Fairy Magic!

Yesterday, we enjoyed a little fairy magic. It wasn’t really a party—just a pixie-sized play date that my first grader and her BFF dreamed up last summer. Since it took six whole months for their “fairy godmothers” to get it together and actually hold the play date, we sprinkled on a little pixie dust and made it extra magical.

We were firmly committed to not spending too much money. Much like fairies, we used a lot of found objects and left-over items from the girls’ real parties. My Passover décor is very natural and Springy; it made a perfect fairy garden. We picked pine cones, sticks, and other natural elements and used lots of stuff we found around our houses. We added a few dollar store wings and Sam's cupcakes. Of course, it is easy to do that when you a) have a huge arsenal of supplies from past parties and, b) have Pinterest giving you so many precious ideas!

We sent a digital invitation so it wouldn’t seem as formal as a real party.

When the girls arrived, they selected fairy names from envelopes that contained first, middle and last names to create fun combinations. This, in turn, determined what kind of talent each fairy would have, her wing color, seat assignment, and her team for the scavenger hunt. My little cuties ended up being Tulip Fern Bud (a garden talent), and Ladybug Feather Den (an animal talent):

Each girl wore her fairy nametag as we proceeded to feast on Magic wands (pretzel rods dipped in chocolate and sprinkles), Toadstool cupcakes, Strawberries, and Fairy Punch:

The adorable home-tree was crafted from cardboard boxes by the little hostesses (with help from the fairy godmothers). Plans for a similar cardboard tree-house are available on Disney’s Family Fun website.

As the girls ate, we talked about fairy lore and why each girl believed in fairies. The girls then went on a scavenger hunt that matched their talent (Light fairies’ clues were in the fireplace, lamp, and under light fixtures, while garden talents were directed to various potted plants). Along the way, they spotted some real fairy dust! With each clue, the girls got elements that would attract fairies to their own fairy gardens:

When the girls got back from the scavenger hunt, they got very busy making mason-jar fairy gardens, complete with adorable cardboard houses (cut on my Silhouette):

The day concluded with face-painting and, of course, some good old play. After all, it was just an ordinary play date! The total cost was around $40 (and I’ll need new mason jars when I put up the garden next year), but the afternoon was priceless.