Fairies are legendary creatures (or mythical beings, depending on how you want to spin it) often depicted in the folklore of various cultures as tiny, beautiful, winged creatures with magical powers who live in nature.
The way you choose to use your fairy house is also completely up to you! You may often see a fairy house or fairy garden outside near trees, in pots, or gardens. But you can also find fairy houses inside, sometimes even serving a purpose.
Building fairy houses can be a fun craft that you can get your kids involved in and it might also encourage them to head outside and play with the new fairies that have moved into your backyard!
Fairies and fairy houses can be a fun year-round alternative to Elf on the Shelf! They can also be a fun edible project or contest for a birthday party or a rainy day activity for the grandkids. Your options are practically endless if you use your imagination!
Or, it could be fun to include making a new fairy garden to your Summer Solstice activities this year!
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Inviting kids to play and imagine with fairies in the garden
My first go-to when considering making a fairy house is to ask my kids if they’d like to help. With a bit of prompting, my kids have made such sweet little fairy houses in our yard. They’ll play and spent time imagining the adventures and creating little villages. We’ve not made anything permanent though.
But, read on and you’ll see how easy, fun, and rewarding building a fairy house or fairy garden for you kids can be.
Since there is no correct way to make a fairy house, you can be as elaborate as you’d like, using store-bought items, buying a completed house to use as décor, creating an edible one (think gingerbread-type house), or collecting items found around your yard and letting your kids and imagination take the lead.
Fairy Garden Houses
Outdoor fairy gardens probably have the most opportunities to use your creativity. Choosing a location and your supplies is just the beginning!
If you want to start from scratch, you could choose some pieces of bark or rocks to use for the structure. Another idea is to use a small, wooden birdhouse to act as the bones of the house. From there, you can decorate the outside using tiny stones, moss, bark, or any number of outside items.
The structure doesn’t even have to be enclosed! Use sticks and create the outline of a house then cover it with moss or leave it open to the air. Fairy garden houses are typically made using organic materials that can blend into their surroundings well.
Wouldn’t it be sweet if a toad even moved in? If you use a clay pot as a structural base and bury it a bit into the moist dirt, you just might luck out and acquire an amphibious neighbour! Or, if you’re lucky enough to have hedgehogs frequent your yard, wouldn’t that be sweet? (Although, not living where hedgehogs live, I’m not certain if they’re welcome in gardens or not, but they eat bugs and they’re so cute, so why wouldn’t they be?)
As far as placement, you can use a garden pot and situate it anywhere, a tree stump can be decorated for the fairies instead of dug up, or even a hole in a tree would make a whimsical and natural abode. Integrating a fairy house into your already existing flower garden is a great way to add some height or interest to your garden without planting more!
Or, have your littles design your fairy house for you. Help them find enough sticks and pebbles, maybe a little fairy (or gnome like Fireflies and Mudpies) and have them create a little house. Get more ideas on how to Fireflies and Mudpies got their kids involved here.
To add a little whimsy without having an entire fairy house, you can purchase or create a door to attach to a tree in the woods (or in your own yard!).
Fairy Houses for Sale
If you love the way fairy houses look but don’t have the creative urge to create them yourself, or a child that will make one for you, you can buy them! Whether you want to buy a kit to follow directions, a completely made one, or decorations to spice up your homemade fairy house, just about any option is available to you.
While you’re picking out a fairy house, don’t forget to grab a fairy or two to make your house truly come to life! You could get a fairy who is doing something (such as reading or sleeping) or fairies who will sit around and enjoy their new dwelling.
How to Make Nature-y Fairy Houses
Here’s a list of ideas for supplies you can use to make your own fairy houses:
- Something to use as a base such as bark
- Twigs, craft sticks, or anything else to use as walls
- Potpourri or other dried flowers
- Miniature stones or pebbles to use as a walkway
- Other natural items found outdoors
- Wood Glue or hot glue
- Varnish (optional) – a spray version will be best
After you find a base to work from, use craft sticks to create the initial walls and connect them with wood glue. Use the twigs or leaves to cover the craft sticks and give the fairy house the organic look that is a key characteristic.
If you want to incorporate another organic element, plant some succulents such as hens and chicks as a roof for your fairy house. Most succulents take care of themselves outdoors, so they can make a beautiful, green addition.
Use the potpourri or dried flowers as decor, create a winding walkway with the pebbles, and use other outdoor items to add tiny details such as windows, trees, woodpiles, flowers, swings, or even a porch. You can be as elaborate as you’d like!
When you’re finished with your fairy house, take the spray varnish and give it a good once-over. The varnish will protect your project and help keep it in good condition.
Once the varnish is dried, choose a place for your fairy house to reside. It could be a highly visible place or you could create a secret spot for your kids to enjoy and play.
I’ve seen some very lovely raised gardens dedicated to making little fairy towns… think old rusty wheelbarrows, large planters, old washbasins, tin buckets, and such.
One of the fun things about fairy houses is that you can interact with your kids (and the fairies) by leaving messages! The messages don’t have to be long and elaborate. Simple, straightforward messages sometimes have the most impact. You might even want to look into some weather proof paper for these messages.
Here’s a sweet and simple fairy garden made in a large planter by Creekside Learning.
More Ideas For Fairy Houses
Here are a few more ideas for getting creative with your fairy houses!
Edible Fairy House
Another Christmas-themed craft converted to a year-round option, here are edible fairy houses! Made from graham crackers and any other snack or candy your heart desires, now you don’t have to save that gingerbread creativity for December.
Mason Jar Fairy House
If you’d like to create a contained fairy environment, try a mason jar fairy house. It will appear as though you have caught your own fairy!
Pumpkin Fairy House
This one is beautiful and unique: A seasonal fairy house can be a lot of fun! Try using a pumpkin for a fall-themed fairy house.
Witch’s Fairy House
Another seasonal fairy house is a witch’s version! This whimsical idea will be lots of fun and a great addition to Autumn décor. My kids have really been enjoying creating with clay lately and while this project initially looks intimidating, once I read through the tutorial, I’m feeling more confident that we could totally make this!
How to make fairy house crafts with kids
These next fairy houses might not all be appropriate for putting outside in the garden, but they are all pretty sweet and would be fun to make with kids and might help encourage their imaginary play the next time they’re outside playing in the garden.
Upcycled Fairy House Craft
A craft idea that your kids will love, this fairy house is made from a dairy carton and decorated with any craft items you feel like using. The goal of this fairy house isn’t to be one with nature, it’s to be as fun as your kids want to make it!
Mod Podge Clay Fairy and Fairy House
As I mentioned before, fairy houses don’t have to be exclusively for decoration. This version uses their fairy and fairy house as a summertime “Elf on the Shelf!”
Egg Carton Fairy Houses
To make a tiny fairy village, use egg cartons! All you need is an egg carton, craft paint, toothpicks, washi tape, and scissors. These are so sweet! I can see my daughter playing all afternoon with these. And, maybe we could even use some small buttons or pebbles as the fairies to go along with them.
Fairy House Treat Cups
Maybe you are planning a fairy birthday party or would love a fun idea for Valentine’s Day. Try out these fairy treat cups! They may not be fully edible, but they have a surprise treat inside. Follow the link to get instructions for these cute sweet treats.
Fairy House Luminaries
An adorable use for all those empty toilet paper rolls you have been saving for crafting, fairy house luminaries are a guaranteed fun day of creating!
Another cardboard roll craft, here’s a simple mushroom house idea that is versatile enough to create an entire village of different sizes and colors!
As you can see there are so many different ways to build fairy gardens both inside and outside in the garden. You can get your kids involved or decide this is an adult nature craft you’d like to take on yourself.
Have fun bringing some magic into your family’s day! Who knows, maybe a real fairy will move in!
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