You Can Fly! How to Make Your Own Pixie Dust

Tired of adulting? Today is Peter Pan Day, so it's the perfect excuse to make some pixie dust and unleash your inner child (and Tinker Bell).

By Melissa Heckscher August 19, 2018

It takes more than, “I think I can” to make your little believers fly; they’re also going to need a little pixie dust. But where to get it? Follow this simple step-by-step DIY pixie dust recipe and your kids will be Neverland-bound in no time.

What You’ll Need

Glitter (at least two different kinds)

Mixing bowl

Spoon for mixing

Vials for holding pixie dust (available here, or at your local craft store)

Labels

Baby powder, if you plan on sprinkling your dust outside (see last step)

Step 1: Pour in the sparkles

Let your little Peter Pans or Wendys pick and pour their glitter into a medium to large-sized bowl (bigger bowl = less mess). Fine glitter works best for pixie dust, but you can toss in different grains to add dimension (and sparkle!) to your finished product. Note: Keep your glitter away from carpets or furniture; it takes some real magic to get sparkles out of fabrics.

Step 2: Spoon Into Vials

What vials, you ask? Amazon and Etsy sell multitudes of magical-looking tiny glass bottles (some even have attached loops to turn your vials into necklaces!) perfect for pixie dust. If this is a last-minute sort of project and you don’t have time to order in advance, look in the jewelry section of your local craft store to find small bead containers. Even better? Just look around your house: Old salt and pepper shakers work great — just dab some glue over the holes if you don’t want glitter all over everything, or tell your tiny Tinkerbell to keep her sparkle-spreading strictly outside.

Step 3: Slap a Label on It!

Once your jar is filled and closed, let your kids make a special label for it. Don’t skip this step: This is what turns a simple jar of glitter into a magical vessel of super-special fairy dust.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Let your kiddos keep their pixie dust in a special place — or make it into a necklace by twisting tiny eye screws into your bottle corks.

Step 5: Want Something Flashier?

If your spell-casters want to throw their pixie dust instead of bottling it up, simply add equal amounts of baby powder to glitter — then take it outside and toss it by the handful. Kids will love seeing their pixie dust go POOF as the glitter falls to the ground. (Note: This version doesn’t look as pretty in a bottle, so it’s best to keep it for tossing.)