Enchanting Fairy Garden Part 1

 

Introduction

This project has many parts! You can do as many in the morning as you can, and finish in the afternoon. You can always keep adding to the garden later too. First we will make an up-cycled container for your fairy garden, then we will make the fairy house and fairies.

 

What you need: Part 1

For the Container

• An old vessel, such as a small suitcase, crate, wagon or tub
• Drill or knife to make drainage holes
• Small stones
• Potting soil
• Plants
• Stones

For the House

• Dried gourd or fake fruit, such as a fake pear
• Pinecones
• Bark or paint to make the door
• Hot glue gun

For the Fairies

• Miniature wooden peg people
• Cloth stem wire, 22 gauge in green is perfect
• Silk Flowers
• Embroidery floss
• Iridescent tissue paper
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors

Instructions:

To Make the Container

1. Drill holes in the bottom of your vessel for drainage. We used a suitcase. Adding a thin layer of stones to the bottom of your vessel will help with drainage too.
2. Add the potting soil to the vessel.
3. Add plants. Choose plants that have interesting shapes and textures and colors that work well with the container. Leave room for the fairies and more!

To Make the Fairy House

1. Chose a dried gourd or fake fruit with a roundish shape..
2. Break the pine cones apart to use as shingles for the roof.
3. Carefully glue each pine cone piece, or “shingle” to the top of the house.  Add layers of shingles all the way around the house to create the complete roof. Let this dry completely.
4. To create the door, either paint a door or use a piece of interesting bark and glue it to the front of the house.

To Make the Fairies

1. Choose 3-4 silk flowers to use as the fairies’ skirts. Remove the petals from the flower stems.
2. Cut the flowers into sections like a pizza. This will make it easier to glue the sections of petals around your peg person.
3. Once you have all your flowers cut into sections, begin to hot glue them starting from the very bottom of the peg person on up. Usually 3-4 flowers is enough for one fairy. Using different types and shapes of flower petals will help you create a unique layered look. Your last layer of petals should be about halfway up the peg.
4. Cut a small piece of cloth stem wire to make arms for your fairies. Choose a length that fits the size of your fairies. Bend each wire at the end to make the hands.
5. At the base of the fairy’s neck, put a dab of hot glue and glue the arms in place. Remember the stem wire is bendable so you can adjust the arms and hands after the glue has dried.
6. Choose a coordinating color of embroidery thread to match your fairy’s dress and hot glue the end to the body of the fairy. Begin wrapping the thread around the fairy and her arms multiple times to make the fairy’s torso. When you are finished, dab the hot glue to secure the end of the thread, then snip the end.
7. Using the cloth wire stem, cut 2 pieces of equal length, about 4 inches long, to make the wings.
8. Take one of the 4 inch pieces of wire and bend it to look like an infinity symbol. Do the same with the other piece of wire.
9. Cut a small piece of wire about 1 inch long to secure the wings together. Wrap the wire around the centers of the two infinity symbols and now you have a set of fairy wings.
10. Using a hot glue gun, carefully add a small layer of glue on top of the stem wire of the wings. Lay a piece of iridescent tissue paper on top of the wings making contact with the glue. Once the glue is dry, carefully trim off the excess tissue with scissors. Repeat for the rest of the wings.
11. Add a dab of hot glue to the base of the neck of your fairy and adhere the wings.
12. You can also add a crown to your fairies using some of your silk flowers or flower parts. Just use a dab of hot glue for this.