DIY Fairy Houses

There is a park that we visit that has a fairy house village in the forest, it started thanks to some special doors on trees there that were sadly vandalized. While just a couple original doors remain, the community filled the area with brightly coloured home, and special little doors. Many now go to this special place leaving their own fairy house behind. On our most recent visit this was exactly what our daughter started asking to get to do. We will share that adventure soon.

Now fairy houses are really just bird houses. I know many families with children who are into fairy tales have also created fairy houses that they leave in their own yards, or they create fairy gardens. It’s just something fun, and a great excuse to get creative. 

What you need:
Bird Houses
Acrylic Paint or Wood Paint
Paint Brushes
Clear Lacquer in Spray Form
Glitter Glue
Glitter
Drop Cloth or Paper
Paint Tray
Smock
Box

I lucked out in finding both of our houses in the clearance section at our local craft store so our houses only cost me $2 each, and I had a coupon for an additional discount! I love crafting when it is super affordable. One evening when my preschooler was full of energy but we could not get outside because of the rain I decided to pull them out so she could decorate one, and I could too.

I put down some scrap craft paper and set up her house with a all her paint options ready. She had to wear her smock while painting to help protect her clothing. I let her pick what colours she wanted and put paint into her tray to use and just let her be creative.

She loved getting to cover the house in all sorts of colours and blending them all together. Right now she is all about pink. Doing creative things like this are great for kids to work on their fine motor skills and they do not even know it. Now, my daughter did not like getting her hands mucky so I had to turn the house for her so she could paint all of the sides, but that was fine with me… less mess.

   Once the house was all dried I asked her if she would like to add some glitter to her fairy house, and of course she wanted it to sparkle. We added texture to the roof by making glitter shingles, and she pointed out other spots on the house that she wanted added sparkle. By having her point out where she wanted the glitter she still had creative control. 

I let the glitter glue dry for a day before doing the next step of sealing the paint in with spray paint lacquer. Be sure to use a clear one that is also meant for items that will be outdoors, and that says it will not yellow. To control the mess while spraying them outside I placed each home in a cardboard box while doing so, you could also use a drop cloth. Just follow the instructions on the lacquer. Mine called for two coats. The homes stayed outside for 2 days because of the off gassing smell, and they needed 48hrs to fully dry.

The final product were sparkly houses that will soon be finding new homes at our favourite local park. Stay tuned for that visit, you will not want to miss seeing it.