Dollar Store Craft Challenge

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Dollar Store Craft Challenge – photo 1

My Fairy Garden

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It’s always exciting to participate in craft challenges, especially with these lovely bloggers

Mary at The Boondocks Blog
Laurie at My Husband has Too Many Hobbies

Gail at Purple Hues and Me

Gloria and Beverly at Across the Boulevard

When Laurie suggested a Dollar Store Craft Challenge, an idea immediately popped into my head.
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Fairy Garden!
If it’s a flop, the expense is minimal. I’ve wanted one for quite some time, but didn’t have confidence in my ability to execute.

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Here’s what I chose for inspiration: Adorable Pegasus Toys, a small “Welcome to My Garden” sign, marbles, and this half barrel planter. My total was $13.50 plus tax. You can see $10 was the price of the planter. Isn’t it CUTE?! I may go back and get another planter. These are the perfect size for the table on our back porch and the vintage vibe is great for our old rock farmhouse.

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Next big decisions were plant choices. I purchased asparagus fern and purslane in an “end of season” sale for half price. Viola and moss were swiped from around our yard. The taller plants were placed at the back and side, with the creeper in front to drape over the edge. I used the moss as a cover for the soil, really just piecing it together like a quilt.
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Now for the crafting! ‘Just one tutorial for today, but I’ll post the rest later! 😉

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I wanted the horses to look less like toys and more like statues, so they were placed on a stump in the back yard and given a quick zap of gray spray paint. When it was time to flip them over and spray the other side, they were gone.
?????
Labrador puppies may have been involved in this crime. Hoo boy! It’s a good thing they are cute. I could have wrung their adorable necks.

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No worries, though. This story still has a happy ending.

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The heads became garden statues! Bite marks add character, right? 😉 Both were cleaned, painted gray and hot-glued to small pedestals. One base is a wine cork and the other is a tiny plastic seed starting pot.

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The wings were hot-glued to the back of a button and hang above the fairy’s front door! I gave the button just a bit of gray overspray to make it look speckled and feel vintage.

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This plastic tub is recycled from one of those ‘just add water’ meals. It’s perfect for holding the fairy house up from the soil and moisture. After washing, the lid was covered with green fabric to help it blend with the moss.

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Marbles outline the patio and are dropped here and there for a bit of shimmer.

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These colorful broken tiles and polished stones were already in my stash. Don’t they make a lovely patio?

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My cute little sign is snuggled against the fern with a couple of shells.

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From there, whatever struck my fancy, like a tiny watering can, was placed around the garden.

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My inner child is ridiculously happy with this project!

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I’ll be publishing a post about how I created my fairy house from a gourd grown in our garden.
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Have you ever looked for inspiration from a dollar store?
Edit June 24: You can find the tutorial for the Fairy House HERE .
Happy crafting!
😉 -Marci