Fairy Garden in a Jar

Create a decorative miniature fairy garden in a jar using air dry clay and your imagination!

These fairy gardens use fake moss and sculpted items to make a natural scene for a tiny fairy or gnome. This project is a fun way to use your creativity. We’ve included six different sculpture ideas to get you started, feel free to brainstorm your own unique creations as you craft your garden

• 1 wide mouth shallow jar (Oui yogurt jars work great)
• Piece of cardboard the width of the jar Moss fabric (or loose artificial moss) to cover bottom of jar
• Air dry clay
• Craft glue
• Toothpick or tools to help sculpt
• Scissors
• Optional Decorating supplies:
  • Craft foam
  • Paper cutouts
  • Stickers
  • Natural items (branches, rocks) or craft supplies (pom poms, stickers)
  • Pre-made/found items to decorate

Spend some time thinking of what type of environment you want to create. There’s not a lot of room inside a jar, so planning is important so you don’t make something too big or run out of space.

Start by making a base for the garden. Use the smallest part of the jar to trace a circle onto some cardboard. To make it fit inside the jar, cut the cardboard a little smaller than the traced circle, about ¼” should be enough. Test it out inside the jar and adjust as needed.

To make the base look more natural, glue the cardboard to some moss fabric. You can be creative and use other items like gravel or specialty fabrics to make the ground of your garden. Let the glue dry and trim the edges. If the moss is loose and shedding pieces, you can water down some glue and give it a light coat to seal it.

Mushrooms are a classic fairy garden accessory and easy to make with some clay. To make the cap, roll a ball of clay and gently push one side with your finger to make a dome shape. You can also use a pencil eraser and your fingers to help shape it.

To make the stem, roll a log of clay and press it into the cap to attach it. You can use your fingers or a tool to help blend the two pieces of clay together. Try and make a wide base so the mushroom can stand up on its own in the jar - too narrow and it may tip over easily. Press the mushroom against the table to flatten the bottom so it can stand up. You can also use flattened balls of clay to make spots and add some texture under the cap. After sculpting, let the clay dry according to the package directions. You can then decorate with markers or paint to customize.

Another plant that can be fun in a fairy garden is a cactus. Roll a large log and two small logs, the larger piece will make the trunk.

Attach the two smaller pieces to each side and bend them to make arms. Press the bottom against a table to flatten it. Let it dry and then decorate. This shape can also make a piece of coral for an underwater scene. Press some holes into it or paint them on. You can also experiment with making flowers, trees, and other plants to put in your garden.

To make a rabbit, start by rolling a large, medium, and two small balls of clay. Use the large ball to make the body. Press into a teardrop shape, the pointed end will be the front paws. Press the bottom flat.

Then attach the medium sized ball to make the head. You can use a tool to help you combine the two pieces. Add some ears by attaching the small balls of clay to the head and gently pinching them to make a long shape. You can also make a tail with another ball of clay and details like eyes. Decorate with markers or paints to add even more detail after the clay dries.

Another common garden visitor is a snail. To make the snail’s shell roll out a piece of clay to make a ‘snake’ shape with one end a little wider than the other. Roll a second snake to make the snail’s body.

Starting at the smaller end, coil the first snake to make a shell. Attach the shell to the second snake and adjust the shape as needed. Bend the other side of clay to shape the head. You can also add some antennae or eyes with small pieces of clay. Add some fun colors after the clay dries.

Fairy doors are often seen outside on trees, but we can make a tiny one for our jar. To shape the door, roll out a ball of clay and press flat. Then make the bottom of the door by pressing one side against the table. You can also shape the door with tools.

To make the door frame, roll out a long, thin snake of clay and attach it around the rounded edge of the door shape. You can also add some texture with a tool and roll out a small ball of clay to make a door knob. After the clay dries you can add even more detail with markers or paints.

The last example sculpture we can try uses a found object to make some furniture. Fairies, gnomes, and other tiny magical creatures often repurpose things they gather from their environment like buttons.

Try using a button as the top of a tiny table for the garden and clay for legs. Make 3 or 4 short logs to create the table legs and press the ends flat. Let the clay dry and decorate before attaching to the button. You can try this method to make chairs out of smaller buttons to set around the table.

After all your sculptures are decorated, it’s time to put them in the garden! Use some glue to attach them around the moss base. To help keep pieces from shifting while the glue dries, you can use small pieces of cardboard or tape to hold them in place.

You can also decorate the inside or outside of the jar with stickers, cut foam shapes, or other materials. After the glue is dry on your sculptures, place the decorated base into the jar. For a different style, you can place the jar over your scene. To hold everything together, you can glue the base and jar to a piece of cardboard and trim to fit.