DIY Fairy Door...Gnome Door...

In our garden the fairies and gnomes live amongst each other. Their village spreads around the yard with lil houses, patios and ponds hidden beneath the flowers. Throughout the year, L and I like to collect and make things to add to our garden...this morning we made a lil fairy door.

Materials needed:

-sticks

-florist wire

-a button

First, have your kids collect some sticks and twigs around the yard. Sort through the sticks, finding ones that are particularly straight. Lay these sticks side-by-side, getting an idea of what your door will look like. 

Next, cut two pieces of florist wire about 2-ft long each. Fold them in half. 

Take the first stick you have laid out for the door and place it in the middle of one of the wires. Wrap the wire around the stick, about an inch from the bottom, and twist the wire once to secure it. 

Do the same with the second wire about the an inch from the top of the stick. Continue adding sticks, one-by-one, wrapping and twisting the wires as you go. 

When all the sticks are connected, hold the door in two hands and very gently squeeze the sticks together. 

Cut the end of the wire, leaving about half an inch, and fold back the extra.

Next, have your child select a button for a door knob. L chose this cute lil heart button...probably not the one I would have chosen, but it was perfect for a fairy door! (Kids just know when it comes to these things.)

Thread the button onto a 4-inch piece of wire, twisting the wire a bit to secure it. Then, deciding where you'd like the door knob to be, wrap and twist the wire around one or two of the sticks. 

To ensure that the button won't slide down the door, you can thread the excess wire up and over the wire that holds the sticks in place as well. 

Now the fun part...find a little piece of wall, fence, or a tree trunk to prop the door up against! Add some buttons, pennies, or broken tile pieces for lil fairy stepping stones... Adorable! 

This project was so quick and easy, I think we'll make another to sneak into our neighbor's garden. He's got the perfect tree for a fairy or gnome door...