Reverse Canvas Magical Fairy Forest Tutorial

Are you looking for a way to bring the magic of a fairy forest into your home? A little place where you can escape the mundane world and get lost in enchantment. Well then, this tutorial is perfect for you. I’ll show you how to create your very own fairy forest using an inexpensive reverse canvas.

 

Come on inside. There’s so much to see here.

You can get lost hopping from tree to tree, and if you’re lucky, you’ll spot a tiny fairy house deep in the woods. I wonder who lives there.

This enchanting craft idea is sure to delight children and adults alike. From gathering materials to putting everything together, our step-by-step guide will show you how to make a magical fairy forest.

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What you need

The key to making the fairy forest is a deep box canvas. They’re a little more expensive than a standard canvas, but there’s more room to work with so you can put all kinds of things inside to tell a story. On that note, did you know a box canvas can be turned into a wall clock? My canvas is 3 cm deep and 15 cm x 15 cm (1 1/8″ deep and 6″ x 6″). To create extra depth and hide the ugly backside of the canvas, I would suggest making a frame too. I rummaged around in our stockpile of salvaged pallets and used some offcuts.

Besides the box canvas and frame, you’ll need moss, fairy mushrooms, and other items that give it those “fairy forest” feels. You can also add little figurines if you want. See what you have in your craft cupboard. I used:

• Reindeer moss
• Twigs
• Pieces of bark
• Wood slice
• Glue
• Green craft Paint
• Paintbrush

How to make a reverse canvas fairy forest

Prepping the canvas

For this craft, we’ll be using the backside of the canvas, which needs a little work first. I decided to add a large, clunky pallet frame to create a sense of drama. The frame also extends the depth of the canvas and hides those awful staples.

I won’t even attempt to show you how to make a frame with 45-degree angles. I suck at that. It took me a whole morning to cut this one, and I made a gazillion mistakes. Thank goodness we have lots of pallet offcuts 😀 They always come in so handy. Oh, BTW, I’ll be sharing links to a whole bunch of pallet projects at the end of this post if you need a few more ideas. So stick around.

If you want your frame to sit flush against the canvas, you need to remove the staples first.

But if you remove the staples, the canvas will fall off, and we don’t want that. Easy enough to solve. Just re-staple the canvas to the outer edge.

And then, use a thin screwdriver and pliers to remove the original staples.

Cut away the excess canvas.

And paint the entire canvas, inside and out, in shades of green.

Once the paint dries, glue the pallet frame to the canvas. I used E6000 and clamped the frame to the canvas overnight to make sure it was stuck tight.

Stain or paint the pallet frame if you prefer. I used some of our rusty nail muti mixed with a teeny drop of grey craft paint to get that beautiful weathered color.

RightyO, that’s the prep work done on the reverse canvas. Now for the fun bits. Adding a magical fairy forest inside. First up, the door.

Making a wood slice fairy door

There are many ways to make a fairy door, and we’ve already shared a few tutorials, like this one made from toilet paper and this door with a stained-glass window. You can even use a take away dish to make a faux wood fairy door. To change things up a little, I decided just to use an oval-shaped slice of wood. It seemed fitting for a fairy forest. Trim the bottom off with a hacksaw.

And drill a small hole if you’d like to make a window in the door.

Glue or draw on two hinges and add a doorknob. For the hinges, I used two small charms, while the doorknob is a piece of twig. The window got a frame of tendrils. I had one left over from making this tin can Gypsy wagon.

Building up the fairy forest

From this point forward, it’s all up to you and how you want to create the magical fairy forest. I’ll share what I did as a guide. Since the door is a focal point, I glued that down first and added some bark, so it kinda blends in with the background.

Next, I used bits of reindeer moss to soften the edges and create a lush green backdrop. If can’t find moss, you can make your own using a bath sponge. 

Pro tip: Use a toothpick to apply glue in small, tight spaces.

Thin twigs were glued on towards the back of the canvas. They’re perfect for mimicking trees in the distance.

Use larger twigs towards the front of the reverse canvas.

Don’t be afraid to let some of the fairy forest spill over the pallet frame.

You can’t hold magic back 😉 And don’t forget the fairy mushrooms. You’ll find the tutorial to make these little ones here.

Pure delight captured in a canvas. No matter which side you look at it. And that pallet frame makes it pop, in my humble opinion.

What do you think? Have you built anything inside a reverse canvas? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments.

If you like the idea of making a reverse canvas fairy forest, don’t forget to pin it for later.

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Want to see a few more pallet projects?

Pallets are incredibly versatile and can be used for a variety of projects, from decor to storage solutions and gifts. My buddies at the “International Blogging Club” came up with a whole bunch of creative ideas and tutorials you can explore.

1. If you have intact pallets gathering dust, they make a great compost bin. Marianne Songbird will show you how to do it.
2. “The 5th Sparrow No More” used some of her off-cuts to put old hymnals on display. What a beautiful way to put the spirit back into your decor.
3. Just in time for the month of love, Anita will show you how to make a huge pallet heart and two beyond-cute little robots.
4. How about this adorable photo display idea made by Saved From Salvage? It would make a lovely gift too.
5. Pallets can be used to create an easy rustic shelf like this one from Tea and Forget Me Nots. I neeeeeed one of these.
6. Or use this tutorial from Birdz of a Feather to make a one-of-a-kind jewellery holder. Sara combined a pallet offcut with yardsticks and crazy colors to make something special.

Oh, and if you’re looking for some of the things 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 make more amazing crafts to share with you 😉

And if you prefer to buy rather than DIY, then maybe these beauties will appeal.

And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.