hardware store (PVC comes in 5ft. increments for about a dollar).  The pool noodles can be found at the dollar store, or drugstore.  Regular duct tape works awesome, especially with its silver color, but for a more colorful variety, we found designer "duck" tape at the craft store.

First decide how long you want the sword.  Cut the PVC, then the pool noodle for desired length.  The PVC should be longer than the noodle for a traditional sword design.  The PVC will go inside the pool noodle and sit flush at the top end, with the extended PVC at the opposite end being the sword handle (so make sure there is enough room for one or two hands to hold on that end).

Then, duct tape away!!  One tip for duct taping: Start with criss-crossing the top end first for a nice clean look.  Then, tape around the body of the sword from there.

There are no rules for this!  E. has made a double ended sword with the handle in the middle, he has made a "dagger" sword that is very small, and he has made swords that have a bit of the noodle styrofoam on the bottom end of the handle to create a hilt.

Happy Swashbuckling!!!

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ONE MORE THING, there is an amazing giveaway happening for $200 worth in art supplies at Jeanne Oliver's Musings of a Creative Life.  Please check out her wonderfully generous giveaway!!
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