YEARS ago I made this 'Mystic Swami Spirit Board'.
Recently someone inquired about it, and since I'm on a Halloweeny kick, and since the idea peaked my fancy, I decided to revisit the project.
Look what few years of farting around with art and craft supplies can do! What a difference! I'm tempted to paint one of these every year to mark the improvement in my skills.
He's looking a little pasty in this pic... let's just ignore that okay.
Just like the original it's painted upon one half of a used wine barrel lid. Made with 1" thick oak staves, and measuring 22" wide, it's a hefty thing.
And I KNOW that some people have strong opinions about Ouiji and spirit boards so let me just say this: this is used wood with letters painted upon it. Glue guns on the other hand, now those things are pure evil.
Can castles! Tin turrets! Recycled fairy garden towers!
The biggest struggles setting up the summer fairy garden have been the battles with the weather and the critters. This year I was determined to come up with something a little more sturdy to survive the summer and the squirrels. These are the result of all that thinkin'.
I'm kinda in love with them and want to make them in all the colours to dot around my garden. Just look at those blue beauties next to the tall poppies.
Some are topped with roof top gardens (which fairies love btw). Others have really simple pointy cone roofs which are just a bit of burlap sewn into a cone shape, then spray painted. The paint adds some stiffness and helps to prevent fraying. Pretty sure that any stiff fabric would do. My initial thought was to use reusable grocery bags (reusing the reusable!) but the burlap was on hand so I'll do that next time.
And speaking of 'next time'...
I've made a video tutorial for the basic version of this project so if you haven't already, hop over and subscribe to my Youtube channel.
The video tutorial is below, and below that you'll find the supply round-up. If you're inspired to make your own tin can kingdom and show it off, tag me in your post! I'd love to see what you made. Want to recreate this project for your own blog? Have at it! Just be sure to link back here please-and-thank-you. The credit for the inspiration is appreciated, and it encourages me to share more free projects.
Here's everything you'll need:
Tin cans of all sizes and shapes
Silicone
Spray paint (I recommend using a paint w/ primer)
Bits and bobs for windows & doors
Cardboard
Stir sticks
Burlap
Stones
Soil
Plants and moss
*GooGone for removing label glue from tins
*Nail polish remover will remove SOME ink stamps
