Turn Rocks into Fairy Houses for Your Garden

Many gardeners spend their time removing rocks from the garden. This makes sense in a vegetable garden where you need soft loam, but in a flower garden, rocks can provide interesting decor and true conversation pieces. One of the many ways to decorate your garden is to turn common rocks into beautiful fairy houses.

Materials Needed

1. A rock with angles and flat plains
2. Strong scrub brush and water
3. White primer paint
4. Acrylic craft paint
5. Water-proof clear sealant
6. Paintbrushes
7. Black permanent marker

Preparing the Rocks

You should first choose rocks that have a flat base to stand on and a general shape like a house. Four sided rectangular rocks work well, as do triangles. Of course, since you are constructing fairy houses, you might want shapes that are more whimsical. Flat or round rocks, however, will not do.

After you have selected the rocks, you must wash them thoroughly. Scrub them with a stiff brush and plenty of water. You may use a mild detergent but it is not necessary. Make sure all dirt, moss, and loose debris is off.

Painting the Fairy House

To begin painting the fairy house, you first want to fully coat the rock with white primer paint. One or two coats will do. Make sure that all sides and cracks of the rock are covered. Let it dry fully.

The next step is to pencil in the roof, door, windows, and other aspects of the fairy rock house. Then paint each block with the base color you wish to use. You might like to make blue walls, a black roof, and a white door. Windows look more realistic if they are dark. After the blocks of color are dry, go back and paint in the details. Make narrow lines on the walls to indicate boards, or shingles on the roof. Outline the windows in white trim and paint on tiny shutters. You may use the permanent black marker for finer details or outlining. Using a very fine paintbrush or a toothpick, you might want to paint tiny flower gardens near the door, or curtains in the windows.

After the detail of the house is done, seal the whole rock with a liberal application of waterproof sealant. You want to be sure that the rock will last and not be damaged in your garden.

Placement Ideas

You can place the fairy houses in your garden in any way you wish. Having one house as an accent near a tree will surely create an eye-catching display. You might like to use smaller rock fairy houses to form a small village under a fern or a bush. The general idea is to make it look natural, as if genuine fairies live in your garden.

Placing fairy houses made of rocks around your garden will bring delight and happiness to your garden visitors. This inexpensive craft will welcome fantasy and wonder into your outdoor world.