Fairy Doors and Gnome Doors (#2)

After making a fairy door out of sticks and hiding it in our neighbor's garden last Summer, L and I thought we'd spread the fairy love a little farther this year...we've been making FAIRY DOORS and GNOME DOORS and hiding them all around town! It's so much fun surprising the young and the old -- just imagine the look on anyone's face when they're out in the garden and suddenly discover a teeny, tiny door that wasn't there before. Ha! These fairy doors are so simple to make and all you need is rocks, paint and clear sealant (which is optional). To draw a little more attention to the fairy doors, we like to leave a tiny button or painted rock trail as well. 

Materials needed:

-medium-sized rocks

-acrylic paints

-clear sealant spray (optional)

After cleaning any dirt off your rock, start by painting on a door. 

Next, add some windows, if you have room.

If adding any glitter paint, apply that next. We like to paint a little glitter over our windows.

Next, outline the door and windows carefully with black paint. Add a doorknob as well. 

Now for my favorite part, paint connecting black lines on the rock, resembling a stone wall.

If you'd like to add a flower pot or lil window box, add one now.

Finally, finish with some green vines, leaves, and flower details. 

Once all your paint is dry, you can spray the rocks with a coat of clear sealant to make the fairy doors even more weather resistant. Permanent paint usually doesn't wash away, but I always like to add a coat of sealant just in case.

Now for the real fun...time to hide your fairy doors and gnome doors. (Gnome doors go on trees, generally speaking.) 

I like making some of our fairy doors to resemble our neighbor's front porches and gardens...

Enjoy!!!

See also this DIY for fairy furniture!

Doorknob Mushroom-Fairy Houses

Aren't these DOORKNOB MUSHROOM-FAIRY HOUSES the cutest??? I originally planned to just make mushrooms out of these little wooden knobs, but I just had to paint a little door and window on too. They're just so sweet! L painted hers knobs into multi-colored mushrooms today and they are already out in the garden! So easy and so much fun!

Materials needed:

-small wooden knobs w/ screws

-acrylic paint

-sealant spray

-egg carton (optional)

First, twist the screw into the knobs.

Next, paint your knobs. You can paint them to look like mushrooms or add a few extra details for a fairy house. Even a 3 year old can paint the knob to look like a cute, lil mushroom! 

After your knobs are painted, set them aside to dry. I suggest using an egg carton to prop the knobs up. Next, take them outside to spray with a coat of sealant. (The egg carton works great for this step too!)

Now for the fun part...tuck them away into your fairy garden, in a flower pot or in a wreath. Keep the screws in, just push them into the ground. Adorable! Might as well make a couple extra for family and friends!

If you like this one, you'll be sure to like our JAM JAR FAIRY HOUSES and GNOME HOMES too!

Jam Jar Fairy House / Jam Jar Gnome Home

The other night I had a hard time falling asleep because I couldn't stop brainstorming about how to turn a jar into a fairy house. (Only me...I know.) I knew I wanted to make it so at night the windows and door would light up; the house needed to be sturdy enough to stand up to the elements outdoors; and I wanted to use craft materials we already had around the house. Finally I had a eureka moment...why not use my beloved hot glue gun!?! So many people think hot glue guns are just for gluing things together, but they can add texture and dimension to your work as well. I'm super excited to share with you this simple tutorial for making JAM JAR FAIRY HOUSES & GNOME HOMES! They really are adorable!

Materials needed:

-jars

-hot glue gun and glue

-acrylic paints

-preserved moss, tree bark, or dried leaves

-dried flowers 

-a bead or button

-tea lights (battery operated)

First, decide which direction you'd like your jar to stand. For instance, my smallest JAM JAR FAIRY HOUSE stands on its lid, but the larger one (made from an apple sauce jar) stands upright. Using your hot glue gun, "draw" a door and windows on your house. Then, fill in the walls of the house with vertical lines of your hot glue. Try to draw them on in long, fluid strokes, but the house by no means needs to be perfect. Each lil blip or quirk, will give your fairy house more character!

Next, paint the inside of the jar where your windows and door are located. Keep in mind that you'll want some light to shine through at night, so don't pick colors too dark or layer the paint too thick. 

After you've painted the inside, paint the outside of the jar brown. Carefully go around each window and the doorway. 

After the paint dries, the final step is gluing on dried moss and some tiny dried flowers. For our little jam jar fairy house, I glued moss on the top of the house (bottom of the jar) and along the edges of the lid. You can find preserved moss at your local craft store or, if you like, just use natural materials found in your own backyard...twigs, tree bark, fallen leaves, helicopter seeds, acorns. 

You can display your fairy houses inside or outside. To light them up at night, just place a little, battery operated, tea light inside. Enjoy!

If you're giving a JAM JAR FAIRY HOUSE away as a gift, don't forget to include some fairies and some fairy furniture tucked away inside the jar!

DIY Fairy Folk

DIY Flower Fairies

Fairy Furniture

DIY Fairy Wands