Fairy Garden Swings - Four DIY Tutorials

Fairies love to play, especially on swings! They also love variety.

Here are four DIY ideas for Fairy Garden Swings…What do they all have in common? They are delightfully adorable and easy to create!

1. The Tire Swing

This is the easiest! I scored a fat miniature mud tire at the bottom of a toy bin at one of the local thrift stores. (And I got it for free since the cashier was confused on why I wanted a broken toy part.) Just tie some ribbon, jute or string around the tire and hang it from a branch.

2. Leather Flower Swing

Inspired by my favorite Indoor Swing from Urban Outfitters, this swing is simple and adorable. I used a leather flower from a thrift store bracelet find. You can use flowers from sandals, jewelry or hair accessories. Use a needle to thread a string or ribbon through the middle of the flower. Add bead accents and hang from decorative wire or a tree branch in a corner of your Fairy Garden.

3. Wire & Beads Flower Swing

A beaded wire flower sprig can be used for so many different and adorable Fairy Garden items. Try making a swing by attaching two long strands to the ends of a wooden block. I painted this block fairy pink and sprinkled glitter over the top while the second coat of paint was drying. I added glitter glue accents to each of the bead flowers for extra fairy delight.

*Don’t have a beaded floral display hanging around your house? You can easily make your own with beads and thin wire. It is hard to go wrong when fashioning wire and beads. Do not worry about uniformity or balance, creations will look even better when asymmetrical.

 4. Flower Garland Swing

Craft stores have big discounts on their fake flowers at the end of each season to make room for the next crop of faux florals. I used Cherry Blossom-like branches, two wooden beads and a painted, glitter accented popsicle stick to create this whimsical Fairy Garden Swing.

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.

Thrift Store Find #1 - Fairy Garden Bowling Pins

Thrift Store Find of the Day!

I scored this bag of miniature bowling pins and two green marbles for $1!

What did I do with them?

As you know, fairies love glitter! And playing games. I covered the bowling pins with glue and dipped them in a pink glitter mixture. The finishing touch was a sparkling rhinestone on the top of each pin. I glued them on a flat, triangular rock. Positioned in a mossy corner of my Fairy Garden, the fairies now have a place to enjoy a little lawn bowling.