Nerdforge Fantasy Builds: 17 Magical Makes From the Couple Who Live in a Storybook
Nerdforge fantasy builds turn ordinary rooms, tables and books into something straight out of a storybook. Behind the channel are Martina and Hansi, a maker couple with about 4 million subscribers who seem to live inside their own fairy tale. Their newest video, a table with a whole world inside, has pulled about 6.2 million views in roughly a month, and fans are flooding the comments asking how to make something similar. The good news is that many of their ideas can be scaled down to one cozy afternoon project. Below are 17 of their most watched builds, each with a small, safe version you can try at your own kitchen table. Grab a cup of tea and get ready to feel inspired..
Nerdforge Fantasy Builds Start With a Table That Holds a World
The newest video from Martina and Hansi is called I Built a Table with a World Inside, and it has already passed about 6.2 million views in roughly a month. Under the glass top sits a whole little land of forests, rivers and tiny buildings that glow at night. It is the kind of piece that makes you stop scrolling and stare. You can watch all of their builds on the Nerdforge YouTube channel. Ready to bring a little of that magic home..
You will need: Inspiration, a notebook for ideas and a free weekend.
How to make it: 1. Pick one build from this list that fits your space. 2. Gather supplies from around the house first. 3. Start small and add details as you go.
Try It Small: A Moss World Under Glass
You do not need a whole table to capture the feeling of that world in a table. A glass cloche or a big jar works just as well. Lay down moss, tuck in pebbles for boulders, push in tiny twigs as trees and add a small mirror for a pond. It looks like a peek into another land, and it fits on any shelf. Kids love adding a tiny animal or a little house. What would live in your mini world?
You will need: A glass cloche or jar, a wood slice, preserved moss, small pebbles, twigs and a small round mirror.
How to make it: 1. Glue the moss to the wood slice. 2. Press in the mirror, pebbles and twigs. 3. Lower the glass over the top and set it on a shelf.
Giant Leatherbound Books Made as a Gift
One of the most loved Nerdforge fantasy builds, at about 8.2 million views, shows the couple making massive leatherbound books and giving them to the author who wrote the story. Fans still talk about how touching that gift was. You can get a similar look on a small scale with faux leather paper and a little gold paint. Old hardbacks from the thrift store are perfect. Line a whole shelf with them and your living room suddenly feels like a library in a castle. Which book would you dress up first?
You will need: Old hardback books, faux leather contact paper, gold paint, a small brush and thin cardboard strips.
How to make it: 1. Glue thin cardboard strips across the spine for raised bands. 2. Wrap the book in faux leather paper and smooth it flat. 3. Paint gold corners and let them dry.
Nerdforge Fantasy Builds Idea: A Box Turned Into a Stone Fortress
About four years ago the couple turned a game console into a carved stone kingdom fit for dwarves, and it reached roughly 5 million views. You can borrow the idea for something you use every day. Cover a plain storage box in a thin layer of air dry clay, press in brick lines with a butter knife, then paint it stone gray with gold trim. It becomes a little fortress for remote controls, cables or craft supplies. Wouldn’t that look great on a gamer’s desk?
You will need: A small cardboard or wooden box, air dry clay, a butter knife, gray and black paint and gold paint.
How to make it: 1. Roll the clay thin and press it onto the box. 2. Draw brick lines and a little arched door. 3. Let it dry, paint it gray, then add gold details.
A Glowing Cardboard City Skyline
Another of the big Nerdforge fantasy builds turned a computer case into a neon city of the future, with about 5 million views. A cardboard version is easy and costs almost nothing. Cut a row of tall buildings from a cereal box, paint them dark blue, poke out tiny windows and set a battery LED strip behind them. When the room goes dark, the whole city lights up. It makes a lovely night light for a kid’s room or a desk. How tall will your buildings be?
You will need: Cereal box cardboard, dark blue paint, a craft knife for adults, a cutting mat and a battery LED strip.
How to make it: 1. Draw a skyline on the cardboard and have an adult cut it out on a mat. 2. Paint it and poke small windows. 3. Stand it up with the LED strip behind it.
One Bookshelf Corner Turned Wizard Study
Among the Nerdforge fantasy builds, few beat this one. Three years ago the couple transformed an entire bedroom into a wizard’s study, and the video has about 4.5 million views. You do not need a whole room. Pick one shelf or one corner. Fill old bottles with colored water, roll up maps tied with twine, stack old books on their sides and add a small globe or an owl figure. It feels like a place where spells get written. Which corner of your home could use a little magic?
You will need: Old glass bottles, food coloring, printed old maps, twine, old books and one or two small figurines.
How to make it: 1. Fill the bottles with tinted water and seal the caps. 2. Roll and tie the maps. 3. Arrange books, bottles and maps in small groups on the shelf.
Little Handmade Books for a Tiny Library
Their coffee table with a tiny library inside has around 3.9 million views, and it is pure joy for book lovers. You can make your own mini books from cardboard scraps and colored paper, then line them up in a shadow box or a small cubby shelf. Each one takes just a few minutes. Make some with real blank pages so they open, and let kids fill them with tiny drawings. Isn’t a library you can hold in your hand the sweetest idea?
You will need: Cardboard scraps, colored paper, scrap paper for pages, glue and a small shadow box or cubby shelf.
How to make it: 1. Cut tiny covers from cardboard and wrap them in colored paper. 2. Fold scrap paper in half and glue it inside. 3. Line the books up in the shelf.
Nerdforge Fantasy Builds for Book Lovers: Rebind a Paperback
About two years ago the couple bound a whole fantasy series into one very long book, and it got about 3.6 million views. Rebinding one favorite paperback is a great first step. Glue fabric over two pieces of board and a thin spine, then attach the paperback’s pages inside. A floral or linen fabric makes it look like a treasured old book. It is a slow, calm craft that feels great on a cold evening. Which book on your shelf deserves a new coat?
You will need: A paperback, chipboard or cereal box board, fabric, glue, a ruler and a bone folder or old spoon.
How to make it: 1. Cut two covers and a spine from board a little bigger than the pages. 2. Glue the fabric over them. 3. Glue the paperback’s first and last pages to the inside covers.
A Fairy Light Jar Lamp
Seven years ago the couple built wireless floor lamps that glow to music, and the video still pulls viewers, with about 3.4 million views. A simple version is a big glass jar stuffed with battery fairy lights. It gives off a soft, warm glow that feels magical on a nightstand or bookshelf, and it stays cool and safe all night. Choose lights with a timer so they turn off on their own. Could anything be easier?
You will need: A large glass jar with a lid and one or two strands of battery fairy lights with a timer.
How to make it: 1. Turn the lights on and feed them loosely into the jar. 2. Hide the battery pack inside or under the lid. 3. Set the timer and place the jar where you want a glow.
A Magic Grimoire Journal Cover
Some of the oldest Nerdforge fantasy builds are still among the most watched, like the handmade magic grimoire, with about 3.2 million views from eight years ago. You can make the same look on a plain notebook. Glue on cardboard corner pieces and swirls of thick string, then paint everything dark brown and dry brush it with gold or silver. Suddenly a dollar notebook looks like an ancient spell book. Wouldn’t it make the perfect holiday gift for a reader?
You will need: A hardcover notebook, thin cardboard, thick string, glue, brown paint and metallic gold paint.
How to make it: 1. Glue cardboard corners and string swirls to the cover. 2. Paint the whole cover brown and let it dry. 3. Lightly dry brush gold over the raised parts.
Paint a Happy Little Landscape
In one of the sweetest Nerdforge fantasy builds, the couple followed a famous TV painting lesson and painted it huge on the side of their van. It has about 3.1 million views. You can paint the same kind of calm mountain scene on a small canvas. Start with a sky, add soft mountains, then dab in pine trees with the edge of a brush. Mistakes just become more trees. It is a relaxing way to spend an evening. Will you hang yours or give it away?
You will need: A small canvas, a tabletop easel, acrylic paints, a flat brush, a fan brush and a paper plate palette.
How to make it: 1. Paint the sky and let it dry. 2. Add mountains and a lake in lighter blues. 3. Dab in dark green pines with the brush edge.
Nerdforge Fantasy Builds at Home: A Dark Academia Corner
Their dark academia gaming room got about 3 million views last year, and the style is everywhere right now. You can get the feeling with one painted wall in deep forest green, a few brass hooks, a stack of old books and a leather style chair. A green glass desk lamp finishes it. It looks like a reading room in an old university. This is one of the easiest Nerdforge fantasy builds to copy, because paint does most of the work. Ready to pick your green?
You will need: A quart of deep green paint, brass wall hooks, old books, a reading chair and a desk lamp.
How to make it: 1. Paint one wall or nook deep green. 2. Screw the brass hooks into a row. 3. Add the chair, books and lamp to finish the corner.
A One Page a Day Sketchbook
Four years ago Martina painted a whole 300 page sketchbook in just 12 days, and around 3 million people watched. That pace is wild, but you can try a gentle version: one small painting a day for a month. Use a little sketchbook and a cheap watercolor set. Paint your coffee cup, the view from the window or a leaf from a walk. By the end, you will have a diary in pictures. What will you paint on day one?
You will need: A small watercolor sketchbook, a travel watercolor set, a round brush and a jar of water.
How to make it: 1. Choose a time of day to paint. 2. Paint one small thing each day, even for ten minutes. 3. Flip back through the pages at the end of the month.
A Little Ocean Scene in a Dish
Among the most daring Nerdforge fantasy builds is their 30 pound underwater resin diorama painting, with about 2.9 million views. Resin needs care and good air, so here is a softer home version. Paint layers of blue in a shallow dish, glue sand along one side, then pour clear school glue over the water so it dries glossy. Swirl white paint on top for waves and press in a few small shells. It makes a pretty ring dish or a beach memory. Where would your little ocean live?
You will need: A shallow ceramic dish, blue and white acrylic paint, clear glue, craft sand and tiny shells.
How to make it: 1. Paint the dish blue from dark to light. 2. Glue sand and shells to one side. 3. Pour a thin layer of clear glue and swirl white paint waves.
Nerdforge Fantasy Builds Idea: Shop Front Craft Bins
About ten months ago the couple turned their workshop into a little fantasy city, and it has around 1.5 million views. You can borrow the idea for a craft room. Glue thin wood or cardboard awnings and doors onto plain bins and paint each one like a tiny shop. One can be the yarn shop, another the paint store. Suddenly cleaning up feels like a game. For more tiny house fun, see our DIY fairy houses. Which shop would you open first?
You will need: Plain storage bins, thin cardboard or craft wood, glue, acrylic paints and small brushes.
How to make it: 1. Cut awnings and doors from cardboard. 2. Paint them in bright stripes and colors. 3. Glue them on the front of each bin.
Picture Frame Molding on One Plain Wall
The newest of the Nerdforge fantasy builds, a Victorian study that took six months, has about 1.5 million views after four months. One of the simplest tricks in it is picture frame molding. Glue thin trim into boxes on a plain wall, fill the gaps, then paint the wall and trim the same deep color. It looks old, rich and expensive. Ask an adult to handle the saw for the angled cuts. Would you try it in a bedroom or an office?
You will need: Thin wood trim, a miter box and saw for an adult, construction adhesive, caulk and paint.
How to make it: 1. Mark the boxes with a level and pencil. 2. Have an adult cut the trim corners and glue them up. 3. Caulk the gaps and paint everything one color.
A Faux Stained Glass Panel From a Thrift Frame
About eight months ago the couple built a stained glass style door for their Victorian office, and it reached around 1.2 million views. You can make a small faux version with glass paint. Trace a flower design under the glass of a thrift frame, outline it with liquid leading, then fill each space with jewel colored paint. Set it in a sunny window and watch the colors glow across the room. It is one of the prettiest Nerdforge fantasy builds to try. What colors will you choose?
You will need: A thrift store frame with glass, liquid leading, glass paints and a simple printed flower pattern.
How to make it: 1. Clean the glass and lay the pattern under it. 2. Trace the lines with liquid leading and let it dry. 3. Fill each section with glass paint and dry flat.
