The spirit of innocence gets lost somewhere in the transition from childhood. As they grow, the magic that is childhood is slowly lost. I want to keep that magic alive as long as possible. A few years ago, while browsing Pinterest, I came across fairy gardens. They are miniature little dwellings, that are said to attract fairies. I instantly fell in love. I mean whats not to love? Tiny little pretty magical houses that bring fairies to your yard. Last year, I began my quest in creating for my children a magical fairy garden house.
For this project I used:

Wooden pre fab bird house (this one came from the clearance bin at Hobby Lobby)
DAP Carpenters Wood Glue
Minwax Polyurethane
Pinecones ( I live under a ton of Pine and Fir trees, so they are available to me. You can get yours from Amazon with Prime!)
Sticks
Bark
Moss
Glitter
Elmer’s Spray Glue
Mini Smooth Pebbles
~disclosure this post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click on and purchase something through a link I provide, I may receive at no cost to you a small commission. To learn more please see Disclosures and Such. Thank you~
It took me a long time to decide on the direction of this house. I held on to this little pre fab house for at least a year waiting for the right opportunity to come up. This magical fairy garden is inspired by my love of the forest. Ok, let’s get to work!
Step One: Pinecones
You need to remove the bracts, those parts that shoot out of the pinecone. The best way I have found to do this is by twisting the top away from the bottom. Grab using only your fingers (and be gentle yo, its delicate!) and slowly twist the top away from the bottom. Some parts WILL break and be unusable. That’s ok. This is a renewable resource so there are plenty!
Some Assembly Required
Get your glue ready because it’s time to get to work! PRO tip: Start at the very bottom of the roof. I promise if you don’t you will HATE this project. This part takes the longest and is the most tedious, but it’s beautiful when finished. Go slow and one line at a time. I put a line of glue on and then put a dot on the smallest part of the bract.
The peak is the hardest part. You will notice Some empty parts in between parts of your roof. Don’t worry. We will add moss and glitter as we wrap up your magical fairy garden. Remember to go slow. Things in nature are not perfect and that is what makes them beautiful.
Magical Siding
I wanted this magical fairy garden to look organic. I looked at several types of firewood in my pile with the bark still on. Originally, I was going to use Fir, but then I came across the stringy goodness that is cedar bark. It’s stringy and it comes apart in strips. I LOVE cedar.
This part was really trial and error. I guessed, to begin with, the size of the needed bark. I began the process of fitting it to the magical fairy garden house. Trim a bit here, shave a titch there, and presto! Again, trace the outline of the magical fairy garden house with glue, then put some on the bark for prime bond! Do this for each side, and leave the front for the last.
First Impressions Mean The Most
Just like your home, your magical fairy garden needs its own curb appeal. Since this started as a bird house, there is a perfect hole and perch already there. For the bark on the front, you need two separate chunks of bark and cut the hole from them. I marked the hole and then cut it. After attaching it, you can further open it.
Final Details

Now it’s time for the finishing touches. I collected moss and covered the open spots on the roof with a dab of moss. After, I went around the gutters and attached more. Also, the magical fairy garden house sits on a slight platform, so to conceal that I found small flat pebbles and glued them to the base and filled any open spots with more moss.
Other details I added were a ladder and pinecone roses. I dipped the very tip of the pinecones into the polyurethane and sprinkled some glitter (green of course). Did you notice the tiny little pinecone on the roof? That is the chimney. Naturally, there is also a stack of firewood outside for use in the winter.

One Last Thing…
After you get everything the way you want it, your magical fairy garden house needs a coat of polyurethane to protect it. I used the Minwax fast dry, but you can use whatever you like.
A few tips I wish I had before I started:
PRO tip 1:
Roof: Start at the very bottom and flatten the pinecone parts out a bit. A few tears won’t hurt and it will bond better.
PRO tip 2:
Roof: Let the line of glue tack up for about a min or two before you start placing your pieces. Also, add a dot of glue to the back of each part you place.
PRO tip 3:
Front: When cutting your hole for the door, split your strips of bark into 2. Then cut one and glue and repeat on the other side. Alternatively, you can cover the cut opening completely and paint a new door.
PRO tip 4:
When selecting your items that you are going to use, the smoother and less knotty the better. I tried to use a stick with a slight bend and the damn thing kept falling off. NOT fun. Also, make sure your bark is facing the same direction, unlike I did. I had the glue down before I even noticed the problem.
PRO tip 5:
Enlist in help. Near the end, Bug wanted to help. Being the control freak that I am I almost said no. But she had a wonderful idea to make a lantern out of a pinecone top and a stick and a firepit. Her creativity is amazing and makes me so so proud.

Now that you know what you are doing, I want to know if you are going to make one or if you have. Do you have a magical fairy garden house?
If you liked this, you will love these:
Driftwood and Succulents- A DIY gift
Hot Glue and Tulle- A Pinterest Love Affair
The Flowers of Temptation
This is so cute! I need to make one of these for my daughter. I know she’ll love it.
Thank you. If she’s old enough have her help!
how interesting and fun! now im excited to give it a try
OMG what a great little project! Such a cute fairy house! Great idea!
I love this! I have 2 maple trees in my front yard that I think are going to have to come down (they look sickly). When they do, I am keeping stumps and turning them into fairy gardens. This would be a perfect addition.
Love this! I’m sure my kids would love making one and much better than sitting in front of a screen!
This is so adorable! I would love to have a garden and decorate it with DIY and crafts! Would be such a nice hobby
I really want a fairy garden in my garden, I think it is such a cute idea. I love how simple this one sounds to make I may have to give it a whirl thank you.
What a cute idea! You are very creative. This would make a wonderful project.
I love your adorable magical fairy garden! I keep meaning to make myself a garden but I never have. My mom has one though.
I agree that the magic of childhood can often seem to disappear before our eyes. Despite that realization I think anyone regardless of age can appreciate this beautiful fairy garden x
I’ve seen that wood glue before at home depot. I usually use gorilla glue to get things done as well.
Fairy gardens are so fun to make. This one turned out well!
This is such a sweet project! When my daughter Brooke was growing up she was enchanted by everything fairy. She would have loved to have had a magical fairy garden. If only I could turn back the hands of time. 🙂
How adorable and so easy to make. What a fun weekend project for the family to do together. Guess what we are doing this weekend!! Fun.
This is so cool, cute & creative! I am an absolute numpty with DIY & crafts! I think its beautiful that you want to keep the magic alive for you babies! I truly respect that.
http://www.nmdiaries.com
I love this magical fairy garden. It look so cute and very simple to make. Thanks for sharing.
I remember this in my childhood days. We live in rural area and we learned to improvised and do crafting like this. It makes us happy and my siblings will do they own crafts to. Ahh memories!
I’ve always wanted to try to make a fairy garden. One of these houses would look great in it.
Your magical fairy garden is beautiful, I don’t know any kid who won’t love it. This is a great idea for kids and the process of making it creates a family bonding time.
These are cute. Great idea for kids activities.