MAKING Mondays {Fairy & Gnome House}

This year, my little beans are going to be adding a fairy house to their garden.  My little one and I took a fairy & gnome house making class this weekend at our local nursery.  These whimsical houses look neat tucked into corners of the garden or under a tree.  While I'm not jumping feet first into creating an entire miniature village, I do appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into these gardens.   I can just imagine my kids playing here for hours with their little gnomes and fairies!

Anne Ashberry from Essex England created the first known miniature garden in the 1950's.  She began planting miniature gardens in troughs. which were set high, so that handicapped and elderly people could garden in comfort.

via-fairywoodland.com

via-pinterest {original source unknown}

"Hardly a new trend, the miniature garden is enjoying a revival, not a discovery. Though often dismissed by “serious” gardeners as too whimsical, perhaps they should reconsider.  Gardening on a small scale requires the same landscape principles of placement and proportion, knowledge of plants, care and maintenance." source 

We each got to pick out a stump.  I think that constructing the house from an old log was the best way to go.  It was easy and our time was focused on the design and decorating. We enjoyed taking cues from the bark as to where things should be placed.

We brought things from home to add to our house.  My little one wanted to bring her shells and buttons.  And we had so many fun trinkets to rummage through in the shop.  Everything from dried yarrow to glass marbles.

Hot glue was used for fastening as well as the occasional drill for larger pieces. 

Color seemed to be her theme!

Come spring, we get to use our class certificate to pick out our gnomes and fairies as well as creeping thyme for our house!

Partying Here....

a humble creation