“Faeries, come take me out of this dull world,
For I would ride with you upon the wind,
Run on the top of the dishevelled tide,
And dance upon the mountains like a flame.”
~William Butler Yeats
What could be more fun or better add a touch of magic to any season’s decor than a sprinkling of fairies?! I had spring blossoms on the brain, and how could that not remind me of Cicely Mary Barker and her beloved flower fairies? I promptly decided a fairy side table to augment my spring decor was in order!
I challenged myself to represent each of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water, along with seasonal selections, and fairies of course! The details of my selections follow. Enjoy!!
Table & Tablecloth:
This lovely 36″ round, cream-colored, lace table topper was purchased on ebay. It sits atop a marble pedestal table purchased several years ago from Design Toscano. I am unsure if this specific model is still available, but they have others, and other vendors may have them as well.
Earth Element:
“Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea.” ~Pythagoras
… And To be the “salt of the earth” represents the best and most noble elements of our wonderful planet. With this in mind, I chose lovely salt in its larger crystalline form (available at most supermarkets) to represent my “earth element”.
Cicely Mary Barker’s lovely Wild Thyme Fairy is an ornament and was purchased from Hearthsong. She sits contemplatively amidst the salt within a beautiful, gently used, petite milk glass candy dish purchased in a lot on ebay.
Air Element:
Air is tricky to represent, but playful swirls of wafting smoke emanating from delicate incense seem a fitting representation as their mesmerizing dance requires air as its medium. Understanding that guests have differing tastes in aromas and not wanting to offend, I have chosen Shoyeido Creativity Incense. Shoyeido makes a top quality product that I have enjoyed frequently over the years. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Fire Element:
I chose a candle to represent the element of fire. Not wanting to create an additional scent to compete with the incense, I selected a scent-free palm wax votive made by Aloha Bay, which I purchased on Amazon. (Note: beeswax, soy, or palm wax candles are preferable to paraffin as they do not release toxic compounds into your environment.)
It rests within a decorative bird cage votive holder purchased on deep discount from my local Michaels Craft Store. This cage is draped with vintage, gently-used faux pearls purchased from an ebay lot, the same lot, in fact, that the pearls in my spring tablescape came from, making it even more useful of a purchase!
And nestled playfully atop, sits my Cicely Mary Barker, Sycamore Fairy Ornament purchased from Hearthsong. He teases and delights, as fairies will, and holds a romantic heart-shaped necklace, also from a fantastic vintage costume jewelry lot from ebay.
Water Element:
A recycled Starbucks Cappuccino Jar (you get to drink enjoy the beverage and then reuse the container – perfect!) containing lovely aqua-colored water (a drop of food coloring) represents this element just as I had hoped!
The bottle is adorned with ecru lace and a cameo brooch, both gently used, vintage items purchased from ebay.
And not to be outdone by the others, Cicely Mary Barker’s, Honeysuckle Fairy Ornament, purchased from Hearthsong, rests on its rim cradling yet another ebay find from my vintage, faux pearl lot.
Seasonal Elements:
A fairy side table would make a lovely summer decoration as well, and if that is your intention, simply substitute the items below for any that sing summer to you! Possible choices include items from a nature walk, wildflowers, bright yellows, whatever tickled your fancy! Since, my goal here was to represent spring, here are my seasonal choices:
- Egg Ensemble:
Understandably, eggs are symbols of life and birth and are therefore logical natural representations of spring, with spring animals being birthed and new flower and leaf buds emerging all around. For this reason, I chose to add eggs to my side table decor. Striking alabaster eggs from Williams Sonoma sit nestled within a milk glass server purchased gently used on ebay.
- Floral Ensemble
Fresh flowers were where my inspiration for this table began! Spring is brimming with flowers and colors, and my side table decor could not neglect this burstingly vital and beautiful aspect of the season! I purchased white and pink roses from a local farm stand and placed them within a Fenton, milk glass vase again purchased gently used on ebay. Yes!
For more fairy fun, see also, my tutorial on crafting fairies!
And there you have it!! Happy, happy spring! :)
“Spread your wings and let the fairy in you fly!” ~Author Unknown
