… there lived a hobbit!          The Hobbit has been a life-long favorite for many generations of my family.  Last summer Katherine and I were working on some fairy houses, and I made a pretty decent Hobbit Hole, so I thought I’d share it now in anticipation of the upcoming movie.

I started with an empty tin for nuts.  I think they’d been cashews.  I cut a round hole in the side, and a replacement piece for a door.  Everything got pasted over with decorative paper  – I chose wallpaper scraps to make it a little more water resistant.  I attached the door with some tiny hinges from a scrapbooking supply store.  I cut a hole in the plastic lid and covered the hole with a plastic gem, to let some light in through the top.  And although Hobbits have nice wood paneling, carpets, and comfortable furniture, this little dwelling is more rustic – just sand with some glitter mixed in, and some small quartz crystals to make it look more a like a magical little cave.

I placed the whole thing in a large basket, surrounded it with potting soil, and planted moss all around and over the top.  I sprayed the moss with a little water each day while the roots settled.  At the end, I added some glow-in-the-dark beads around the handle as fairy lights, and hung a tiny little key from a twig by the door.

We also made a fairy market out of popsickle sticks, and another tiny home inside a walnut shell.  Oh, and we also made a crazy mess!  :D