Pony Bead Suncatcher Chimes

This creation looks so sweet in our garden. You can make one very easily by following these steps:

Supplies:
Translucent pony beads (Translucent are vital!)
Fishing line
Glass Beads
Baking dishes
Drill
Scissors

1-Turn your oven on 300 degrees
2-Let your child create a full singular layer of beads in each dish. We chose two color dishes, a singular color dish, and multi-colored dishes. We think the multi-colored is the cutest.
3-Melt in the oven for 12-15 minutes, cool completely and they pop right out.

4-Drill one hole about an inch in on each one and on the large center circle drill 5 additional holes along the bottom. (In hindsight, I should have spaced mine further apart.)

5-Tie a long piece of fishing line to each drilled hole and attach desired beads and a sun catcher at staggering lengths. Sorry I didn't take a picture of this step, but I added 1-2 glass beads knotted to the fishing line before and after where I attached each mwlted bead sun catcher.

My daughter mainly played with the beads while I attached them. But after I completed each strand I would show her and she would reply with her eyes full of excitement, "Mommy that's wonderful!". (I think she's pretty wonderful too.)

We enjoyed making it and now playing with it in the garden. Hope you and your wee one enjoy your project!

Fairy Garden

We created a fairy garden for my girls in an existing flower bed. It's a very inexpensive and sweet project that you and your kids can add to over time. We recruited the grandparents to make it especially memorable. I started by gathering anything I thought we could use and spread them out on a towel outside, for my daughter to explore. We also hunted around the yard for interesting sticks and rocks. What is in our fairy garden?

1-At the base of the tree is a birdhouse from dollar tree that my two year old painted and I sealed.

2-Tiles from an old bathroom remodel serve as a winding road through the village.

3-Decorative blue stones & marbles add to the landscape; items I already had.

4-A defunct two-story birdhouse I got from Hobby Lobby several years back. Wrapped in whimsical garland, it is also surrounding the base of the tree.

5-An old crystal belt winds through the garden as a sort of railroad track.

6-Unique looking sticks we gathered from the yard are planted periodically.

7-A sweet neighbor bought a few items for the girls from Blue Moon Gardens in Edom, TX (the metal bridge, tool shed & a bike leaning against the stick by the hand painted birdhouse).

8-The platforms outside the homes are the reverse sides of dominos that I stamped with leaf patterns and sealed.

9-I bought a few succulents to line the path and have a 'resurrection plant' in the pond that can live without water as needed.

10-A few pieces of a favorite broken teacup are also scattered in the garden, along with a miniature watering can, a chair and a gazing ball that I already had.

You'll be amazed at how many things you have that can add a bit of whimsy to your fairy garden! Pieces from a doll house, seashells, buttons, glass gems, glitter, tiles, old compact mirrors, etc. There were even a couple of books at my local library on how to build fairy garden furniture from sticks-let your imagination run wild!

Our next addition to the garden will be a miniature clothesline & perhaps another fairy house made with a button roof and glitter, lots of glitter...