The Story behind the scrapbook: Fairies and Flowers

Fairies are invisible and inaudible like angels. But their magic sparkles in nature. - Lynn Holland

Spread no. 12

I think lots of us at some point of our lives have found fairies to be fascinating. We have been introduced to the concept of fairies either from Disney movies, story books, illustrations... I could go on. Me, I had this really beautiful porcelain doll that would stand on my night table; I believe she was supposed to be doing an arabesque. I remember her lovely flower skirt, her glittery wings and the characteristic pointy ears. One day, however, I found her broken and never managed to get her glued back in one piece. Despite my sad heart, I was very interested in learning all about fairies and that's when I discovered myths and stories revolving around these creatures. I found out that there is a duality in fairies. According to some folklore, they were not always the sweet, kind beings portrayed in Peter Pan; many of them being mischevious and sometimes plain evil.

For this spread, I used some beautiful fairy stickers that remind me so much of the innocence and joy of my old doll's face. Their peaceful expressions and childlike curiosity were my main focus and I really wanted to give these little creatures their own spotlight. I tried to tell a little story.

I think my favourite fairy is the one at the top, So I wanted to highlight the face that's looking down with a smile, like they're enjoying whatever they're seeing. The areas below are a combination of wooden effect paper cutouts and a neutral central piece with plants and stickers.

There is a second fairy in the middle of the spread but more towards the right and they're sort of hiding behind a flower, so I decided to add a bigger vinyl sticker on top so as if it's helping them hide. The third fairy at the bottom is looking up and they're covering their eyes, like they were creating some sort of shade or binaculars.

Did you guess what story I was trying to convey?

The little fairies are playing hide and seek!

I'm using a beautiful washi tape that adds a vintage touch, as if the fairies were playing on top of letters announcing spring. The small butterfly was intended to give contrast to the heavier pink and beige hues throughout. I didn't want to add another layer on the left and steal the focus from my favourite character, and I was very pleased with the end result.

Do you have a favourite fairy myth, story or character? For me, I remember reading the Disney Fairies books and a light fairy called "Fira" was my favourite. I think I chose her because my name means "light" so it was a natural choice that if I was to pick a favourite pixie, it would be the one with the ability of creating sparkles and illuminating the morning sky.

Check out my TikTok video for this spread: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM2WfevQJ/