| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Jul 27 2006 : 3:05:52 PM
a fairie garden is as wonderful and varied as your individual imaginations .. i believe my most favorite i have ever seen were built by children who came to my 'flower fairie tea parties'. we had a big huge tree in the middle of our yard .. with another huge tree just at the edge of the forest ... the 'forest' tree had a huge HOLLOW in it ... which is where our maryland home got it's name (named by a FOUR-YEAR old friend) ... CROOKED TREE HOLLOW.
i purchased a few small plants/flowers (with roots attached .. and re-planted them in tiny pots) ... i provided each child with a 'basket' .. then we took a 'nature hike' in the woods by our home .. where the children gathered .. lichen, twigs, bark, woodland flowers, pebbles, stones, and any other nature treasures they could find. then we returned to the big 'fairie tree' .. where they would 'circle' the tree with their baskets of goodies .. each child was provided a small live plant too. they would create fairie homes .. with kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, FURNITURE .. little 'food' items, porches, patios, gardens rugs, roofs .. you name it and those children thought of it! i swear .. the fairie villages they created could have been featured in any major gardening magazine!!! (they each planted their small plant somewhere in the fairie garden). oh .. and i also gifted them each a little plant to take home to start their own fairie garden.
AND .. when i had hidden little fairies under ferns .. in rock out-croppings .. among little wood piles, etc. peeking out at us as we walked quietly together through the woods. (they were told to 'look for the fairies' .. but do not reveal their hiding places .. or even 'talk' to them .. as this would make them run into hiding because they are very shy of humans .. but curious about us too!)
after the villages were built, we all circled the tree .. holding hands .. and singing fairie songs and danced around the tree.
i told the children that the 'fairies' are 'memory keepers' and that they watched us as we had our tea party and fun events and that when all the children were gone home .. they would fly back to the hollow in the olde crooked tree and stay up all night excitedly telling each other all they had seen and observed.
then i tell the children that SOMEDAY .. when they are grown and perhaps sitting with a friend who had come to the party with them as a child .. or maybe even telling their own children of their memories of this lovely day and of building fairie homes .. that they would probably feel a teeeeeeensy little tickle on the side of their cheek or at the edge of their ear .. and if they turned their head very quickly .. they might catch sight of a tiny little fairie .. and that these fairies have returned to them in their adulthood to 'whisper memories' of their childhood in their ear.
and as we danced around the fairie village .. i would sprinkle each of them with 'magic fairie dust' (silver sprinkles) and recite a poem i had written ...
STAR dust of SILVER
MOONBEAMS of GOLD
spun by the FAIRIE FOLK
from stories often told.
They live the in the HOLLOW
of and OLDE CROOKED TREE
... for the 'stardust of memories'
is MAGIC .. you see!!
Remember .. fairie gardens and sightings and parties are what YOU conjure up to share with the children (and grown-up gurlfrenz too!) in your life!
OH .. once, i invited several dozen gurlfrenz to attend a 'fairie fest' at our home. They were all to come dressed as fairies ... we, too, gathered goodies and built a lovely fairie village .. and OH MY ... the COSTUMES were just delightful! We even had a couple 'dark fairies' who came dressed all in black.
I must tell you how i believe this fairie fest was MEANT to be!!!! In our dollclub we had a lovely young woman who's 2 year old son had been battling lukemia for over a yeara of his sweet little life. She had not attended doll club gathwerings in several months as she did not leave his bedside as his conditioned worsened and she was told that he would go to live with the angels before long.
Brave little Brady lost his dear little life .. and our party had been planned for about two weeks following his death. And to all our surprize .. his mom showed up in a white flowing gossamer gown .. with lovely net wings filled with sparkles (silver fairie dust) .. and her eyes were rimmed with silver dust in the midst of her beautiful pale face.
she ... truly looked to be an angel-fairie. we all embraced her and she told us this gathering had been a healing that she very much needed. knowing that our love for her and her precious son was as deep as friendship could possibly be.
fairie gardens ... oh my yes .. do find some lovely tiny 'twig' or 'metal' furniture .. check your local dollar stores for those dear little fairies that can withstand all weather .. find or make a 'bird-house' type fairie home and nestle it in among the flowers or ferns. make little pebble walkways .. and of course, a 'tiny fence and garden'.
and best of all .. include 'the children' in creating your fairie garden. i wish you fairie dreams!
xoxo, frannie
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| 23 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| karen lee |
Posted - Aug 08 2006 : 07:36:13 AM
I loved the Fairy stories i have had my Fairy Tree for a few years my grand kids love to play with all my critters around it.You will find photos of on page 8. Enjoy Karen Lee |
| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Aug 04 2006 : 3:01:24 PM
glad I snooped around online then and found it for you gals...and that it brought back pleasant memories for you Frannie.
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~ |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Aug 03 2006 : 3:17:40 PM
oh my gosh tina .. the Callista fairie pattern was made by my very good friend, donna .. she was in my doll club (Crooked Tree Hollow Doll Club) for about ten years ... when i lived in Maryland! oh and what a delight miz donna is .. ALWAYS singing a little tune! I believe Callista was her very first pattern she ever made. i had these hanging in my 'angel fairie' bedroom and bathroom at Crooked Tree Hollow!
12" poseable fairie
by Donna Schramek
© 1997
5724 Pope Street
Baltimore, MD 21225-3718
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| Hideaway Farmgirl |
Posted - Aug 03 2006 : 11:24:10 AM
Tina, what great sites! I love the one showing all the little fairy houses! My imagination is running wild. Just what I need - another hobby and no time for it. Oh well, I can dream online for a while...
Jo |
| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Aug 03 2006 : 10:37:46 AM
found this pattern for a fairy doll
http://dollmakersjourney.com/callista/index.html
also found this website for all kinds of wee fairy folk and their homes and food supplies made from felt.
http://www.motherhues.com/id24.htm
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~ |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Aug 01 2006 : 7:35:37 PM
hi georgeann .. i was at two of our local Dollar Tree's . .and NEITHER of them still carry those dear little fairies! and i just have not been able to 'unearth' ANY of them in the 'schoolhouse' .. i left most of them behind at Crooked Tree Hollow in Maryland .. as that is where 'their story began'.
My Yesteryear's Children's tea party is this coming Sunday .. and it has a PIONEER GIRL theme .. i'll post some pics after the party! xo
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| Aunt George |
Posted - Aug 01 2006 : 04:11:31 AM
Frannie.......I'm wiping my eyes right now.........what a lovely and loving person you are. Have you had the fairy party for the little girl yet? My girls and I will check the dollar store here to see what we can find. My girls and I have been collecting dollar store fairies for a few years too. The have their treasure cabinets full of them. They are very precious to my girls too. The dollar stores here stopped carrying them a couple of years ago though......very hard to find.
Thank you for sharing the wonderful stories!
Georgann
http://auntgeorgeshouse.blogspot.com/
Thanks for checking out my apron musings! |
| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 10:01:22 PM
I will have to create a fairie garden now..but for my own yard this time...
I homeschool , so a few years ago I made little "troll garden" kits for the kids in the homeschool group that we were involved in..using teeny tiny plastic trolls(remember the tiny ones with wild colored hair and the little belly buttons?)I found some at a garage sale that were only about an inch tall.. also found some teeny little baby chicks and bunnies(the lady had owned a craft business and had tons of craft supplies) and then I created some tiny mushrooms and snakes on rocks out of fimo clay. I put them all in an envelope for the kids with instructions on how to create a tiny dish garden using grass seeds and found objects in nature.They were thrilled to recieve them..I do not know if any of them actually ever utilized the kits or not..but it was fun to share the idea with them though.You can use aquarium gravel to create tiny "river beds" and use little sticks as "fallen logs" and so forth.
I will have to introduce my son to the concept..but gear it towards boys..now that he is beginning school this year.
Thanks for the reminder/idea of something really fun to do with children.
I will also keep my eye out for the tiny fairies at the dollar stores..we have several of the stores in our area so I'll be on the look out.
Oh what fun! (can't you tell I'm just a big kid? hee hee)
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~ |
| Shirley |
Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 6:09:18 PM
I decied to take my beading project out to the deck today and sit at the unbrella table ,and bead. Im beading a batik of dragonflies, it is so pretty. Im just highlighting with beads.
The yard was a buzz with everything.
Fairies darting in and out(I think I saw several) everytime I looked down I could see them out the corners of my eyes.!
The dragonflies must have seen the batik, cause they were everywhere, along with gold finches and chicadees, nuthatches,hummers,and some birds I need to look up.
We have 2 waterfall ponds and it really attracts birds and other things, including an occasional herons, and raccoons.the ponds arent really that big either.
Well, I didnt get much done on my piece. LOL kept looking at everything else around the yard.
I have a fairy house made of sticks and moss,lichens and stuff like that, but its going in my sunroom with plants surounding it, like a forest, so Ill leave the door open so the faries can get in sometimes.then again, do they need an open door to get in?
shirley
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| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 4:57:43 PM
miz jo .. you come on to kentucky .. i have a 40 year old daughter .. and could surely have one who is 46! sweet of you to remember your nephew .. he will remember you and the fairies forever! xo
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| Hideaway Farmgirl |
Posted - Jul 31 2006 : 11:07:49 AM
Frannie, thanks for such great inspiration! I have a little nephew who visits us at the farm and I think I have been inspired to place a few fairies around for him to discover. Not to mention the enjoyment i'll get myself!
Thanks for the explanation. Am I too old (only 46) to be adopted by you? Grins...
Jo |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Jul 28 2006 : 06:52:16 AM
elizabeth .. all your gardens will be lovely when your dream is realized. i want to do a laybrinth too .. i have been looking at them both in person and in books .. and i think i want a 'stone path' for mine .. with a stone bench in the center for 'contemplating'. xo
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| sillyfoulks |
Posted - Jul 28 2006 : 06:00:24 AM
How beautiful!! You have inspired me to include faires in my own garden. The children were discussing just few days ago how they wanted more garden space to play. Next year they want to build a dome out of chicken wire and plant vines all around it, to cover it. They had specific instuctions, the most important being, it had to have a door way.
Our gardens are still is much of a planning stage. We are all full of ideas. Many have been inspired by our great Farm Girl Connection. I know I want a maze and a labyrinth, and now a fairy garden. I know how I want are gardens to be, at least in my mind. It is just so hard to get them done in the dirt. But, I know with it will someday happen, and with our 3 acres there is plenty of room.
Elizabeth
http://livingcountrystyle.blogspot.com/ |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Jul 28 2006 : 05:24:02 AM
frannie friend ... so happy to have brought a little cheer to you day .. sometimes we jus' have those blue days .. sure makes us appreciate the sunny ones when they come along! love the 'castle' garden name olivia made up!
kindred karen .. isn't it wonderful when we keep our childhood 'magic' alive!! invite a few neighbor kids in for a fairie tea whilst you wait on those 'grandes'. xo
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| Mumof3 |
Posted - Jul 28 2006 : 04:55:03 AM
Miz Frannie- You truly are a kindred spirit! I spent many years of my childhood under the large crabapple tree in our back yard making little homes for faeries! When my children were small, we would go searching for evidences of faeries and such. I can't wait for grandchildren to begin again!! Love, love, love your stories my friend.
Karin |
| frannie |
Posted - Jul 27 2006 : 9:25:12 PM
frannie,
ilove your stories and this one came just in the nick of time. i have had such a blue day
nothing in particular , i just think the heat here has me down and i have not been able to have as much outside time as i would like too.
anyway the grandkids will be here tomorrow and i think i will take a little time to tuck some fairies and fairy furniture in one of my garden areas, that little olivia(the3 year old) likes to call the castle garden.
you made my day and thanks for the boost, i needed it.
love,
the other frannie |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Jul 27 2006 : 7:08:11 PM
miz bethie-pooh .. thanks for your sweet words .. you always make my heart smile!
you too shirley darlin' ... in denver one day .. i walked in a secluded park with a pond and there were HUNDREDS of dragonflies .. and i SWEAR they, themselves were fairies .. i even wrote a poem while sitting on a bench visiting them .. but for the life of me .. i can't remember it!!!
sweet brenda .. i, too, have one of those fun 'tree faces' .. and i SWEAR .. he looks just like my husband ... mustache and all! aren't they fun.
catherine dear ... jack has special fairies that are already watching over him ... someday .. he WILL see them.
xo, frannie
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| cmandle |
Posted - Jul 27 2006 : 6:46:50 PM
You've transported me to a wonderful world tonight, Frannie! Thank you so much for the stories and for sharing your imagination with us. Ooh, you've got my mind tumbling with ideas for when Jack grows up!!! THANKS!!!
Catherine
http://yogurtandgranola.blogspot.com |
| brightmeadow |
Posted - Jul 27 2006 : 6:35:07 PM
I love your ideas! I have a couple of gnomes under one tree, and I have a tree face on one of the trees. My husband thinks it is silly but I persevere. My grandson (2) hasn't really noticed it yet but I suspect he will soon! Childhood is magical, and we leave so much magic behind when we become so serious as adults.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
| Shirley |
Posted - Jul 27 2006 : 6:22:15 PM
I love your fairy stories Frannie , I have lots of faires in my house and several outside in the garden (3 ft high ones) :)
I love faries and gnomes, trolls and all that kinda stuff.
We have so many dragonflies outside around out house, that I think fairies ride on them to get closer looks at us, because sometimes the dragonflies come really cloase. Last year I touched 2 different dragonflies on thier behinds, but they with all thier eyes could see me.We have 2 ponds that they love, along with little magic frogs.
ooops getting carried away here.
this lots of fun
shirley |
| celebrate2727 |
Posted - Jul 27 2006 : 5:18:18 PM
thank you miz frannie for recounting this charming story. You are such a dear. Your stories always touch my heart.
Love you!
blessings
beth
Dreaming of Friday Night Lights
http://blissnblossomfarm.etsy.com
http://bethsblissnblossomfarm.blogspot.com
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| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Jul 27 2006 : 4:34:07 PM
thanks gurlfren .. i've been looking all over for those little dollar store fairies here in ky .. and haven't been able to find them. (i left all the crooked tree hollow ones in maryland for the family that moved in after us). the woman who bought it is actually going to have a 'pre-school' in the lower level of our home .. so .. i often think of the little ones that will discover the fairies!
i'm having a tea party for a little girl next sunday ... soooo .. i am on a big-time search for them before then!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| asnedecor |
Posted - Jul 27 2006 : 3:11:30 PM
Frannie -
Where were you when I was small - what a wonderful thing to do for the neighborhood kids. I just love it, especially putting the faires in the bushes peeking out for them to find. You have such a wonderful imagination.
Anne in Portland, OR
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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