A Fairies' Garden Party or Fair

We could all use a little Spring about now...especially here in the frozen Northeast! I found this lovely "church fair" idea in the book Bright Ideas for Entertaining by Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott. This book is from 1905. It is one of my favorite party idea books to read and I give it for gifts at Bridal Showers and other fun occasions! Everyone needs a little fantasy in their life! All spelling and grammar is exactly as it was printed.

"Fairies' Garden"

A clever scheme for a church fair is the "Fairies' Garden," which is nothing more than the old grab-bag in a new dress. One seen recently was set up near a booth trimmed with evergreens, with a fence made of "cat-tails" planted about four inches apart, enclosing it in front. To this the people who were present flocked, and were free, on the payment of a small sum, to pull a flower or vegetable as they should see fit. Within and at the back of the inclosure was a trellis made of wire netting with the largest holes procurable, covered with vines, among which nestled pink paper roses. In each rose a small present was hidden from view.
Then there was a "pond," made of a tin boiler banked with stones and moss, and filled with water, on which floated water lilies and leaves. To each lily was tied a weighted present, such as water could not injure.
A bed of real goldenrod planted in a box of sawdust, with the presents tied to the stems of the flowers and buried in the sawdust, completed the flower garden.
The vegetable bed fully repaid for all the time and trouble spent upon it. It was an enclosure of four boards, filled with sawdust, the vegetables being made of paper and filled with cotton and presents. After the vegetables and flowers were planted the beds were covered with moss.
A few signs added to the effect, such as "Great South Sea Bubble" for the cabbage bed, and "Please do not pull the cats' tails. By order of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals," for the cat tail fence.
Carrots, beets, onions and cabbages answered the purpose well, being of convenient shapes and very easily made. The carrots were made on a cornucopia of stiff brown paper, in which the present was put, and then the cornucopia was covered with plain carrot-colored tissue paper, closed at the top, painted to imitate the creases in a carrot, and ornamented with a small tuft of leaves cut from green tissue paper. The beets were stuffed with cotton, in which the present was concealed, and then covered with the proper colored tissue paper. The onion bulbs were covered with crinkled cream-white tissue paper, and the tops were made of stiff white paper spills, or lamp-lighters, covered with dark green tissue paper. The cabbages were of pale green and yellow-almost cream color-crinkled tissue paper, wound around the central ball of cotton; the paper was cut and pulled out in the shape of leaves, or twisted to form the stalk.
There were four little girls dressed as "flower fairies," who kept the garden in order, and helped in many ways, looking very effective in their costumes of a "morning glory," a "daffy-down-dilly," a yellow and white "daisy," and a "wild rose."


Wasn't that just enchanting??!!! I love these old party descriptions!