Archive for the ‘Faery Festival’ Category

First Midsummer Faeries

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

the first little faeries of the summer

Our 2011 Faery Festival was wonderful; the yard was full of faeries flitting about enjoying the day.  We had so many come to the festival that we may have to move it to a much larger place!

This little elf and faery stopped for a moment to let me take their photograph.  When I developed the image, I saw that two more faeries had joined them in the garden, can you see them?   I am always surprised that they are clearly there in the photograph, but were completely invisible to me when I snapped the photo.  Can you see them?  I’ll show you!

Faery in the background

This is the beautiful faery sitting quietly in the background...

I did not add her or draw her or did anything but develop the image with my usual technique… is it magic?

Faery creature

Little faery creature in the garden...

He seems like a joyful little elf…

Not every Fine Art Faery Portrait reveals the faeries that are in my garden, but  most do… It’s so much fun to find them!

Faery Blessings!

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Support our 2011 Faery Festival, buy a calendar today!

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

SUPPORT OUR FAERY FESTIVAL FUNDRAISER, Buy our calendar!

Each year we create a magical faery festival that is free and open to the public.  We offer faery portraits to help raise money for Cape Ann Habitat for Humanity.  The cost of the event has been growing so I decided to sell faery calendars to generate the money needed to host our festival.  My 2011 Faery Calendar is the most beautiful and child friendly faery calendar on the market– that alone is reason enough to buy one for yourself and to purchase several for gifts.  The added incentive is that the profits go toward the cost of our 2011 Faery festival in June.  You can purchase the calendars through this site, or through our studio (if you are local), or one of the many local stores, or on line through Amazon.

The faeries in our calendar. Magic every month!

If we sell all (900) of our calendars this year I will be able to print the 2012 Faery Calendar…and it is stunning. (I’ve just selected the 14 faeries for the calendar AND designed the cover and back)  I’ll give you a sneak-peek in September.  Calendar Co. in Australia has their eye on the 2012 Calendar…an international market…how cool would that be?  But first thing’s first….the 2011 Faery Calendar would make a beautiful gift, you’ll never miss a holiday, including the faery holidays, so you will always know when to party!

Faery Blessings.

A coloring book page for you. Click on these words to download the free pdf:two elves on a mushroom

Two elves sitting on a mushroom

Enjoy!

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Back from the New York Faerie Festival…

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Tom, Sam, and I went to the middle of New York to visit another faery festival.  It was very different from our little festival, more adults in costume, more land, more food, and several tents with beautiful faery art and clothing for sale.   The landscape was just perfect, with a beautiful babbling brook along the path to all the little grassy areas where music and theater was taking place.  There were nests with baby birds along the way, and faery houses; and an occasional nasty trolls hiding on the path.  Two very mean trolls guarded a bridge to the wishing tree and they would NOT let you pass without paying their toll –something beautiful or shinny.  Fortunately one lovely food vendor was running around giving shinny white stones to all of the children so they could pay the troll toll.  We were at a loss for anything shinny or beautiful so we had to turn around, besides, poor Sam was freaking out, she was very frightened of the trolls.  Dogs are very wise.  What I loved the most was this magical faery house on the side of the path. It was built of sticks and had carved log and mushroom tables.  I would just love this in our yard.  I think we might look for a bigger place for next year’s festival…something with water and woods. But how will we keep the trolls away?

New York Faerie Festival

Enter the faery door to the faery house

New York Faerie Festival 2

The faeries must be out playing in the wood...

Trolls at the New York Faerie Festival

Mama Troll and her baby enjoying the festival

Face Painting at the New York Faerie Festival

Watching out for trolls...

Nail Angel at the faery festival

I need a nail angel to do my nails while I wait in line!

Dog and Faery

Sam accepting comfort from a passing faery...the trolls were very scary.

leaving the festival

No one seemed to see these ancient ones as they walked the faery trail.

Faery Blessings.

These are a few of my favorite things:

http://www.nyfaeriefest.com/index.php The New York Faerie Festival

http://www.silkcloque.com/index.html Reyen’s Design Studio: Unbelievably beautiful tops of woven wool and silk. Perfect for a hot summer faery festival. If I had a million dollars I would buy you several!

http://www.moresca.com/intro.php Moresca Clothing & Costume… She’s come from Feyland and has brought her dresses with her, because it isn’t possible to make such beautiful dresses on the human plane– A must for every self-respecting adult sized elf or fae.

http://bodyartbyshara.com/ Faery Faces beautifully done.  I’d love to take portraits of these little ones on the faery mushroom, I think they would be magical.

http://wingandtalonleatherworks.com/ These leather masks were unbelievable. But I loved the little ears the best.

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It was a wonderful day for faeries.

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

All the faeries danced and played, had tea and ran about the yard giggling and twirling.  It was storybook perfect.  Tom and I are exhausted,  I am certain Kelsey is as well.  It’s like a faery wedding, all the planning and all the work for just a twinkle of time and then it’s all gone.  So like Brigadoon, so mystical magical.  Here are a few of the wood faeries.  Tom is editing the water faeries.  I’ll share those later.  Thank you all for coming, and thank you workers and volunteers for another successful event.

Little Faey in the woods

Little Faery in the woods.

Another Faery in the woods

Hello little faery

Underwood Faery

On a mushroom in the shade

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Memories of Past Faery Festivals

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

I just mailed out a newsletter about our festival and the photos brought back such fun memories I wanted to share them with you.  I do hope you can come this year.

Faeries having Tea

Faeries having Tea

More Faeries having Tea

Faeries waiting for tea

It's a faery parade

Tea time! Don't be late!

Faery costumes and crowns

All the dresses all the crowns waiting for the faeries.

Jape at the festival

Jape teaching faeries how to sing.

Faeries

She thinks he's being very silly.

Faeries resting

Faeries resting on a mushroom, there's room enough for two.

OUR FAERY FESTIVAL IS SATURDAY, JUNE 19 from 9:30 – 2:30 (Tea is at 11) It’s a fundraiser for Cape Ann Habitat for Humanity, all of our profits from faery portraits sold on Saturday go to CAHH.  It’s a great cause, lots of fun and it’s FREE.  (although you could donate a little at the door to help with the cost of having a wonderful little festival).  Wear your best faery dress (elves are faeries too) or borrow one of ours. We hope to see you there!

Who knows maybe someone you know will be chosen to be in the 2012 Underwood Faery Calendar.

Faery Calendar

2011 Underwood Faery Calendar

Good night,

Faery Blessings

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Faeries playing among the water lilies

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

We’re getting Faery ready for the festival on the 19th of June.  Think lovely sunshine.  This year our faeries will sit among the water lilies to have their portraits done, or they can sit upon our giant mushroom.

Little faery by the water

Lily by the lilies

We’ll offer three styles of portraits, Color, Victorian, and Fine Art.  The first two styles are predictable and quick; the third style– Fine Art–  is always a surprise and so much fun. The faeries are really in control of these images, I just wait to see what they have up their gossamer sleeves.  Sometimes the results are breathtaking, sometimes beautiful, and sometimes I think the trolls decided to give it a try, and I sure wish they’d stick to guarding bridges, no offense to the trolls.  When that happens I give the desk a quick kick, snap the computer off, slam the studio door and leave the work behind. That seems to get rid of the trolls.  And as sure as the sun rises, the next morning the faeries are back with their magic and the fine art faery portraits start taking shape.

Underwood Faery Portrait Color

Color Faery Portrait

Victorian Faery Portrait by Jacqueline Underwood

Victorian Faery Portrait

Underwood Fine Art Faery Portrait

Fine Art Faery Portrait

Good night for you, and back to work for me!

Faery Blessings

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Elves and Gnomes are tinkering at this blog…

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

When the dust settles I will have a new blog and a Goblin market.  It will be under another name, in another place, and I do hope the trolls won’t steal the redirect page and keep you from finding me again. They can be worrisome.  If you cannot find me, look for underthewoodsfaeries, I might be there.

Faery Festival Sign

Our sign on Rt. 22 in Essex, MA

I’ll let them do their magic and get back to mine.  I just bought 20 hoops for our faery dance. And I’m off to buy faery fabric to add a little sparkle to all the dresses. I sent away for faery dust and satin ribbons, and found the most beautiful blanket for the story telling tent.  Kelsey, our head faery, is a wonderful artist and will be making more faery crowns, and a special one for the faery we chose to be on the cover of our calendar and our posters.    Oh, and I found the most adorable kitten teapot for our faery tea…it’s all beginning to take shape.  The magic is brewing!

Faery Blessings!  Oh dear! I almost forgot the cookies!

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Getting closer to Faery Festival Time, busybusybusy…

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

I interviewed three wonderful faeries today, they’re excited to help out at our festival.  One beautiful faery is going to teach us a faery dance at 11:00am, another is going to serve us Tea, and the third is going to fly all about helping. She crinkles her nose before she laughs and her laughter sounds like silver bells.  What fun they will bring.

Faery Festival PostCard

Just a reminder, it's a few Saturdays away.

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How to keep the faeries happy

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

The workers are starting to call in; the Faery Festival is beginning to take form.  Jape our storyteller just said he’d be here again this year, I can’t think of a festival without him.  So much to do and before you know it, June 19 will be here.

Faeries getting ready for the tea

The faeries have been out riding wild rabbits all night, driving all the dogs in the neighborhood crazy.  It is spring and the faery world is up to its old shenanigans teasing the dogs and hiding keys.  I can’t forget to start leaving a small thimble of milk out at night to keep the ruckus down.

It’s well to keep in mind that Faeries can be bad, but rarely are they bad all the time. At some point they will be all good.  They are either all bad or all good, one thing at time because they are so small they only have room for one feeling at a time. If you can keep them happy, they can’t be bad.   If you forget, they can change completely and your very good and favorite faery can become your very bad and worst faery. *

How to keep your faery happy:

  1. Singing is the best way to keep them happy, especially lively silly songs.
  2. Dancing is the next best thing to singing.
  3. When you have cake or any sweet dessert do not eat every last crumb, leave some on your plate for the faeries.
  4. Pick only the flowers you plant in the garden, and never the last one blooming.
  5. Always pick up your litter; this really gets them in a spin if you leave your trash blowing in the wind.
  6. Never make loud noises—it’s painful to their sensitive little ears.
  7. Clanging metal of any kind will chase them away for good.  Faeries and iron do not get along.
  8. Go faery hunting in parks and wooded areas, they love this game of hide and seek.
  9. Build them a beautiful home out of natural things you find while you are out in nature.
  10. Plant them a beautiful garden, I hear they are especially fond of flowering shrubs.

*I have this on the best authority, J.M.Barrie, the author of Peter Pan

Faeries having tea at the Underwood Faery Festival

Faeries having tea at the Underwood Faery Festival

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New faery dresses for our faery festival.

Sunday, April 18th, 2010
Faery Dresses and Wings

Faery dresses on the line

Tom and I went shopping for faery dresses for our faery festival on June 19th.  I always like to pick out at least 10 new dresses for the event as well as 4 little elf outfits.  After we buy the dresses, I’ll start altering them, adding more fluff, a little sparkle, and a heart full of magic.  When the dresses are done I’ll make the faery crowns and shop for faery wings.  Every dress or elf outfit has its hat and wings, but come festival day, all the little pesky pixies mix them up—they swap the delicate yellow wings that were made especially for the yellow dress and the daisy crown with the bold purple wings and a bluebell diadem.  During our first festival I was very frustrated by the mixed up outfits, but after 6 years I’ve learned to just set everything out under the pine tree and let the pixies have their fun.

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