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

Birthday fairy garden, entry #3 for contest from Fairygardens.com

September 13, 2015 / beneaththeferns / 5 Comments

With fall quickly approaching, my summer fairy gardening is coming to a close. What better time to look through what has been created this summer than a cold, rainy day such as today? To make the walk down memory lane even more fun, the folks over at Fairygardens.com are holding their annual fairy garden contest, which is a great way for everyone to come together and share their creations over the past summer. It’s sort of a “harvest” of great fairy garden ideas!

Here is my entry #3, a birthday inspired fairy garden I made for my mom. We don’t live as close to each other as we used to, so I made a little “picnic” table where our fairies can sit together and share a giant birthday cupcake!

Miniature fairy garden birthday theme pathway from efairies
The chairs are made from the tops of really expensive beers that my hubby drank… And there is even a miniature card for her.

Miniature fairy garden birthday theme bird house
I made a matching birdhouse and birdbath, I love how the copper roof on the birdhouse looks!

The plants I put in here had a bald patch, so I filled in the area with some little mushrooms!

I was happy with how the garden turned out, and really happy to be able to give it to my mum! Happy Birthday Mom! ♥

Want to see more fairy gardens, or enter your own in the contest? (Come on, it’ll be fun!) Visit www.fairygardens.com/contest/ or click the picture below to see what others have created!

Gnome home fairy garden, entry #2 for contest from Fairygardens.com

September 7, 2015 / beneaththeferns / 1 Comment

Here is my entry #2, which I made in April of this year. I had a rare span of time where my toddler was staying with her grandparents, which allowed me to create this mosaic garden path (and before baby #2 got here!). The entire path is made from little polymer clay rocks I made by hand, and glued one piece at a time to a piece of wood. The gnome home is also a project I made last year from polymer clay and wood. It was nice to see both projects finally done! (To see how the path was made, click HERE).

I rolled hundreds of little “rocks” from polymer clay to get the color variation I wanted in the swirls.

Acorn caps make great flower pots!

A chair for mom, dad, and baby fairy!

A sundial to tell when it is lunch.

Tools nicely stored.

A basket of seeds waiting to be planted.

Home sweet home.

Detail of the garden path.

As most mums know, finishing our own projects takes second seat to raising our kiddos. Every once in a while it’s nice to see something get finished though, and I think that re-ignites our creative “spark” so we can pass it on to our special little ones!

Want to see more fairy gardens, or enter your own in the contest? (Come on, it’ll be fun!) Visit www.fairygardens.com/contest/ or click the picture below to see what others have created!

A rare sighting…. The home of Fae maritimus

September 3, 2015September 4, 2015 / beneaththeferns / Leave a comment

Recently I went camping on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, and was delighted to find the very rare dwelling of the fairy type, Fae maritimus. Otherwise known as the common beach fairy, F. maritimus is well known for weaving their homes from the durable grasses that line saltwater beaches. I was very cautious when approaching this house, as I was unsure whether the residents were at home or not…

Just as I approached the home, a group of tourists walked by, and I, not wanting to draw attention to the home of F. maritimus, left the area quickly. And later I realized what a good move that was, for this house was indeed inhabited. When I returned later that evening, the owner of the home was inside, and I could see them moving around (most likely preparing the evening meal).

I watched from afar, my telephoto lens allowing me a closer glimpse of the house. I could make out that the door is crafted from seaweed, carefully hung from a reed to protect the interior of the home from the elements.

While a common type of fairy, F. maritimus gains the reputation of being rare, simply because their dwellings blend into the surroundings so well. They live on both the east and west coasts, and on the shore of other inland bodies of water.

I left before I made my presence known, as I did not want to disturb the owner of this house. I plan to return, as I admire these fairies who make the gusty sea shore their home.

Summer fun! A fairy garden camping trip ♥

July 23, 2015August 8, 2015 / beneaththeferns / 1 Comment

It’s time for our annual camping trip, so to celebrate, I’m putting together a collection of my favorite Etsy mini-camping-theme listings! I bet the fairies get away for a quick camping weekend just like we do, and of course, they need to bring all the essentials. Click on the picture of each listing to go to their Etsy shop, and don’t forget the bug spray!

First off we need s’mores, hot dogs, and a little fire to roast them on! Jennifer from Gnome Woods has artfully created a fire that will heat our little campsite nicely from polymer clay, complete with some extra firewood to go with it! The picture above and below were both created by Jennifer, and make me think of camping every time I see them!

Next, our fairy friends will need to decide where to stay… For the brave outdoor fairy, Sereny from Fairy Elements has created this summer-celebrating tent, complete with a tiny rug inside so our tiny friends can get back to nature. Sereny has lots of colors and styles to choose from, so every fairy can find a teepee just their style!

For the fairies that prefer “glamping” (Glamour+camping=Glamping!), Penny from Penny’s Pixie Planters has created the ultimate fairy garden getaway vehicle. Each camper is hand crafted from wood and metal, and so wonderfully detailed, I wonder if Penny employs a few fairies from time to time to help her in her shop???

Another choice for “Glamping” comes from Emily at Birch Tree Fairy. Each camper is delicately decorated with natural treasures, giving them a unique charm!

Now back to the food… As we said earlier, we need s’mores, and Pam at Landscapes in Miniatures has supplied our fairy friends with all the fixings! From the marshmallows to the chocolate, these miniatures are so perfectly detailed, they will make anyone who looks at your fairy campground want to cook some up!

Now if your fairies are short on time, and want to create their campsite quickly, this sweet little diorama will turn any miniature garden into a campsite in a flash. It was artfully created by the daughter of the shop owner at The Enchanted Acorn, and looks so sweet! This talented young artist has a good eye for detail!

If your fairies are feeling adventurous, they can always go on a short hike… Tatiana from Striped Box has created a miniature backpack that’s so realistic, it looks like I could wear it! Our little friends will definitely like this one!

If hiking isn’t to the fairies liking, they can always go out for a little evening canoe paddle. Faith at Rustic Blend offers a perfectly detailed little canoe that any fairy would trust to take out on the lake!

And finally, what would a camping trip be without a little wildlife? While I normally would want to avoid an encounter with a bear, this little cutie below created by Nicole at Nicole Lillian Ryan is just too cute! I’m sure our fairy friends would invite him to sit around the campfire and hand out mushrooms if they found him wandering in the forest!

August is halfway upon us, and camping is at it’s best! Remember to click on any of the pictures above to see more items in the artists’ shop, and enjoy the rest of your summer, wherever it takes you ♥

~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

Baby fairies in the garden!

May 29, 2015May 29, 2015 / beneaththeferns / Leave a comment

I anticipate that this might be my last post for a while, as my husband and I are about to welcome our second child, a baby boy, into the world! Our two-year old daughter is so excited, and tells everyone “I’m ‘onna be a big sista!” So the only fitting way to share this experience is to imagine how our fairy friends might also celebrate the coming of a new little one… Here are a few of my favorites from Etsy, and they’d all make a great addition to any fairy garden! Just click the pictures to go to their shops on Etsy ♥

Tania from Fairy Shadow makes these adorable little Waldorf-inspired fairies, complete with a felt leaf to hide in! I love the tiny antennae and all the details in the leaves!

Garnett over at Garnetth makes little wee ones that are so natural, they look like something you might find if you start looking under all the leaves in your fairy garden!

There’s something about this sweet babe that really captures a newborn…maybe it’s the round little cheeks and button nose, but this polymer clay fairy reminds me of my own daughter when she was born! (By Jennifer at Gnome Woods)

I love how Agnes at Sacred Jewel matched tiny little wings with this sleeping fairy! The colors are so soft and muted, they fit right in with the milkweed cradle!

This sweetie looks like her wings are drying out, and when she wakes up, she might just be ready to explore her world! Paula at Trilliants makes amazingly realistic fairy figurines!

And finally, here is the exhausted momma fairy, grabbing a quick nap while she can before her little one wakes up again! (By The Little Hedgerow)

Thanks for reading, and hopefully I’ll be able to catch some sleep like the fairy above! Have a wonderful June, and I’ll return soon with another little fairy of my own 🙂

~ 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