Those Who Can't Make...Buy! Even Frugal Fairy Gardeners

I am pretty crafty. Not quite like the girl in the Beastie Boys song, but I can make a lot of different things. Often, when I fall in love with something I see online I can figure out how to make a reasonably similar version fused with my own unique style. However, there are some things I just can’t make. But really want.

One of the craft mediums I refuse to try is polymer clay. For a couple of silly reasons and one sad fact.

One, I am a perfectionist and it would be maddening to be unable to make perfect Oreo cookies or three tier extravagantly decorated cakes. Have you seen what people create out of polymer clay? Simply amazing. Just take a second and search miniature food on Etsy. See what I mean? AMAZING. And adorable.

Two,  this seems like a very expensive craft.

Three, my oven doesn’t work. So terrible right? Even if I invested and began spending inordinate amounts of time playing with clay, I just couldn’t do it at home. And quite honestly, I’d probably be baking a cobbler or garlic bread instead.

So when I come across adorable Fairy Garden delights I can’t make or live without, I definitely buy!

I am a little picky about what I buy or else I might drop some serious cash and worry about rent the following month. Recently I invested in a couple of impractical, adorable food stuffs for my fairies.

Another Etsy search query I recommend if you’re perusing for miniature food is miniature food jewelry. Tweens seem to love sporting mini food accents. Most of these accents are the perfect size for your Fairy Garden and crafted from polymer clay so they will weather the elements perfectly. I found a couple of food jewelry baubles I loved and contacted the seller to see if they could make me a custom item without the jewelry hardware. All of the sellers were able to fulfill my desires and even offered to knock the price down since I didn’t need a chain or earring posts!

Felicia from Oh Lucky Charm creates the most delicious and genuine looking desserts. Her gooey cupcakes and rainbow colored birthday cakes will make you drool! I spotted a grilled cheese necklace charm with toasty looking bread and melted cheese oozing from the middle that I just had to have. 

Photo courtesy of the Oh Lucky Charm Etsy shop.

I also decided I could not live without this plate of s’mores.

Photo courtesy of the Oh Lucky Charm Etsy shop.

I have a little fire pit with a bowl of marshmallows and toasting sticks propped beside a pair of chairs. This plate of s’mores was the perfect finishing touch for the area.

Ashley’s Etsy shop IncredInedible features mouth-watering savory delights like tacos, corn dogs, olives and waffles. She also has the most realistic looking miniature pumpkin pie necklace. I don’t even like pumpkin pie and I found myself needing to buy it. Just look at that crumbly crust.

Photo courtesy of the IncredInedible Etsy shop.

So, if you come across a few cute items you can’t make on your own, pick a few favorites and indulge yourself. You will not regret it!

*One bonus fairy food frugal idea, kids are also very into rubber Japanese erasers that you can take apart and put back together. Some of them are the perfect scale for a Fairy Garden. For less than a dollar you can score a cute, outdoor-safe cake or pie.

Thrift Store Find #2 - Fairy Garden Kitchen Stove

Thrift Store Find of the Day!

I scored this miniature plastic pet crate for 25₵!

What did I do with it?

I’m currently working on my Fairy Garden kitchen area. I really needed a stove or oven and decided to transform this into a place for the fairies to make some delicious food. I painted the crate black. I also painted several wooden blocks from the mini knock-off Jenga game I found at the Dollar Store. I used the blocks to make a stove top. A remnant of a swirly wooden piece was perfect as an ornamental stove pipe. The burners were created from two shower curtain grommets and the knobs crafted from a vintage button and two snaps. Four wooden beads from an old bracelet for feet and the fairies are ready to do some baking!

DIY Tutorial #1 - Easy Fairy Garden Vegetable Plot

Fairies love growing food in their gardens.

Here’s an easy, inexpensive tutorial for creating a little patch of fancy fairy vegetables for your Fairy Garden!

Materials & Supplies:

A Chunk of Styrofoam

Glass or Plastic Beads

Sprigs of Plastic Greenery

Potting Soil

A Small Pot

A Knife

Outdoor Adhesive

A Nail

    

1. Cut the Styrofoam. You will want a piece that fits into the pot, but not snugly. Make sure you leave a good ½ inch or more between the top of the pot and the height of your foam. A sharp kitchen knife will slice right through Styrofoam. It doesn’t have to be cleanly cut or look pretty, you will be covering it with dirt.

2. Cut small pieces of the greenery, one for each bead. Make sure the stems fits into the beads. Leave enough stem to fit all or half way down into the bead.

3. Cut or poke holes into the Styrofoam. Use a nail to make holes where you want the bead veggies to go. Make sure part of the beads will fit into your holes. I used oblong beads so my holes were deep enough to hold half of the bead.

4. Put adhesive into each hole.

5. Place a bead into each hole. Position them exactly where and how high you want them. Once again, don’t worry about globs of glue showing, these will be well hidden by dirt.

6. Dip the greenery stems into the adhesive and slide each into the top a bead. Let everything dry according to the drying time on your adhesive. Once everything is immovable, it is ready for Step 7!

7. Place the Styrofoam into the pot and cover with dirt. Use dirt to position the tops of the veggies where you want them. If you want them higher, put dirt under the Styrofoam.

8. A light sprinkling of water will settle the dirt. And because you used an adhesive designed for outdoor use, you never have to worry about this creation getting wet!

Additional Ideas:

*If you want straight rows, try gluing beads to a tongue depressor.

*Make a few extra veggies to put in a basket, wagon or wheelbarrow near the patch.