Wee Faerie Village Displays Big Creativity

Every October, the grounds of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut are transformed into a wonderland of tiny faerie dwellings. Selected artists, students and other creative souls are given an overall theme (this year’s was Fathom Heights, or “under the sea”), assigned a location on the riverfront property and charged with designing and building a faerie house that will withstand the outdoor elements for the month the village is on display.

The Temple of Artemis, created by Michele Mergy, featured miniature statuary and a faerie lodging encrusted with shells.

I made my first-ever visit to the Wee Faerie Village last week, accompanied by two writer friends — one of whom, Jessica Southwick, created the Sea-Lestial Observatory & Plankton Planetarium, nestled under a stately tree.

Jessica Southwick of Jesswick Creative Studio engineered the Sea-Lestial Observatory & Plankton Planetarium, crafted from common household trash that can end up in our oceans and waterways. Plastic pop-tops became oysters concealing pearls, and a cityscape complete with stars was suspended in the tree above.

The imagining of each house and the care and detail with which the creations were built was impressive. As we snaked along the grassy walk, bordering a river that sparkled deep blue in the midday sun, I was tempted to break out some plaster or papier-mache supplies and build a miniature house of my own (before I reconsidered the huge number of hours that must have been devoted to each faerie dwelling).

Faerie-sized books were on display in the Fathom Heights Briny Bookshop & Abalone Antiques, designed by Bettina Rowlands and Lynda Cmara.

For Cafe Kraken, Rita Rivera designed a cozy and colorful Mexican coffee shop precariously situated in the tentacle of a kraken, with a miniature cafe hidden inside.

Another cafe, this one a coffee shop fashioned from driftwood, included faerie-sized seating with barstools made from bottle caps. Crabby’s Cafe was created by Dee Dee Charnok, Bobbie Padgett and Teddi Curtiss.

The Lollipop Lighthouse by Billie Tannen and Robert Nielsen was adorned with bright colors, eye-catching patterns and intricate details.

Seeing how the artists gave life to their concepts, rendering even the smallest elements with thorough care and attention, was a reminder that details matter. When we write, it’s tempting to describe in generalities — “a remote Northern California coastal town,” — when it’s the cold, foggy mornings with the marine layer hanging thick over the sea, the wind-blown Cypress trees, their branches gnarled and twisted, and the cries of the seagulls as they drift on the breeze over the bluff that make the scene come alive and the reader care about it. Likewise, it was the meticulously crafted details that brought the faerie houses to life for me: stacks of faerie-sized books in a bookshop; miniature, pearl-lined saddles at a saddlery; and cafe chairs made from wire Champagne bottle toppers at a flower shop.

Details matter, like the ones above. L-R: tiny books in the Fathom Heights Briny Bookshop & Abalone Antiques by Bettina Rowlands and Lynda Cmara; miniature sea horse saddles at Seahorse Stables, by Linda Turner, Gerry and John Urbanik, Kaya LaPointe and Kyle Foley; chairs made from Champagne-bottle toppers and faerie-sized raised flower beds at the Fathom Heights Flower Shack, created by Lisa Kenyon and Michael, Lillian and Elizabeth Harney.

My takeaway? Devoting the time and energy to craft even the smallest detail in a precise and thoughtful way will help bring your entire work to life. And, a visit to the Wee Faerie Village is worth the trip for a delightful, fascinating and inspiring experience.

Thanks to the Florence Griswold Museum’s Wee Faerie Village for this dose of inspiration!