Semi Permanent Indoor Fairy / Gnome Garden: Bonfire and Bridge

Marc Erick
by Marc Erick
6 Materials
$5
3 Hours
Easy

Howdy! So this post is another addition to my gnome garden project. I'm making an indoor gnome garden built into my entertainment center. Admittedly, the more I work on it, the more it evolves! I've added lighting and water features and it has expanded in size from just a little section of the entertainment stand to the entire top! I'm super excited to see how it all turns out 😀

Anyway, in this post I made two items for the garden, a bonfire and a bridge. For the bonfire I used: a handful of red cedar mulch chips, a small terra cotta pot (2" diameter), some river rocks, and a battery operated flickering votive. In addition, you'll need tacky glue, a bit of moss, and a cotton ball or a bit of artificial snow.

First, using tacky glue, attach the rocks around the outside top of the terra cotta pot, making sure they are above the edge of the pot slightly. This will provide a little 'ledge' for when we add the wood. Allow to dry. (You'll have to do this in sections, allowing the glue to dry a bit. )

Next I used a scrap piece of Styrofoam to use as a support for the next step.

Next, using cedar chips (similar in size & shape) begin glueing them around the Styrofoam support forming a 'teepee'. This is where the little 'ledge' at the top of the pot is very helpful! Start with two pieces, glueing just where they meet at the top only, then continue all around, again using the glue only at the top. Allow to dry completely. You now can remove it from the support. At this point, I gave the whole bonfire a coat of tacky glue for additional support and a nice gloss. Place a small drop of glue at the top and attach a small piece of cotton (I used artificial snow) , gently pull the cotton creating smoke.

Next, place the votive into the pot. Depending on the size of your bonfire, you may need to add some moss in the bottom to raise it up a bit, as I did. Then, lightly glue a little moss to the votive, distorting it a bit. Place your bonfire on top and you're done!

The bottom of the pot gets buried. The top is removable to easily change the battery.

And it looks great at night! Anyone up for some gnome s'mores??😅

Next we'll make a bridge. Again, I used cedar chips and a small branch, thin twine or jute, and tacky glue.

First I have to share a tip. I got this foot scraper at the dollar store. It's my new favorite unconventional tool! It's perfect for sanding, scraping and filing. Anyway, to begin, I am using a branch about 1" in diameter and about 3 - 4" long. I sanded a little bit of each side on the bottom part of the branch to help it stand.

Then, on the opposite side (which will be the top of the bridge), sand each side down, kind of rounding it, creating an arch. Use the foot scraper!😂

Next, cut the cedar chips to roughly the same size and shape and begin glueing them to the top side of the branch, side by side creating the walkway. Allow to dry.

Now we'll make the sides. Using 6 pieces of cedar chips (about 2x longer than the walkway chips) attach them to each side (3 on each side) I had to do one side, allowing it dry, then the other side. At this point, I gently coated the entire piece with a thin layer of tacky glue for additional support and a nice sheen. Allow to dry completely.

Attach twine to each post to complete the bridge. After tieing each post, add a drop of tacky glue to secure, trim any excess twine and you're done!

I hope you enjoyed these little projects and it inspired you to create your own gnome garden!

This is a link to my first post for this project .. a gnome house made from a log.

https://www.hometalk.com/diy/outdoor/garden/semi-permanent-indoor-fairy-gnome-garden-gnome-house-37688294?r=2

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  • Sharon Sharon on Aug 04, 2018

    I want to try this for my daughter's fairy garden, how did you make it look like it's smoking?

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  • Karen Hurst Karen Hurst on Aug 09, 2018

    I can't wait for the revile😀😀😀

  • Michelle Leslie Michelle Leslie on Sep 21, 2018

    I'm so happy I found you on hometalk Marc. Blown away by how creative you are with all your fairy garden bits and pieces. It's going to look so amazing when the village is all done. That bonfire is the best. It's so creative and you thought of everything, even changing the batteries

    • Marc Erick Marc Erick on Sep 22, 2018

      Thank you so much, Michelle. That makes me feel so good 😊 I really appreciate your comments ❤

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