A Magical Fairy Garden House

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

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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?

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