fairy garden+house

Note:  The word “tiny” will be overused in this piece of writing.

I had seen fairy garden kits in the stores, so when Annette suggested we make a fairy garden, that’s what I was picturing.  She arrived at my home and clarified the situation  – we were going to buy a few things but mostly use items found in nature. No kit for us.

To get started, we would need real estate. We bought an oval, galvanized tub, punched some holes in the bottom for drainage and filled it with dirt. It was placed under a large shrub for protection from the elements.

For the house, one worthy of a fairy, we would need an interesting plastic bottle. In our case, an orange juice bottle. We cut a rectangle for the front door (just big enough for a fairy to walk or fly through) and then cut some squares where we thought a fairy would want tiny windows – two side windows and a window above the front door.

Then everything came to a screeching halt when Annette discovered I did not own a hot glue gun. After the shock wore off, we went to buy one.

Upon return, we glued wire mesh on the inside of the bottle for the side windows (screens, of course, in case there are rogue fairies about who would want to break-in).  We glued a piece of aluminum foil to the inside of the front window for a reflection effect.

The birch tree in my backyard provided building material. The branches that never matured and fell to the ground proved to be just what she was looking for. She was also thrilled by the potential of the white bark for the siding of the fairy house.

“And the ROOF!” I over-enthusiastically suggested.

“Oh no, the roof will be made of moss,” she replied.

I then realized I was in over my head and probably not as crafty as my mom.

She wanted to make a chair that would go inside the fairy house. This is what she made (approx. two inches tall):

This confirmed that I was definitely not as crafty as my mom.  I was in love with this tiny chair and was immediately jealous of the fairy that would get to sit on it.  

Then it was time for the roof.

Annette: “We need moss.”

Me: “I can’t remember the last time I saw any moss.”

Annette: “We’ll find it, and then we need to carefully scrape it so that it doesn’t fall apart.”

We took the kids for a walk and, lo and behold, found moss within a few minutes. I talked to it (I know…bear with me) as we gently ripped it from its home, “I know this hurts, but you’re going to help us make a fairy house. Wait until you see the chair.” Ever since we made this fairy house two years ago, I’m always looking for moss and making a mental note when I see it as if I am constructing countless fairy houses.

The moss was ever-so-carefully glued to an aluminum foil pie pan, which was then glued to the cap on the top of the plastic bottle.  Lots of gluing and holding in place while they dried and then re-gluing because we thought they were dry and let go but they weren’t dry so we held them for even longer the second time.  We used this time to settle on the name for our fairy.

Meadow Moonlight

While on our walk, we had also discovered this, to which Annette said, “Well, this is obviously a tiny chimney.”

“Of course it is,” I replied.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but they can also be glued to the outside of a fairy house to reinforce and decorate.

We also added a tiny window frame to the front window by crossing and gluing two sticks together:

Then we turned over a plastic container (for mushrooms, in this case…not the psychedelic kind just the ones you find at the grocery) and glued the bottom of the plastic-bottle-almost-home-to-a-fairy to it. This is to elevate the fairy house from the dirt and keep it from flooding.

Then we made a few things for Meadow to add to her fairy garden+house once she moved in:

-tiny feather bed (note: if your fairy prefers a firm surface, glue three sticks together for the frame)

-tiny ladder for home repairs

-tiny clothesline for fairy clothes

-tiny but charming front door

Notes were written on tiny pieces of paper to introduce Meadow Moonlight to the children – rolled up like tiny scrolls and placed inside shells because that seemed like one way a fairy might deliver a note.

Then we left it for them to discover.

We went to a garden center and found tiny plants for Meadow’s garden (not pictured, unfortunately, but just imagine cute, tiny plants in the soil of the oval, galvanized tub). Over time, Meadow added her bed, ladder, clothesline, pretty stones, and then some.

I said “we” throughout this piece, but it’s really Annette’s fairy garden+house.  I just did as I was told and watched in awe as it came together. 

When we finished, we gathered more birch bark and sticks for her to take home so that she can make more fairy houses with her grandchildren.  Unfortunately, her box of supplies was discovered in her car by the US border agent and the conversation went something like this:

Agent:  “What’s all this stuff for?”  

Annette:  “For fairy houses.” 

Agent:  “Houses?”  

Annette:  “Yeah, for fairies.”

He had to confiscate them, but at least he didn’t lock her up in the loony bin.

Thank you, Mom, for your beautiful creativity – I never would have made this alone and loved watching your vision come to life.