It’s interesting to watch the trends in any artistic field, whether it be painting, clothing, or crafting. Although I’m not very trendy myself, it has not escaped my attention that certain online items seem to be selling over and over. I can completely understand coming up with a formula for any website or craft store and sticking to what sells. It’s very tempting. But I’m not a very good businesswoman, and I tend to find happiness only when stepping outside my comfort zone. That’s exactly what this new piece did for me, and as I’m writing, I’m hoping someone will love it as much as I do.

This all started out with my incorrect assumption that I’m great at puzzles. They stretch your brain, and all creative types are able to put them together with ease, right? Um, no.  Rated for ages 6+, these were the instructions.

It took forever. And I had to get past the fact that I’m only slightly brighter than a six year old.

I did a dry fit, some painting in a pretty dark grey, and then glued the pieces together. I opted to leave some of the chimney and gingerbread-type details off, because I knew they wouldn’t visually fit or be as welcoming to the woodland creature this home is designed to attract:) I also opted not to build stairs, and instead crafted a twig ladder leading to the second floor loft. It took much longer than I anticipated to finally get into the fun parts of decorating my new fairy house and crafting furniture- I could have created several smaller pieces in that time frame! But I loved squinting my eyes and imagining what this new gem could become.

Next, the entire ground floor got a mother of pearl shell tiling and fairy dust grout. This fantasy house has four rooms and a loft, and I wanted each room to have its own distinctive look and purpose. The first room became an apothecary, and I crafted three tables for it out of bark and acorns. I love the rustic look of natural materials rubbed with gold accent to make it glitter and shine! (I think a little glimmer attracts the fae.)Then I filled tiny bottles with multiple colors of fairy dust.  In all, this house ended up with 15 bottles of fairy potions.

The other ground floor room ended up as a dining area/mixing station, with a twig table, acorn bowls, more bottles, and acorn and spool stools. I added art and mirrors to both rooms, and then moved on to the second level.

The second floor boasts a twig and flower bed upon a carpet of moss and fairy dust, located in the loft portion of this level. The other room became the “library”, with twelve miniature books, a twig couch with hand sewn cushions, and a sweet, tiny cup of coffee.

Finally the attic room was carpeted with a bed of wheat and fairy dust. There are three hand sewn cushions for lounging lying about the floor, bottles of fairy dust on the windowsill, and a tiny copy of Robin Hood. (I’ve heard fairies love fairy tales.)

All in all, this beauty turned out better than I expected. I’m not sure I would build another house from a puzzle kit, it was very confusing and time consuming. But the level of detail this kit allowed for left me with enough satisfaction that made the experiment  worth it. In the end, this is what the fairy house looked like from the back.

And the front…