The Craftiest Workshop

I enjoy a nice cup of apple cider on a cold winter’s day.
My husband picks up these cider jugs for me at the Pearson’s Berry Farm store at the Outlet mall near the airport in Edmonton.

I knew that I wanted to build a fairy hut and I had been leaning towards making one using a terra cotta pot until I emptied one of these jugs and was about to toss it in the recycling.

I realized it would be perfect.

My first step was to painstakingly pick stones from our gravel driveway.

I wanted a variety of colours and, at first, I was choosing round stones but later switched to some with a flat side. I started gluing the stones onto the side of the jug. Stone on plastic is tricky as they want to slide off. I was only able to do one column of stones (top to bottom) and had to let it dry before continuing. I chose weldbond because it holds up better outside than hot glue does but Weldbond takes hours to dry. Each time I added stones after that first column, I could only do a few columns before letting it dry again.

While I was waiting for the glue to dry, I made the door.

I cut the rounded part off some popsicle sticks then glued two horizontal sticks to hold them together. After painting with some teal acrylic paint, I added a metal ring similar to a keychain ring and placed a green glass bead in the middle. Some craft sequins were used for the hinges and a wooden plug for a screw hole as the doorknob. I added the door and glued stones around it.

The roof was just left over willow twigs from my projects earlier this spring. I used my pruners to snip them to the length I needed as I glued them onto the top. I have a roll of brown twine from Dollarama that made the handle and spout looked like a thatched roof top. I just added some glue as I wound it on. The last addition, a cork from a sparkling Pinot Grigio, stuck in and glued in the hole on top.

After making my little hut, I decided to add some golf tees with marbles glued on top for a lantern walkway.

The pond is an old plexiglass gift my husband received from some convention or seminar that he took. I just glued on some clear glass beads.

I have planted marigolds all around…they will be like massive sunflowers for my fairy garden. Not sure what I will add next but a walking bridge and maybe some outdoor furniture are some ideas I have.

Whatever I add, the fairy hut will be the centerpiece of this little fairy garden.