OoooEeee, I’m super excited to share this week’s little bit of craftiness with you all. A while back, I found an oversized clock at our local thrift store. I originally planned to upcycle it into something that would fit into our boho gypsy decor, but when I took it apart, it struck me that it would make the most amazing little clock fairy garden. All it needed was a porch swing, some topiaries, and a little bit of fairy dust 😉
So this is what the clock looked like when it came home from the thrift store.
I loved how big and chunky it was, but that inside picture was just ……… I don’t know………. too Grandma-ish 😀 Is that even a word? But there’s nothing that a little paint and some mod podge couldn’t fix, right!!? Well, I was wrong. It turns out this clock was destined for something far more magical.
The world is full of magic, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper
Alrighty then, before we get to the tutorial, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
Here’s How to Turn a Clock Into a Magical Fairy Garden
Dismantling the clock
First things first, I needed to figure out a way to turn the clock into a planter so I could add the fairy garden bits inside. The glass that protects the face of the clock was just perfect. I marked the glass and got the friendly chaps at the hardware store to cut it. You can also use a combination of chicken wire and coconut fiber if cutting the glass isn’t an option.
The clock face was a wee bit small to use as the backing for the fairy garden, so I cut a piece of plastic to fit. I made a small hole in the plastic backing for some fairy lights and used silicon glue to attach the backing to the clock before threading the fairy light through and using glue dots to attach them to the top of the clock.
The front glass plate got a coat of flat black spray paint before it was glued on the inside front of the clock. Once the glue dried, I drilled a few small holes at the bottom of the clock for drainage, and she was ready to be filled with a layer of small stones, perlite, charcoal, and garden soil. Finally, we planted the beautiful Crassula pellucida at the bottom. You may remember this indigenous succulent from when we repurposed broken wine glasses to make coconut planters. As an aside, you can get more awesome tips for planting succulents here.
Ready to make a fairy porch swing and some topiaries? Let’s start with the easy bits first.
How to Make Miniature Topiaries
For each topiary, you’ll need the following:
- Three beads in different sizes (small, medium, and large)
- A long toothpick or a wooden skewer that fits through the holes in the beads
- Some moss, glue, and a pair of scissors
Cover the beads with glue (we used E6000) and roll them in the moss until completely covered. Just make sure you don’t cover the holes, though. UGH, it’s a bitch to try and find them again. Ask me how I know 😉
Use scissors to trim any scraggly bits of moss and insert the toothpick or skewer through the holes in the beads. Add a small dab of glue to the bottom of the largest bead so the beads don’t slip down the skewer, and you’re done. You can also make the topiaries using a pool noodle 😉 Okay, now to make this little beauty. I promise it’s pretty easy too.
How to Make a Fairy Porch Swing
The swing can be made in two ways. You can either use cardboard or ice cream sticks. The ice cream sticks are a little harder to cut into the right shapes, but nothing beats the look of a real wooden porch swing 😉 If you use cardboard, please seal all the pieces with outdoor varnish to protect them from getting wet and soggy before putting the swing together.
You’ll need the following:
- Ice cream sticks or thick card stock and skewer
- Jewelry chains. You could also use twine
- A sharp craft knife or scroll saw
- Sandpaper
- Super Glue
- Small side cutters
- Four pins
Print the really easy porch swing template below and use it to cut out all the pieces using your craft knife or scroll saw.
Pieces A to F are all cut from the ice cream sticks or card stock, and G and H are cut from skewers. Sand any rough bits using fine-grit sandpaper.
Assembling The Fairy Porch Swing
Once all the bits have been cut and sanded, glue the Side Support to the Seat Support (B and D). Just remember to glue them so they mirror each other. See pic below.
Line the Back Slates (E) up and glue them between the two Back Top pieces (A). Glue the Back Support (G) you cut from the skewer at the bottom of the Back Slates. Glue the Side and Seat Supports (B and D) to the Back (E, A, and G), as shown in the piccy below.
Add the Seat Slates (F) and glue the Arm Rests (B) onto the Side Support (D). Carefully measure the distance between the Seat Slates and the Arm Rests and cut a skewer to make an Arm Support (H). Glue the Arm Supports in place.
I hope all those letters of the alphabet aren’t confusing. It is pretty easy once you see the pieces. Cut the pins and use them as nails to attach the jewelry chain to the swing.
Putting everything together
To finish up, I hung the porch swing by pushing pins through the top of the chain and taping them on the inside of the clock. To hide the fairy lights, I used that spider web stuff you’d normally use to decorate for Halloween. The small topiaries were pushed into the soil on either side of the swing to complete the picture.
Okay, so that was a loooooong one, but I wanted to show you how to make a clock fairy garden and porch swing. This is now officially one of my favorite fairy gardens. I love how it looks at night when we switch on the fairy lights.
I do hope you enjoyed the tutorial. Let me know in the comments, and please shout if anything doesn’t make sense.
If you like the idea of the clock fairy garden, don’t forget to pin it for later 😉
Oh, before I forget, if you don’t want to go to the trouble of finding some of the materials we used, we’ve got you covered Disclosure: Clicking on the links below means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry, it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more unique DIY and craft tutorials to share with you 😉
Until next time, I hope you have a beautiful, craft-filled week. Love as always
P.S. If you liked this tutorial, you might enjoy making this adorable miniature teddy bear to put on the porch swing. It’s really easy to do.
Last update on 2026-06-03 / Source Amazon Affiliates
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