Happy Halloween! Pumpkin coach and needle felted rabbit sculpture

October 20, 2015October 4, 2016 / beneaththeferns / 1 Comment

Halloween is almost here, and so I thought I’d modify a project I’ve been working on to show some holiday spirit! This pumpkin carriage is ready to find Cinderella for her ball, but will happily transport you as well…

I made the entire thing from scratch (except the body of the pumpkin and frame around the door, so I’m excited to see it done. I have the complete explanation of how I made it on my site, which you can find HERE.

The colors look different with different backgrounds…

I love the little light inside!

Visit more of my creations HERE, and have a safe and happy Halloween!

~Jessi

Small fairy house finished!

October 7, 2015October 4, 2016 / beneaththeferns / 4 Comments

I’m excited to be done with another paper mache fairy house! The inside will be left empty, since this fairy house belongs to my daughter (at least that’s what she believes, and I’m not going to try and convince a 2 year old that it doesn’t!). She loves to play in it, and in the past it has made a great “barn” for Sven and Christoph when she gets her Frozen dolls out!

I went with a grey color for the roof, since the other houses in the village have had a lot of warm brown tones.

The small accents around the fairy house windows are remnants from another project for my book, a laser-cut spiral staircase. I’m glad to put them to good use!

This year has been busy (having a baby!), so I’m glad I got a project done that I started a while back. If you want to visit the other fairy houses I’ve made so far, click HERE.

And if you’d like to see how the roof is built, click HERE.

Thanks for visiting!
~Jessi

Halloween in the fairy garden!

September 22, 2015 / beneaththeferns / Leave a comment

The leaves are turning colors and the air is getting crisp, it must mean that Halloween is one the way! To celebrate this spooky time of year, I’ve found the best Halloween themed listings for fairy gardens on Etsy, and put them together here. Come on in and see what’s brewing! (And don’t forget to click on each picture to be taken to the Etsy listing!)

First off are two adorable little kitties created by Alison at CupOCats! The kitties (both above and below) are so cute, and I can just see them lazing about in a miniature garden (waiting for miniature mice, no doubt).

Next is another character for your garden, an adorable little gnome sculpted from polymer clay by Michelle at Creative Cottage. This sweet gnome will keep your garden safe from Muggles and ghosts, and maybe even do some weeding!

While the gnome might keep the ghosts away, he has welcomed in this baby troll artfully created by Amber at Trollflings. Who wouldn’t want those big brown eyes hanging around their garden?

On to the decorations! Of course we need lots of orange pumpkins in our fairy gardens, and Jessi at JessisArtStudio makes pumpkins that I just adore! Look at those swirly tendrils and the beads on each pumpkin…genius!

Jennifer at Gnome Woods knows how to make polymer clay behave, and here are two excellent specimens of Halloween themed mushrooms ready to join your fairy garden. They are too cute!

Speaking of cute, how about a spot of tea from these miniature teapot and cups in the shape of Halloween pumpkins? Steph from StephtheFairyMaker has created the sweetest little set that will look great with all these autumn accessories!

And of course, we have to have snacks to go with that tea! Take a bite out of this yummy cake that Caylie from StudioPasat has made. I really want to make a full sized cake like this one now! Mmmm….I can just taste it!

And where will our little Halloween fairies live! In a pumpkin shaped house, of course! This beauty was created by ArtisticSpirit, and is so detailed for the size that it is!

And finally, two amazing doors handcrafted by Kim at ClaybyKim. I love all her doors, but these capture the character of Halloween so well!

Remember to click on the pictures above to be taken to the item listing to learn more about it, and Happy Halloween!

~Jessi

Polymer clay fairy garden bridge

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 / beneaththeferns / 2 Comments

Recently I was invited to a miniature gardening group on Facebook where you are assigned a secret pal to send a package to. It’s just like the secret pal exchanges at Christmas, only these packages are all for your miniature fairy garden. I found out that the individual I got had a miniature garden with Irish leprechauns in it, so I tried to make them something that might fit with an Irish theme. I thought a old, mossy bridge might work!

I aged parts of the bridge to make it truly feel like it had been there for a while…

And what Irish, leprechaun, St. Patrick’s day theme would be complete with a pot of gold?

Here are the rest of the goodies that I sent out. I myself received an awesome package with lots of fairy furniture that is exactly my style, so it was a pretty fun thing to take part of! Interested in joining the group? You can find more information here: Secret Fairy Pals on Facebook

Have fun!

~Jessi

Fairy garden accessories from fresh shops on Etsy

May 22, 2015May 22, 2015 / beneaththeferns / Leave a comment

Fairy gardens are one of the hottest new trends in gardening! A quick search on sites like Pinterest will show how many amazing artists are creating adorable treasures for the fairy folk. Among these talented artists are a few I found on Etsy with original ideas for creating fairy garden accessories and supplies. In such a big marketplace, these artisans have found their own niche. Check out these fresh shops and see if there isn’t something that you need in your own fairy garden! (Click each picture to go to their shops)

I’m in love with this fairy house! Look at all the details carefully carved into the side of the stump (RooPottery also offers all the other accessories you see in the picture in their shop)

These miniature fairy house windows will turn any regular stump into a home for our little friends! The color on each window seems to blend perfectly with the garden foliage around them. (By TGO2014)

This hobbit house is soooo cute, I can imagine creating a whole hillside full of them! (Aka, The Shire!) Kara does an amazing job, and sells the hobbit house as a kit, allowing the customer to personalize each fairy garden as they create it. (By Mossy Pocketss)

Next is an elegant little chair, fit for fairy royalty! I love the way the jewels sparkle and accent the purple flowers in the background. What color flowers would you plant next to this adorable fairy chair? (By Fairy Fountain Minis)

I’m blown away at all the detail that Michelle from Fairy Creek Lane has put into this little clothesline! Each heart is hand-crocheted, and attached with a miniature clothespin. Sooo cute!

This little hummingbird feeder looks so real, I wouldn’t be surprised if real hummingbirds stop by to check it out! The Enchanted Acorn makes these miniature feeders in different colors and styles to match the look of your unique fairy garden.

This miniature fence and gate are a perfect way to separate different sections of your fairy garden (I can imagine rich, green moss on the outside, and a miniature vegetable garden on the inside!) Cammy from the Misty Hollow Pixie has lots of other fairy garden supplies in her shop to go with this sweet little fence!

And finally, a fairy house so detailed and intricate, I want to move right in! Molly from Smoky Mountain Follies has an incredible eye, and has left nothing out on this magical house that started out as a garden gourd!

I have a feeling we’ll see lots of amazing creations from these fresh shops, and can’t wait to see what they add to their shops next!

~Jessi

Fairy house pictures: The Fairy Tower

May 15, 2015 / beneaththeferns / 1 Comment

I started this three story fairy house in December, so I’m sooo excited to see some real progress! As a full-time teacher and a full-time mom of a toddler, I don’t always have time to spend on my own hobbies. Maybe that’s why this feels like I really got something accomplished! Plus, I’m due with our second baby (a boy!) in early June, so getting this roof done was the last thing on my to-do list before he gets here! I guess I feel like I’m ready to dive into that crazy bleary-eyed-up-all-night-and-day mommy mode, but I really hope I can get more done on this house this summer…

The fairy house is made from stacking cardboard boxes together, then putting paper mache over the entire house. After many coats of paper mache and paint, I’ve finally started adding some details…

The miniature shake shingles are cardboard that I’ve painted, then cut apart. The windows are a design that I drew up, and my Dad kindly cut out of wood with his laser cutter (Thanks Dad!). Here are more pictures of the process…

Getting all the shingles glued on took much longer than I anticipated!
Fairy house miniature shake roof fantasy beneath the ferns

But I got them done!

I found the finial on the top on clearance last year at Hobby Lobby… I thought it gave the fairy house a nice, stately look.

The “door” on the left side of the picture below is going to be attached to a bridge that the fairies can walk across to another building.

I need to create some doors for the balcony porch…

I really want to live inside! Now I have to paint the underside of the shingles, add more doors and windows, and decorate the inside. I won’t be done for a while, but at least it gives me something to plan when I’m up for a midnight feeding!

Those are the most recent pictures, but if you want to see the whole process, check out this page here: Fairy Tower Page

Thanks for looking, and if you want to see the next photos of the process, feel free to subscribe and visit again ♥

~Jessi