I have wanted to do something with this tree for quite some time. I decided to cover up the hole with a Fairy door! I bought a piece of quarter inch plywood to use for the door. I drew the door pattern to fit the hole, and cut it out...
An elementary art teacher blog with art projects and lessons, DIY projects and outfit photos as well as clothing I have made myself.
I have made four different fairy doors so far for my various Fairy Products. I will show you how I made each one. Step by step instructions with photos Fairy Door How To Make a Basic Fairy Door Materials and Tools needed A piece of wood Black acrylic paint 2 different colours of acrylic paint Clear gloss acrylic paint Jigsaw Wood file Ruler I was able to get the wood free because my sister had replaced her old wooden fence. I have many 6 ft by 4 inch wooden slats. Some are warped but most are fine.Choose the wood carefully. It needs to be completely flat or the door will not sit right. If you are making the doors for outside make sure you choose the appropriate wood. Fairy Door Shapes Cutting the Wood to Make the Fairy Door Decide on the size of the door you want to make. The width of the wood will determine this unless you plan to buy it new. Measure the size onto your first piece and mark the end of the door. Draw the arch of the door on to the wood. This will be on the top of the wood piece. Always cut the arch first. Once this is done to your satisfaction then you can cut the end of the door. Now you have your door shape. Use a wood file to smooth the door and make it neater. Door before it was smoothed out Door after it was smoothed out Creating the Fairy Door How To Make the Arch Take the ruler and draw a light straight line down one of the sides. Do the same to the other side to the exact width as the first one. Go to the top of the door and mark a dot in the centre. Then move it down to the same size of the gap on the sides. From this dot draw the line of the arch to meet the line of the left side. Do the same from the right side. Now you have created your arch. If you are happy with the shape you can mark out the lines deeper by going over them with the pencil a few times. If the shape is a bit shaky just mark it out again until you are satisfied with it. Then you can mark them a few more times to make them easier to see. Draw the arch way with a pencil How To Paint the Arch of the Fairy Door On the inside of the line of the arch paint whatever colour you prefer as long as it is going to contrast the colour you intend to paint the main part of the door. Be careful to stay within the lines. Leave to dry completely before you begin the next step. Painting the Fairy Door How you paint the main part of the fairy doors depends on what you are using them for. Or indeed your own taste. For adults I prefer to only paint the arch bricks and leave the main part of the door in its natural wood . If the wood I am using is not up to standard to leave like this then I paint it brown. Once I have finished the arch I use clear acrylic gloss paint to give a nice finish. I like to paint the doors in bright colours when I make them for children. So choose whatever colour you prefer and paint it. Leave to dry completely before you proceed to the next step. Now you want to draw out the outline of the large bricks around the sides. Get your pencil and draw your first brick at the very top. This brick is the largest one and is twice the size of most of the others. Go to the top of the arch and make another dot in the centre. This is the middle of your first brick. Draw a line to the left and then to the right from the top. Continue until you have made your brick. Have a look at the photo to see exactly what I mean. Draw the remaining lines down both sides. How To Make a Fairy Door Now you want to mark out the lines on the door. Using your ruler and pencil start from the centre of the top of the door and draw a line down to the bottom. On either side of this line draw another line the same distance apart. This will give you four wooden slates of the door. Be careful at this stage not to transfer the pencil lead onto the painted door from your hands. It is very easy to do but also easy to avoid. If you do mark the door finish the lines and then paint over the effected parts with your original colour. If you intend to draw the hinges and a door knob now it the time to do it. Draw them with a pencil lightly first. When you are satisfied with them mark with the pencil a few more times to make the darker. see the above photo. How to Paint the Lines of the Door and Create the Bricks I always start with the archway bricks. Mainly in black paint. I sometimes use a dark purple if painting a door for children. The colour needs to be dark because you want to bring out the light colour of the bricks. Start from the top on your main brick. Carefully paint on the lines around the colour. This first brick will be straight but after that the other bricks need to be painted in different shapes to give the impression of different sizes. Look at the photos below to get a better idea of how best to achieve this. Leave to dry completely before you paint the lines on the door and the hinges and door knob. Paint these the same colour as the lines on the bricks. Leave to dry. As you can see from the photo the hinges and doorknob have been painted over. You can still see a faint outline of the shapes. Paint these black. Paint the whole door with Clear gloss acrylic paint. This gives a nice finish. Completed Fairy Doors Fairy Door Fairy Door on an Indoor Fairy Garden Fairy Door Fairy Door Fairy Doors for Children When I am making fairy doors for children I use stones, beads or buttons for the hinges and door knob. I also decorate some of the bricks. Kids love colour and different textures. Gluing the Door Knob and Hinges Please be careful when gluing the pieces onto the door. A glue gun will give you a very bad burn if you do not use it correctly. I use an old hole maker to press down on the wood for small pieces. This helps you to avoid the heat of the glue. It depends what you have in your craft supplies on what you can use. If you intend to make these in order to sell then you should look out for all suitable items in craft shops, yard sales, car boots sales etc. Most of my first doors were made from old jewelry, buttons etc that my family gave me. So make sure you ask all relatives for old stuff they no longer use. See the photos below for some of the doors I have finished off in this way Tooth Fairy Door Fairy Door Fairy Door Wall Art Fairy Door
This easy tutorial features a DIY Fairy Door project that's even easy enough for kindergartners. Fairies not included.
You probably know by now that I’m a big fan of fairy gardens. I really love making them. Lately, I’ve been searching for inspiration for a big fairy garden
A couple of years ago, in a Storyboard piece on John McPhee‘s gorgeously built Encounters with the Archdruid, the acclaimed author Adam Hochschild wrote about narrative structure: A few years ago I was with a young cousin, a college student who told me she was majoring in civil engineering. “I’ve never really understood,” I asked her. […]
¡Preciosas Puertas de Casas de Hadas! Estas Puertas de Casas de Hadas te servirán para hacer preciosas decoraciones para tu Fiesta de...
Whether you believe in fairies or not these little doors are lovely little accents to any room! They are so Continue Reading
While much of Old World Europe has disappeared due to war, modernization, or both, there are still a number of fairytale-like towns that offer lots of Old World European charms like cobblestone lanes, picturesque architecture, and more. Spend your days gazing at the historic buildings, shopping for unique treasures, and dining at adorable outdoor cafes. […]
How to create hidden messages and pictures using invisible ink and the science of oxidation!
Fairy doors can be made for miniature fairy houses or they can be made as a separate, standalone decoration that can be attached to a tree base, wall or some other area to suggest an entrance way to fairyland. Whatever your final use for...
Make learning an adventure.
These Fairy Lantern Jars are a fun DIY craft idea for the kids to make. These make wonderful night lights using mason jars.
Do you use fairy tales in your classroom? They are the perfect way to explore readers' theater, mask making, letters to character, literacy skills and more!
Fairy doors can be made for miniature fairy houses or they can be made as a separate, standalone decoration that can be attached to a tree base, wall or some other area to suggest an entrance way to fairyland. Whatever your final use for...
Turn your garden into a magical and whimsical space.
Let a little magic into your life.
If your kids are working on identifying and ordering numbers up to 20, you'll love these cute build a farm fence number ordering mats! There are four mats
Woodland Fairy bedroom ideas, check out these magical ideas for your kids room!
I thought I would show you how to make a simple interior door and jamb from mat board. I took the opening measurement from the Hobby Builder's catalog so this door is standard for today's dollhouses. Once you have learned the method you can make doors of different dimensions. I have bought lots of books from Dover Publishers.com. This book is very good for doors and windows. It doesn't give measurements but the ideas are great. Some examples of the pages. I will begin with the jamb or the frame in which the door sets. The Hobby Builder's catalog listed the opening as 3" wide, 7" high and 3/8" deep. Cut strips of mat board 3/8" wide. Cut at least 40". I am going to be using yellow carpenter's glue through out this tutorial. Cut 4 pieces of the mat board 7" long, that's in the picture above. Glue two pieces together and glue another two pieces together. You now have two pieces 7" long that are double thickness of mat board. Cut from the mat board 3 pieces 2 3/4" long. Glue two of these pieces together. Leave the third piece for later. Cut 1/8" wide strips from mat board, at least 20". Measure and mark on the doubled strips of mat board the center, 3/16" from either side. Glue the 1/8" wide strip along the line. There will be 3/16" left on one side. This is called the "stop". It stops the door so it only swings one way. Here are the three pieces of the jamb with the stop glued on. There are two sides and one top. Pay attention to how I have this laid out. With your craft knife cut off 1/8" of the stop at the top of one side. Do the same thing with the other side. This is what the top of the side should look like after you've made the cut. I am holding the top of the jamb in my hand. The side in on the table. The top fits down onto the side. The stop should line up all around. I have the sides glued to the top. Do you see that the sides are covering the ends of the top? Look at the stop, it is lined up all around. Now, for the third piece of 3/8" wide mat board you set aside earlier, this is the bottom of the jamb or threshold. Measure and mark the center, then mark 1/8" away from that. Use your craft knife to cut on the marks. Cut 1/16" deep. This is the threshold with the cuts made. Use 220 grit sand paper to round off the long edges of the threshold. Glue the threshold to the bottom of the jamb. The stop is in the openings you cut out. Showing another view of the threshold. Please let this dry. I measured the inside of the jamb for the measurement of the door. I left a little play, that's carpenter talk for extra space between the door and jamb. This measurement is 2 11/16" x 6 3/4". Cut this from mat board. This is my cut sheet. I've drawn the door in 1 inch scale and then measured what I need to cut. You will notice I've got my 3/8" measurements together then I've got an oddball 3/4" measurement and then the 9/16" measurements are together. If you are using a table saw or mat cutting system this makes it easy to follow. Set the width once and make those cuts and move onto the next one. You will have all your strips cut to width. All you will have to do is measure for the length and cut. I've got my 3/8" strips cut. I've cut 4 of the 3/8" strips 6 3/4" long and glued them along the sides of the door. I've done this to both sides of the door. Although I have the length written down I usually just dry fit and mark with a pencil where I need to cut for length. I will do this for the rest of the door, both sides. I use my square and craft knife to cut the strips to length. I've got a 3/8" strip at the top, 3/4" strip in the lower middle and a 9/16" strip at the bottom. I do this for both sides. Just a word here, this would make a fine door right now if you want. I am dry fitting and marking for the center pieces, they are from 3/8" strips. I've got the center strips glued in, both sides. I want to show you something. Do you see the two pencil marks on the top strip? I am measuring for the center. This is an old carpenter's trick, the old carpenter being my husband, HA! You don't have to divide fractions. I'm using a scrap of mat board. Lay your ruler down, it's length is between the 1/16 and 1/8 inch marks. Make a pencil mark at what looks to be over half to you. Remember the measurement, mine is 1 11/16". I am measuring from the left side. Now, I've rotated the mat board and I am measuring from the other side, 1 11/16". I've made a pencil mark. You should be able the "eye" the center without measuring. Use 220 grit sand paper to round off the square edges of the mat board. Don't do the outside edges of the door just the inside of the rectangles you made with the strips. Just a note here, this makes a fine door right now. To imitate the raised panels we will cut from the 9/16" wide strips of mat board 4 pieces 3 1/4" long and 4 pieces 1 1/4" long. Use 220 grit sand paper to round off all 4 sides of these pieces. After you have rounded off the edges glue these pieces into the center of the rectangles of the door, both sides. I've got the door just setting in the jamb. I am using scrap mat board from a framer. Got a good buy on some large pieces for $3.00 and $5.00 a piece. They were discontinued colors. Last time I bought a piece from Michael's it was $15.00! Going to make the trim for the jamb. Cut from mat board a few pieces, enough for both sides of the door, a fat 1/8" wide and 5/16" wide. Glue the fat 1/8" strip to one side of the 5/16" strip. Use 220 grit sand paper to round off the the edges of the strips. I use The Chopper for my mitres. I've made the first cut. I have no trick for you in cutting mitres, I am sorry. It's all in the measuring, measure twice, cut once. Glue the trim onto the jamb, on the outside piece of mat board. Leave the inside piece showing, that's called the reveal. That's why I doubled the mat board on the jamb so we would have something to glue to, even if it is a single piece of 1/16" thick piece of mat board. The jamb is going to be glued into a door opening. I have the trim glued on. Cut two of everything so you have trim for the other side of the door jamb. You will put that on after you have the door and jamb in the opening. I used 180 grit sand paper to sand round one side of the door. This makes it easier for the door to swing with a pin hinge. The rounded side is the side that will have the pin hinge. That's all I use. I haven't gotten to putting real hinges on, yet. I have a small stash of these short thick brass pins, I don't know where I got them from. You can use a straight pin or dollhouse nails for the hinge. Putting the pins in is a little tricky. Place the door into the jamb and mark on the door and jamb, have the marks line up. You want to be 3 /32" from the edge of the door. Your door is 3/16" thick, you want to have the pin in the middle of that. Transfer the 3/32" mark to the top and bottom of the jamb and drill using a tiny drill bit. You don't have to drill into the door, only through the top and bottom of the jamb. The pin will go into the door pretty easily. Insert your pins. Don't worry if you don't succeed on the first try. If you make too many attempts just put glue in the holes, let dry and try again tomorrow. Tigger's on my table. I hope you try this out. I had this made in a couple of hours, that beats waiting for it being shipped. Have fun, Expand on it, Make it better . . . . . Just Keep Making Minis! TTUL Kris P.S. I added a picture showing one of the pins in the bottom of the jamb or threshold. A pin goes in the top of the jamb, too. The pins are inserted into the side of the door that you rounded off with sand paper. I hope this helps a little more.
Learn step by step how to customize and transfer printed out photographs (for a Vision board or for gifts) to canvas yourself using an easy medium paste.
I sketched a fairy-tale world, my inner world… June, I proceeded a shop window project for “ARTIFACTS” anniversary, It’s a multi-brand boutique, showcasing contemporary fash…
Fairy gardens have become increasingly popular in recent years, and it’s easy to see why! These tiny gardens are full of whimsy and charm, and they offer a
With this easy technique you can make any new piece of wood look reclaimed and weathered!
Whether you're looking to learn more about fairy doors in downtown Ann Arbor, or curious about where the phenomenon all started, or wondering about where you can buy a locally made fairy door, this gallery's loaded with images and videos to provide information on all things Ann Arbor fairy doors.
Want to do something a little different with kids when visiting Ann Arbor? Use my custom map and guide to find the many Ann Arbor fairy doors!
We moved our things into the new house on Friday, and we just spent our third night there. Unbelievably, it's starting to feel a little bit like home.
Set of 15 hand-drawn doors. This unique set of hand drawn doodle doors are perfect for your small commercial or personal project. High quality PNG, SVG and EPS Vector files included. This is a digital product and no physical product will be sent. YOU WILL RECEIVE -15 separate black PNG files in high-resolution (300 dpi)6x6 inc with transparent backgrounds -15separate black SVG files 1000x1000 px -15 separete black SVG files 6x6 inc - 15 separete black EPS file fully customizable in 10 illustrator DETAILS - Images are INDIVIDUALLY saved, high quality, 300 DPI, transparent PNG files. - Images are provided in a ZIP file for ease of download. - Images will be available as an instant download. After confirmed payment, your download will be available via your Etsy purchases. YOU MAY - Use GraphicsPrintArt images in both digital and printed format. - Use GraphicsPrintArt images for both personal and commercial projects. - Re-size, re-colour, crop, rotate, or add other elements. YOU MAY NOT - Claim GraphicsPrintArt images as your own, with or without alterations. - Create new clipart sets, digital paper sets, digital scrapbooking kits or similar with GraphicsPrintArt images, with or without alterations. - Re-sell the original GraphicsPrintArt images in a set or individually. - Lend, trade, share or otherwise distribute the original GraphicsPrintArt images as a freebie, download or resource to others, in a set or individually. All items in my shop are DIGITAL ONLY. There is NO physical shipping - you will not receive any products in the mail. Thank you for visiting my shop!
Miss M declared that our mother-daughter trip to Amsterdam was "the best trip ever". But what made it the best? Read on to find out more and to see our tips for ensuring your trip is as good as ours was, too.
Expert advice on how to choose the best plants, containers, and accessories for your indoor and outdoor miniature gardens.
On this page you can download 9 patterns of medieval hinge plates that you can easily make at home.
Do your students need to get up and move a little during the day? Would you like them to still have engaging learning opportunities while moving? Write The Room enables children to move and learn. This activity is differentiated to meet the needs of learners who are learning or reading words in isolation as well as learners who are already learning. This Write The Room activity helps to begin to develop mapping skills through Fairy tales. Children look for clue cards throughout the room and either refer to the picture clue and determine where to glue a picture on a Fairy Tale Map or read a clue and determine where to glue a picture on a Fairy Tale Map. Included: Colored, Numbered Fairy Tale Mapping Clue Cards 8 Picture Version for each Fairy Tale 8 Word Clue Version for each Fairy Tale 1 Read The Room Recording Page Map unique to each Fairy Tale 1 Read The Room Cut/Sort/Glue sorting circles for each Fairy Tale Focus Stories Include: Three Little Pigs The Three Bears Little Red Riding Hood Jack And The Beanstalk The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Make DIY backyard walkways with these creative projects for outdoors. Stepping stones, wood plank paths, brick sidewalks and creative stone paver walk ways.