A Baby Fairy Nursery

Welcome a fairy into your garden

Reconnect your children with nature.

Get them outdoors enjoying the natural world.

It is a good way to encourage them to appreciate and

Respect Mother Earth and our environment.

~ Our Baby Fairy Nursery ~

Crafting a fairy house is easy, just look to Mother Nature for your supplies. We created this Fairy Nursery out of all natural elements, bark, moss, grasses, twigs, stones, feathers, nuts, dried flowers, etc......

We took a journey into the woods and found all the materials we needed.

It was a fun afternoon in itself!

We started with sticks and turned them into a tree.

Tiny gourds strung from the tree swaying gently in the breeze.

These gourds held our new born fairy babies, wrapped in leaves.

A nurse fairy sat in the tree to watch over and take care of the baby fairies.

She consisted of a hickory nut head with hair made from the blossoms of an oak tree and an acorn top hat.

Her dress of dried flower petals and wings of a dried lily pod.

She sits in the tree rocking a baby fairy.

On the forest floor sits a tiny house made of sticks, leaves and moss.

A feather bed inside to change the little ones

and a comfy mushroom chair to sit in.

Moss coveres the ground floor, with a path of pebbles that lead you through the garden to a cozy camfire, to sit a spell, tell stories,

rock the babies and sing to them.

(Complete with marshmallows on a stick to munch upon)

 

Introduce your children

to the wonderful, rewarding and magical art of a fairy garden.

Get them outdoors and enjoying nature.

Help them create their own special space to experiment with plants and garden art. Where they can sit and play, plant flowers, read stores, decorate with their own garden art and let their inagination run wild.

Keeping them busy every year tending and adding to it.

Bringing them hours of enjoyment, accomplishment and

Respect for Mother Earth ~

"When the first baby laughed for the first time,

the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about,

and that was the beginning of fairies"

...Sir James Matthews Barrie (1860-1937)

 

Fairy Doors and Gardens ~ Jewels In The Garden ~

My entry for The Magic Onions Fairy Garden Contest ~ 2013

Madison's Magical Fairy Garden ~

It all began when I placed a teeny tiny door I made, with a teeny tiny stone walkway leading up to it in my Granddaughter, Madison's outdoor fairy garden.

A garden I gave her to call her own. Where she could sit and play, plant flowers, read stories, decorate with her own garden art and let her imagination run wild.

Well, Madison was certain that fairies were afoot inside that teeny tiny door. Knocking at it every time she came for a visit, asking the fairies to please come out and play. Leaving letters, drawings and gifts for them, as they also returned the favor.
She was always So sad when winter came and the snow covered her garden.
So this year for her Birthday I surprised her with her very own indoor Fairy garden.
A space for her to visit the fairies in the cold winter months.

I placed tiny lanterns at the front to welcome you into the garden. A real pebble path that leads in and around. Tiny wind chimes and flowers all about hidden along the paths in the moss, all made from upcycled earrings.

A moss covered table and chair set, along with a cozy bench from real tree branches and bark, to sit and read or have some tea.

I used artificial ferns, flowers, rolling moss mounds and a leaf circle in the center to bring the garden to life.
And my favorite, a magical gazing ball created using an old lamp finial with a clear marble.

Get your children outdoors or inside to enjoy and appreciate natures' beauty ~
Help them to create their own special space to experiment with plants and garden art.
Keeping their idle hands busy tending and adding to it.
Bringing them hours of enjoyment and accomplishment.

~ Winner of my 5th Etsy Anniversary Celebration Giveaway ~

I would like to thank everyone for visiting my Etsy shop,
and to welcome all of my new friends following my blog, facebook and on Etsy.
Thank you all for your kind words and lovely compliments on my work.
They are very much appreciated :)

I am pleased to announce,
The winner of my 5th Etsy Anniversary Celebration Giveaway is
julie cavender ~ Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who participated!
Hope you all have a Wonderful Holiday Season!
Julie

Celebrating My 5th Etsy Anniversary with a Giveaway

I will be giving away this, Harvest Moon Wind Chime
on December 7, 2011
~ Wouldn’t this just brighten up your moon garden ~

My Copper & Stained Glass Harvest Moon ~
I sculpted copper into a frame of a moon and embellished it with copper swirls and clear faceted acrylic beads.
Hanging from the copper moon are 3 circles of amber stained glass.
A large black acrylic flat tube bead with a amber glass bead hang from the bottom of the moon.
The glass is strung together using amber glass beads.
A swirled copper hook is attached at the top & is ready to enhance your home or moon garden.
The total hanging measurement is 9-1/2 inches long and 6 inches at its widest point.
Exposed to the elements the copper will patina into a dark tone.
I hand cut the glass, sanded it to perfection, and then drill them.
My name is etched in the glass.
Copyright c 2006-2011 Julie DeGroot
Thank you for the interest in my art.
Have a great day,
Julie

All you need to do is simply:
#1 ~ Visit my gardens in my Etsy shop.
See if there is something you like ~
*Add it to your Favorites on Etsy & Post the name of the piece here*
Thank you for stopping by!
JewelsInTheGarden.etsy.com
~ Optional ~ *For extra chances to win* If you do have an interest in my art and would like to support my work, Share the Love, it would be very much appreciated!

Include these extra chances to win in the, *Same Post Altogether*
#2 ~ A Follower of my blog
#3 ~ A Fan of me on my facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jewels-In-The-Garden/122250003658
#4 ~ Add Jewels In The Garden to your "Circle" on Etsy
#5 ~ Add Jewels In The Garden to your "Favorites" on Etsy

Open to the US and Canada. First Class Shipping included.
The contest ends midnight December 6
The Winner will be chosen at random on December 7 and will be contacted and announced here on my blog.
Thanks for stopping by!
~ Wishing you all a Wonderful Holiday Season ~
Good Luck to all!
Julie ~ Jewels In The Garden, formerly, "gardenjewels"

~ A Celebration SALE is also going on in my Etsy Shop ~

The Lotus experiment.........continued

Part one -
http://jewelsinthegarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/lotus-experiment.html

Here's an update on my experiment over the summer, growing a lotus from a seed.
I had placed the 8 lotus sprouts in pots in different places, 5 went in my pond and two on my deck in a tub.
Well it turns out, the ones placed in the pond had a ever so slight trickle of water near them from a nearby water fall and in less than a week, the 5 baby lotus plants here did not survive :(
They definitely must be placed in STILL water.
Out of the two plants I placed in the tub on my deck, one perished ? and one flourished!

Here it is in late August ~



It even had a resident frog all summer long :)



The plant that survived ended up with 12 floating leaves and 5 standing leaves.
They were a Gorgeous blue/green. Such a cool leaf, totally waterproof, any droplet of water on them would just roll right off.

.... Late October now.... getting frost here in New York, so I needed to decide weather to bring it into the basement or place in the bog that was ready. After much research, others have been successful leaving them out in my zone, so I decided I would be planting it right in the bog.
We lifted the pot out and to my surprise there were shoots of roots up to 15 inches long that found their way out of the 4 holes in the bottom of the pot. The plant was totally root bound. Now I see how they can become evasive in a pond.



I decided to cut the pot as to try not to disturb the plant in any way.
(My husband so nicely did this part for me).



The bog I created is 18 inches deep filled with a mixture of soil and peat moss. I left 3 inches of room on the top for water to sit. It took the two of us to plant it with our arms totally immersed in mud. Had a lot of fun with it!

My finished Bog ~



So far so good. It loves it there!
Even in these cold temps down to 40 degrees, new shoots were emerging in the last two weeks. Fingers crossed.





I am counting the days till spring :)
to be continued.........................................

~Winner of my Summer Solstice Giveaway ~

I would like to thank everyone for visiting my Etsy Shop, and to welcome all of my new friends following my blog and on facebook.

Thank you all for your kind words and lovely compliments on my work. They are Very Much Appreciated :)

I am pleased to announce, The winner of my Summer Solstice Giveaway is

MaryLee ~ Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

More giveaways to come ~

Hope you all have a Wonderful Summer!

Julie

Fairy House Festival ~

Create an inviting home and Welcome a fairy into your garden! Crafting a fairy house is easy, just look to Mother Nature for your supplies. Construct them out of all natural elements, bark, moss, grasses, twigs, stones, feathers, nuts, dried flowers, etc...... take a hike into the woods to find your materials, a fun afternoon in itself!

Reconnect your children with nature, get them outdoors enjoying the natural world. It is a good way to encourage your children to appreciate and respect Mother Earth and our environment.

My Daughter, Granddaughter and myself created a fairy house for an event this past weekend held at Art Park in Lewiston, NY.

"A Fairy House Festival"

It was a Beautiful Sunny Day for the affair!
The welcome sign post led you to fun and excitement in every direction. Sweet little fairy houses were scattered under the trees throughtout the woods. Created by so many talented children and their families. Music and Merriment filled the air, along with story telling on a magic carpet under the trees.


Fairy dancers performed and fluttered in the sunshine ~


Face painting, arts and crafts for the children to enjoy! We had a Grand time!



Our entry was a Fairy Nursery. So Very Sweet!

It consisted of sticks we collected and turned into a tree. Tiny gourds strung from the tree swaying gently in the breeze. These gourds held our new born fairy babies, wrapped in leaves.

A nurse fairy sat in the tree to watch over and take care of the baby fairies.

She consisted of a hickory nut head with hair made from the blossoms of an oak tree and an acorn top hat. Her dress of dried flower petals and wings of a dried lily pod. She sits in the tree rocking a baby fairy.

On the forest floor sat a tiny house made of sticks, leaves and moss. A feather bed inside to change the little ones and a comfy mushroom chair to sit in.

Moss covered the ground floor, with a path of pebbles that lead you through the garden to a cozy camfire, to sit a spell, tell stories, rock the babies and sing to them. (Complete with marshmallows on a stick to munch upon)

Introduce your children to the wonderful, rewarding and magical art of a fairy garden. Get them outdoors and enjoying nature ~

Help them create their own special space to experiment with plants and garden art. Where they can sit and play, plant flowers, read stores, decorate with their own garden art and let their inagination run wild. Keeping them busy every year tending and adding to it. Bringing them hours of enjoyment, accomplishment and respect for Mother Earth!

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies"...Sir James Matthews Barrie (1860-1937)

In Celebration of The Summer Solstice ~ Giveaway

I will be giving away this Stained Glass Moon Ornament, "Moon Shine", June 21, 2011, The First Day of Summer

Sorry this giveaway has ended

~ Wouldn't this Moon shine nicely in your Moon Garden ~

All you need to do is simply

#1 ~ Visit my gardens in my etsy shop

See if there is something you like, then post the name of the piece here.

Thanks for stopping by!

http://gardenjewels.etsy.com/

For extra chances to win ~ Please ~ include in the "same post altogether" that you are.

#2 ~ A follower of my blog

#3~ A Fan of me on my facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jewels-In-The-Garden/122250003658

Open to the US and Canada, First Class Shipping included.

The contest ends midnight June 20

The winner will be chosen at random on June 21 and will be contacted and announced here on my blog.
Good Luck to all and hoping you have a Beautiful Summer! Julie

Children in the Garden

This Spring introduce your children to the wonderful and rewarding art of gardening ~
Get them outdoors and enjoying nature ~
Help them to create their own special space to experiment with plants and garden art. This can be a fun and simple project to do over a weekend.
Keeping them busy every year tending and adding to it.
Bringing them hours of enjoyment and accomplishment.

My children had gardens growing up and had so much fun creating them along the years and were very proud of them. Showing them off by giving garden tours to everyone who visited. They filled them with not only plants and love, but garden art and crafts they created.
20 years later their gardens are still there. A bit overgrown and sadly forgotten. But ready to embrace a new generation of caretakers, "Their Children" How fun that will be to do all over again when they come to visit Grandmama!

~ My son's garden was a collection of plants found right on our land. A woodland garden. Full of elderberry bushes, moss, ferns, wild daffodils, rocks and fossils he'd collected from our all of our travels. He used wild strawberries he found for the ground cover. He picked these every year and ate them with his cherrios :)

~ My daughter's was a fairy garden. Early spring it exploded with crocus, tulips and daffodils. Our cat loved to hide in them and popped out to scare her quite often :) Followed by double daylilies in the summer with gorgeous primrose for the ground cover. She made little paths of tiny pebbles that lead in all directions in her garden. Tiny fairy statues adorned the paths with Fairy houses made of mud and moss.
I smile every time I pass by them.

My Granddaughters fairy garden. We work on it every time she visits.

A simple garden journal is a good way to start.
Map out their garden ideas on paper as to what they envision their garden to become. Keep a garden chore chart along with the journal. With stickers to mark when garden chores are done. When to water, weed, flick those flower eating bugs into a can, dead head the old blossoms and mulching. This reinforces their organizational skills and a sense of responsibility.
Help them work and fertilize the soil to get them going. Maybe encourage them with their own set of children's garden tools.
Then its off to your local nursery or an adventure on your property to gather some plants
and watch the fun grow!

~ Winner of my Earth Day Giveaway ~

" A Tribute to Mother Nature "

I would like to thank everyone for visiting my Etsy shop,
and to welcome all of my new friends following my blog and on facebook.
Thank you all for your kind words and lovely compliments on my work.
They are very much appreciated :)

I am pleased to announce,
The winner for my Earth Day giveaway,
" A Tribute to Mother Nature " is

AbstractRose ~ Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who participated!
More giveaways to come ~

Make Everyday Earth Day :)
Julie

Earth Day Tribute to Mother Nature ~ Giveaway ~

Sorry this Giveaway has ended

April 22 marks the 41st anniversary of Earth Day. A movement started by U.S. Senator, Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin in 1969. His idea was for a "National Environment Teach-In", a day set aside to stimulate awareness of the crisis state of our environment. The following spring, April 22, 1970, was dubbed, the first "Earth Day". A celebration of our Beautiful Mother Earth and the awareness of the environmental impact we all have on our world.

Just think about it....... what we do everyday affects our water, our forests, our air, our land and pretty much, just about everything.

Take action to reduce your footprint on our earth.

Educate yourself

Grow a organic Garden and/or Buy from your local farmers market

Plant a tree

Recycle ~ Reuse ~ Use less

Start a Compost

Be a smart consumer ~ Teach others

Do it for yourself, your children, your grandchildren and for all the generations to come.

Let's keep our world Beautiful! Make everyday Earth Day :)

Inspiring words spoken by so many

"We are not the owners of the land, We are the caretakers for Mother Earth"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Earth Day Giveaway ~ In Celebration of Earth Day,

I will be giving away this Wind Chime on April 22 Mother Nature Forest ~ She enters the forest without touching a blade of grass ~

At the top of this chime is a piece of organic brown Salvaged Vintage glass, that I've hand painted with the Kanji symbol for Mother Nature.

The chimes consist of ~ 2 pieces of opaque green glass and a piece of clear glass textured with fern leaves, which I've hand painted the words: ~ She enters the forest without touching a blade of grass ~ It's fun to see if someone can answer the riddle of "who she is?".

At the bottom are organic looking amber, black and tan glass beads. The chimes are strung together using different shapes, sizes of amber, black and tan glass beadsA ring is created at the top & ready for you to enjoy in your home or garden

All you need to do is simply:

#1 ~ Visit my gardens in my etsy shop. See if there is something you like, then post the name of the piece here. Thank you for stopping by!

http://gardenjewels.etsy.com/.

For extra chances to win ~ Please ~ include in the *same post altogether* that you are,

#2 ~ A Follower of my blog

#3 ~ A Fan of me on my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jewels-In-The-Garden/122250003658

Open to US & Canada ~ First Class Shipping included.

The contest ends midnight April 21The Winner will be chosen at random on April 22 and will be contacted and announced here on my blog.

Good Luck to all!

Julie

~ Make Everyday Earth Day ~

The Forest Floor

~ The Forest Floor ~

Mosaic Fairy Door Woodland Scene ~ Sculpture

This whimsical 3D mosic is sure to brighten up any home or fairy garden

I have to say I smiled the whole time I was creating it :)

~ My Etsy Shop ~

Jewels In The Garden

“Enchanted worlds still exist because the child within us never dies.

The doorways may be more obscure, but we can still seek them out.

There are still noble adventures to undertake.

There are still trees that speak and caverns that lead to nether realms. There will always be faeries and elves within nature because they will always be dancing within our hearts.”

~Ted Andrews~

Summer Solstice Celebration Sale

Happy Summer Everyone ~

Come sit and relax a bit in my gardens ~

I'm having a SALE in my Etsy shop ~
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gardenjewels

Thanks for stopping by ~ Enjoy your Summer!