Summer vacation is upon us! Now is the time to start thinking about fun crafts or projects to keep ourselves and our kiddos engaged. A great activity to do as an adult, a kid, or a family, is making a fairy or gnome house!
Fairy houses can be as intricate or simple as the imagination of the maker wants them to be. Here is an example (see left) of a house submitted to our annual Fairy & Gnome house competition this year. You can see this was a more abstract approach, submitted in the children's category of the competition. We also had very intricate and detailed submissions by children and adults alike. Here is an example (see right) of an elaborate house submitted to the adult category.
Now, the fairy or gnome house is only one aspect of a fairy garden! This tends to be the piece that gets the most attention, but don't forget you can make a full garden. We recently hosted a workshop where families could do just that. Here is how you can make your own fairy or gnome garden right at home.
Instructions
1. Gather decorations.
This is part of the fun! You don’t need to go to the store to get decorations (but you could). Instead, go to a local park, or your own back yard. Find stones, gravel, leaves, sticks, flowers, pebbles, hay, pine cones, bark, or whatever you find that is exciting! You can also get small toys from your home, straws, toothpicks, string, etc. Just remember that fairies do not like it if we pick living material (moss is alive and awesome!). They love it when we recycle/reuse and avoid negative impacts to the environment.
2. Gather additional supplies.
We recommend having a container for the garden like a large pot or bowl, potting soil, some small plants (like succulents), a hot glue gun, pruners, and paints.
3. Have a vision, and execute!
This is the fun part! Start creating a garden for your fairy or gnome to live in
- Make the Garden – Using your pot or bowl, add potting soil, and any plants you will have in your garden.
- Make the House & Decorations – You can paint rocks, build houses, make patterns, and do whatever your imagination tells you.
- Display your Masterpiece - Choose a location that allows your plants to get the sun they need and admire your creation!
Here are some finished examples from our Workshop
