Discover the charming intersection of tea and fairy lore in our June edition of Tea on Tuesdays. Immerse yourself in an enchanted fairy world meticulously crafted by Cicely Mary Barker, while savoring a unique blend of floral and herbal tea and sweet delicacies, the choice of Flower Fairies.
Welcome to the June edition of Tea on Tuesdays,
a celebration of all things ‘tea’
on the third Tuesday of the month!
Pam and I are happy to welcome special guest,
Nancy from Two Trails One Road.
If you don’t know Nancy, we’re excited for you to meet her!
She enjoys the best of all four seasons,
calling Arizona home in the winter and enjoying lake life
in the summer in Pennsylvania!
~~~~~
Pam and I are glad you’re here too, pour yourself a cuppa
or glass of iced tea and join us!
Join me in the garden for some tea
and whimsy with the Flower Fairies!
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I’m searching for Flower Fairies
with Cicely Mary Barker’s
How to Find Flower Fairies as a guide. . .
Discover an enchanted fairy world as each and every
Flower Fairy is in charge of looking after their flower or plant;
keeping it strong and healthy by making sure it has plenty of sunshine and water to drink,
sweeping away dead leaves, and polishing flowers and stems!
Meet Lily. . .
June is peak bloom season for daylilies so she’s busy
deadheading and tending them!
“Flower beds are a perfumed paradise for fairies that desire beauty above all else.”
“Every flower has its own fairy to care for it, which explains why most of my own
fairy encounters have taken place in the garden.”
A garden full of blooms may conceal fairies galore!
Let the search for Flower Fairies and tea party begin!
Select your teacup . . .
We’re sipping on a floral and herbal blend tea today, the tea of choice of Flower Fairies!
It’s blend of passionflower,
vervaine, rose petals, lavender, spearmint and damiana.
Our tea table has been strategically placed for maximum
potential sightings of Flower Fairies. . .
Suspend your disbelief and enter the Flower Fairies’ magical realm. . .
after all, only true believers are able to see the fairies. . . !
“Flower Fairies wear outfits fashioned from fallen petals—by dressing
to impersonate the flowers that surround them, the fairies may flutter by unseen!”
Our tea menu was chosen to attract the Flower Fairies, from what I learned in Fairyopolis,
the secret fairy journal of Cicely Mary Barker:
“Fairies appreciate the following:
Sweet delicacies such as fruit, jam and cake. . .”
Help yourself to lemon pound cake, berries,
mixed berry preserves and a healthy dollop of whipped cream!
flew in to join the party and sweet treats. . .
And mini strawberry angel food cakes from the grocery store bakery got
an easy upgrade with a vanilla sugar glaze
that’s irresistible to Flower Fairies!
Cicely Mary Barker was born in West Croydon, Surrey, a small town near London, England in 1895.
As a child she suffered from epilepsy and as a result was physically frail and unable to attend school.
Cicely’s father, an artist himself, encouraged her artistic talent, enrolling her at Croydon Art Society
when she was thirteen years old and paying for a correspondence course, which she continued until 1919.
At the age of sixteen, she had her first work accepted for publication
as a set of postcards, which prompted her to devote her career to painting.
She preferred to use real-life child models for her fairy paintings~
most models coming from the kindergarten her sister
Dorothy ran in the back room of the home where they lived.
She would have the child pose with the particular blossom, twig, or flower to
accurately depict the texture and form of the plant,
enlarging the flower to make it the same size at the child.
Always botanically accurate, Cicely’s flowers were painted from nature.
If she could not find a flower close at hand, she enlisted the help of staff at Kew Gardens,
who would often visit with specimens for her to paint.
Cicely was influenced by the popular interest in fairies which developed from the Victorian enthusiasm
for fairy stories and the immense popularity of J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan
in the early part of the 20th century.
Published in 1923, her first book, Flower Fairies of the Spring,
was well received by a post-industrial, war-weary public
who were charmed by her vision of hope and innocence.
More Flower Fairy tidbits:
“On Summer days, some fairies hang their washing out to dry on the webs of friendly spiders.
Look out for glistening petals hanging from webs.”
“Many flowers have useful functions for fairies.
Some use them as secure hiding places for precious objects,
such as stores of magical fairy dust.”
Details:
Fairy garden statue / HomeGoods, several months ago
Fairy with tray / retail days
Quilt / Bed, Bath & Beyond, many years ago
Iron Teapot / HomeGoods, many years ago
Flatware / vintage
Teapot / part of Royal Albert 100 Years 1940 3-Piece Set
Assorted teacups / collected over the years, Similar HERE
Plates / Gracie China, HomeGoods, couple years ago, Similar HERE
“No need for journeying, Seeking afar;
Where there are flowers, There fairies are . . .”
I want to know:
Are you a true believer?
Join Pam and Nancy for tea:
Pam at Everyday Living
Nancy at Two Trails One Road
Daylilies bloom repeatedly for years with minimal attention,
tolerate a wide variety of soil conditions and stand up to the summer heat,
humidity and are even drought-tolerant. . . definitely fairy magic!
You can read more about my favorite perennial for easy summer gardening, HERE.
Thank you for your visit, sharing with:
Between Naps on the Porch
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Good Morning Mary! I am honored to be a guest here at Tea on Tuesday. Thank you so much for inviting me.
I believe in Fairies! I have two who visit often. One lives on a tree trunk filled with English Ivy, and her name is Eden. And another lives in my frog garden and her name is Riba.
I enjoyed seeing Lily as she held all the cuttings from your garden. What an excellent helper she is. She must love living in your Lily garden, as you have a phenomenal collection of many different lilies.
The book How to Find Flower Fairies will have to be added to my Garden Book library. What an enchanting guide that is full of beauty.
You fairy garden tea table is filled with luscious fruit and sweet treats. Fairies and fairy believers will be delighted to sit and join you.
Thank you for having us!
I so appreciate all the inspirational time in your gardens.
Thank you once again for the Tea on Tuesday invitation. It was such a pleasure to be included.
Thank you so much Nancy! How fun you have two fairies :) Pam and I were so happy to have you join us. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead ♥
Yes, ma’am, I think I’m a believer. The Fairies brought me 1.5″ of unexpected rain last night! Your fairy tales and tea are full of inviting, delightful teasers! You find the neatest little things to carry out your vision. Of course, the garden setting florals didn’t need much more if anything, but the Fairies are a welcome sight! It’s another iced tea kind of day. Cheers!
I’m envious of your rain Rita, I hit the ground running this morning, trying to water and deadhead before it got too hot…ha! I was drenched by 8:30. :) Thank you for your visit, stay cool. ♥
Mary, I could not wait this morning to check out your fairy garden tea table. It’s just magical! I love fairies and am still fascinated by Cicely Mary Barker books. Enjoyed so much my visit into your garden with Lily.
Thank you!
Thank you for your visit and sweet comment Terri! ♥
Good morning, Mary. My girls will love your garden tea with flower fairies! Your garden of daylilies is absolutely magical with fairies taking care of each flower. Lily is so charming as she collects fallen petals. I wish Lily could visit me and help me deadhead and tend the flowers. Each image is a feast for the eyes with the beauty of your garden captured perfectly. The tea menu sounds delicious, lemon pound cake would be excellent with my morning coffee, especially with berries and a dollop of whipped cream. I enjoyed reading about Cicely Mary Barker and her amazing life. Even with health challenges, she found her creativity in painting! It is a sweet story of perseverance.
It is always a pleasure to join you for a cuppa in your lovely garden! Happy Tuesday and stay cool. It was 78 at 5 am this morning 🧚🏻♂️🧚🏻♂️☕️🫖
Thank you so much Pam! It’s always a treat to join you for tea. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, stay cool! ♥
“Enchanting!!!” franki
Thank you Franki! ♥
Mary, I love Fairies of any kind! I have been making fairy gardens for years and have built a large one in my secret garden. Thank you for sharing this fairy information. Also, I have always loved your IRON teapot but have never been able to find one! You have the one of a kind! Lucky you! 🧚♀️🧚♂️🧚♀️🧚♂️
What fun Ellen! I did get lucky :)
Good Morning Mary. Your flower fairies are adorable. Love the info on fairies too. Enjoy the summer and all the pretty el fresco dining. Hugs. Kris
Thank you so much Kris! ♥
So enchanting Mary….I love fairies and have several in my Secret Garden. Your little cakes and fruit are so inviting in this early morning hour and of course it would not be compete without the tea which is my choice of early morning beverage. Your accessories are always a delight. You must always be ‘at the right place at the right time’ which is much better than my ‘day late and a dollar short’. LOL Thank you for sharing such a sweet table of fairies.
Kari: “You must always be ‘at the right place at the right time’ which is much better than my ‘day late and a dollar short” made me laugh! So fun you have fairies in your Secret Garden! I’m not surprised and enjoyed a peak last week. :) Thank you for your visit ♥
Fairies love tea time in the garden!
Mary, what an absolutely delightful post. It brought me back to childhood, yet we are never too old to go there. Simply magical. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your visit and comment Lynn! ♥
I loved this post this morning!! I’m gathering ideas for a fairy garden tea party when my grandchildren visit this summer. Thank You!!!
What fun to host a fairy tea party for your grands Debra! Thank you for your visit ♥
What a sweet beautiful post! I loved your fairy book so much I just ordered the summer flowers one for my grand who is soooo into fairies!! Her birthday is next month and they are avid gardeners. She was telling me all about a wonderful collection of Disney fairy stories the other day when we were together – In the Realm of the Never Fairies. I think she is really going to love Cicely’s book/s! Thank you!
What fun to have a grand that’s into fairies Michele! I hope she enjoys the book, thank you! ♥
What fun and whimsical Flower Fairy books! I will now be on the lookout for Flower Fairies when I see flowers! Your tea table setting is delightful in the midst of your beautiful garden blooms Mary! I love Lily with her bowl of flowers and the way you put the teacups in the metal teapot. The light bursts you put in your photos really add a magical touch and makes you feel that the garden fairies are busy at work! The Flower Fairy picks are so cute and all the treats will make the Flower Fairies very happy! The tray of treats with the fairy is a wonderful centerpiece~ I enjoyed reading about Cicely Barker and her love of art. Thank you for a lovely tea party!
Jenna
Thank you so much Jenna, you’re so sweet! ♥
Good morning Mary from our summer home on beautiful Prince Edward Island,Canada!
I want to share my ‘fairy’ story…my parents were seekers of beauty whether in art, antiques, decor etc. their aesthetic was such that if they thought something was beautiful they bought it..expensive things, unusual things or something at a consignment shop that pleased their eye. One year my father found a book of Fairies illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker and gave it to my mother who was enchanted with it. A few years later I found a print of the Rose Fairy and had it prettily framed for them for Christmas, they loved it and it hung in their bedroom for many years.
This past November I lost my dear Father at ninety eight years of age. As my brother’s and I did the often poignant and difficult clean up of his home ( mother having passed in 2019) we divided the items we wished to have. One day my brother said to me “you should take that little print”
He looked at me,smiled and said “Take it for your little Rose”
Maybe I bought the print in a prescient moment or maybe my parents love for it manifested her but I have my own little flower fairy, my two year old grand daughter, Rose. The print will hang in her bedroom, I hope her great grandparents have passed on to her their love of beauty, flowers and fairies.
Oh you touched my heart with that sweet story Ally! Thank you so much for sharing it and your visit. ♥
I’m a fairy believer and loved your magical post, Mary! Thank you for all the delightful fairy tea party pictures and the info on Cicely. I’d love to have some treats and tea and sit in your beautiful garden area.
Thank you Kitty! I would love that too. So glad you had a wonderful vacation ♥
Your post is so lovely and whimsical. Just love it! I’ve long enjoyed Cicely Mary Barker’s fairy illustrations and have shared them with my children and now my grandchildren. Your fairy tray is the sweetest.
Thank you Lauren!♥
I can’t say I am a true believer but your post is truly magical! Now I want to get some day lilies! I had them at the last house but they got NO sun and didn’t do well at all. I am drooling over your tea menu! I am not a tea drinker but that pound cake looks so delicious!!! Have a beautiful week, Mary. It is horribly hot here.
Oh you’re so sweet Pinky! I hope you plant some daylilies again. It’s hot here too, stay cool ♥
Mary, Mary, Mary! Your continue to “wow” me with your charming creative posts. I’m definitely a believer in flower fairies. I must order this book asap as well as those darling flower fairy picks. I know a little girl who will delight in a tea party in the garden with the flower fairies. Love, love, love the whimsy of this post, the amazing photos, and all the excellent details about Cicely. I loved reading Ally’s comment and the way your post sparked these personal moments for her. We are so fortunate to have you posting these excellent pieces.
Thank you Sarah, you’re too kind! Hope you get some rain your way ♥
Mary the fairies are such a delight. They look so adorable amongst the objects on your tablescape.
Thank You for sharing/
Marilyn,Joan and Marion
Thank you Marion! ♥
Such a magical garden with the fairies! I have been doing fairy gardens for years now and i mostly use the flower fairies. So adorable!
What fun Debbie! Thank you for your visit and comment ♥
Enchanting, Delightful, Charming, and creative post. I love your metal fairy vignettes nestled among your lovely day lilies and hydrangeas in your garden. Your tea table is lovely set on your pretty quilt. I would love a piece of your pound cake. It looks so inviting.
I am late to tea but have been traveling.
Stay cool. The heat is oppressive.
Thank you Bonnie! I hope you had a wonderful trip. Stay cool 🌸❤️
Mary, Your fairy theme is so clever and fun! I enjoyed the narrative as it was interesting and informative. I have never heard the information you shared. Thank you for sharing! I love your fairy serving piece filled with delicious treats. Those strawberry mini Bundt cakes are adorable with your added touches! Your Gracie cups and china plates are lovely . Your garden fairy is cute as well! Enjoy the rest of your week. Clara ❤️
Thank you for your visit and sweet comment Clara! I hope you’re managing to stay cool! 🌸❤️
Mary, I adore your flower fairies. I have been thinking about creating a fairy post for quite some time. They are magical and I love your sprinkled fairy dust. Your flowers are impress me with their beauty. Day lilies are so gorgeous. We do have a few. I wish we had some summer rain to keep the hillsides green. Cicely Mary Barker‘S story is wonderful and such talent. Your iron teapot is so unique. Love the floral Gracie plates against your quilted tabletop. A delightful array of yummy desserts is so inviting with a cup of tea. A charming post that I adore. Happy summer🩷
Mary, your fairy inspired table set in your gorgeous garden area is enchanting! Lily is beautiful! Your selection of tea sounds delicious, and I absolutely love lemon pound cake! Each one of your photographs is breathtaking! Sorry, I am so late visiting. It has been a busy week at my house. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, sweet friend!
This is the prettiest, sweetest, MOST everything post, Mary. Totally in love with all your verdigris fairies and the book is delicious! Thanks always for all your beautiful posts, I enjoy every one! Sandi