Goodbye little friend :(

Yesterday, our daughter's dear little rabbit Houdini passed away. He was such a beautiful little bunny and he will be very missed.

He loved to free range around our yard and house, he even jumped up onto the bed and couch occasionally for cuddles. 

Everyone who met him instantly fell in love with him and his very un-bunny like personality. People often did a double take when they saw him in the house, thinking he was a cat, then he'd hop off down the hallway.

He was also very much like a cat in the fact that i think he had 9 lives.

There was the time that he hopped past a broom which then fell over onto him. A trip to the vet revealed he had broken his little leg. The vet actually gave us euthanasia as an option but we opted to try and heal instead. He had a tiny orange cast put on him and then came home....and hopped around very noisily for the next few weeks till he made a full recovery.

 

He also ran away once. We were all devastated thinking we had lost him forever, then 24 hours later he just hopped back through the front door.

We had a little burial and ceremony for him yesterday afternoon. We all stood out in the rain with an umbrella and candle. My daughter read her favourite poem and i said a few words. The  kids all put some flowers in with him and my daughter gave him a little letter. It was wonderful closure for everyone.

Goodbye dearest Houdini, we all loved you so much and will miss you dearly.

Dannii xx

Sweet Faery Dreams

As my children finally settle down for the night (well at least for a few hours in my smallest ones case), i thought i'd share with you this lovely little poem.

I found it on a website and printed it out about 4 years ago and we've had it on our daughter's bedroom wall ever since. She knows it by heart and is teaching it to her younger brothers.

Written by Druidh and Cricketmouse
 

To Morrow

Faerie bless, and Faerie keep
Faerie watch me while I sleep.
Protect my hearth. Protect my home.
Protect my spirit as I roam.
Faerie guide me through the night
And keep away the shapeless fright.
Faerie bless and Faerie keep
Faerie watch me as I sleep. 

I can't remember the exact website i found it on, but  i have seen it in a few different places since then.

A quick google search led me here though and i assume that this is the original author (someone please correct me if i'm wrong).

Dannii xx

Favourite Artists - Celia Harris

I am so happy to be sharing the work of Celia Harris as my first 'favourite artist' post on this blog. I love her work so much and one of these days i hope to own one of her beautiful faeries.

Celia is an Australian artist from Northern NSW and she gathers inspiration for the dolls she creates from the nature surrounding her home.

 

She is self taught in sculpting and has been making her faeries since 2002. 

Celia has a facebook page which she regularly updates with her latest work. Please check it out as her newest faery is just magical!The Fantasy Dolls of Celia Harris.

(sorry for all the pictures, i just couldn't pick a favourite) 

Food in a Flash - Peanut Butter Choc Chip Cookies

I enjoy cooking and when time permits i 'attempt' to get creative in the kitchen. Most days though, i don't have stacks of time to prepare gourmet dishes so i get really excited when i come across recipes for super fast meals.

Now this recipe wouldn't exactly be classed as a meal, although i have been known to consume them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!! 

Recipe found here.

They are super quick to make and use everyday ingredients found in your pantry. As a bonus they are also gluten free (which is handy for me as my mother in law is gluten intolerant and now i have a great little treat to serve with coffee/tea when she visits).

These are the perfect cookies to make when unexpected guests drop buy or the kids are begging to do some baking and you want something fuss free.

Be warned though....they are TOTALLY addictive!!

Books we Love - Dragon's Dinner

‘’Deep in the woods in a cave inky black, a dragon fancies a tasty snack!

He tries to have lunch with a grizzly bear, munch on a sly fox and crunch on a wise owl. But something very small with a teeny-tiny SQUEAK spoils his dinner plans...’’

Now that we've started doing parties at the shop, i'm always on the hunt for great stories to read aloud to the children at the end of the party.

Something with a magical, fantasy theme, not too long or short and most importantly, lots of fun.

Dragon's dinner ticks all the boxes. It's such a fun book to read and the illustrations are really bright and colourful.

 Dragon's Dinner is written by Susannah Corbett and illustrated by Lynne Chapman.

Fairy Moon - songs of the ring

I bought this gorgeous album the other day for the kids....but i think i'm enjoying it myself as much as they are. 

It is filled with wonderful, happy tunes about fairies, nature and other magical things. It is really easy to listen to and the songs are very catchy.

You can buy this album and find out more about 

Maria Sangiolo's other music here.

Dragons get itchy too!!!!

Very quick post for me as i need to get back outside and enjoy the rest of this absolutely stunning afternoon here in the Southern Highlands.

We are so excited here at Enchanted Garden because we now have some very rare and precious dragon fleas available!!

 Currently available in our Etsy Shop.

Dannii xx

The shop and life

It's been crazy around here these past few months. I got the keys to the shop in June so we have been super busy getting it all set up. We are still far from finished, but with 3 young children and running 2 businesses, there isn't a whole lot of spare time.

 The entrance to the party/craft studio

We've already had a few parties at the shop!!! They were all plaster painting parties and went really well. I've had great feedback from all the parents. I have a fairy party coming up next month which i am SUPER excited about!

Our current party packages can be found here.

I'm also starting to put together some 'at home' party packages. We already have plaster painting packages available, but soon there will be bag & t-shirt painting kits, fairy door kits and loads more.

  Paint a bag kits

The shop is currently only open by appointment and for parties. I am hoping to have a few permanent days there soon, i just need to work around my littlest guy. I am happy to let the business grow slowly. I don't want to miss out on all those precious moments with my children so i will let it grow with them.

Ok, well i think that's about all from me today. I have a mountain of housework waiting for me that has been totally neglected with the shop, sick kids (and grownups) and horrible weather which has made washing impossible.

Faery Blessings......

Dannii xx

Treasures in the garden

I'm excited about the new faery dust vials that we now have at Enchanted Garden. They are just so tiny and magical. 

The label on each one has been hand dyed and burned by me (with guidance from the faeries) and i can just imagine how enchanting they would be hidden throughout a garden for a fairy party.

Speaking of garden fairy parties, I am still waiting to hear back from the real estate agent in regards to a commercial property i am trying to lease for my shop. It has it's very own garden (front & back) and my imagination is working overtime thinking of all the magical places i can create there!! Expect to see a LOT of faery dust.

Some more treasures from my garden, but this is of the edible kind. We have an abundance of tomatoes growing in our veggie patch. All different varieties. The kids have been having great fun picking the red ones (and the odd green one too).

We haven't had much luck keeping a veggie patch thriving in the past, but this time we are determined to make it work. Inquisitive children and a hungry pet bunny do make it a little tricky to keep everything alive, but we are working on it. We had a great crop of celery last year which i hope to start growing again.

That's all from me today, it's another hot, hot day so I'm off to find a a way to keep the kids cool this afternoon.

Faery Blessings.....

Danielle

2011 already....

When i first started this blog, i had planned to post daily (ok well at least weekly), but i guess that idea went out the window quickly. So i finally made it back, and it's 2011, wow, that came around fast! We have had a busy start to the year already, but i am hoping to try and be a bit more frequent in blogging this year.

So what's been going on in the Enchanted Garden?

January was a very busy month for us. I set up a little plaster painting stand in Berrima (Southern Highlands, NSW). I had quite a few little artists come to paint and create some wonderful masterpieces. I also loved the look on their little faces when they were told they could sprinkle glitter all over their plasters...as much as they wanted!!

I had lots of fun but will admit it was a little tricky juggling that and my own 3 children, thankfully my hubby, mum and mum-in-law were around to help out. 

We will soon be offering fund raising and party packs of plasters on the site. We have quite a few different styles to choose from and our packs will be made up of the most popular ones (or you can choose your own). 

just a few of the super popular ones.....

Now that I've finished the plaster painting, there is still no time to rest. February is here and everything starts up again. 

Today was a day of firsts. My fairy princess had her first day of Kindergarten today. She looked so grown up in her school uniform. She didn't get upset at all, even though i was a blubbering mess! She had a fantastic day and can't wait to get back there tomorrow!

My two little pixies also had their first session at a Steiner (Waldorf) playgroup. We all really enjoyed it. It was very different to our other playgroup but the boys seemed to have a really great time. Looking forward to next week.

I think I've rambled on enough now. I hope to get back into the blogging swing of things this year and bring you all the exciting Enchanted Garden news.

Faery Blessings.......