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Today on the Spring Solstice, a pretty member of the Wee Folk made an appearance on the snow. With a dress made of white hydrangea dotted with petals of red rose, she is a cross between the sisters, Snow White and Rose-Red. Her bodice is made from birch with a hydrangea-and-moss corsage. The rose petals are like drops of blood.     The Good Natured Shop, a boutique in Liberty, will be opening for the spring starting March 31. This fairy dress as well as some others, including some beautiful pieces from my literary collection, will be available.
O blessed Bird! the earth we pace Again appears to be An unsubstantial, faery place; That is fit home for Thee! -Wordsworth  As the days grow longer, the Spring Fairies are coming out from the cold Underground to sun their faces.  This one was made of birch and potpourri.  A sprig of dried flowers for the corsage.   Stitched up the back with pale green thread.
The pretty jeweled colors of the dried tulip petals complement the tourmaline gems found by a friend.   The sash is made from tulip stamens and dried purple flowers, and moss, and Usnea.   Here is a beauty to behold. Five years ago, I found a matriarchal society of The Wee Folk in the hills, barrows and woods near the sea in Maine and have been documenting them ever since. The Spring Maiden is seen early this year--usually found in March or April. This fairy is the reveler in the rath, with a gown of tulips to welcome the green grass and new buds on the trees.  She's made from dried tulip petals I got for Valentine's Day, a birch bodice and a sprig of moss and hydrangea flower for a corsage. Stitched up the back with purple thread for an extra pop of color.  An additional decoration is the stamens from two different colored tulips.   Seen here lounging in the snow.  Last April at this very time there was a foot of snow still on the ground and it was sleeting. Today on a walk, I came upon skunk cabbage, and upon the spathe was a beautiful fairy of the same maroon color. So crafty was she, I nearly missed her.  Now blooms the lily on the bank, the primrose down the brad; The hawthorne’s budding in the glen And milk-white is the slae -Burns The fairy’s dress is made from various bits from a dried rose bouquet and sewn up the back with magenta thread.  And still, another one was found only steps further. Her sister? This lovely fairy had on a dress of dried magenta tulip petals and was adorned in lichen across the bodice. Spring came early this year, so the Wee Folk have come above ground sooner than usual.
 ©Kay Stephens May is when they come above ground and I found this one sunning near a fairy rath in a cemetery.  ©Kay Stephens Among carpets of purple, pink and white on a hot spring morning, the sounds of birds trilling nearby.  ©Kay Stephens This one was made with a bodice of white and red birch, a skirt of dried rose petals and hydrangea and adorned with a sash of spring wildflowers.  I'm experimenting with lovely two-toned dried rose petals. This one was photographed the day after an ice storm turned all branches into brilliant icicles.  The bodice is made from several layers of birch bark, the outer and inner layers.  The applique is a dried petal adorned with a purple bud.  These are so fragile that I'm looking into special deep shadowboxes to contain them.  Right on time (March 21) a pair of sisters were spotted by the sea. Though some fairies live in the hills or barrows, I found a matriarchal society of The Wee Folk in the woods near the sea in Maine two years ago and have been documenting them ever since. It is said one can see fairies by looking through a stone with a natural hole in it.  This is the time of year that they begin to emerge from their subterranean residence deep below the snow-covered hills. They sense that the light has changed and with the air warming every day, these maiden sisters were out gathering the tiny shoots of crocuses.   These lovelies were made from roses given to me on Valentine's Day and I made sure their value would not be thrown away.   Each is stitched up the back with purple thread. The whimsical hanger is adorned with a teeny jewel that matches the color of each dress. Oh, and that's the Camden hills in the background.
Sunning on a bed of crocuses. It's truly the start of Spring!  It's the beautiful time of year when The Spring Maiden comes up from the forts and basks among the budding flowers.  Photo ©Kay Stephens The Spring Maiden serves the Queen in her dress and care. She is adorned in dried tulips with birch bodice, a lichen cummerbund and a tulip rose for decoration.  Photo ©Kay Stephens I also made another one, which is a little more elaborate.  Photo ©Kay Stephens We're working on making custom shadowboxes for these pretty ones. Hope you enjoy this blast of color.
 ©Kay Stephens APRIL* By John Galsworthy Starry-eyed is April morn, Rain bells glitter on the thorn. Birds are tuning down the lane Patter song of fallen rain. Spring can grieve, but Spring can be Very life of minstrelsy! -excerpt from Moods, Songs and Doggerels. Reprinted by permission of Charles Scribner's Sons in the anthology Through Fairy Halls of My Bookhouse (Olive Beaupre Miller, Chicago The Bookhouse for Children Publishers, 1920) This spring maiden serves the Queen in her dress and care. She is adorned in dried tulips with birch bodice, a lichen cummerbund and a tulip rose for decoration.
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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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