How to make a foraged fairy

What you will need

• Pine cone
• Acorn
• Beech nut seed pod
• Sycamore seed pods
• Thin deciduous branches
• Chinese lantern or colourful autumn leaves
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Secateurs
• Cord

How to make

A collection of finds from the garden and from woodland walks were combined to produce this sweet, little fairy. 

The body is a pine cone. To create a spot for the head to rest on, snip out the top point of the cone. 

For the head, secure an acorn in place using a glue gun. Top off the head with a beech nut seed pod. 

For the fairy’s wings, glue on sycamore seed pods. Cut down thin branches to make arms. Finally give the fairy a skirt by gluing a Chinese lantern to the base of the pine cone. 

Carefully snip along the sides of the lantern from the base to about one-third of the way up, to open the lantern so it looks more skirt-like. Attach a length of cord to the back of the pine cone, then hang the fairy from your tree. 

If you do not have Chinese lanterns, try colourful autumn leaves to form the skirt. 

Tip

Pine cones are essential for winter crafting. Wire them into wreaths, hang from your tree, use to decorate presents or display them on their own.

Extracted from The Crafted Garden by Louise Curley, photographed by Jason Ingram (Francis Lincloln, £16.99)