Fairy Garden Campground

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Fairy Garden Campground: a tent, a hammock, an outhouse, and a campfire to roast marshmallows over all in miniature fairy size.

The weather has finally turned, and it’s warm enough outside to think about things like camping and gardening, especially with #VictoriaDay long weekend quickly approaching in Canada and the un-official start to summer!  I always plant my garden on the long weekend, and one of my annual favourite garden projects is making fairy gardens.

Fairy Gardens

I’ve been making them for years now, see some past ones here, and every year I try to change them up a bit.  My girls and I have a great time thinking about what to do each year.  This time I’ve created a fairy campground, and it’s so, so cute.

Every year I end up saying it’s my favourite project ever, and this year is no exception.  It’s so much fun thinking up all the little details to re-create in miniature.

Choosing a Container

I always start with a big galvanized bucket filled with soil and grouped with other reclaimed plant pots on my deck.  I love making the fairy gardens in containers because it really allows you to see all the little details up-close.  After you have a container, pick out some small plants.  Because I was going for a woodland feel for the camping fairies I used some little tree/shrubs, a fern, and a few flowers for colour.  Plant them around the perimeter, leaving room to create your little scene, and then it’s time to get creative.

The Tent

I made the tent out of some twigs, bound together with twine, and pushed into the soil.  The tent has a little doily base inside, and the fabric is sewn at the top and gathered together to make the little tent.  Easy and sweet.

I named our site “Pixie Hollow Campgrounds” and made the sign out of some wood and twigs, held together with a little hot glue.

Miniature Accessories

The miniature section at  Michaels Craft Store was full of fairy inspiration.

There are so many cute things there, that think I could have spent hours there.  I picked up a few of the fun accessories there, like the red bucket and the little camping dishes.

I remember a rule from my girl guide camping days, you always have to have a bucket of water beside your tent, in case of fire.

Campfire and S’mores

The sweetest little fairy campfire is made with some stones, twigs and wool.  And what would a campfire be without s’mores?  I made the little marshmallows for roasting out of toothpicks and polymer clay.

Of course for s’mores you also need chocolate and graham crackers, so I made a few of those too.  I formed them out of polymer clay and baked them in the oven according to the package directions.  I know from past experience that the baked clay stands up really well, the cupcakes I made for the fairy birthday party garden, are still looking great after a few seasons outside.

To give you a sense of scale, and how tiny these little s’mores are, they’re pictured here with a dime.  Use a serrated edge plastic knife to create the edge of the graham cracker and a toothpick to add the signature holes in the top.  For the chocolate, use a toothpick to create the details of the individual chocolate pieces.

The little table is one I found at a garden store last year, and the seats are little thimbles.

Beside the fire, more wood for later, and the axe in case we need more.

A Fairy Sized Hammock

Off to the side of the campground, there’s a little hammock for relaxing.

The hammock is made out of a few twigs, some twine, and an old garlic bag that I saved.

Fairy Outhouse

And, in case nature calls, I had to include a little fairy outhouse.

I made it out of very thin Balsa wood.  You can find it at the craft store.  It’s so thin you can cut it with an exacto knife.  I used hot glue to put it together.  It won’t last forever in the wind, rain, and sunshine.  But, there’s something that seems right about fairy gardens made of natural materials and breaking down after a season or so of service.

I tucked the little out house in the back for a little privacy, and made a little pathway leading up to it.

It was so much fun creating this little fairy garden campsite and thinking up all the fun little details to include.  Heading into the beginning of garden season, I hope you’ll try a fun fairy garden this year.  With a little make-believe in your day, life really is a party!