In lieu of a secret garden that is walled in, I’m adding little personal touches to our garden that will add some whimsy and surprise for our kids. Enter the fairy door.
While I am coming more and more to terms each day with the reality that I can not in fact control my children’s thoughts and feelings (thank goodness), However, I can think of them and create with them in mind. I truly don’t know how I came up with it, but had the idea that hiding a little compartment within one of my raised beds would be so fun. A little treasure trove that I could tuck tiny treats into. Things like little clay figurines, bouncy balls, wrapped candies, or maybe tiny notes with symbols on them.
Fairy Folklore
Traditional fairy doors are fixed onto the base of a tree as a fun folklore gesture that creates the ability for fairies to cross in and out of our world. Children are delighted to find them and sometimes even leave little gifts.
It is said that fairies can be mischevious, so to be sure to not have them too close to the house or anything that can be broken. To keep them happy, give them little offerings like bits of food, flowers, trinkets, etc.
I personally also recall being totally enamored by fairies as a child and would go into this tiny shop in Occidental (a small town near my home) that was filled with fairy books, figurines, crystals, incense, and all the magical things. I’d spend hours in there while my dad waited outside for me. I look back now and realize the poor man was probably entirely uninterested, but still being supportive.
Perhaps I’m just playing to my inner child’s desires, but nonetheless, here we are.
Where to Put a Garden Fairy Door
In my personal interpretation, we will be building a little box within one of our raised beds, with a fairy door that is functional and opens up. I’ve had this idea in my head for two years and finally get to see it come to life!
While we are going to make it built into the base of a bed, there are other options of course!
You could build up a mound of dirt and create a little hobbit home, or pull a brick out of a wall and place a door over it. You could even build a little stick teepee and use that as a fairy or gnome home.
Get creative!
Fairy Door Options
After doing more research than I am willing to admit, it’s clear that Etsy is the place to go for fairy doors.
The unique quality that I wanted was function – a door that actually opens, but is also cute, and a tiny bit discreet so that it does indeed feel like a secret find. I want someone to truly stop in their tracks and bend down to open the door, full of magic when they see a tucked-away thingamajig.
I originally wanted something very hidden and wooden, but then quickly pivoted to yellow because it was too cute. If I change my mind, I’ll paint it.
Below are a few additional options that I just loved. They’re simply so cute.
To see some more of our renovation, go here (it’s our before). Stay tuned to see the fairy door reveal, and of course, let me know if you have any questions in the below comments.
