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What exactly is a Fairy Garden?  I became curious about them as articles about these little gems came through my feed on Facebook and Twitter occasionally.  I had also seen little fairy villages each year when we browsed through the Hearthsong catalog that always finds its way to my mailbox close to Christmas.  They have a magnificent item called a Fairy Village!  It is quite impressive, and every year when Morgan looks through this catalog she circles it, hoping someone (maybe Santa) will give it to her!

It is something else, and if you want to see it, click here:  Hearthsong Fairy Village.  I mean, as fairy villages go, this one is top notch.  But it’s also top price!  I had seen so many DIY Fairy Garden ideas come through my email and different social media outlets, that I convinced myself that I could make Morgan her own little fairy garden!

I’m a crafty person, right?  Wrong!  But I was determined.  After all, I was very successful with my son’s Bottle Buddy from last year, so how much harder could this be?  I began to look around on Pinterest and the internet for different ideas on how to get started!  I found lots of good information.  I was totally inspired by all the pictures I saw and the happy little articles I read.

I was excited to make this for Morgan.  She has always loved little things – little dolls, little fairies, little cottages, etc…  Anything she can fit into her pocket is a treasure to her!  So this fairy garden was going to blow her little mind.  I did not want to tell her until I was sure I would be able to make it, so I began shopping around for some supplies.

Here is what I collected before beginning:

  1.  Bags of Play Sand
  2. Small bags of smooth/flat rocks
  3. Super Moss Fairy Garden Kit
  4. Pea Gravel/River Rock
  5. Small Picket Fences
  6. Pack of Fairies
  7. Fairy Cottages
  8. Mini Burch Logs and Rounds
  9. Other Fairy Garden Accessories

I was able to get all of these things at Amazon, Hobby Lobby, and Lowe’s.  I linked those items that were available on Amazon (just click the name).   I knew I would need more supplies than this, but this was enough to get started.  Once I had all of these things I was ready to begin my fairy garden adventures…

Fairy Gardens

Here we are – all of my supplies. Well…enough to get started at least!

After gathering all of these items, I realized the one thing I forgot was a container.  No problem!  I thought it would be much more fun to make a giant fairy garden in my garden area (that I never grew anything in).  Great idea, right?  Wrong.  Whatever you do, do not create your fairy garden on the ground.  After spending an entire day setting this up while Morgan was at school, I realized I had made a mistake the second I let my dogs out.

They ran right over to the fairy garden area, and our puppy tromped right through it!  Ugh!  Back to the drawing board.  I decided I was going to get a large pot for plants, but as I was heading inside, I remembered Morgan’s little Step 2 Sand & Water Table that was still sitting in our backyard from the days when she was just a little bit.  She never played in it anymore, and I’m sure it was very close to being added to the trash pile.

How perfect would it be if I could re-purpose this table into something that she would actually use?  Brilliant, right?  Right!  So that’s what I did.  I gathered all the cute little pieces of the original fairy garden and began transferring them to the Step One Fairy Garden Table!  Now I was excited.  No animals would ruin my project this time.

Fairy Gardens

After just a short amount of time, I had the first corner of the table set up! I was so excited!

I was not able to finish the project before Morgan got home from school.  So…I packed my supplies away and figured I’d finish it the next day.  It did not take Morgan long to notice what I’d started!  She was thrilled and was very excited to “help” me finish it.  Now this was a real test for me – – I had a certain fairy garden in my mind that I wanted to make for her.  But as we all know, our ideas don’t always line up with our children’s.

I worked very hard and bit my tongue a lot while I watched her “misplace” some of the cottages!  Just kidding…she did a wonderful job finishing our little village.  But…it was hard to let go of this little project of mine.  And now when I sit out back with her while she plays with my (I mean her) fairy garden, I try not to visibly cringe when she moves the cottages around!

I just tell myself over and over – – this is Morgan’s fairy garden!  Not mine!!   I chant it over and over in my head as I watch her “fix” it up every day!  Don’t judge me – I know you all have had that same feeling before over something you’ve created for your child that you don’t want them to touch!  Right?  Her little smile made it worth it all.  We have spent many hours playing in our fairy garden, and no animals have destroyed it (yet).

Fairy Gardens

At our house, we do believe in Fairies!

On the HomeBNC Website, there is an article titled The 50 Best DIY Miniature Fairy Garden Ideas in 2016.  Click the link and you will see so many amazing fairy gardens.  But…if you’re feeling insecure or inadequate, don’t check out this article.  These gardens were obviously made by some serious gardeners!  You know…people who know what they’re doing.  And I would love to create a cool fairy garden like those you see in this article, but if mine was as magnificent as these are, I’m not sure I’d let Morgan play with it.

Yes…that’s why the fairy garden I made is simple (and took way less time).  It’s all because I made it for Morgan!  Yeah, right.  I do feel like it’s pretty impressive for my first fairy garden!  As long as I’m impressed…

So there you have it.  My adventure into the world of Fairy Gardens.  Would I do it again?  Absolutely!  I’m even considering making one in a pot that she can play with inside.  Well…I might let her play with it!  Good luck with your Fairy Garden adventure.  I can’t wait to hear all about it.  Please send me some pictures.  We believe in Fairies!  Until next time…