I’m so excited that Spring is finally here! I’m ready to transform my backyard from a dull, colorless landscape to a garden full of light and whimsy with the perfect yard crafts. I adore the fairy garden trend, and Tara did an AMAZING job with her tutorial. I love all the fun details in her fairy garden! We all know that fairies have other mythical friends who live in the woods with them, so why not create a home for them, too?
Here’s how you can turn a tree into a happy abode for gnomes and elves.
Supplies needed to make your own gnome tree house:
- Wood Square Shape
- Wood Rectangle Shape
- Craft Paint
- Cardstock
- Square Paper Punch
- Waterproof Mod Podge Outdoor Formula
- Wood Grain Embossing Folder
- Brads
- Liquid Nails Glue
Step one: Paint the wood square shapes. These will become the windows.
Step two: Cut a piece of card stock to fit the windows. Use a square paper punch to cut out four squares as pictured.
Step three: Cut cardstock to fit the rectangle and emboss it with the wood grain folder. I chose to sand it lightly to bring out the wood pattern.
Step four: Use the Outdoor Mod Podge to adhere the papers to the wood shapes. Seal it with Mod Podge. I like to seal mine twice to make sure I didn’t miss any spots.
Embellish the door with hinges (I used grungeboard shapes that I had in my stash) and cut the prongs off a brad to glue on and make a doorknob. It would be cute to add a tiny wreath to the door!
I didn’t want to damage any trees, so I used Liquid Nails (a fast drying caulk-like material) to glue the doors and windows onto the tree. The waterproof Mod Podge will protect the paper from rain, so your gnome house will be safe for some time!
My kids, especially my four year old, were delighted with this gnome yard craft. It’s simple enough that they can help you make it and decorate it. My daughter has turned ours into a home for various creatures (currently there are various plastic animals out there!) which she enjoys checking on every morning.
I like looking into my yard and seeing the unexpected pop of color on the tree. You can’t help but be happy when fairies, gnomes, and elves live in your garden!
About Morena
Morena Hockley is the crafty mind behind the tutorials at morenascorner.com. Morena is a stay at home mom to four young children, and crafting is what helps her maintain her sanity. It’s a wonderful outlet and it’s how she gets her “me” time. In a past life, Morena was an elementary school teacher and an assistant principal. She misses teaching, so her blog is in a sense a virtual classroom. Swing by and check out Morena’s Corner!
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SO cute! I like that I like the simplicity…even I can do it! 🙂
I have the perfect tree in my yard for this project and my son is going to love it! Thank you for such a great idea.
What an absolutely fantastic project to liven up any yard. Makes me wish we had a bigger tree in our front yard. This is so sweet and fun, who wouldn’t want to do this? I’m an old lady and want to make this. We do have couple trees in front yard so might just have to do anyway. Now to keep the dog off it, that’s the hard part. He eats pieces of wood. I’ll be on lookout for some knomes, so cute and fun. Why not huh? So glad I’m subscribed and you shared this project.. Our youngest daughter has been doing fairy gardens since her girls were little, says she’s not going to do it anymore since the girls are teenagers now. I have got to forward this to her. Happy Spring day
So cute, I keep getting so many cute ideas for my fairy garden, I will just have to add this to my garden. Thanks for sharing.
Morena – this is SO cute! We love fairy doors, and the addition of windows (and storeys) is genius! I’m pinning this so that I remember it. Love love LOVE it!
Thank you so much!