Yule Fairies It's that time of year again when the Yule Fairies come out to play! Yule, or the winter solstice, is a pagan celebration of the rebirth of the sun, marking the longest night of the year. The Yule Fairies play on trees in the winter moonlight. Here is a lovely story about the Yule Fairies.  Each dress is handcrafted with birch bark, colored mosses, flowers, and ferns. I just brought three up to H&H Mercantile in Searsport for their annual Searsport Holiday "Shop Small" Sale on November 30 (where the whole town joins in). It's truly Shop Small with these tiny items. Only $20 each. The Fairy Sleigh  This hand-carved tiny sleigh is also at H&H Mercantile. It was made for the majestic Snow Queen and is one of a kind. $25.
My Edna St. Vincent Millay dresses made from the pages of her iconic poetry take on a new look when it comes to Yuletide. I only made a couple each year and I have one for sale before the holidays at my Etsy store.  Here is the small pine in our front yard decorated with Druid/pagan fairy ornaments and the tree topper.  The dress is handmade with a light wash of white sparkly glaze. Adorned with tulle, tiny pearls, ribbon, paper fringe silk petals and real feathers. It is mounted on a white-washed stick with a clamp at the bottom to attach to a tree.     Here's another I just crafted, very similar. This will be for sale at our Craft Fair December 5 and I won't be making any more.    I have a new collection of fairies color-coordinated with the pagan season of Yuletide: glitter red and green. Each is handmade and each variation differs a bit. The "angel" tree topper is one of my Edna St. Vincent Millay poetry dresses with feather wings. A limited quantity of these will be available when my Etsy shop re-opens November 21.    Red Yule Fairy made from white birch bark, red glitter reindeer moss and red berries from bittersweet. 
Green Yule Fairy made from white bitch bark and dark green reindeer moss with patches of moss up the side.    I got the idea from making round fairy doors. Why not make them even smaller and add botanicals?  Each comes with a custom "fiddlehead" fairy hanger. Perfect ornaments for a pagan tree!  This shows how small they are: about two inches wide.  I only had enough materials to make five of them. They can be found at Brambles in Belfast, Maine.  These are the Sociable fairies, the Sidheog, who reside in the forest, in their ancient fortifications, or "royalties" as they are known. For they have one true Queen, whom they are devoted to and serve. In three years I've been secretly observing these Wee Folk, I've never seen the Queen.  They come out this time of year dressed in their pagan colors, of wine, green and white.   They know I'm there, but they allow me access because I admire them and they aren't so different from us; they preen when they dance. They look over their shoulders to see if I'm still watching.....  And here are two tree toppers, my Flapper Angels. 
I have a new collection of fairies color-coordinated with the pagan season of Yuletide: all white, red and green. Each is, by its handmade construction, one of a kind.  White moss, red rose, green moss. Each one has a back story.  The Yule Fairy is adorned with dried fern and bright red tiny berries with a plume of green feather. The birch bodice sparkles with a glaze of festive glitter.
 The Fairy Mistress is made of red rose petals and dried autumn leaf with a hint of Baby's Breath.
The Queen's Muse is made from dried grass, birch bark and reindeer moss adorned with an applique of birch and dried Hydrangea. The bodice is stitched up the back with white thread. 
More are being made in various white, green and red colors and soon will be available at the quirky garden and home goods store, Brambles in Belfast. All concepts and photos © Kay Stephens
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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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