Our promise

However, I did have to spend a little coin on some flowers and plants. Let me recommend going with annuals that have texture and small blooms. It fits the “miniaturized” theme.

Next up, picking your location. I am going with containers. I am using a basket and rattan bowls I already have.

Theme: A fairy garden is awesome, but not for every kid. A gnome theme is a great neutral. Or, if you are my littlest kids: dinosaurs. So, for what might be the first time in history … a fairy/dinosaur garden. Why not?

Accessories: We decided to really go “pioneer” and make something without a plan or direction. We picked sticks from our yard. And we rummaged my floral and craft bins — let me recommend a hot glue gun, some jute rope and floral wire. The fouryear-old volunteered dinosaurs out of his toy box. And then we just started eye-balling it. A swing, a bench, some signs and a lean-to. Then we glued little flowers and craft moss to our accessories for the fairy garden. I split open a vase filler ball and glued on moss to replicate a cave.

We lined our containers with grocery bags before adding our soil, and then planted our flowers. We arranged our furniture pieces and then added little rocks. A fun addition to our containers were the agate rocks that my husband had in a keepsake box from a camping trip with his dad in 1990. Another wonderful personal touch.

That’s it! This is a fun project that you can make on your own with no rules and your kids will have a blast.

Cori’s backyard budget tip:

Look for second-hand doll house furniture or statues that you can paint to use in your fairy garden.