Stump Fairy House

A couple years back, the wind brought one of our pine trees down. After rescuing the wood, we were left with this old stump.

Since the roots pulled when the tree went down, it would have been a simple job and only about four or five hours to remove it. I decided to avoid all that hard work and, instead, spend what will turn out to be around one hundred hours converting it to lawn art.

This fairy house measures about 17" square and about 24" tall.

The roof is removable, to allow access to solar lights and batteries that light the windows at night. It is secured, since fifty mile an hour winds are not uncommon here.

Time spent on the project included hand spitting around a fifteen hundred shakes, sawing a whole lot of cedar siding, doing a few turnings, making balconies, windows, and doors. It, also, required making stairs and even an elevator, but which were not installed when I took the photos yesterday. I’ll add them and some other doors, as I work up the ambition to fight the summer heat.

We’ll see how this weathers. I used my mix of pine tar pitch thinned with turpentine and with a bit of boiled linseed oil for hardening. I was generous in the applications, since this is an outdoor toy and will be beat on by sprinklers and hot summer sun every day of the summer.

The two doors in the next to the last picture will go in the stump, along with four or more windows with awnings. The stairs, in the last picture, will attach to the entries and wander down the stump.

In time, details and decor may grow. Already, the base of the stump has several mushrooms I turned, then my wife painted. Whether by rent signs or good deals at a yard sales or Dollar Stores, we’ll add visitors (an elf here, a gnome there, the occasional org (if they behave)).

One decor addition I might try is, cutting some of the colored acrylics I have on into butterflies. Once cut, I’ll heat and bend them, then mount them on small wires, to wander the winds about the house.

Other ideas, be it grape vines, moss and so on may step it up. I’m surrounded by vineyards, so some of that should be easy to come by.

Other ideas are welcomed.