Make a Christmas Fairy House

Build a tiny garden house in your yard and welcome in all the Christmas fairies this holiday season.

By: Ruth Meharg

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Christmas Fairy House

Build this beautiful Christmas fairy house for your garden this year, and create a little pocket of holiday cheer in your yard. Use the ideas in this gallery to create your own unique little home.

Constructing The House

Begin your fairy house with a piece of wood for the front. We used a slice from a large walnut branch. Cut lengths of twigs for your roof, and use hot glue or wood glue to create a pitched roof. Glue a couple of sticks to the front of the slice of wood to create an overhang, and glue the rest of the sticks in the back to make the roof as long as you'd like.

Adding Windows and Doors

Once you know where your roof will be, you can add windows and doors wherever you like them. You can create them with acrylic paints, or if you aren't confident in your painting skills you can print them out and glue them on. If you do create your windows and doors out of paper, be sure to seal the wood with waterproof sealant.

Front Door Details

Little details make your fairy house extra special, so don't be afraid to go overboard. We created a doorbell by hanging a little jingle bell by the front door, and created a little garland of fresh evergreen branches to hang over the door.

Finishing The Roof

Once the front of your house is painted and the roof is glued together, you can set up your house. Use small pieces of wood for the walls if your roof isn't long enough to reach the ground. Cover your roof with moss to finish. You can glue or tie the moss, or simply stuff it into the cracks between the sticks.

Cranberry Garland

We grabbed a couple of handfuls of shiny red cranberries and a piece of string to create a garland for our fairy house. Use a sturdy needle and thick thread and string the cranberries on like beads.

Hanging Your Garland

Hang your cranberry garland along the roof of your fairy house, just like Christmas lights. Use extra pieces of string to tie it on as you go.

Make An Owl

You can make a couple of cute little critters to hang on your fairy house with some string and a pine cone! To make an owl, wrap string around two of your fingers to create a series of same sized loops. Tie these together in the center, and cut the middle of the loops on each end. Splay the cut threads out from the center to create round bursts of white for your owl's feather eyes.

Hedgehog

Create a cute little hedgehog using the same string technique for a face. Begin with larger loops than you used for the owl, and tie the center together after you splay out the strings to create a little nose. Add black beads to the owl and to the hedgehog for eyes.

Finished Owl

Finish your owl with a couple of touches of paint—a little yellow around the eyes works well—and place him on the roof of your house. He'll watch over the little fairies even in the middle of the night.

Completed Hedgehog

We added a couple of dollops of paint to finish off our hedgehog as well. A little pink on the nose and a bit of beige on the face make a perfect finish. Tuck him in alongside the house where he can wait for his friends to return.

Candy Cane Lane

We lined the walk to our fairy house with candy canes. If you like the red and white stripes, you could also create a stepping stone path with little round peppermint candies.

Put It All Together

Once you have all the pieces completed, find the perfect place in the garden and put everything together. Christmas fairy houses look absolutely magical in the snow, but be sure to have a hot drink ready to warm your fingers after set up is done!

Painting A Nutcracker

Once your fairy house is completed, you may need a nutcracker to stand guard out front. You can build your own nutcracker, or pick up a blank one from your local craft store. Use acrylic paint to create your personalized nutcracker.

Finishing Touches

Be sure to cover all the exposed wood on your nutcracker with paint to seal it from any water damage. When you are done painting use waterproof glue to add hair and a beard to your nutcracker.

Standing Guard

Place your nutcracker in front of your fairy house at the end of the walkway. Let him keep all the Grinches out!