Because I am a dork like that.
So, what better than a flower crown for my little fairy children? I mean, right? (HA.) So my boy, with a teeny bit of coercion, said yes he wanted one too, as long as it didnt have any pink in it. When I requested please please could I take a picture he said, "For who?" I said, um, for daddy? He said "Fine, ONLY dad. And you CANT put it on your blog!!!" HA HA. I've been found out!! I knew the day would come, too soon. Ah well. Maybe I will ask him pretty please because, oh my gosh he made the cutest scrunched up embarassed face in the picture.
In any case. The craft.
I simply cut out flower and leaf shapes from felt and hand sewed them onto a length of ribbon. Easy peasy. And so so so so sweet.
I want to try and make a garland the same way for my kitchen window. Because, as I said, I am a dork like that. Maybe I will even hang tiny flower fairy dolls from it. Maybe. HA. My sisters are going "OhMYGOSHSARAYOUARESUCHADORK." I know. I know. But its so pretty and nice and sweet and, as baby says "Gooden and nummy" This is her ultimate highest compliment. GOODEN AND NUMMY!! NICE SUMMER DAY. SO GOODEN! SO NUMMY! As she spins around in her gooden and nummy dress, flower crown in her fluffy curls. Yes. My life is a tiny bit fairy tale, I do realize that. HA.
And then. To complete the sweet scenario we went out to the swings and hammock hanging under the deck and read the below story, from my favorite website, an old tale by Madge A. Bingham.
Happy Gooden and Nummy Days my friends!!
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| a length of ribbon and some flower shapes |
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| simply sew on a ribbon |
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| tie in back. CROWN. VOILA. |
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| they are both enamored with worms lately, picking them, carrying them around, holding them, naming them things like "Golly" "Jolly" "Molly" and "Rocky" HA HA HA |
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| my summer fairy |
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| i was authorized to use this and only this picture. isnt he ADORABLE??? |
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| this is her face whenever we pull out the camera lately |
WHY FLOWERS HAVE BRIGHT COLOURS
If you had been in the Garden Beautiful late one
moonlight night, you would have heard the Lady Petunia, all dressed in a violet
robe, tell such a wonderful story that even the dewdrops nestled among her
leaves to listen.
"Once upon a time," she said, "when the world was new, all
flowers were white, and none wore the bright coloured dresses we see them wear
these days.
"The queen of the flowers was an exquisite white rose. She
grew in the centre of the garden, near the lake, and grouped around her were
flowers of every kind—pinks, nasturtiums, poppies, dahlias, lilacs, hyacinths,
phlox, daisies, daffodils, and many, many other kinds.
"But all, like the queen, were dressed in pure white.
"They loved the rose queen, because it was she who
had taught them all the wonderful secrets that they knew.
"She had shown them how to send forth their slender roots
under the ground for food to eat, and how to carry it up the stalks to the
leaves and precious blossoms.
"She had shown them, too, how to make the wonderful pollen
dust of gold, and even how to make the little seed cradles with the wee baby
seeds tucked inside.
"But one thing, the greatest thing of all, the rose queen
could not tell them; and that was how to ripen the wee seed babies and make them
grow fat and round and plump,—as an earth baby does, you know.
"For many days the rose queen bowed her head and thought
and wondered over this question. What could she do?
"It would be too bad if the baby seeds from none of the
plants ever ripened or grew any larger, for not even a little seed likes always
to be a baby. Then too, without well-ripened seed, soon there would be no
flowers blooming in the Garden Beautiful—because there would be no seeds to
plant.
"So, you see, that was enough to make the rose queen
sorrowful, and for nights and days she thought or dreamed of nothing else.
"At last she said, one day, to a little breeze fairy who
was softly fanning her cheeks:
" 'Pretty breeze fairy, in all of your travels, have you
heard of no one who knows how flowers may ripen their seeds, and make them grow
plump and round?'
" 'I know how trees ripen their seeds, replied the little
breeze fairy.'They exchange their golden pollen dust with one another. I have
often helped the wind blow it from one tree to another.
" 'Perhaps that is the way flowers should ripen their seed
babies, too. I would help you if I could, but when the wind blows it is so rough
and strong that I feel sure it would blow the dainty flower-cups all to pieces.
" 'Why do you not ask the bees to help you do this or the
moths and butterflies? They would be the very ones to help you out of your
trouble, and carry the pollen dust to and fro.'
"Now the rose queen had often seen the bees and
butterflies flitting by the garden; but they never came near any of the flowers.
So how could she ask any of them to carry the golden pollen dust from flower to
flower?
" 'I must get a message to these bees and butterflies
somehow,' said the queen to herself. 'How shall I do it? '
"And then, the very next moment, a smile played over her
beautiful face and she said softly: 'Oh, now I know what we can do! I suppose
bees and butterflies are like the earth-children and like good things to eat.
" 'I will tell the flowers about my plan in the morning,
and we will all make sweet nectar juice and tuck it away, down in our flower
cups, and then the bees and butterflies will be sure to come to us for a taste.
" 'It is then I will ask them to help us exchange our
golden pollen dust with one another—roses with roses, violets with violets,
pinks with pinks,—that is the way.'
"And so the rose queen fell asleep, happy in her new-made
plan, because she knew how happy it would make the flowers next day when
they heard that she had at last thought of a way to make their seed babies ripen
and grow.
"And, indeed, they were very happy when they heard about
it, and they began at once, and worked from early morning until night, storing
away delicious nectar juice for their visitors, the bees and butterflies, whom
they were expecting very soon.
"But alas! though the nectar juice was of the sweetest and
very best, none of the bees or the dainty butterflies stopped to take even a
sip, and because of this the beautiful rose queen was more sorrowful than ever,
and the flowers drooped low over the cradles where the young seed babies lay
sleeping, sick and pale.
"It seemed that they would have to die after all, since
neither the bees nor butterflies would come to help them exchange their golden
pollen dust, and this alone was all that could possibly save their lives.
"Surely something must be done, or very soon the Garden Beautiful would be
without its lovely flowers, since there would be no more seeds to grow up
in place of the flowers that withered.
" 'I’ll tell you,' said the little breeze, who lingered
again by the side of the rose queen. 'Why do you not put out signal flags of red
and blue and other bright colours?
" 'All of your flowers in the Garden Beautiful are dressed
in white, and perhaps bees and butterflies cannot see white.
" 'Now if you will put out brightly-coloured signal flags,
I am sure the bees and butterflies will come, because they like bright colours,
and when they find out that you have made sweet nectar juice for them they will
be only too glad to keep on coming.
" 'Try it,' laughed the little breeze, 'and while the bees
and butterflies are busy sipping nectar juice, the flowers can be sprinkling
golden pollen dust over their bodies and wings so they will be sure to leave
some with every new flower they call on.
'"The fair rose queen laughed merrily with the
little breeze, as he talked, and then she said:
" 'But wait; before you go, tell me, pray, where I am to
get these brightly-coloured signal flags you speak of? I have none.'
" 'Oh, the sunbeam fairies can bring you every colour of
the rainbow,—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet,' replied the
mischievous little breeze, tickling her leaves into fresh laughter as he flew
away.
"Then the happy rose queen called quickly to a sunbeam
fairy who danced that way.
" 'Come and help me, shining fairy of the sky,' she said.
' Bring to me, I pray thee, many brightly-coloured flags. I would have them of
the lovely rainbow colours, so beautiful to look upon.'
" 'Flags?' replied the shining sunbeam fairy, pausing in
his dance. 'I have no flags, fair queen, but I can bring you something
better—dresses in all the rainbow colours, bright and beautiful to look upon.'
"So away he hastened to the palace of the sun, leaving the
dear rose queen very happy, and when he returned there came with him many,
many tiny sunbeam fairies, each one heavily laden, and oh, the beautiful,
beautiful dresses they brought with them! Soon all the flowers had changed their
robes of spotless white for garments of the brightest rainbow hues—of blue and
red and violet and orange and their tints and shades.
"Very soon there was a wonderful change in the Garden
Beautiful and the rose queen's cheeks flushed a delicate pink when she bowed her
head in thanks to the kind little sunbeam fairies.
"And it really happened just as the little breeze fairy
said it would.
"Very soon the bees and butterflies caught sight of the
Garden Beautiful, decked out in its wonderful new colours, and over the old wall
they flew in troops and visited every flower.
"Best of all, they liked the nectar juice so much that
they came again and again, and, fluttering here and there, they carried with
them the golden pollen dust which was needed so much to help the seed babies
grow.
"So, day by day, the flowers worked to keep a store
of nectar juice, and day by day the bees and butterflies kept coming, until by
and by the seed babies were ripe and plump and strong, and the fair rose queen
knew the Garden Beautiful would remain as it had been—fresh and beautiful every
year.
"And now," said the Lady Petunia, "my story is ended, and
you know why it is that the flowers wear bright-coloured dresses.
"True, a few of them still wear white in memory of the
fair rose queen, but by their perfume the bees and butterflies have learned that
they keep sweet nectar juice for their friends and visit them just the same.
"Some of these white flowers bloom only at night when the
bees and butterflies have gone to bed. But the little gray moths that flit about
in the starlight know how sweet they smell, and visit them often—sipping their
nectar and carrying the golden pollen dust from flower to flower."
