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

How to draw attention to your fairy garden.

May 8, 2015May 8, 2015 / beneaththeferns / 3 Comments

My fairy gardens are always in need of something “special” to catch my eye. Perhaps it is the little “pop” of red, with sprinkles of white, but one of the most eye-catching additions to any miniature garden are little toadstools (otherwise known as the fly amanita mushroom). This is no accident, mind you. There is actually some science behind it…

The color wheel: each color has a complementary color that is their opposite, in this case, green and red.

Basic art classes will discuss in detail the way colors interact with each other, and the contrasting (or complementary) color to green is red. Since most plants are green (wait, they’re all green!), the best way to get someone’s attention is to add something red to the mix! Just look at the way the pictures below are surrounded by the green background of my page…sort of like a real garden.

Need some ideas to get started? Here are a few of my favorites…(Click on each picture to find out where to purchase ♥)

Fairy garden furniture by The Enchanted Acorn

I love these mushroom chairs and table! (The Enchanted Acorn!)

Fairy garden supply accessory mushroom bird house

This little bird (or gnat!) house is so sweet and tiny! The white really looks great with the red of the roof. (By Broken Sparrow Studio)

Fairy garden sign with mushroom supplies by The Ltttle Hedgerow

I love miniature mushroom accents this lovely fairy garden sign. (By The Little Hedgerow)

This mushroom house could fit just as well inside your house. (By Paris Cabinet)

Fairy garden supplies mushroom by The Edgewater Shop

This fairy house is so small and delicate….check out the door handle that is made from a little gemstone! (By The Edgewater Shop)

Fairy gardens accessories miniature mushroom by Fairy Creek Lane

Another incredibly detailed fairy house! The cap is made from an acorn, and look at the carefully place moss around the door! (By Fairy Creek Lane)

Don’t they just pop off the page? I want to add them all to my fairy garden! Check out the link on each picture to see other fairy garden supplies and accessories that each of these talented shops offer ♥

~Jessi