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Thursday, September 1, 2016

Fast & Simple Fairy Garden


My husband and I recently moved from a house with a largish yard to an apartment with only a balcony for open air space, and much less square footage - this was exactly the change we wanted but even positive change requires a period of adjustment.  Right now, we are deep in the 'everything is disordered and I don't know where to put it' phase.

Throughout this whole process, I've been avoiding anything crafty or hobby related because I want to get through the rest of the unpacking and organizing before I lose steam.  But then I unpacked a box of crafty odds and ends the same day my husband had picked up a pretty vase for the planned balcony herb garden.  And I didn't have anywhere to put these odds and ends, nor any big plan for them, so suddenly it seemed like a good idea to just use them.


This whole project took less than 10 minutes, and now I have a delightful little fairy garden just waiting for the right fairy to show up and claim it.

In addition to the planter, I had a couple bricks of florist's foam, some miscellaneous silk flower stems, and a bag of assorted moss.  I also had a tiny shabby chic bird feeder I'd picked up at a craft store, and a really interesting frog gargoyle that I've had for years - it's a reproduction miniature of one of the gargoyles on the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Because this was an impulsive whim, I used no adhesive of any sort, and I like it that way - everything is simple tucked in and can easily be removed, rearranged or repurposed later.


First, I chopped the brick into smaller cubes of various sizes and filled  the pot with them.

I wanted to be able to be able to build some terrain so that the end result wasn't too flat.

After a bit of experimentation, I decided  the bird feeder needed to be higher than the frog to keep the composition interesting, so I built up the foam in the area where it would be set, covered everything else in moss, and then covering that higher piece of foam.

Next I placed the bird feeder in and nestle the frog down near it, pulling and arranging the moss until it looked good to me.

Lastly, I bent a sprig of silk blossoms to create a sort of arch over  the whole scene, and stuck it down into the foam.

Now obviously, what's missing from this little garden is a fairy to inhabit it - I'll be on the look out for the right one to show up to claim it.

For now, the bird feeder will contain a collection of little stones that have meaning for us and the whole thing will provide us with a small link back to our old home.

I do plan to make one change - I'm going to switch out the white flowers for a spray of cherry blossoms to draw together the DC theme, as well as to bring in a little color.

Unfortunately, the white spray pretty much disappears next to our white walls.

But that's fine, because switching this out will take only a moment!  This whole  thing was so fast and simple I didn't even have time to feel guilty for not unpacking.  In fact, it saved me from having to find a place to store this stuff. Win!






16 comments:

  1. Hi, Lynda! That is really pretty, I love that you don't need to actually plant or grow anything, but it looks alive. Awesome idea!

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  2. Oh, I love this little fairy garden. It is absolutely adorable and the addition of the stones with personal meaning is a great idea! (Stopping by from the Home Matters link party.)

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  3. This is absolutely adorable! We have a blog hop Wed-Sun come share this!! https://www.floydfamilyhomestead.com/

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  4. That is so cute!! I love it!!

    Have you linked up at #bloggerspotlight yet? It's open until Tuesday night!

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  5. I love your rairy garden. We have made the same change a you have, our outdoor is our balcony with a herb and a fairy garden. I need to give it a lot of attention as the ants came and sucked the life out of almost all my plants. Nothing seems to deter them for long. I may just start over and keep a better watch on them. I hope you enjoy your downsize as much as we do.

    Kathleen
    Bloggers Pit Stop

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  6. A very pretty fairy garden Lynda. And so easy to make as well. Anyone can make this with a little creativity. I love your c hoice of flowers and if you cannot find any others you might even consider painting them with acrylic paint. I have done this with much success. I look forward to the addition of the fairy. Pinning and tweeting.

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  7. I love fairy gardens!! So much fun to make - Thanks for sharing on the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party

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  8. This is so pretty - I love how the flower sprig works with it. Thanks so much for sharing over at #FridayFrivolity! :D

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  9. That is a great piece. Calm and beautiful. #TuesdayTalk

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  10. Wow - you came up with a great fairy garden with some left over odds & ends. Really cute. Thanks for sharing on #overthemoon!

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  11. What a cute little craft! :)

    Blessings,
    Edye | Http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com

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  12. This is such a sweet little garden! I love the container you chose. Thank you for sharing on Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party. We hope to see you at the next party starting on Sunday at noon EST.

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  13. Lynda, what a great idea! And you were able to use some pretty things and not put them away to store! Win Win! I love how it looks together, the colors and textures are very interesting. I'm sure there will be a fairy fight to see who gets to live there! LOL

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  14. It's so hard when you first move and everything is everywhere! What a great way to use up odds and ends, and what a beautiful result. Your Simple Fairy Garden is gorgeous. I've featured it at this week's Hearth and Soul Hop. Thank you for sharing it!

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  15. So cute!

    Thanks for sharing with SYC.

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