Creating a Winter Fairy House

One of my kids' favorite things to do outside in the garden, is create fairy houses.  If you don't know what these are, they're tiny abodes created for the whimsical creatures that live in the woods and fields.  Articles from nature are used to construct them.  Think twigs, leaves, flower blossoms, pebbles, etc.  It's fun to use different building materials to suite the season. 

Here is what we do in the winter:  First, bundle up. It's cold out there!  Then start collecting twigs, evergreen sprigs, and pinecones.  We traditionally build ours under the pine tree in our yard, but you can make yours anywhere that you feel is relatively protected from the blistery winter winds. 

Once you've gathered your materials, start building.  We typically create something that looks a little like a tepee (see the picture at the right).  Then we cover it with our sprigs.  When we're satisfied with it, we decorate with pinecones, feathers, and other assorted natural treasures.  Sometimes we even create walkways with pebbles and tiny stones.  If your fairy house is in a garden, you might want to add fairy figurines and woodland creatures.  There are plenty of fairy garden shops where you can purchase them. Otherwise, just wait for the magical fairies to make themselves at home.  Creating a winter fairy garden is a fun thing you can do to keep the gardening alive in the winter months.