Category Archives: tutorial

How to Create a Fairy Garden

How to Create a Fairy Garden

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A couple of weeks ago I posted about painting fairy houses and clay pots. The kids really did enjoy that craft and then planting their own flowers for the Fairy Garden. But I also needed a few other supplies for our garden to come together completely. Let me say my motto was “go big or go home” for this project. Knowing that my kids are currently 3, 5, and 7 and LOVE to play outdoors was a huge factor in this. Plus, I LOVE gardening and knew I could always use the box in the future if there was no longer interest in the Fairy Garden itself. Therefore, I ordered a rather large elevated garden for our deck to house the Fairy Garden. Obviously you can use something much smaller or even no “box” at all to create a fairyland environment in your backyard.

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We filled our garden with pea gravel, potting soil and topsoil. There was no real method to this other than using what you are comfortable with and what is within your budget. Since my plants ended up being in pots the stuff in the box didn’t matter as much.

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Next I placed all of the potted flowers into the box and added some extra leftover pea gravel to the very top. Then the kids were in charge of putting the actual Fairy Houses, furniture and overall “living spaces” together however they wanted. The kids received Fairies and Frogs and Turtles in their Easter baskets this year. (The Easter Bunny stocked up at Michael’s craft store with coupons.) We had brought sand and sea shells home from a couple of vacations and Charlotte decided her part of the Fairy Garden needed a beach. And so Henry copied a beach scene for his frogs and turtles.

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We found a cute table and chairs set, a bench, a fence and an arbor at the local Home and Garden show. I’ve seen many options online and your kids can even make their own out of sticks and leaves.

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Overall, each of my kids picked their own part of the garden to call their own. Charlotte’s and Henry’s has more of a beach theme and Stella’s is a fenced-in pea gravel area. They had a lot of fun taking ownership of their own spaces.

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And now I’m happy to report that even weeks later they are still enjoying the Fairy Garden while we are outside. I love overhearing the fairy (and frog prince) adventures and stories they create. I hope this keeps their interest for a long time.

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What outdoor activity do your kids love?

Do your kids have a garden or fairy garden?

Disney Autograph Book with Photos DIY

Disney Autograph Book with Photos DIY

As most of you are aware, we finally took the plunge and went to Disney World last fall. In preparation for the trip, I did NOTHING until a few days beforehand. Suddenly, someone casually mentioned autograph books and I gave out a big sigh. I was thinking to myself…would we really need them? Were we

Fall Fingerprint Tree Family Art Project

Fall Fingerprint Tree Family Art Project

  I have seen different variations of this on Pinterest, around the web and even in magazines. (You know, those paper catalog thingies some people still get in the mail??)   Stella was home today with a slight fever so she and I got out a canvas and some paint. She painted the tree trunk all

Minnie Mouse Clippie Tutorial

Minnie Mouse Clippie Tutorial

Recently I was asked to help a friend with her daughter’s first birthday.  She had an adorable “first birthday” onesie that had Minnie Mouse ears on it with a big red bow.  She asked me to make a matching red with white polka dot bow for her daughter’s hair.  Well, I did that…and took it a

Top 10 Ways to Have a Great Cookie Exchange

Top 10 Ways to Have a Great Cookie Exchange

Have you ever wanted to host a Holiday Cookie Exchange, but didn’t know where to start?  I just had one over the weekend which was attended by 20 women and it seemed to go pretty well.  Here are my Top 10 Tips for making your Holiday Cookie Exchange a success. Timing is everything.  Get your