Christmas Show December 1!

Come and see me tomorrow at the Paris Street Christmas Show December 1 from 10 to 7 at the Aspen Grove Shopping Center!

End of the Summer Thank You!

I wanted to give a huge thank you to all who have supported me this rookie summer season with my fairy gardens.  Making them has been a huge joy and very satisfying for my creative side.  I am going to turn my attention to my students for a while, but stay tuned, I think I may do a Christmas show the first week of December.

Yesterday was an amazing day at the Paris Street Market.  If you are a new curator of a fairy garden, remember to water it every 3-4 days with a small watering can.  Let the top 1/3 dry out before watering again.  Don't be afraid to trim your plants and most importantly if a plant doesn't make it, pull it out and replace it!  Lowes usually carries polka dot plants and a nice selection of cactus and succulents.  King Soopers carries a nice selection of herbs and you never know what you'll find in the houseplant section.  Tagawa Gardens in Parker carries a full line of Fairy Garden plants and accessories year round.  Be sure to visit their houseplant selection.  They also always have tiny pots of seasonal flowers that you can pop into a corner like a chili or poinsettia.  Of course, come back and visit me when I have a sale, my low overhead allows me to pass along the best price for the richest selection of fairy plants and trees.  I am working with a vendor to offer year round outdoor miniature plantings next year.

Be sure to check my Etsy site now and then, I have just aquired an estate of vintage minitures and I will  post items from time to time.  Etsy doesn't allow new miniatures so look for me on EBAY as well and be sure to friend me on facebook.  I plan to add to all of these sites in the next few days.  See the links below.

I wish you many smiles from fairyland!
Gretchen

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gfdesigner

Ebay name:  gfdesigner303

https://www.facebook.com/GretchenFarrellsFairyGardens

Sweet William Market!

To all of our friends in the north east we are thrilled to announce that we will be bringing our gorgeous fairies to the Sweet William Market in Stapleton on June 30th from 9-2! So many new ideas have come to the studio lately I am like a giggly little girl! Please plan to stop by the bright pink tent and see what I have created.
Best, Gretchen

Boulder was fantastic! So many fairy's went to new homes! Smiles were amazing! Can't wait to see you all this Saturday at the June Paris Street Market at the Aspen Grove Shopping Center!

What am amazing day at the Paris Street Market! The number of customers I had exceeded my expectations! It was a joy to see so many smiles as folks peeked through the gardens! Now I get to make more! See you in Boulder CO over Memorial Day Weekend for the Boulder Valley Festival! Look for me on 13th street Sat night from 5-7 and all day Sunday and Monday!

Horseshoe Market

I am so tickled to report that I have been accepted into the Summer Horseshoe Market on July 14! Such a fun area and what an honor!

Brand New Beautiful Gardens!

Getting Ready for Spring Shows and SO many beautiful Gardens!  Be sure to visit my Etsy Site if you are interested in any of the gardens.  Doesn't everyone need a fairy garden!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gfdesigner

A Paris Street Market

Hooray!
We will be showing our gardens this summer at the Paris Street Market!!  Hope to see you all there.

The first ones this spring!

New Plants!

What a terrific day we had yesterday!  We brought home tons of new plants and it all started to come alive!  Getting ready for my first spring market, Highlands Ranch Spring Bazaar on Saturday March 24 at Eastridge Recreation Center, the theme is Gardens for All!  Plenty of new small scale gardens in the works from prices between $20-$40.  Pictures to come!

Rabbit Shadow Farms in the Morning!

I am so excited!  We get to visit Emily's beautiful greenhouse to pick up gorgeous new fairy plants for the first spring market!  The Farrell's have been collecting vintage pieces all winter and I can't wait to start putting it all together!  My studio is full of new fairies (even handmade fairies from France!).  My sewing machine has been running, my new paints are ready to break open and believe me Eric has been hard at work!  I will post pictures often as it all starts to come alive!  Hooray for Spring!

Who?

Where to start.  Those who have known me for a long time know I started sewing as a young child.  For my first act in college I double majored in Technical Journalism and Apparel Design (a true gemini I always seem to have very distinct interests).  I started as a western wear designer in Cheyenne and Denver in the early years.  At 26 I moved to New York and after a good stretch waiting tables I was hired by Federated Department Stores (Macy's).  I began as a jr. knit and sweater designer, and three years later I was the head designer of Style & CO, one of Federated largest private labels.  I worked tremendous hours like most young NYC folks do - but I was traveling the world and it all seemed worth it until...9/11.

I'll spare you the details - if you knew me then we've been over it too much - but it profoundly changed me.  I couldn't stop thinking that I worked about a 60 hours a week and all I did was make shirts.  I wanted something different, experiencing something like that makes what matters crystal clear - I wanted a family - I wanted to slow down (you can take the girl out of Colorado...).  I left Federated and just for fun I decided to pursue another design degree - this one inspired by the architectural obsession I found in my travels - an Interior Design Degree from the New York School of interior Design.  During  that time life was crazy - 1 yummy husband and 2 perfect children later and I finally found my way back home to Colorado.

When it was time to go back to work I wanted to do something more - in a different way.  After a brief stint with my own Interior Design Business - I won a teaching fellowship through the prestigious New Teacher Project (back to college again yikes!).  Now I am a very happy Special Education Teacher for the Douglas County Public Schools.  I love that work, it makes me proud and I feel that I have a lot to give my students right now.  So that brings me to about the last year.  My creative side was getting restless - and the fairies started calling...

Over the last year I began to make and sell miniature gardens - otherwise known as fairy gardens.  It seems it is the perfect way to use all of those creative talents - in my studio - time stands still and it all comes alive!  I get to paint, sew, garden, shop, and make tiny creations.  This year I am going to fill a lot of my time creating and selling my little gardens.

I am inspired by SO much.  This blog is intended to share the journey...