DIY
By Lindsay Ponta
Miniature fencing
SUPPLIES: Air plants, artificial
succulents or grasses
Miniature beach props:
shells, beach chairs,
mini beach ball, etc.

Sand Blue glass beads or
granules White acrylic paint
Foam brush, damp rag
or paintbrush
Plastic grocery
bags or newspaper
(optional) Aluminum foil (optional)
Hot glue gun
Glue stick
DIY Beach
Fairy Garden
Shallow planter
or saucer
Make a whimsical summertime scene to cure your
family’s not-going-to-the-beach blues
Social distancing restrictions are easing at popular vacation destinations, but not everyone is comfortable traveling yet. If your kids are
bummed about not spending time at the shore this summer, a DIY beach fairy garden is a cute way to bring the sand and the ocean to them.

I used coastal accessories to decorate my beach fairy garden, but you could add LEGO minifigures, tiny dinosaurs or other
unexpected elements to let little imaginations run wild.

INSTRUCTIONS 1 If you’re using a terra cotta planter
like I did, you can whitewash it for
a more beachy look. Mix an equal
amount of white acrylic paint and
water into a dish, then paint the
outside and inner lip of the planter
using a foam brush, damp rag or
paintbrush. Let it dry completely
and paint a second coat, if necessary.

2 If your planter is deeper than one
inch, you may want to fill the extra
space with crumpled up plastic
grocery bags or newspaper. This
way, you won’t need to use as much
sand and it won’t be as heavy.

3 Note: You can skip this step if you
didn’t fill your planter with bags or
newspaper. Cut a piece of aluminum foil
about 1/4 inch larger in diameter
than the opening of the planter.

Tuck it over the crumpled bags
or newspaper and use a hot glue
gun to attach the edges all the
way around the inside lip of the
planter. Gluing the foil to the pot
will prevent the sand from falling
beneath it.

4 Fill the planter to the top with
sand. Tip: You can find the fencing in the
miniatures section of your local craft
store. They might even have a specific
section for fairy gardens!
8 Add your miniature props, and
6 Pour your glass granules or beads
into the hollow spot. Don’t worry
about making the shoreline too
perfect. A real beach doesn’t have
straight lines!
be creative! I used a little lawn
chair, a beach sign, some real
seashells and a flamingo. Other
ideas include mini sandcastles and
buckets, tiny drink bottles, beach
towels and pool floats.

9 Tuck your plants into the little
dune behind your fencing. You can
also use real plants, but you may
need to alter the project a little bit
to make sure they have the right
growing conditions. T
5 Use a spoon to scoop out a
hollow spot on one side. This
is where we’re going to add the
“water.” Make it a gradual incline,
just like a real shoreline at the
beach. 10 Washington FAMILY JULY 2020
7 Cut a piece of miniature fence to
fit across the back of the planter.

Nestle it down really well into the
sand, leaving room behind it to add
plants later.

Lindsay Ponta created the DIY and
lifestyle website Shrimp Salad Circus
in 2009 to inspire busy women to
live perfectly-imperfect creative
lives. She lives in Silver Spring,
MD. Find easy DIYs and recipes at
shrimpsaladcircus.com.