If you’ve ever been to the beach or on a hike and decided to spend some time picking up shells or looking for arrowhead’s, you’ll understand what I mean about found things. Nature is a treasure trove for those who slow down and look around. I’ve rediscovered this past time lately as I have begun to fill my spare time making fairy products. It’s perfect really. Now I have an excuse for collecting stuff. Many of my building materials are just laying around under trees or in my case in front of my neighbor’s driveway. She has one of those oak trees with the awesome acorns. Every couple of days I’ll put a bag in my pocket and pick up the stray acorns that have fallen in the street while pausing in my daily walk. I still have to visit the craft store way too often, because paint and glue don’t grow on trees, but I know where to find some really awesome bark and acorns that are free.
I did a little research before sitting down to write this blog, and found that there is actually something called found item art. Who knew? Well, I didn’t. I just knew that I enjoyed the heck out of making fairy stuff out of found items. Apparently here are a few people doing what I do. Some make pottery fairy stuff. That makes a lot of sense actually, because when you think of fairy stuff, you naturally think about the garden. I’m not at the pottery making stage just yet, and may never be, so I’m trying to gently coax people into thinking about bringing the fairy into the house. They’re probably not against having some air conditioning or heat sometimes either.
I’ll admit some of my coaxing is because my products probably wouldn’t hold up very well to the heat, cold, rain or snow. Mostly though it’s because it’s becoming increasing difficult for most folks to spend time in their yard and some don’t have a yard. Apartment dwellers deserve to have fairies in their lives too. The solution is to invite the whimsy INTO your home. House plants are nice and help clean the air, but a house plant with a fairy cottage is even better. You don’t have to have a tree to have a fairy door. You can hang a fairy door in your kitchen or even in your bathroom. They’re small and really, can there ever be too much whimsy?
I’m going to stray here for a moment and say that I think that we underestimate the power of our personal stuff. I’m a beginner Feng Shui consultant as well as a fairy shop owner. What I’ve discovered about Feng Shui, is that it is very personal and that our homes are a true reflection of what is going on with us. Before learning more about it, I assumed that you had to use Chinese items to do Feng Shui, but my mentor explained that people already have everything they need in their home already. Sometimes stuff just needs to be moved to another spot or have a specific intention placed on it. My Feng Shui style repurposes items that you already love. These items create visual cues. We use the Ba Gua map to figure out where things should be placed to create a sense of balance and joy in the home. When you use your personal items in this intentional way you add some mojo to all the areas of your life. Your home then becomes a strong generator for better relationships, helpful people, career, wealth, creativeness, contemplation and of course, health.
So, look around your home and pick out nine things that bring personal joy and pile them on the dining room table. Then redistribute them around the house in places where they will really grab your attention again. If you want to play with the Feng Shui concept, check out the Ba Gua map in this blog. Contact me if you’re interested in a DIY Feng Shui e book. Before signing off may I suggest that if you need a little something for your creativity quadrant, a Sprigs and Moss fairy house might be just the right amount of whimsy that you’re looking for.
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