Years ago, when my eldest was small, there was a tree stump at the bottom of our garden. I thought it would be magical to put a fairy door on it and pretend that fairies lived there. My daughter left notes for the fairies (some suitably spoiled by the great British weather) and they replied in tiny writing. The stump was soon forgotten as the winter set in and the bottom of the garden seemed such a long way to travel.
When we moved here we made a rudimentary attempt at creating a fairy garden in a planter. The little ones saw this as a perfect opportunity to smother it in glitter leaving my eldest a little disappointed with the messy results.
The moment I saw the garden in our new house, I knew that the cluster of trees would make the perfect fairy garden. When I suggested it to the girls they were very excited and we collected ideas, requested materials and made plans.
The fairy door was made from those mysterious small pieces of wood that come attached to a painting canvas. A lentil was chosen for the door knob.
Next we collected small stones to make a pathway to the door.
We made gates from the same pieces of wood as the door and placed small sticks around the edge of the path to create a barrier.
Many of the materials were gifted by the Buy Nothing Group including the little bells we hung across the entrance, glass beads to make the stream, jam jar lids for table tops and our very own fairy.
At a garage sale we found packs of miniature accessories for teddy bear collectors. We decided to use them to make a tea room for the fairies.
The tables were made from jam jar lids and cardboard cylinders.
Corks were painted with nail varnish to make toadstool seats.
The embellishments were added to make a perfect fairy tea room.
One of the girls wanted to make a pool for the fairies, we found a pot, dug it into the ground and she added glitter and sequins.
The girls decided to use a wicker ring as a fire pit and arranged twigs inside for the bonfire.
Next we added a stream made of glass beads and outlined the edges with pebbles.
Small flower pots created a boundary between the stream and the tea room and we sprinkled a few seeds on top.
During the winter we found a log in the firewood with a knot that looked like a door. My eldest saved it to make a fairy house. She carved windows with a pocket knife and stuck twigs along the edges with wood glue. The roof was made from moss.
As a finishing touch we added steps leading up to the house.
The fairies and elves seem very happy with their new habitat.
Right from the Start 
This is such a lovely idea and you’ve done a fantastic job! I love the jam jar tables and toadstool seats, must have been so much fun to do it all together #countrykids
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Oh my goodness I LOVE this! And I am a little boy! I hope mummy makes one for me #CountryKids
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Beautiful. What fabulous imagination. The jam jar lids are crying out to be table tops. Sweet toadstools too. Glad to hear that I’m not the only one mystified by the little pieces of wood. Good to finally see their purpose. #CountryKids
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You are like the best parent ever! I am sure this is going to be a treasure memory forever. This is actually so fantastic it really touched me. I hope they enjoy playing in their fairy garden.
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Thank you so much for all the positive feedback. By a happy coincidence on a walk in the woods we found many other fairy houses people had built. I will share pictures soon and hopefully this will lead to a whole new chapter in the fairy house/garden project.
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How inspiring as my daughter has been asking for us to create a fairy garden too!
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What a brilliant idea, and so much time and effort put into it. Fantastic to think of using things like corkscrews to make toadstool seats. I am locking this one away in my mind to do when we move somewhere with a decent garden. #countrykids
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That’s absolutely gorgeous! I’ve done similar activities in the past with my daughters (as much for me, as them!). Loved looking through your photographs and all the attention to detail and creativity.
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Aww you have architects and interior designers in your household. This project looks so awesome and I am sure that they will continue to add bits and pieces along the way =) #countrykids
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Lovely, I have been gathering ideas for a fairy garden, I just haven’t got round to sorting it yet. This is just fantastic x
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Awww, this is gorgeous!! I love the lentil doorknob. What a lovely thing to do. Now all I need to do is convince Little Man that he likes fairies. lol 🙂
Thanks for sharing at the Outdoor Play Party
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