DIY Miniature Forest Book Nook Shelf Insert
Learn how to make a DIY Nature Book Nook Shelf Insert for a kid's bookshelf with just a few craft supplies. This fun craft for kids is easy to put together and encourages imagination with a miniature forest scene!
Servings: 1 Book Nook Shelf Insert
Cost: $15-20
Equipment
- craft scissors
Ingredients
- 1 a box that fits on your shelf when you set it upright. It needs to be about three or 4 inches wide when it’s sitting up.I purchased one from Hobby lobby in their storage box section (11x8x4"). But a cereal box could work.
- Nature items Things like pebbles, bark, twigs, moss, sand, etc
- artificial greenery and flowers, artificial moss
- A hot glue gun and glue
- set of fairy lights
- miniature figurines (optional) for use in a fairy garden or miniature scenes
- Acrylic craft paints (optional)
- Scrapbook paper (optional)
Instructions
- Cut your box so that one side panel of the box is open and you can see into the bookshelf story scene when it’s standing up and down. Make sure the box fits on your shelf before cutting the box.Paint the inside of the box a unifying color with acrylic craft paints. Perhaps a light brown, or a light blue. You could also line it with a colored scrapbook paper of some sort if you would prefer.
- Take some time to arrange items inside of your box so you know where you want to place them. What do you need to make or create to finish the scene that you don’t already have?Create the extra pieces of your scene and fit them in the arrangement.Make sure you can see from the front to the back of the box. Rearrange items if needed.
- Pull the items out and begin to hot glue them in place. Start with the background items first and then work your way forward.I cut a small wedge of foam so that the floor of the box sloped upwards by about an inch from the front to back. Cover the floor of the box with what you want as the nature scene “ground”. An artificial moss can be used or moss you find outdoors.I made a house for my gnome on the back wall of the box using bark and pebbles. And used a small door made from cardboard in the center.A “forest” came together from cut twigs cut to look like trees on either side of the box. I took the branches off one side of the twigs so they would fit closer to the side of the box. When done, they were hot glued in place. Add moss and artificial greenery to look like the foliage of the trees.Place additional greenery and flowers along the bottom edges of the box to be filler.
- Thread a string of twinkle fairy lights into the branches of the tree. Make sure that the device that turns it on and off is easily accessible. I poked a hole in the side of my box. Then threaded the twinkly lights through that hole. I can turn the lights on and off with the device when I want to without reaching inside of the box.
- Add the miniature figurines into the scene and glue them in place so sit securely on their own. I found a small bridge and a gnome and a small beehive for my figurines.Use some twigs or trim around the front edge of the box to finish it. This step is optional.Place the book nook on your bookshelf, turn on the twinkling lights and enjoy!
Video
Notes
There are complete instructions, a link to a full length video, and tips on the web site!!