A fairy nice home...

Mia, who is now 7, asked me the other day, "Mama, are fairies real?"
Now, I am the kind of Mom who loves these kinds of questions way more than "Why is the sky blue?" or "Where do babes come from?". Give me an opportunity to encourage my kids to expand their imaginations, and I am on it.

So I answered her question with another question. I said, "Do you think fairies are real?" She answered without hesitation, "Yes." That was good enough for me. Our conversation quickly proceeded and before long, Mia asked, "Mama, Where do fairies live?" So, I asked her where she thought they lived. Naturally, she was aware that there are about a gazillion different kinds of fairies, who all require different kinds of housing. She then asked, "Mama, are there fairies in our woods?" I shrugged my shoulders, and said "Maybe they would, if you built them a house". Well, that was all the encouragement she needed.

As soon as she got home from school, she got working and designed this cozy 2-bedroom fern-roofed chateau with pebble garden and utility shed:

Legend has it, and I'm not making this up, that if you build a fairy house, it may very well attract fairies to your domain. So, what's stopping you?

How to build your own fairy house
For this example, we'll be building a house for a nature fairy. Not sure which fairy you want to attract? Have a look here for a comprehensive list of fairy types.

1. You'll need something substantial to make your fairy house out of. No fairy wants to move into a place that will collapse almost immediately, after all. And remember, you want your fairy house to be able to sustain all weather conditions.

Other building materials could be:
- a hollow tree trunk
- sticks to form a tee-pee type house
- a vacant bird house
- milk carton
- unused dollhouse







2. Now, you'll need materials to further embellish your fairy house. Fill a bucket with 'treasures' from your garden that a fairy-in-need-of-accomodation might enjoy, like:
- bark
- pinecones
- leaves
- sticks and twigs
- rocks
- grass
- ferns
- moss
- dirt/mud

3. Now, find the perfect location for your fairy house. The ideal fairy house location is:
- a spot with some sun and some shade, fairies like just the right amount of both
- a secluded spot, with lots of privacy but within walking/flying distance of wherever fairies might need to go to

We found this little plot of land under a huge Japanese maple tree, facing West, right on the edge of the woods.

4. Now comes the fun part...
Piece the house together, bit by bit, allowing the materials you found to fit into one another naturally.

It's important not to rush the process - building a fairy house takes time, and it needs to be just right!
Fairies are picky, you know.









5. When you're finished, don't expect a fairy to occupy the house immediately. It's important to allow the fairy community to spread the word about your house. Keep your distance, but keep your eyes open, and you may just see one fluttering around there one day... 

Need some more inspiration?  Have a look at these amazing fairy houses.