“The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve; lovers to bed; ’tis almost fairy time.” ~William Shakespeare
What a wonderful way to celebrate summer!! Perhaps thanks to Shakespeare or maybe just because of the joy in our hearts brought about by the increase in sunlight, when thinking of decorations and embellishments to represent this most enchanting time of year, fairies just seem so fitting!
Thanks to Constance Muller, who displays her art under the name of Rochambeau, I found a most wonderful set of instructions for “tree maidens” that I based my little critters on. She also has a a lovely blog and boutique if you are interested.
And with the help of several generous and loving members of my family, we went to work!
Supplies
General supplies are listed in the instructions, but our specific experiences also suggested the folowing:
- Because it is hard to foresee exactly how the plethora of colors, textures, and forms will work best together, our experience suggested acquiring quite a few silk florals, so that choices are plentiful. I store all my crafts in a cabinet, so I found myself digging through it and pulling out any decorative embellishments, silks or otherwise, that might be playful and help bring each of these little personalities to life
- We used fine, permanent Prismacolor markers on the faces. But since the beads had a bit of a glossy finish, we found it necessary to set them (to prevent smudging) using a workable matte fixative. When spraying, choose a well ventilated area, and spray from about a foot away, so that the pressure from the release of the fixative does not damage the wet marker. (We completed them in clusters by putting several on a pipe cleaner and then setting them in batches.)
Additional tips:
- Arms: Instructions are vague as to how exactly these are attached. We just twisted them around the “legs” then covered them with the felt bodices.
- Standing: Many of them stood on their own with the help of their floral garments. We attached loops onto those that didn’t so they could still be easily displayed.
- Sizes: We used beads of varying sizes and shades for the heads, so that our fairies could be diverse and represent multiple sizes.
- Expressions: From playful to coy to regal, so many opportunities exist for imaginative displays. Have fun with this… We sure did!
Uses:
We will be incorporating these into our dining table centerpiece. (Check out details and pics!) These fairies are so petite and lovely, though, the little mischievous sweeties could probably sneak in just about anywhere! They could hide in houseplants, sit amongst artwork. They could even adorn trees or flowers outdoors during a celebration.
A fun game for children might be hiding them all around (inside and possibly even outside) and seeing who can find the most!!!
Above all, from their creation all the way to their utilization, these fairies offer another opportunity for you and your family to spend some wonderful, quality time together this summer laughing, playing, dancing, and celebrating.
Have fun!! :)
