How to Make a Solar Powered Fairy House

learn how to make a fairy house
Have you made a fairy garden yet? You can check out the fairy garden I made last year, here

This year, I'm upping my fairy garden game with a DIY fairy house that I made myself. 

But this isn't just any fairy house! This fairy house is made from recycled materials AND it's solar powered! 

The solar powered roof collects sunlight during the day--and then at night, the windows of the fairy house will glow! Sweet!

A big thanks to SolarCity for sponsoring this fun tutorial. If you want your solar capabilities to go beyond your fairy house to your people house, be sure to check them out (tell them I sent you!).

How to make a DIY fairy house


Supplies

Links below are referral links. Make shopping for supplies easy and just click to add things to your Amazon cart!
*In order for this project to work for you, the diameter of the top part of the solar light must be 1-2 inches bigger than the diameter of the bottle you are using. Choose your light and bottle accordingly.


how to make a DIY fairy garden house with a garden light to make it solar powered



Directions

DIY fairy house step 1: Prep the windows

To make the windows of my fairy house, I used some mini picture frames I found in the bargain bin area of Michael's.

The particular frames I bought were pink (the only color they had). To help them coordinate with the fairy door, I started by giving them 2 coats of grey paint and letting them dry completely.
how to make a fairy garden house


DIY fairy house step 2: Prep the bottle

To make the body of the fairy house, I used a bottle I had from an iced coffee beverage. It had a narrow neck and wider bottom so I used some heavy duty scissors to cut the top off.
Supplies for making a fairy garden house from recycled materials


DIY fairy house step 3: Assemble the house

I gathered these supplies for this step of constructing the fairy garden house (clockwise from top): Mod Podge collage clay, small rocks, painted frames, fairy door, and plastic bottle.
how to make a DIY fairy garden house

The collage clay is like a combination clay and adhesive that is the consistency of frosting. I started by drawing a line of collage clay on the back edges of the fairy door so I could adhere it to the bottle.
DIY fairy house tutorial
Repeat this step with the back edges of the frames and adhere to the bottle. It's ok if the clay squishes out from the edges of the frames and door.
best fairy house ideas


Then, starting near the edge of door, I applied some collage clay to the bottle. It's not perfectly smooth - and that's ok!
how to make a fairy house from recycled materials
Then, following the outline of the door, I pressed some rocks into the collage clay.
DIY fairy house
I continued adding collage clay and rocks along the outside edges of the door and windows. I also used Q-tips to wipe away excess collage clay poking into the inside of the window frames.
how to make a fairy house
Once the door and windows were outlined, I kept going to fill in the other areas on the plastic bottle with more collage clay and rocks until the whole bottle was covered like a little fairy cottage.

Once done, I had to set it aside so they clay could dry. Mine took about 12 hours in a room with a fan to completely set - but the package says that depending on the thickness of the clay and the humidity in your area, it could take as many as five days
Mod Podge collage clay fairy house idea

DIY fairy house step 4: Add the roof

To make the roof of the fairy garden house, I unscrewed the top off of a solar powered garden stake.
solar path light project ideas

Once the clay on the fairy house was dry, I set it on top of the house.

Because I wanted to be able to access the underside of the roof as needed (like for swapping out the battery), I chose not to glue the roof onto the house. It fits quite nicely just being set on top, though!
best DIY fairy house ideas



That's it!
Set your fairy house in your fairy garden to gather sunlight and then take a peek as night falls and you'll see the glow of the little fairies staying up late into the evening!
 Best fairy garden house ideas
how to make a fairy house for your fairy garden




Once again, a big thank you to SolarCity for sponsoring this craft powered by the sun! Be sure to visit their website to check out their people-sized solar power solutions (tell them I sent you!).

Carissa Bonham

About the Author:

Carissa Bonham is a lifelong crafter and mom of two creative boys. The owner and lead writer at Creative Green Living, she won the Craftys Award for the "Best Craft Blogger" category in 2016 and the ShiftCon award for "Best DIY Blogger" in 2018.

Her goal is to empower families to make easy projects and healthier choices that are beautiful and delicious! She is also the author of the hardcover cookbook, Beautiful Smoothie Bowls (Skyhorse, 2017) and Proven Techniques for Keeping Healthy Chickens (Skyhorse, 2018). 

Her projects have been featured in magazines like Kids Crafts 1-2-3, Capper's Farmer and Urban Farm Magazine. Follow her on PinterestInstagramTwitter or join the Creative Green Living Tribe.
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Sponsored post disclosure: This post was brought to you by SolarCity. Fairy house craft, photos, instructions and opinions expressed are copyrighted and 100% mine. For more information on sponsored content, see my full sponsored post and review policy.

19 comments

  1. This is so cute. Perfect for my garden. Going to copy this. Thanks!

    Mariz
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    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this idea. Can't wait to make one myself! Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I've bought all the 'ingredients' to make the fairy house but have read that the collage clay isn't suitable for outdoor use. Have you had any problems with yours or have you kept it indoors? Thanks

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    Replies
    1. I haven't had an issue with it so far but it also hasn't rained very much and I have it in a sheltered spot. You can clean it with a damp cloth so I think some water is ok but if it is ever in standing water, I think it will dissolve

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    2. Maybe try giving it a couple of coats of a spray on varnish made for outdoor items (before attaching the solar light) for added protection.

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  4. I'm going to try clear drying bathroom caulk. That should be fine for outdoors.

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    Replies
    1. I'd love to hear back about how that turns out!

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  5. Where did you get your solar powered garden light?

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    Replies
    1. I ordered a box of them from Blinq - which is an inventory clearance site - but you can find similar ones at Target, Walmart, Home Depot, or on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2n7tGws.

      If you don't want a whole set, you can usually buy them individually for $3-$5.

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  6. I wonder how it would be if sprayed with a non-yellowing clear coat a couple of times would work. I am thinking of making this little house. It looks like fun to do. I have made turtles and lighthouses out of terra cotta pots and trays. Thank you for this cute idea.

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    Replies
    1. It's worth trying! Or maybe do 2-3 coats of the Outdoor formula Mod Podge?

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  7. I love this idea! I have all of the supplies however I am struggling with finding a bottle that will work. Do you have any suggestions?

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    Replies
    1. It depends how wide the top of the solar light you have is. If it is wide like mine (maybe 5-6 inches), try an iced coffee, Orange juice or large hand soap or shampoo bottle.

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  8. Great! Thank you so much! I am going to try those ideas out!!

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  9. I cannot find the mod podge collage clay. Is there and alternative for it?

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    Replies
    1. I think any brand of white "decoden clay" would work

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I love comments! I welcome your comments and questions about this article here!