How To Make A Fairy House With Twigs and Moss

How To Make A Fairy House With Twigs and Moss

Lately I'm obsessed with fairy gardens and houses and tiny little fairy furniture. These fun little structures make a great project to do with children or just for the child in you.

I've made a few fairy structures and furniture pieces, and even a fairy door for a tree. But today, we'll focus on making a fairy house.

Here is what you'll need:

• Twigs
• Moss
• Acorns
• Small Pine Cones
• Bark
• Glue (I used Gorilla glue)
• Air-Dry Clay
• Cardboard (like from a box)
• Large Masking Tape (optional)
• Pruning Shears (optional)

If you're gathering items from nature, you might consider baking them before you use them to get the critters and critter eggs out. I did. I lined baking sheets with foil and baked at 225 F degrees for an hour. Use your judgement here. Baking twigs, acorns, pine cones, bark, etc. worked fine for me. I even baked a few fall leaves. Again, use your best judgement so as not to cause fires, etc.

Step 1: Clay & Cardboard

Cut a piece of cardboard into the size & shape you want for your house. I just used a piece of a box flap and cut into a rough circle shape. Next, use your air-dry clay to make a ring around the box, wrapping it underneath and making it thick on top (so you can push your twigs into it). It's easiest to work in small sections and just use your fingers to blend and work the clay as you go along. This makes a solid base for your structure.

Step 2: Twigs

Using your hands or a cutting tool, cut/snap the twigs until they are roughly the size you want for your fairy house. I recommend about 6-10 twigs for this, but you can decide what works for you. Place a drop of glue on the end of your twig, then press each twig into the clay around the edges of your cardboard and angle them so they meet in the middle like a tee-pee. If more clay is needed, you can add it around the base of each twig.

Step 3: (Hardest Part) Let it dry overnight.

Step 4: (Funnest Part) Start Decorating! Roof & Floor

I added large masking tape to the tops of my branches to create a larger surface for attaching my bark "roof". I made sure the tape wrapped around and stuck to itself, not just to the branches as it might fall off. Cut pieces of bark using your hands to snap them or cutting tools (such as wire cutters or pruning shears). Attach the bark to the top of your structure. Don't worry if you have a few gaps. You can fill them in with moss.

Also, add bark pieces to the floor using glue. Again, don't worry about gaps. 

Step 4: Moss

Using super glue OR hot glue and some kind of craft stick or tweezers, begin tucking moss into all the cracks and crevices and gluing it into place. Also, cover all of the exposed clay at the base of your house with moss.  

Step 5: Steps

Build twig "steps" for your fairy house by breaking a few twigs and gluing them to the house. Start with one twig on the doorstep, then glue another twig and another until you have the desired amount of steps.

Step 6: Finishing Touches

Time to use pine cones, acorns, dried flowers, etc., to create your own unique touches. Consider making an interesting embellishment above the door. Add some fancy dried flowers or twigs next to the steps. You could also make a candle stand. Pretty rocks, crystals, etc., also make fun additions. Use your imagination!

And you're all done. You have a beautiful fairy house for your fairy friends. I've used mine in a terrarium in my home, but you could also place yours outside in a garden or in the woods. I'm not sure how long it would withstand the elements, but if it doesn't last long, that's just an excuse to make another one! :)

Happy creating!

 

How To Make Fairy Furniture

How To Make Fairy Furniture
Fairy furniture is my new obsession! I just love the idea of taking elements from nature and using them to create tiny sculptures. And it doesn't hurt that it's finally starting to feel like spring here.

Today, we're going to make three furniture items: a fairy bed, a fairy candle stand and a fairy harp.

Here is what you'll need:

• Twigs
• Moss
• Acorn tops
• Bark
• Glue (I used Gorilla glue)
• Flowers (dried or paper)
• Natural twine/string
• Air-Dry Clay
• Thin wire

Fairy Bed
To make the fairy bed, start by building the head and foot boards. I broke twigs into similar sizes and laid them out, gluing them together. When the head and foot boards were done, I used twigs to attach them together and form the base/sleeping area of the bed. When it was dry, I added moss, gluing it into place and also acorn tops for the top of the bed posts at the head of the bed. Then I glued paper flowers and more moss to the posts.

Fairy Candle Stand
To build the candle stand, I used a piece of bark as a base, then attached a twig. It was difficult to glue the twig directly to the bark, so I took a small amount of air-dry clay and attached it with glue to the bark, then I put a dot of glue onto the top of the clay and stuck the twig to it. This helped stabilize the twig while the glue dried and attached it. The twig itself had a "Y" in it. This created a cradle for the acorn top. I glued the acorn top upside down to make a bowl shape. I created a "candle" using clay and a bit of wire. I just worked the clay into a candle shape and stuck the wire through to create the "wick." I attached it into the acorn top with glue and then added moss around it and moss at the base.

I had a hard time getting the twig to stay,
so I added a bit of clay and a dot of glue on top of that, then covered it with moss.

Fairy Harp
For the harp, I used a V-shaped twig. It already had buds on the ends, but you can add buds or flowers if you don't have a twig with buds on it. I glued a thin twig to connect the V-shape of the twig. I used clay and glue to secure the bottom of the V-shaped twig to the inside of an acorn cap. Then I secured it to a piece of bark as a base. I used moss to hide the clay and fill in gaps. To make the strings, I used cut pieces of natural twine, gluing them to the twigs as shown.

And there you have it! Three pieces of fairy furniture for your fairy garden.

Want MORE ideas? 

Learn how to make this Fairy House!