Fairy Garden

So, Mothers Day was rapidly approaching this year, as was finals.  My mother likes gifts that comes from the heart, but I was in a time crunch.  I knew better than ask her what she wanted, she would have said another painting or charcoal drawling.  She loves my artwork, and I am very flattered that she proudly displays everything I make for her, but honestly, I don't know where she has room to hang any more.  On top of the works she already has she found an old free art coupon that I gave her and commissioned a new piece two days ago.  Instead of over crowding her walls with more hanging art, I decided to make a work of art that didn't have to be put onto a wall.  It was time time to get crafty >:3

I have been in love with all the little zen fairy gardens I have been seeing all over Pintrest and Facebook over the past few months.  I have been wanting to make a few to have more interesting potted plants around the house and garden.  Then the idea struck me.  My mother loves plants, but she has a bit of a brown thumb.  What if I made her a fairy garden with all fake and dried plants?

That day, after class, I drove down to Michael's to gather some supplies.  To my delight, their entire spring collection was on sale.  I was able to get a lovely planter, fake moss, and dried flowers for a great price.  This allowed me to splurge on the really nice looking trees.  All of the other items I already had stored up in my craft closet.

Unfortunately my phone was dying and didn't want to charge the day I was making it, so I only have a few pictures of the project.  Also, a dying phone means no flash.  Sorry everyone!

Here is the planter, I found one that matches her room!

The planter was far too deep to just put the moss at the bottom, so I filled up the space with pieces of styrofoam that were once really bad fake swords that I made for a last minute Devil May Cry costume.

One craft fail can always be reused for a craft win.

It took about two layers of this to get to a hight I liked.  To make a more even surface to glue on I cut out a piece of cardboard and fitted it into the pot.  It was such a perfect fit that I didn't even need to glue it, that sucker wasn't going anywhere.

I feel as if I should have made a sex joke here...

After that it was just a matter of placing and glueing.  I cut strips of the moss and fitted it into the planter to make sure it looked alright and then glued it down piece by piece with my hot glue gun.  After I arranged the trees and glued them down the same way.  I had some lovely little stones from a candle holder that the cable guy broke, so I put them to good use.  I even found the last glass shard with my finger!  Crafting is risky business sometimes.  I liked the little courtyard with some stones from a bracelet that broke a long time ago.  The little archway I made using pieces of the wild grape vine that grows along my fence.  All and all I really liked how it came out, and it was super easy.

A little piece of Zen

I added some support to those back trees and a little bench that my boyfriend put together.  Unfortunately I do not have a picture of the little bench because my phone is malfunctioning.  I will try to update with the fully finished project as soon as possible.