We are trying really hard to think spring over here in western Michigan. It doesn’t seem to be working, though. I mentioned in my post yesterday when I showed off my daughter’s fairy-themed room that we made this little fairy guest house by repurposing a decorative lantern over the weekend. Fairy gardens are really popular right now, but my daughter isn’t really caring-for-living-things-ready yet, and we eanted something she could keep in her room. The end result is a kid-friendly, no-kill fairy garden alternative: a fairy guest house. My daughter is convinced that fairies stay in here while they’re doing their work bringing spring. (If that’s true, I’m going to build dozens more – let’s get a whole fairy bed and breakfast going.) 
So, fairy gardens are all unique. And that is wonderful! I’m going to give you a few tips today, and show you how we put ours together, but ultimately yours will have its own style. We found this lantern in the garden decor department (though wouldn’t it be beautiful to repurpose a vintage one??) and I picked up some preserved moss, some fake decorative grass, some floral foam, and the miniatures to make it “home” for fairies. 
The first thing I did was to remove all the glass. For one, it’s much less fragile now. And also, if the lantern is closed, how will the fairies be able to get in?? Besides, we created kind of an “overgrown” look – I wanted the lantern to look sort of taken over by the floral elements. 
I used a hot-glue gun to stick a small foam mound and the birdbath in. You could certainly use something more heavy-duty, like E6000, but the glue gun work fine. 
Next, we filled it with preserved moss. This is real moss that has basically been dyed to look lively. :P It’s nice and soft for fairy feet. 
Next, I trimmed pieces of the decorative grass down to fit. I put some of it inside the lantern, and some “growing” out. I just stuck the stalks into the foam. The foam will hold it for decorative purposes but it’s not going to withstand actual play – so if your kids are the hands-on type, consider decorative small plants and heavy-duty glue. 
I hadn’t planned to include the bench, because it turned out to be so large in relation to the lantern. But my daughter was dying to put it in there. Hey, it’s her garden. Turns out, it looks great with everything else in there, even if it is a little crowded. 
And it was a hit! We put it in her room, and the first thing she told me the next morning was that Tinkerbell spent the night. (Which I will take over monsters in the closet every day of the week.) So if you are buried in snow, take heart, my daughter is doing her part to help the fairies bring us spring! I have some other friends bringing on spring today too! My favorite bloggers have all posted spring-themed projects today. This is a talented group of women I’m happy to call friends, and we love teaming up on “theme” days each month to bring you a collection of projects.
No matter if you’re seeing buds, blooms, birds – or just mountains of snow, you’ll be thinking spring too when you check out these great posts! Just click any of the links below to learn more!
From top down, left to right: Stamped “Bloom” Necklace from One Artsy Mama, Spring Centerpiece from Happy Go Lucky, Washi Tape Popsicle Stick Flowers from The Benson Street, Simple Circle Pinwheels from Creative Capital B, Semi Homemade Strawberry Shortcake from Seven Alive, Five Minute Hair Pins from It Happens in a Blink and Suburble, Kool-Aid Dyed Yarn in Your Microwave from 4 You with Love, Color-able Free Printable Spring Banner from Do Small Things with Love, Fairy Guesthouse from Happy Hour Projects, and Geometric Print Vase from Pitter and Glink
Taking the place of the hearts are delicate and in many cases
intricate blooms of floral designs. With all the different online
wholesale businesses Valentine’s Day this season is expected to generate a large volume of online sales.
Thankfully nowadays it’s easy to make a wide range of
personalised gifts including coffee mugs, calendars, storybooks, clothing, stationery and more.
What a fun project for a little girl. Makes me want a little girl:)
ooh, those colors work beautifully with the purple walls! I think it looks great crowded, lets call it ‘cozy’ :D I love the grass you chose. Your daughter has a wonderful imagination! This is all getting my creative juices flowing. thanks for sharing with us.
I saw the guest house in yesterdays post and wondered what it was for…now I know. You are so creative!! That was such a great idea!! Love it!!
This turned out so cute. Which stores did you find the fairy furniture in and especially the lantern. I would love to make one too.
*Smiles*
The lantern came from At Home (which is a chain store, though it’s new in my area) and the bench and birdbath were in a “fairy garden” line at Meijer (a midwest chain). I found the welcome stone at Michaels. If you don’t have those stores near you, any store with a decent garden decor, floral section, seasonal/spring and/or or home decor section (like Hobby Lobby, I imagine – though I haven’t specifically checked?) would be good places to check.
I love this! I would definitely be taking the glass out of the lantern too – it would be begging to shatter in one of my girls’ rooms. The moss is fantastic – I love that picture of R staring at her fairy guest house… I can only imagine what she’s imagining at that very moment!
This is such a sweet idea. Perfect for your little girl’s bedroom!
Did you see the Fairy Garden that my little one did last year? I bet Raya would love that, too!
Adrianne, this project is so fun! Raya is in fairy heaven! :D