 Fairies are a nature spirits and make their home in the woods. They have a strong connection to magic and can alter their physical appearance, like this one, the Tree Shifter, a fey who uses mimicry to blend into the trees when humans pass by. Like the chameleon and the octopus, the Tree Shifter uses her natural ability to hide within plain sight. As a Watcher for the Troop, she relies on this gift to protect The Wee Folk from human interference.  This dress was made from birch bark that was painted to resemble the American sycamore tree, which has bark that looks naturally camouflaged.  Her corsage is a bit of moss and Trumpet Lichen.  The skirt is made from reindeer moss and bits of usnea.  The dress is stitched up the back with green thread.  Summer is the busy time for The Wee Folk. They are gathering and hunting in preparation for the Summer Solstice and sometimes in the midst of their activities, they get hurt with scrapes, cuts, and burns. The Fairy Healer is the nurse of the Troop. She is the herbalist, the medicine fae.  Her dress is made from Usnea, a lichen, which is antimicrobial, antibacterial, vulnerary, and antifungal.   A close up shows a sash made from lichen and fungi, which also contain medicinal benefits.  Her birch bodice is stitched up the back with moss green thread.  There she is...only 3 inches high, sitting in a tree, hanging by a bejeweled fiddlehead hanger.  There, in the early morning light, one was spotted on rain-dampened ferns.  Her skirt is perfumed by the rose petals gathered by the sea and the adornments are dried bramble and flowers; she is the sweetest smelling fairy, long after the flowers have gone by. She is a close ally to the Merrow, the sea fairies who communicate with their counterparts on land.     Today, when the sun rises, it is the longest day of the year. And tonight, according to Celtic lore, elves and fairies abound in great numbers. Here is a little gallery of who is out today.  The Reindeer Muse is out collecting flowering sage, a powerful herb on this day.  Two of the Queen's Handmaidens lay amongst the wildflowers.    The Queen Anne's Lace fairy is a sociable fairy, whose amusements--dance, music and games--entertain the Queen on these summer days.  The bodice is made from birch and the skirt is made from a dried curled bell of Queen Anne's Lace and some dried purple flowers I got from a farm in Maine.  It is laced up the back with purple thread and adorned on the front with more dried purple flowers.   This is a fairy beautifully ethereal and reclusive. She is the Queen's poet and spends her days observing the woodlands for an amusing verse to tell the court later. Here she is spotted among Love Lies Bleeding.  This one-of-a-kind miniature fairy dress is made from dried grass, birch bark and reindeer moss adorned with an applique of birch and dandelion fluff. The bodice is stitched up the back with white thread.
This dress measures 2 inches by 4 inches and comes with its own custom hanger. It can be purchased through our Etsy store.  © Kay Stephens These are sociable fairies and they hide in the beach roses lining the ocean during the day. On a full moon, like we had the other night, they come out to watch the seals in the cove as they dart around and flank the translucent squid, attacking them for their meal. The Beach Rose Red fairies find that completely amusing and "in the grove of great rose-trees, with the moon shining on it as bright as day, and thousands of nightingales singing in the branches"* the Wee Folk dance the night away.
Here is a closer look at them. They are made from birch bark collected on my property and dried beach roses collected by the sea in Maine. They smell wonderful. The back of the bodice is laced up with pale pink thread.  *Excerpt from The Story of Fairyfoot by Francis Browne (Through The Fairy Halls of My Bookhouse, Chicago Publishers, The Bookhouse for Children, 1920)
 ©Kay Stephens You don't see them; but they live among the summer wildflowers keeping the Queen amused. This is another of the Queen's Handmaidens adorned in a birch bodice, a dried hydrangea skirt and a ruffle of Silverrod at the throat.  ©Kay Stephens In Tanglewood, the Musk Mallow is a sign that the Queen resides nearby. They pluck the fruits and one-seeded nutlets for her meals.
The Merrow from the root word muir is a sea fairy and she is partial to good looking fishermen, but they do not enjoy seeing her, for their presence means a coming gale.  ©Kay Stephens This is a rare, one-of-a-kind dress crafted from sea grass, kelp and tiny shells from a Florida beach. I only have materials to make possibly three or four more. Here she is posed on the rocks of Ducktrap Beach.
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Tonic of the Woods
the inspiration behind the creations Photos, stories and concept ©Kay Stephens
Look up the story behind a fairy dress by clicking on the name below
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