Gearhead Mom

Monday, July 12, 2010

Fairy Funhouse

Posted by Jenny M. @ 11:42 PM

A pair of fairies have adopted our family and garden.  They’re Tuesday Fairies, which means they visit regularly on Monday nights, with tiny treats or notes left behind for their human chums to discover on Tuesday mornings.  We need only leave pixie dust (fine-grain glitter available at craft stores) and feathers (for our Feather Fairy) and petals (for our Petal Fairy) to attract them to stay the night.  FYI:  We’ve heard there are Pebble Fairies and Foliage Fairies and Seed Fairies, etc., out there, too….
Last week we went to Michael’s on a quest for some basic building materials to construct our very own Fairy Condominium.  I happened to stumble upon a section of balsa wood kits and found a bag of plain pieces of various sizes—light wood perfect for fairy homes and for assembly with a hot glue gun.  We picked up a Bag o’ Moss and some silk flowers and were ready for business.

The simplest construction design, it seemed, was A-Frame, so that became the model for what is becoming a tract of Fairy Manses in our ‘hood.  We added side porches and ladders in different combinations.  Balsa wood is easily cut with kitchen shears and/or an exacto-blade, so poking out windows and doors was relatively simple, as was slicing small pieces to construct ladders and beds.  The biggest challenge was assembling parts before the hot glue dried

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Okay, and not burning myself with the hot glue gun.  OUCH. 

I was hopeful that my Interior and Exterior Decorators would want to incorporate more natural elements (bark, twigs, etc.), but daughters have plans to paint the home’s sides and walls with ladybugs and butterflies.  As Missy pointed out, I might just have to make my own Fairy Abode my way… 
The most fun part, though, is following the lead of the kids’ imaginations.  They thought of wonderful details (Little Sis’s fairy bed needed side rails, for example), and Big Sis designed the rope swing into the loft.  They used scraps of material to make wall-to-wall carpet, hammocks, and “grassy” areas. 
Like any homes, these are works in progress, and I foresee renovations and additions in our future.  The “For Rent” sign will go up on Monday and we’ll see if our little tenants move in!

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