I’ve always dreamed of making a desert fairy garden with a little log cabin for our garden fairies. And this week that dream finally became a reality.
Isn’t it just too cute? If you look carefully you might just see them peeking out the front door. There’s even an outhouse with a long drop and a hand water pump.
The inspiration for the desert fairy garden was this humble little wooden tissue holder. We used a similar one to make a fairy church for my Aunt.
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How to turn a tissue box into a desert fairy house or log cabin
First things first. If your fairy log cabin is going to be outside the wooden tissue box needs to be sealed inside and out. We used a clear exterior deck sealer on ours. To make the roof, we cut a piece of hardboard to fit and cut out two small windows and a door using our Dremel. On the outside of the tissue box, we glued on strips of bark with some silicone. The silicone will help protect the log cabin a bit more. Thin strips of wood were cut into small shingles which we sealed with a matte outdoor wood sealer. Once all the shingles were stuck down, we finished the top of the roof off with a piece of pewter.
Too protect the desert fairies and give them a little place to enjoy the glorious desert sunsets we added a porch to the front of the house. The porch roof is a piece of hardboard covered with shingles and two twigs that keep it up. A tiny porch swing completes the look.
The desert fairies even have solar power in their log cabin. They’re determined to live off the grid. Hubby dismantled a solar garden light for me and we built the solar panel into the roof. I love watching the light go on every night. I’m a mother hen when it comes to the fairies, I need to know they’re home safe.
There’s even a little chimney. Apparently, the nights can become quite chilly in the deserts. We topped the chimney with a piece of a broken lantern.
Unfortunately, the log cabin is a little bit small for an en suite bathroom. So when nature calls our desert fairy has to use an outhouse. We scored pewter to mimic corrugated iron and stuck it on with silicon glue.
A small sign framed with twigs hangs above the outhouse door. And there’s a mosaic tile inside in case the fairies need to check their makeup or something.
There’s even a real teeny, tiny toilet roll inside the outhouse and a miniature Victorian toilet. But you’ll have to come and visit if you want to see it.
We planted succulents and cacti in a half a wine barrel and added some coarse sand. And just like that the desert fairy garden was ready for the fairies to move in.
When you're in the desert you look into infinity. It makes you feel terribly small, but in a strange way quite big.
Don’t you just love their transport? I’ve always wanted a Citroen.
Looks like they had some rain.
Hubby made the teeny little water pump using copper pipe and wire for the desert fairy garden. So adorable. I love watching little people’s faces when they see the garden for the first time. We put incense sticks inside the chimney and the smoke curling up just makes it all seem so real.
Let me know what you think of the desert fairy garden and log cabin and don’t forget to pin it for later.
Oh BTW, If you’re looking for more fairy accessories, I’ve got you covered 😉 Disclosure: If you click on the links below, we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and our fairies will send some fairy dust your way too 😉
Last update on 2026-04-23 / Source Amazon Affiliates
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