Father's day is coming up this weekend, which seemed like the perfect opportunity to dig in the dirt. . .
. . . to play with mud. . .
. . . and make a home. . .
. . . for a little. . .
. . . garden. . .
. . . hobbit.
Garden Hobbit House
Materials:
- 2 parts portland cement
- 1 part perlite
- 1 part peat moss
- Scrap wood
- Butter knife (for carving)
- Waterproof wood glue or small nails
Using the same technique I used to make hypertufa planters in the ground last year, I made this garden hobbit house with a few adjustments. Since I was going to be carving into the planter I upped the cement in the mixture, and I also used a bowl to push out the depression so that the inside of the house would have a nice smooth arch to it. Once the house was out of the dirt (it's still easy to carve at this stage) I used a butter knife to carve out a door and window.
Then, with a few scraps of wood and some waterproof glue, I made a rustic wood door. The door knob and sign hook are just small branch pieces squeezed into holes I drilled through the door. Depending on the age of your helpers this door could be as simple or complex as you'd like, or you could even just leave it as an archway. For the window opening I crossed two small sticks and pressure fit them to the opening.
All that's left to do is wait for the hobbits to move in!
With the Kids:
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Happy Father's Day!
~ Sarah
*Last time in Crafts and Imagination: Our Summer Catalog