Fairy houses in a fairy garden, what could be more fun?

I’ve always been fascinated by the world that we cannot see. As a young girl growing up deep within the woods of northern Wisconsin, I was surrounded by nature and drew my inspiration from it. My older sister and I would ask our mom to put on “Mannheim Steamroller: Fresh Aire III”, and we would do the “Dance of the Pixies” as we called it! I’m sure we even pulled my brother into our creativity, though I don’t recall him ever dancing…

Fast forward about 30 years, and I now call the mountains of Washington state home. My sister and I haven’t done the “Dance of the Pixies” for a very long time, but we are both still fascinated by all things little and make-believe. When I’m not creating things for fairy folk, I am a high school Special Education Life Skills teacher. I watch my students fight every day to try and keep up with their classmates, and I feel lucky to be a part of their lives (This is my 6th year with the same group, so I have watched them grow up!)

Just a little over two years ago, my husband and I welcomed our first baby, a beautiful girl, into our lives. Life felt so complete, and so utterly perfect. Then came the news from my parents that my Dad had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but not wanting to add stress to an expectant mother, they had waited to tell me. Suddenly all the things that I worried about seemed so small and insignificant. I told my Dad not to worry, because they can cure those types of things nowadays, right? I had no idea that if you could pick your cancer, his type was one that you would not want to choose… Well, here we are, two and a half years later, and my Dad is still battling his cancer, but he is alive. My daughter, whom I wasn’t sure if he’d see grow up, now loves to sit on “Bumpa’s” lap and pretend they are flying! And soon we will add a little brother to our family, and my Dad will get to meet him.

So somewhere along the crazy journey of becoming a mom, watching my Dad fight his cancer, and working with students with special needs, I realized the one dream I’ve always had was to write a children’s book. I don’t need to be the next big author, I just want to write one. I realize that our time here is precious, and we need to at least try to do the things that we love. …And I finally feel I have a story to tell. It’s not about cancer or my own journey, it’s about accepting who we are, the good, the bad, and all that makes each and every one of us special and unique…and it’s all going to be done in miniature (and with fairies!).

So that’s my reason for creating all the little chairs, homes, and other miniature fairy props that you’ll find on this page. My plan is to create each scene in miniature, then take a picture, which will be the illustration in the book. By sharing my process through this blog, I hope to inspire others, while keeping myself motivated and focused! (a common problem with artistic minds!) The process might take a long time, but I’m ready to make it happen, one page at a time.

Thanks for reading, and if any of my words resonate with you, feel free to follow my blog or other sites. Most of all, please just feel welcome to enjoy the site, be inspired, and take the time to do what you love (and give your loved ones a big hug!).

~ Jessi