DIY Flower Fairy Patio Set

Recently I discovered a delicious organic alcohol free apple cider and it even has a champagne cork! So finally I could make a lovely fairy chair like the ones I had seen on Pinterest. After that I became inspired and designed a matching patio table with a flower parasol.

Here is my simplified version of the chair, 

all you need is a wire cage from a champagne or cider bottle and a wire cutter;

1 - Cut the loop from the lower wire of the cage.

2 - Remove the wire completely from the cage leaving it in one piece.

3 - Shape a chair back by bending the wire.

4 - Twist the chair back onto the legs and trim excessive wire.

5 - Bow the end of the legs slightly.

Optional; you can remove the chair seat before you attach the chair back and replace it later.

For the patio table you will need:

- a wire cage 

- sharp scissors/knife

- wire cutters

- plastic or glass cap to use as a tiny vase

- a screw cap of 4 to 5 cm

- hot glue gun

- a flower with a long stem and water

 1- Cut the loop from the lower wire of the cage and remove the wire completely from the cage leaving it in one piece.

2 - Remove the seat from the wire cage. 

Prick a hole in the screw cap using scissors.

3 - Glue the wire cage to the bottom of the screw cap with a hot glue gun.

Glue the plastic cap in the center of the wire cage onto the screw cap, 

with the open side below the hole.

4 - Fill the plastic cap with water trough the hole in the screw cap.

Bow the end of the legs slightly and place a flower in the patio table vase.

 This makes such a lovely summer table decoration!

I hope you enjoy it and I wish you a lovely weekend.

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Fairy Houses - DIY Milk Carton Flower Fairy Home

Yesterday I suddenly had inspiration to create a new kind of fairy house that could be used as a flower pot too. I'm very pleased with the result especially since I can finally recycle our milk cartons into fairy houses.

 Like always this is very easy to create!

1 - You need a used, well rinsed milk carton (the ones in Holland have a spout that can be used to water the plants).
2 - Prick a hole in the side of the carton with scissors and cut out 2 square windows. You can use the flaps to create shutters, but this time I just removed them.
3 - Fill the bottom with some soil and fill the carton with succulents till just above the square windows.
Optional; cut the support bar between the windows to easily fill the carton with plants. Later you can restore it when you cover the carton with barch.
4 - Cover the entire sides of the carton with barch and moss and create a barch roof using a hot glue gun. And finally decorate the house with pressed flowers, moss, snail shells and feathers.

These homes will attract the flower fairies of the plants that are growing inside.
Good luck and I wish you a magical weekend!

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Fairy Houses - DIY Egg Carton Fairy Bird-Houses

My new idea of creating these fairy (bird-)houses made me so very happy this week! For a while I had been thinking about a way to recycle our empty egg cartons and then I came up with these bird-houses, that look lovely in all kinds of decorations like table pieces, trays with herbs and flower arrangements. They also make lovely ornaments.

Here is how you make them:

1 - Collect some egg cartons. 

I used a 6 piece egg carton and made 2 houses out of it.

2+3 - Cut the center cones from the egg carton, using scissors.

4 - Now cut the remaining cups from the egg carton. 

The same amount as the cones, 2 in this case.

5 - Glue the cones and the cups together.

6 - The 2 bases are now finished!

Now my favorite part starts... the decoration! I glued the houses on a stick first so I could paint them easily. I used water paint to paint the houses and moss and a small branch to finish them.

When you work with children you can prepare the houses in advance. Place the houses on sticks in a bowl surrounded by materials like water paint, glue, moss, small branches and snail shells. Then let each child paint and decorate their very own fairy bird-house.

The houses can be placed outdoors on a roofed terrace for example but they are not waterproof. Thanks to their size they look lovely anywhere in or around the house too and they also make lovely presents. I hope you enjoy these tiny houses as much as I do!

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Fairy Houses - Snail Shell Fairy House Tutorial

This week some neighborhood kids surprised me with a basket full of snail shells!

They asked me what I would make with all these shells and I told them that I would try to make another fairy house but this time a house for the Snail Fairy.

This fairy house is built exactly the same way as the cork fairy house but this time I used snail shells instead of cork slices. Finally I painted the shells with a non toxic coating to enhance the colours but you can also use olive oil. Don't oil them in advance otherwise the shells won't stick with the glue.

For the complete step by step photo-tutorial click here

The fairy houses are very light and easy to attach to any surface, this time I used dried bark. I'm in love with the soft tones and spiral forms of these snail shells, each one is unique... just perfect for a fairy house!

Have a magical day!

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Fairy Houses - Cork Fairy House Tutorial

Our latest fairy house is made of a toiletpaper roll, sturdy paper and cork!

I'm very happy with the result because it is made of recycled materials, 

very light and easy to make even with children.

When you are working with children I recommend preparing the paper houses and corkslices in advance so the children can do the painting and decorating.

Here is my tutorial for you;

Required Materials;  
                                                
- Toiletpaper roll
- Sturdy paper
- Glue and optional a hot glue gun              
- Waterpaint (earth tones)
- Scissors and pen
- Small plate size app. 20 cm
- Corks
- Sharp knife or small handsaw
- Decoration like moss, birch bark,
   tiny branches and snailhouses
- Optional; materials for a fairy
   (felt, pipe cleaners, wooden beads)

1 - Cover the toiletpaper roll with the sturdy paper.
2 - Fold the paper at the ends inside the roll.
3 - Create a circle on a sheet of the paper using the plate as a template.
     Cut it out with scissors and make a cut in the circle all the way to the center.
4 - Create a cone by overlapping the ends of the cut and secure them with glue.
5 - Glue the cone into the top of the paper roll.

These cute little paper houses can also be used for all kinds of different crafts,

 like covering them with fabric or hanging them by threads.

6 - Use a knife or a small handsaw to cut off slices of cork. At this point I started glueing the slices of cork onto the roof of the house, but later I realized that it is better to paint the house first. Let it dry completely and then start adding the corks.
7 - Start at the top of the roof with half slices and work your way down using whole slices.
8 - Now you can fill the cracks between the cork slices with dried moss.

9 - Add some glue with a glue brush and press a bit of dried moss into the cracks using a small stick or the end of a teaspoon.

10 - For the window you can prick a hole in the paper roll and cut out a square with your scissors.

11 - Cover the window frames with bark and paint the inside of the rol in a warm fairy color.

Finally you can create a chimney from a branch, bark and a snail shell.

12 - Optional; create a tiny fairy using this pattern or use another figurine to look out of the window. (I have painted the felt of this fairy afterwards with watercolor paint and a brush)

And there it is a new sweet fairy house! You can hang it or place it on a fairy 'tree' like I did. I used a thick birch branch of app. 25 cm long and 5 slices of birch and 5 corks to create this 'tree'. Using a hot glue gun I attached the slices of birch around the branch using the corks as crutches. Then I glued the branch onto a terracotta plate and decorated it with moss and birch.

In the evening when a small beeswax candle is burning in front of the fairy house it is simply magical!

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DIY - Seasonal Nature Table made of Repurposed Cutting Boards

A seasonal nature table can be such a lovely element in any Waldorf or nature inspired home. For me it is a wonderful way to visualize the rhythm of the year and also to focus my toddler son during our daily walks. He loves to search items for our nature table and combined with picture books and cards it is food for the eyes and the soul. A great inspiration source and my personal favorite on the subject is the book The Nature Corner.

This seasonal nature table is very easy to make with old cutting boards. 

Mine is made of bamboo but any kind of board will do. 

                                                                                

Required Materials;

- (birch) branch of app. 40 cm and app. 7 cm thick 

- 3 cutting boards 1 large (I used app. 25x35 cm)

and 2 smaller (I used app. 15x20 cm)                

- hot glue gun

- sandpaper

- optional; plumb ruler

1 - Saw 3 equally sized parts of your branch of approx 7 cm each and make sure the top has an even surface. 

2 - Sand the boards a bit so the glue will adhere better, then place the 3 parts in a triangle form  and attach the large cutting board using the hot glue gun.

3 - Cut the remaining branch in two parts (one a bit longer than the other) and attach the first in the right corner. Make sure it makes a straight line with the part below the cutting board. 

4 - Attach the last part and cutting board. 

Now you can wax or oil (I use vegetable oil) the boards
and your new seasonal table is ready!

Now the fun part begins...to dress up the table. Everything that is somehow connected to nature and the current season will do. Make sure the child is fully involved in dressing the table, and change the table regularly together in a simple way. Sometimes simply adding a new flower, card or figurine will be enough to create a new atmosphere.

    

This simple Spring table reflects our current reading
"Lily the little princess" and "Peter William Butterblow".  

Have fun and please feel free to contact me with questions or to share your own nature/seasonal table!

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Happy Earth Day to You!

Earth Day

                                                                     

I am the Earth

And the Earth is me.

Each blade of grass,

Each honey tree,

Each bit of mud,

And stick and stone

Is blood and muscle,

Skin and bone.

And just as I

Need every bit

Of me to make

My body fit,

So Earth needs

Grass and stone and tree

And things that grow here

Naturally.

That’s why we

Celebrate this day.

That’s why across

The world we say:

As long as life,

As dear, as free,

I am the Earth

And the Earth is me. 

Jane Yolen, 

"Earth Day" from The Three Bears Holiday Rhyme Book. 

p.s.

(A beautiful nature mandala can easily be made in Photoshop 

using this great tutorial by Earth Mandalas)

Fairy Party-Lights Tutorial

Fairies love to dance and on hot summer nights they dance until dawn. Lightened by the moon or lampions made of Physalis flowers. I thought I surprise them by creating some party-lights out of used Nespresso cups for their next dance event.

Required Materials:

- used Nespresso cups

- Christmas lights (string of 10 lights)

- scissors

- needle

- teaspoon

- acces to water

- a towel

- optional; hot glue gun

1 - Collect some Nespresso cups.
(in different colors)

2 - Cut the silver cap open with a pair of scissors.

3 - Use a teaspoon to remove the coffee-grounds.

4 - Rinse with water to clean the cup 

and dry it with a towel inside and outside.

5 - Prick with a needle a hole on top and use the scissors to enlarge the hole.

6 - Prick some decor on the side of the cups.

7 - Gently push the Christmas lights into the cups. Secure with a glue gun if you use the lights outdoors and use outdoors Christmas lights in this case.

Well, what do you think...isn't it romantic?

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Fairy-tale Wool Bird Tutorial

Making these soft wooly birds is such a lovely Easter activity!

The finished birds can be tied to a branch so the children can let them fly.

Required Materials;

(Note; 1 cm is about 0,4 inches)

- wool roving 1 piece of 20 cm and one of 10 cm

- tiny thread of wool(roving) red 2 cm

- (embroidery) thread + needle

- scissors

- optional; felting needle

         a branch

Inspiration Source- "Making Magical Fairy-tale Puppets" by Christel Dohm

1 - Lay the larger tuft of wool roving (20 cm) on the table and place the tiny red tuft (beak) and the thread on top.

2 - Make a knot, tie and cut the thread with scissors. Make tips from the ends of the beak with wet fingers.

3 - Fold the ends of the wool roving down and create the head of the bird by tying another knot with thread. Secure and cut the ends of the thread.

4 - Fold the other piece of woolroving (10 cm) between the body and secure by tying a knot with thread. Cut the ends of the thread.

5 - Shape the wings of the bird (you can use a felting needle) and make tips at the end of the wings. The tail is folted inside and gently brushed with wet fingertips. 

Attach a thread to a branch and the back of the bird and let it fly.

Enjoy your loved ones these days and take care,

with love xxx sas

Felted Wee Bird Nest

Required Materials;

- (ping pong) ball

- woolroving in soft yellow or brown for the nest

- woolroving in natural or light blue for the eggs

- access to hot and cold water

- liquid olive soap or eco dish soap

- bubble wrap or a plastic bag

- a bowl

- scissors

- optional; a felting needle

and a nylon stocking

This little wee bird nest is a lovely decoration for the seasonal table and is so easy to make. You can follow the tutorial for the felted stones but instead of stones we use a ping pong ball this time. Click here for the complete tutorial.

After your felted ball is completely dry you carefully make an incision in the middle of the ball with a pair of scissors and you cut around the ball. Now you have two small bird nests. The inside of the nests can be a bit fluffy and can be smoothened with a felting needle.

For the eggs you fold the edges of a small piece of wool roving to the center 

and wrap it with a small tuft of wool roving into a small ball.

Now follow the same instructions as for the felted stones but make an egg shape by rolling the balls between your hands before you let them dry. 

 Enjoy this lovely symbol of spring!

                                                 Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}