Creating a beautiful garden involves a lot more than just planting and weeding. I’ve always believed that if you want your garden to really flourish and become a peace-filled haven, you need to welcome in some fairies and other enchanting creatures. Emily Dickinson once wrote, “Some keep the Sabbath going to church, I keep it staying at home – with a bobolink for a chorister, and an orchard, for a dome.” That, to me, says it all. So anytime I can adorn the garden with something special, I’m all for it. And I have to admit that this little wood nymph garden ornament is one of my favorite things that we’ve made.
According to Mythology, wood nymphs, called Dryads, are extremely shy but won’t hesitate to fiercely protect the trees they are born with. If the tree dies, the wood nymph often dies too, something the gods are well aware of. So if someone intentionally harms or causes the death of a tree, they will be punished unless they try to make peace first. Since we use a lot of old pallets to make things, I’m hoping that our little wood nymph helps appease the gods a little. I’m not sure if the big companies who cut down trees to make those pallets say they sorry first 😉
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What You Need
- 2 ingredient mold (get the recipe here)
- Old ceramic or plastic doll
I used a fairy doll my Mom bought for me many, many, many moons ago. Sadly he’s seen better days, but I can’t bear to throw him away. Meet Sebastian. Isn’t he just beautiful?
Poor thing, I don’t even know how he lost his hand, but I’m guessing one of our fur babies decided to take a nibble, UGH!!. But he’s still perfect for making a wood nymph. Okay so besides a Sebastian you’ll also need some cement, duct tape, a scrap piece of wood and hole saw that’s wider than your doll’s head and a drill.
Making The Wood Nymph
Lay your doll onto the scrap piece of wood to make sure it fits nicely, before using the hole saw to make a hole for his little face to peek through.
Sand and stain the wood if you like. I left the scrap piece as is since it already had so much character from standing outside. Mix up up a batch of the two-ingredient mold.
Cover your doll’s face with the two-ingredient mold and leave it to sit for about an hour. Make sure you squish it into all the crevices so you can get as much detail as possible. You can see in the piccy below that even Sebastian’s little nostrils came out nicely after the de-molding 😀 That’s what you want.
Place the molded form over the hole you made earlier and use some duct tape to hold it in place and seal any gaps.
Mix up some cement and pour it inside the mold. You can also use plaster of Paris if you don’t have any cement, but you will need to seal it before placing the wood nymph outside.
Lightly tap the mold to remove any air bubbles. Once the cement or plaster of Paris has set, gently remove the mold to reveal the wood nymph garden ornament.
'I do not understand how anyone can live without one small place of enchantment to turn to.' - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
I would love to know what you think of the little wood nymph. Would you repurpose an old doll to make one? Oh BTW, if you’re keen to create something similar, but on a larger scale, then you’ll love this tutorial for making a Spirit of the Forest wreath.
And if you like the idea of using a broken doll to make a wood nymph, don’t forget to pin it for later.
Pssst, for your convenience. I’ve added some links so you don’t have to struggle to find some of the goodies we used. 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 it helps us come up with more unique DIY and craft tutorials for you 😉
Or if you prefer to buy, rather than DIY
And as always, wishing you a beautiful week filled with magical moments. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
Last update on 2026-08-16 / Source Amazon Affiliates
80 comments
I loved your wood nymph! I don’t think I could use a beloved doll–but I sure would try making a mold by covering a doll face with plastic wrap (Saran Wrap) to get an impression. Or maybe even sculp one from polymer clay. I was the kid (now almost 70) out in the field chanting “I believe in fairies” so the flower fairies wouldn’t die–Peter Pan with Mary Martin had just come out. Tinkerbelle is still one of my favorite Disney characters!
Oh, Kathy, you’re a woman after my own heart and even now I still whisper I believe in fairies every day when I’m out in the garden. My hubby used to think I was a little potty but now he helps me make so many of our fairy creations and even comes up with amazing ideas too. WRT the Saran Wrap, that will work perfectly. You might need to sand away a few small wrinkles after demolding, but it shouldn’t be a problem at all.
This is super cool, the face has so much character.
Thanks so much, Anita ?
Im just putting out feelers…
Anyone know where I could get a photo turned 3D….then perhaps make a mask from it? I think this would be a wonderful tribute to a “family tree”. Dont even know if this is possible but worth asking.
Wow Bonnie, what a wonderful idea. I just did a quick search on google and there are a whole bunch of tutorials on how to print a photo in 3D. Apparently it’s called a lithophane! Who would have thought, but it would be incredibly special to do something like that. Now you’ve got me thinking ?
My two girls, now 13 & 11, have created a Secret Garden in part of our yard. In it lives fairies and all things wonderful! This is such a beautiful, delightful, and fun project… It *has* to go into our Secret Garden! We love to hike and I am a wood hoarder and love looking for odd pieces on our hikes. I especially like the ones with holes in them! So, I have a perfect collection of wood for this project. Today, I made my cast, as you said. Now I await for the cement to set. I can’t wait to see it tomorrow! I am going to seal it and set it out. Thank you for this wonderful project. 🙂 <3
Oh Anne, how I would love to see that secret garden of yours. The girls must be making such amazing memories there. And you are most welcome, I’m so very glad you’re making your own little wood nymph.?
I’m in love with this! So creative and special!
Thank you Kim ?
Gorgeous and clever – you’ve got me thinking again Michelle 🙂
Hello old friend. How’v you been? So glad you like it Sarah
Lately I can’t seem to catch up to my schedule, so many hours working at one thing or another. Its always a quiet joy for me to spend some time on your blog and catch up with what you are creating. You make beautiful whimsical art pieces that I love, but there really is something magical about your garden nymph and what a loving way to use an old toy.
? Thank you so much Leanna and I hope your schedule calms down a little. Sometimes it feels like there’s just not enough time in a day to get everything done
I just love Sebastian! What a great idea. I love anything enchanted or fairy-like and this is simply stunning! I would love to try and make one soon. Your creative mind always leaves me in awe!
Isn’t Sebastian just beautiful. He was my favorite doll for such a long time, I’m so glad I could find a way to keep him and use him for this fun DIY too ?
Wow that is very clever Michelle! I bet he looks really cute in your garden. I would love to have a wood Nymph in my garden. That is so cool! ?
Thanks so much Linda. We’re going to take this little one down to our little round house at the sea. We have this gigantic wild fig just outside our front door and I think she’ll be really happy protecting that beauty.
What a creative and unique idea, the ornament looks so amazing. I would love to try this!
Thanks so much Preet, hope you do get to try it and let me know how it goes
OMG, love, love, love y our wood nymph!!! What a wonderful imagination you have!!! ♥
? Thank you so much Frances, that means a lot to me
Wow. Now that it ingenious! Not that I’m surprised. Your crafty talents never cease to amaze me. 🙂
? Awwww thank you so much Kim
Really loved your project; I think a wood nymph would also be lovely stuck in a large potted plant, or simply hung anywhere!
Thank you very much Anon, I really appreciate that
This is absolutely fantastic idea!
So glad you like it Maria, thank you ?
You are an artist, a real artist!!!! I have no words to describe your nymph Michelle. Only in fairytails you may meet something like this 🙂
You going to make me blush, thank you so much Christina
Totally agree with Katrin. This is so “you” Michelle. I can just see one of these little fellas (or gals) peeking out from a tree or a post. It’s such a nice addition to a garden.
Thanks so much Florence and she was so easy to make to
I’ve always wondered how a wood nymph look like, this is pretty cool and interesting. I have no garden so I won’t be able to do this, it will be really cool to do so thou~
Thank you Tiffany, wood nymphs come in all shapes and sizes depending on the tree they protect and I’m glad you like this little one ?
And now she goes off making nymphs, of course! Do you ever run empty? I guess not. Another brilliant idea, my dear friend! Can’t wait to see what’s next. Keep ’em coming!
? I’ll try my best ?