I never even knew tea cup fairy gardens were a thing!
I truly thought I dreamed up the idea myself.....but turned to the internet to see if I could find any sort of inspiration....and was quickly humbled!
Apparently tea cup gardens are a BIG thing and have been for years!
Well, I gladly jumped right on that bandwagon and had THE BEST time making SIX of my own...and three with my granddaughters!
I feel certain this is something you will want to try for yourself.....and add these to your favorite personalized gift giving options!
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The Art of Creating: My Inspiration
What I really loved more than the art of creating them.....was the thought put into making them very personal.
I knew I wanted this collection to represent some of my favorite things...rather than each one just being a traditional fairy garden.
Choosing a theme and planning what I'd need was almost more fun than actually bringing it to life!
I'll make sure to link below.....items/similar items that you will need to complete. your own.
Supplies Used: Tea Cup Fairy Gardens
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"The Grandfather Clock" Tea Cup Fairy Garden... My Favorite!!
Painting grandfather clocks is a passion of mine that I will never outgrow....and I don't get to do it often enough.
(click on the photos above for a full blog on the creation of these pieces)
They represent so much more to me than just a clock.....they hold memories of my grandparents, they represent the passage of time, they feel magical when they chime and they hold personality more than any other piece of furniture!
I found this miniature version of a clock on Amazon.....and I hand painted it in my favorite color combo and patterns.
This particular tea cup garden holds the least amount of embellishments....but speaks volumes about my love of this particular piece of furniture...especially flanked with gold wings!
"The Chair" Tea Cup Fairy Garden... most popular online!
It's no secret that I also LOVE painting fabric chairs....and I am honored to get to do this often!
(click on the photos above for a full blog on the creation of these pieces)
I found this adorable little chair in dark wood and green fabric....and chose to make it my own!
I painted the chair red and dusted with gold while also adding stripes and even a sliver of a floral design transfer to the back cushion.
Please notice the gilded frames behind the chair. This is meant to represent mirrors on a wall and I had way too much fun making his happen!
The little whimsical hand painted side table that holds the candelabra was fun too!
This all sits on top of a jewel studded mossy garden....complete with family heirloom chandelier crystals hanging over the side.
"The Alice" Tea Cup Fairy Garden
This little teacup garden runs a tight race for being my personal fave.....but it certainly isn't as unique as the grandfather clock garden.
Alice in Wonderland is my inspiration for most of my work so it was a given that one teacup fairy garden would be dedicated to that storyline.
(click on the photos above for a full blog on the creation of these pieces)
The backdrop of playing cards came to me in a dream.....truth!
I hand made the little picket fence sign which was much easier than a life size version I've made in the past.
I think the large rhinestone studded key might be my favorite part of this little garden.
This one sort of speaks for itself and tends to be a fave with the grandkids.
"The Beach" Tea Cup Fairy Garden
I'm a beach girl.
Nothing puts me closer to God than my time next to the ocean.
I created all of the fairy garden teacups with my online group Curiously Creative ladies.... and they helped me create that little straw bucket hat on the flamingo.... with what I had available.... and it totally makes this teacup garden!
I used a tiny wooden flower pot (like I'd used to make tables and stools on the others...Alice and The Chair). I turned it upside down and cut a tiny portion from an old burlap coffee bean sack that I had....and glued it over the little hat! It's perfect!!!
This one holds shells, oyester pearls, cattails and is even adorned with a piece of fishing net. The only thing missing is sand and the ocean!
In all honestly....I'd prefer my beach teacup garden to have a beach umbrella and a lounger chair and a tiny pair of flip flops on sand..... but I worked with what was available to me.... and it still gives the message that Tracey loves the Beach!
"The Easel" Tea Cup Fairy Garden
Yep....If I were alone in a forest....or truly perched upon a private teacup garden.....I would want nothing more than my paints, easel and a canvas.
The possibilities would be endless and the inspiration would be everywhere! I am art. Art is me. Art is in my heART.
(click on the photos above for a full blog on the creation of these pieces)
"The Cake" Tea Cup Fairy Garden
Cake is my favorite food. Sadly I am not kidding.
I built a tiny teacup fairy garden with a cake and seating for two.... because no one should ever eat cake alone.
Cake should be savored and shared......and surrounded by butterflies, mushrooms, roses and a white picket fence....because it is here that dreams really do come true.
Every teacup fairy garden not only holds a theme...but it holds hope
Hope that fairytales are real, that dreams come true and that our world is beautiful.
I am and will forever be drawn to magical thinking......along with pearls, rhinestones, butterflies, wings, gilded gold, personality filled furniture....and mushrooms (i've doodled them my entire life)!
WHY I started this tea cup fairy garden project!
Remember the pink dining room chairs that I recently painted?
This spurred us into moving our dining room into the adjacent room which is a much cozier atmosphere and also receives little traffic and walk through.
This made me feel like I could "set" my table! I've always wanted to but with so many grandkids around I just didn't feel it was practical.
Well practical-schmactical!
I pulled out some of our china and chose to "marry" both my late mother's china (the solid white with gold trim) with Matt's late mom's china (the pink/plum floral on white with gold trim).
It was me setting up the place settings when I thought to myself......what if I did something fun in the teacups?
I was originally thinking something like building miniature disco ball topiaries....LOL!
I knew.....no matter what it was.....I could not make it permanent as I wasn't about to glue anything into Matt's moms china cups.
So when I got the idea of the little personalized gardens......I immediately knew how I would do this!
I built each little garden on a styrofoam ball half....turned upside down!
It is built only on the foam....and sets perfectly into each cup....so it can be lifted out when needed and no damage done to the cups whatsoever!!!
Genius right???
This also allows me to build future gardens in other themes for holidays or special occasions should I want!
I walk through this room multiple times a day....just because it brings me so much joy to look at each little garden.
My mother and I LOVED dressing her table for the holidays... especially Christmas.
She always bought the goodies....and waited for me to get into town to build the centerpieces!
Those are memories I treasure and I know she is smiling down at me from Heaven above....locking arms with Matts mom....and saying....Yep! That's my girl!
I hope you are feeling inspired!
I recommend sourcing tea cups and saucers from your local thrift stores like I did for the granddaughter's teacup gardens.
This will allow you to glue everything together and in place without ruining your own china.
It also keeps the garden secure so you can box it up really pretty and gift it to your favorite person!
More than anything....just enjoy planning and creating your very own Fairytale.....in a cup!
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