Project {Gnomesteading}

Once I discovered the idea of Fairy Gardens, I knew that Chuck needed to have one.  One of our local greenhouses sells a whole bunch of miniature everything to turn your backyard into an enchanted forest.  Although it is absolutely gorgeous, it is also quite fragile.  I didn't want Chuck to turn into a tiny destroyer of her fantasy land. 

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

{Houses}
Michael's sells a large variety of small, inexpensive, wooden birdhouses. I choose these two because they resembled "houses" the most.  But, you can also have a rocket or pirate ship fairy garden.

Painting these houses was a lot of fun!  My friend and I spent a while trying to figure out the most magical color palettes.  Once they were painted, I coated them with a good couple of layers of outdoor Mod Podge.

{Dolls}
Much like the houses, all the fairies I kept coming across were way too fragile for toddler hands.  I decided to decorate some peg people in Chuck's favorite colors.  Painting peg people intimidated me a bit at first, but I have to say it has become one of my favorite "go to" crafts.  There are so many great ideas on Pinterest, Etsy, and Instagram to get inspired by! 

{Gardens}
When we went to Home Depot to buy our containers, I came across these cedar barrels.  They are just the right size for Chuck to be able to lean over and explore.  I filled the bottom of the containers with mulch for drainage, and coated the top with potting soil. 

For the plants, I searched for miniature everything.  I also tried to pick plants that would withstand a toddler tug or two.  Lucky for us, my backyard is covered in moss, so I was able to add some "fairy lawns" to the gardens by arranging the moss around the homes.  I also added a couple of stones for walk ways. 

{Play}
Chuck watched me construct all the different elements of her Fairy Garden, but the first time she walked down to play was great! "Fay-wee Gah-Den!" She loves shoving her Gnomes and Fairies into the homes. Also, despite my initial worries, she has been surprisingly gentle with the plants. She can stay busy playing while I get some yard work done or even relax ( I know, amazing, right?) in the back yard.

I can't wait to see how this evolves over time!