Years ago when there was a mini club in El Paso, we made wishing wells. 

Mine was auctioned off to raise funds for the church where we had our meetings at the time, so I don't have a picture. 

But here's how I did it:

MATERIALS:
Toilet paper roll
Popsicle sticks, coffee stirrers or wood strips
Large paper clips and/or wire
Bottle cap or small bucket
Embroidery or other heavy thread
Aquarium gravel
Business card or similar weight cardstock
Brown paper bag material
Small bits of moss and soil (I use coffee grounds)

SUPPLIES:
Tacky glue
Paint - black, brown, grey, green
Baby Powder
Paper towel squares
Paper plates
Plastic knife

TOOLS:
Foam or other paint brushes
Toothpicks
Wire Cutters
Scissors
Small Hand Drill and/or awl
Chopper, small saw or hand cutters to cut popsickle sticks 

MAKING THE WELL BASE
1.  Decide on height for your well (go with what looks best in your setting), measure and cut down the toilet paper roll
2.  For the supports, stand the popsicle sticks inside the well, and mark the appropriate height above the edge. Allow about an inch for slant of roof.
3.  Paint well base black, inside and out
4.  Pour a layer of aquarium gravel in a paper plate
5.  Cover the outside of toilet paper roll with a thick coat of Tacky glue
6.  Roll the glue-coated base in the aquarium gravel
7.  Pat and smooth the gravel to completely cover the base and set aside to dry. Remember that the paint and glue will soften the cardboard, so reshape as needed
8.  Form paper plate into v and pour leftover gravel back into container
9.  Cut the wood supports to appropriate height and mark a dot with an awl or a needle tool where well handle will be inserted, probably about halfway between well ledge and edge of roof
10.  Stack the two wood pieces and drill through both at the same time; or, do each separately if you prefer
11.  Cut these supports at an angle at the top where roof will be
12.  Glue in place inside the well, extending from the floor to where roof will be
13.  Next use a mixture of Tacky glue, grey paint and baby powder to make a mortar
14.  Use a plastic knife and/or your fingers to smooth the mortar over the rocks on the outside and over the supports on the inside from the edge to about an inch down, then wipe away excess with a damp paper towel square
15.  Smooth a thick mortar coat on top to make a ledge around the well and seal in the supports; let dry.

THE BUCKET MECHANISM AND ROOF
1.  For the crank I inserted a bent and cut off large sized paper clip through the wood support holes to suspend the bucket
2.  I gave it all a coat of black paint, then dry brushed with brown
3.  I don't recall what I used for the bucket; I think it was a bottle cap with a wire handle glued in place. I painted it black then dry brushed with brown to look like wood, adding a thin paper strip painted silver for the metal band. I used a toothpick to indent "brads" around the band.
4.  I put glue on my fingers and pulled several strands of greyish-beige embroidery thread through the glue to coat and twisted the strands to form rope.  I tied the rope to the bucket handle then coiled it around the pole and cut off the excess
5. Business card (or similar weight cardstock) painted black then dry brushed with brown forms the roof; glue atop supports.  You may add triangles to enclose the ends; I just cut a couple of angled wood strips to glue on either side of the standing support
6. Dry brush a brown paper bag with black and grey, cut into a fringed strip for shingles.  Coat roof with glue, lay strip across, overlapping bottom edge slightly; cut off at end.  Continue, staggering cuts until roof is covered.  Cut a straight narrow strip of dry brushed paper, fold in half and crease; glue along roof ridge to encase the top edges of shingles.

FINISHING
1.  A brown wash over the entire thing melds the colors together.  Shingles may curl slightly; this adds to the illusion, in my opinion.
2.  I dry brush a mixture of greeny/black here and there to suggest mold
3. After the well is glued in place, use bits of moss and coffee grounds soil to "bury" the bottom of the well in the base. I also glued tiny bits of moss among the shingles on the roof, as well.

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