MANDY MO DESIGNS

Greetings! I'm Amanda and I carefully and creatively craft magical environments so that fairies come from near and far to live in my fairy gardens! Fairies are tiny winged creatures of diminutive human form that live in nature – all around us! They are benevolent, playful, protective and sometimes mischievous. If you are open to the magic you can attract them to your garden!

Fairies are creatures as old as time – virtually every culture has some sort of reference to a fairy like creature. They are clever, playful and hold magic powers to benevolent ends. It is said that there was once a time when the human and Fairy worlds were one. Legend tells that our human ancestors became trapped in the physical world and became less and less aware of what was hidden just beyond their physical sight, and the vision of the Fairy became lost to them.  

The magic is in the love and the detail I put into my gardens! I make a lot of items from twigs and other things (tree stumps, pinecones, leaves, etc.) you find in nature plus discarded jewelry and other knick-knacks or even garbage (old buttons, wine corks, toothpaste caps). I custom make them for you or someone special.  If you describe the person to me in detail – I’m like an artist painting a portrait from a description – only I create a fairy garden to attract their fairy – the one that is meant for only them – to help, guide and protect them. Let's build a home for your fairy!

Whether you believe in the magic of the fae like I do or not, I hope that you enjoy my gardens. They are hand-made with lots of love and creativity. I pour my heart and soul into creating beautiful and well thought out gardens for all sorts of interests and design preferences. Check out my existing gardens, some past gardens I can recreate for you or contact me for a custom idea that you have!

THE FAiRY GARDEN

Whatever you do to bring life to your garden will bring fairies as well. Your garden should include plants that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. This will also attract the fae. Along with your custom-created Fairy garden put up hummingbird feeders, bird feeders, bird baths, bird houses, even bat houses. Small fountains, ponds, fairy statues, or waterfalls are also good.

Here's a short list of plants that attract fairies to your garden:

Common yarrow, Achillea millefolium
New York aster, Aster novi-belgii
Shasta daisy, Chrysanthemum maximum
Western giant hyssop or horsemint, Agastache occidentalis 
French lavender, Lavendula dentata 
Rosemary, Rosemarinus officinalis
Thyme, Thymus 
Fountain butterfly bush, Buddleia alternifolia 
Orange-eye butterfly bush, summer lilac, Buddleia davidii 
Shrubby cinquefoil, Potentilla fruitiosa 
Common garden petunia, Petunia hybrida 
Verbenas, vervains, Verbena
Pincushion flowers, Scabiosa caucasica 
Cosmos, Cosmos bipinnatus 
Common zinnia, Zinnia elegans

They also love the following plants and trees:

Foxglove, Primrose, Ragwort, Cowslips, Pansies, Bluebells, Clover (3-leaf, not 4-leaf), St. John's Wort, Hazel, Rowan, Blackthorn, Oak, Willow, Elder, Birch, Alder, Apple, Ash, and especially Toadstools.

ATTRACTING FAiRIES

Beltane and Midsummer are two particularly good times to contact the Fairy world. The Fairy spirit is the great force of energy moving through all things, empowering our magic.

The fae are shy creatures, made so by years of mistreatment and misunderstanding by humans. They are jealous of the physical world which contain the living, breathing, trees and plant life they so love and have so carefully reproduced in their own world. Our callous treatment of nature infuriates them.

You must work first to win their trust. Adorn your home or yard with a fairy garden as a refuge for the little folk. Leave a corner of it wild and uncultivated. Leaving out gifts of food and treasures for them is a good first step. They love ground ginger, barley, sweets, cream, and anything that glitters. Also clean water, butter, wine, honey, and bread. Never toss out fairy libations like you would food for wild animals. They consider this very disrespectful. Make up a little basket of your offerings and leave them on your step, in your garden, or under a tree. Favorite fairy stones are tiger's eye, peridot, jade, lava, fluorite, and especially emerald. Don't expect these gifts to disappear, as fairies are able to extract the spiritual essence of our physical gifts to them (so be sure to leave them in love and with deep respect.) You will, however, have to replace these gifts often in order to keep the fairy folk hanging around.

DEDICATING THE FAiRY GARDEN

Once the garden is started, you might want to ritually dedicate it as a Fairy garden sanctuary. Begin by walking the around the garden with an athame pointed at its boundaries (much like casting a circle). Then sprinkle the perimeter of the garden with a branch of fir dipped in salted spring water. Finally, walk the boundaries of the garden with a lighted incense stick. (It can be left to burn in the ground when you finish.) Then with a wand of hazel, slowly walk around the garden greeting each plant with words like:

Spirits of the (insert plant name),
I welcome your presence in the garden.

Feel your love flow from your heart, down your wand, and out the end of the wand. Be sure to welcome all plants, stones, and trees. (Nature spirits are easily offended.) Conclude your ritual with these words:

In the name of the Goddess and the God,
I declare this garden a sanctuary
For the spirits of nature
And the children of the Gods.

When you are finished, leave a gift -- cookies, soda, ale, cream, or bright, shiny things like rings, beads, or stones.
from Ancient Ways by Campanelli

Contact me today to discuss a custom garden or peruse my existing gardens for sale. Interested in a fun party building gardens with your friends? Check out my Garden Party Classes!