As an elementary school teacher for almost three decades, I’ve witnessed a dramatic shift in recent years in the behavior and habits of children. Further, I’ve seen an alarming rise in obesity and violent tendencies during that time. I attribute these changes, in part, to excessive screen time as well as a lack of parental involvement.
Posts filed under Faeries
Hand Crafting: A Jolly Old Elf
Bring a little magic into your holiday season with this jolly old elf. Made from scraps of wool felt and a bit of ribbon from your stash, he’ll be adorable hanging from your Yule tree, decorating a package, or pinned to your lapel.
Kids in the Community: The Seelie Court of Ann Arbor’s Faery Artists and Events
What have our fairy friends and their artists been up to during the pandemic? To brighten everyone’s spirits, I wanted to track down some fairy fun this spring for the young ones. Might we see more fairy doors pop up around Ann Arbor? Maybe you’ve seen glimmers of whimsical fun around Ann Arbor in the chalk drawings of the ephemeral and adorable characters dreamed up by Ann Arbor’s David Zinn. It’s almost time for the return of Shakespeare in the Arb, and we’re celebrating with a production of the fairy-packed fun of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Ann Arbor is one of the best places around to find events and artists who work on a fairy theme, but like the fae they can be hiding in plain sight. I went searching under every rock and leaf, even a few book jackets, to find you the best fairy-themed events, artists, and authors in Ann Arbor to find while we’re still in need of a little fun.
A Charming Faerie Baby
Oh, the last days of fall! Soon the flowers will be snuggling into their winter beds, the birds will fly south, and little faeries will begin to hibernate. In the spirit of these little environmental sprites, I’ve designed a cute little faerie baby reusing a plastic deli container (I’m sure you have some of those laying around since we’ve all been supporting our local restaurants delivery service through the pandemic). You can use the plastic bauble you make as a magnet, make a pin or a charm, or tie it to a lovely winter gift.
Handcrafting: Star Gazing Gnome Coasters
Warm up your gloomy winter days with these woodsy gnome coasters. I used both woven wool scraps and wool felt to create these whimsical little guys. Wool is a great material to absorb the water from a sweaty glass or protect your table from a hot mug. Using a hot steamy iron you can get the wool to lay nearly flat, so it’s a nice even surface for your glass to sit on, too. This is an easy no-sew project, but can also be embellished using a blanket stitch. Best of all, each gnome you make will be unique. Happy creating!
Using Crystals to Attract Faeries
Once upon a time, nearly every culture on every continent held some measure of belief in the existence of fairies. A life form described as small humanlike creatures that live in natural habitats, often invisible to human eyes. Early writings depict them as mischievous and even at times, malicious. Travelers often left offerings of food and drink for them in exchange for protection against the elements, wild animals, and other dangers that might befall on their journey. Legend has it that fairies especially appreciated milk, bread, cheese, sweets, and other prepared foods.
