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When Six-Year-Old’s Decorate the Fairy Garden

Christmas Fairy Garden

Christmas Fairy Garden

The neighborhood kids were off from school last week, and a few of them came looking for the fairy garden. I moved my miniature garden to the back patio in December to make room for Christmas decor. I never moved it back.

My son helped me carry it back to the front deck and the little ones got to work.

fairy garden with azaleas

Aliens and Azaleas: The Magic of Being Six

fairy garden detail

Check out the detail work

finishing touches

Finishing touches

DSC_0042

When I was six, our street ended where a field began. A nursery operated on the other side, so we enjoyed an expansive view. Across the street was a vacant lot that filled with weeds after the rain.  With the freedom to roam that we had in those days, I remember gathering milk weed and clover and spending hours day dreaming while weaving creations with those glorious, green weeds.

It’s been years since I thought about that field, but it may explain my love of fairy gardening. Creating in miniature carries you back in time. It’s part wanderlust and a generous helping of nostalgia, but also a connection to a simpler time, of days spent belly down in a field of greens lost in thought until my mother called me home for supper.

ontario, canada

With my younger sister in our back yard, Ontario, Canada, early 1960’s

Pages: Fairy Garden Frivolity

30 thoughts on “When Six-Year-Old’s Decorate the Fairy Garden”

  1. You are instilling the love of fairy gardens in another generation or more. I wonder how many of those six year old children will end up loving to garden and be in nature. Your son was kind to help you bring it around front for the little ones. What an adorable picture of you and your sister. You have such wonderful memories. I wonder if you both remember things the same or different.

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  2. It is true that you are giving your neighbourhood children quite a gift – especially in this age that actively cripples imaginative play. As a child given few opportunities to play that way myself I can remember keenly the wonder I experienced when those magic moments did roll around – it made a huge impression in me and probably informed much of what I do now. A little can gift a lot! I love what they made – isn’t it so cute and funny too. I bet they were proud! xoxo

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    • Pauline, I’m sorry to hear that your childhood limited your chances for outdoor and creative play. I’m happy that you’ve found your way and can enjoy so many creative pursuits now.

      It is cute what they made and that they worked together (three of them). I was so surprised to see the stickers! That made me burst out laughing, then I ran and grabbed the camera.

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  3. Hi sweetness! You’re a great neighbour. Those kids are going to have good memories of these visits I’m sure. The Fairy Gardens are cute with the petunia’s blooming. I’ve planted the striped ones often too. I just can never decide on a colour. The painting on the planters is really holding out well. It still looks great, like you just did it. What kind of paint did you use to do it? There’s a bookstore here called Chapters, they’re selling little clay pots that you paint and they want 19.95 for them. The clay pot’s worth about $3.00 and the paint, probably even less. I was shocked. I don’t know if anyone’s buying them. They’ll probably be on the sale cart in the end. That’s when frugal people like me swoop in….hehe

    The yard of your childhood sounds nice. We were born at a good time, kids could still play outside and around the neighbourhood. I’m trying to remember things from age 5 now. It’s hard isn’t it? I love that photo of you two in your little dresses. I do remember playing outside in dresses and not jeans when I was little. I also remember picking blue glass stucko off my Oma’s house and I remember her Hollyhocks and sweet peas. Are most of your youthful memories outside too? I don’t think there was much to do inside. We only had 2 english TV channels in Edmonton when I was growing up.

    Geez, even aliens have changed since then hey? What will happening 40 years from now I wonder. I’ll be 94 eeeeeek. Hope they still make aqua converse sneakers! xoxox

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    • You always notice the details! Thank you.

      I used inexpensive acrylic paint from the craft store, then added a couple of coats of outdoor decoupage. I think that’s what did the trick. Nice to know it worked so well. I did the same on my three EarthBox planters and they too look good a year later.

      You are the queen of bargains, so I’m sure you’ll be back to Chapters for those kits. They sound cute, though clearly over-priced.

      I think my mom might have made those little shift dresses. She would pick up a remnant and make things like that. It takes a lot more fabric these days (LOL).

      I once read that memories began when we’re verbal, which for most children is between 2.5 and 3, but honestly I don’t have any memories from that young age. I have snippets of memories from those days, and think it would be fun to write everything down and see if one memory unearths another.

      Interesting you should ask about the memories outside vs. in. I do think most of the memories are outdoors. You’re right, not much to do inside as a kid. We were in on the bitter cold days, but even in winter, we got a chance to go outside, bundled up and ready to expend some energy.

      Here comes Petals in her aqua converse sneakers, with matching cane. Alys is along for the company wearing practical, boring, black shoes, trying to keep up with you. xoxoxo

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      • Weez il get you some practical ‘aqua shoes’…..that’s what spray paint is for. LOL I actually glittered my black and white converse sneakers the other day. They now how very sparkly gold toes. Maybe you would like practical aqua shoes with sparkly gold accents? I’m on it bestie. Stick with me, we’ll be the coolest ones on our block. We’ll skip to our discounted movies together…la la la (can you take shorter strides though? Your legs are so much longer) xoxoxoxox k

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  5. I also remember spending hours on end just picking buttercups and making daisy chains. We were lucky to have been children at a time where we could stray a little from home without our parents instilling fear in us. Sigh!….

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    • Thank you. Your children will fall in love with miniature gardening. Whats fun is it can be anything you want it to be. My first miniature started in the corner of the back garden between a few small boulders. I relocated some moss, added bits of this and that from around the house like tile samples, then woven a bed from lavender flowers. Pure joy in the making. Please report back.

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  9. You are the best neighbor!
    Fairy gardens or anything in miniature was always a favorite of mine and my sisters, too. It made me go in search of why we love small things. I wondered if anyone had studied what it is. Since I didn’t have much time to put towards the search, I stopped after I found this:
    “The garden part is obvious, but the miniatures? As children we play with all kinds of miniatures that mimic us, our fantasies and our lifestyle, like Lego and Barbie. We use them in our art to communicate, in sculpture and film for example. We use them to worship. And we use them in our work to model bigger projects, as an architect creates a model of the building before the ground is broken”.
    https://minigardener.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/miniature-garden-why-do-i-love-thee/

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  10. love the photo of you and Sharon – and the fact you gave those kids a wonderful time decorating the fairy garden. You are by far the best neighbor there!

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