Rebirth of the Fairy Garden {Wordless Wednesday}

The First Day of the Fairy Garden

{Originally posted on kristamamaswan.blogspot.com on April 12, 2011. Since the Fairy Garden has grown up so much, I wanted to show how it started. Watch for more posts on the latest developments!}

I’m building a fairy garden with my kids and one of our neighbor kids. I should say, I’m building it for me and occasionally I remember to try to include them. They are all loving it, actually, and I’m looking forward to us having this project to tinker with all summer.
It started with some cutesy little flowers I picked up at the Trillium Festival a few weeks back. When I started adding them to the trillium, columbine and maidenhair fern I bought at last year’s festival, it all seemed so delicate and whimsical. And a fairy garden was born…
Half the fun has been seeking treasures and found objects to add to it. I raided my “I’ll fix this someday” box of broken jewelry and pulled out some treasures that I know I’m not really going to fix.

Here’s our progress so far. I have to agree with our neighbor girl and co-creator when she says, “Now I just wish we could make ourselves small so we could play in the garden!”

The "Great House" meeting hall (in process), with earring chandelier & jeweled bracelet fence and the beginning of the twig boardwalk.We chose these little white flowers because they look exactly like what we think fairy dresses should be. I. Love. Them.

While we were working, an actual ladybug flew in to enjoy the garden. This seemed auspicious!

Anna creating her "Jeweled Flower"

The Frog Bard, serenading the soon-to-come dancing fairies

More on the Fairy Garden:

Moonlight in the Fairy Garden

Flower Painting & Planting

Trillium Festival

Happy Fairy Gardening,

~Krista

Trillium Festival, Sunday April 3

I did not draw this, BTW

I’ve always had a special place in my heart for trillium. I remember spending what seemed like hours drawing them when I was a kid. I’m not sure if it was the rarity of them or the perfect symetry, but I just love them. My notebooks from 6th grade Outdoor School were littered with trillium sketches. Perhaps part of the allure is that they’re found out in the woods… a place I like to be!

Last year was our first to the Trillium Festival at Tryon Creek State Park. We loved it so much, we joined Friends of Tryon Creek and bought several trillium and other native plants.

Here’s one of our little trillium from last year, signaling that it’s time to get back out in the woods:

{the little bunker-like structure is an industrialish fairy house built in our garden by one of the darling neighbor kids}

On this almost-sunny Sunday, the kids and I met my parents out at Tryon Creek State Park to enjoy the Trillium Festival again.
Our adventure took us on an hour and a half-long hike through the park, on the look out for trillium, wood violets, licorice ferns, Oregon grape, and salmon berries.

We found the perfect Pixie Hollow!

The Trillium Festival pushed all my happy buttons: fun with the kids, exercise, nature, my parents, education… it’s all there. Plus, I stopped by the native plant sale and came away with these beauties:

so pretty, right?

We’ll build a whole fairy garden with these little darling flowers.

I hope you can get out and enjoy some nature soon, too!

{original post & comments here}