UPDATE: I had the pleasure of launching and curating the first two outdoor fairy house exhibitions at Highfield Hall and Gardens in Falmouth, MA in 2013 and 2015. Further ahead, you can find out how I made Grate Hall, which was my contribution to the show. This post was written in 2015.

It’s been an exciting week in the fairy neighborhood! Every day, more wee domiciles are popping up around the grounds of Highfield Hall and Gardens in Falmouth, MA (Cape Cod). By the time the exhibition opens this Sunday, June 28, 2015 at 1:00pm, there will be 32 fairy houses installed and ready to view. Just like the previous show in 2013, this display is sure to bring in many visitors from near and far!

Last winter I invited 30 local artists and fairy aficionados to make houses for this summer’s outdoor display. Each builder started the process by walking around the property and picking their favorite spot. They spent the next few months planning and working on their creations. I haven’t been privy to any finished houses until this week, and from what I’ve seen, this year’s collection is spectacular! There’s a wide variety of interpretations of the “fairy house” concept, from cozy abodes to airy perches. Building materials are as eclectic as the pieces themselves: clay, wood, mushrooms, paper, moss, felt, plants, shells, bark, stones, glass, metal, etc. Don’t worry if you live too far to see the originals — in the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing photos on this blog, Facebook and Instagram.

The Fairy Houses of Highfield Hall and Gardens will be on display until August 31, 2015. Stop by the hall to pick up a map with house locations and artists’ names. Inside the hall you can also see my fairy family. Read a post about making the fairy family here.

Making my fairy house….
Come along, while I make my fairy house, “Great Hall”, which is pictured at the beginning of this post. It began with a bunch of old metal graters that I saved, while cleaning out deceased relatives’ kitchens. For years I’ve been eying them for a future project and thought they’d give a solid structure to a fairy house. I drilled holes and bolted 4 of them together to make walls and a roof.

Then, I used my felt covered wire technique to form a base and arched beams. This single glove was in a box of my grandmother’s things. She and her sisters did a lot of tatting in the early 1900’s, so perhaps one of them made it.

I incorporated the glove into the front wall, leaving room for a door opening and curled loops of felt covered wire.

I stitched wool tapestry yarn in a zigzag pattern to fill in some areas, while leaving other spots open for viewing inside the house.

I tried not to get too fussy, but the door required a bit more detailed work.

I worked on the house during the snowy winter — my favorite time to be engrossed in a project.

A whisk was another kitchen utensil that I added near the end.

I pruned some supple branches off my blueberry bushes and lashed them to the grates with wire, adding a more organic façade.

I wanted the interior to be magical, so I draped strings of glass beads and crystals from the ceiling. Tiny blue and white LED lights (run on batteries) added a glow as well.

In the daylight, it’s hard to see the lit interior, so I sprinkled small round Shisha mirrors on the ground inside to reflect the lights and make it sparkle.

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