Randy and Cindy Steinhorst have lived in Brockton Manor for four years.  The Wisconsin natives relocated to the area for Randy’s job as a senior fleet maintenance manager for FedEx.  Cindy is a senior account executive for J.J. Keller, a Wisconsin-based safety and compliance company.  They have adult children and no grandchildren “yet” but are looking forward to it. They also have two “very spoiled dogs that fill [their] hearts and keep [them] active.”

 

Normally, Randy and Cindy travel for work, but in 2020, during the lockdown for COVID-19, Cindy found herself at home more and in need of a “stress release.”  That led her to begin improving their yard and landscaping, and she created a small fairy garden in one of their perennial beds.  Cindy explains, “The challenge was that it was only visible to us and the next-door neighbors.  So, the following year (2021), while cleaning up the front yard, I had the idea that I could create a larger fairy village, and it could be enjoyed by anyone who walked by (it’s so close to the sidewalk).”

 

She started small by reusing the items she had from the small garden, and then she says, “It exploded from there!”  Cindy set up a crafting area in their garage and spent many hours with hot glue, rocks, broken branches, popsicle sticks, and paint to create miniature furniture, a clubhouse, signs, and items that she describes as “adding to the magic.”  She remembers how people walking by would comment on how much they enjoyed it, so she kept adding and changing it to keep it interesting and even changed it for the fall season and Halloween in 2021.

 

Cindy says, “Early this spring, I knew I wanted to change things up, and as I worked outside, the folks who walked by would ask me if I was going to bring back the fairy garden.   OF COURSE!   This past May I completed my ‘Fairy Neighborhood,’ which included several houses mimicking the homes in Brockton Manor, and features a ‘new development’ with solar-powered light-up houses, a pond (like the one in Brockton Manor), a meandering river, a cottage with a chicken coop, and gnome farmers and my drunken gnomes with their van down by the river."  

 

So why does Cindy do all this?  “Creating and maintaining the garden is definitely good for my soul,” she says.   “I enjoy gardening, and this combines creativity, gardening, and a way to relieve stress.  In addition, I do it for the neighbors and people who have provided such nice comments and compliments.”  She recalls how one couple told her that while their grandchildren visited them last summer, they walked by a couple of times per day, and it became a highlight of their visit.  They said the grandchildren were visiting again soon and asked if they could once again see the fairy garden.  

 

Cindy goes on to add, “That motivates me and allows me to be creative.  I love that my time and dedication are appreciated by others.   Lastly, this ‘magical space’ keeps my mind occupied with more fun and positive things.  I am battling some health issues, and this hobby allows my mind to drift and be creative instead of feeling sorry for myself!”

 

Cindy has come a long way from her first fairy garden in a 30-inch round pot on their townhouse patio in Chicago. She says, “That was done in an afternoon!”  This year she spent many hours of planning, shopping, and clean-up of the space, and then the actual build took two full weekends to complete.   She began planning in March, and preparation of the space started in early May, with the final completion on Memorial weekend.  She adds, “On weekends, you’ll see me adding rock paths, cleaning up sticks and fallen leaves, picking mulch out of the river, and perfecting what the wind or a bird may have moved or blown over.   It’s a labor of love.  Sometimes I’ll work for hours, not even realizing how much time has passed!”

 

Cindy says she tries to keep the cost low and be creative with things they already have.  Pinterest and Google are great resources for ideas.   She uses lots of glue, bark from the trees, popsicle sticks, craft paint, and wire hangers, and the stone houses are built using empty snack containers.  She used a bag of pea gravel and glued the stones to the container, and then used leftover grout (from a tile project) to make it look like stonework.   Aquarium gravel was used for the river, and Randy built the suspension bridge out of floral wire and wood shims.   A neighbor’s discarded bird bath became a fairy garden within the fairy garden.  Thrift store finds are re-imagined, and family and friends often gift her items.   She even has two other fairy gardens on their deck — one is Harley-Davidson themed, and the other is themed after a beach resort they visit every winter.  

 

Cindy has plans to add some fall accessories and fill in some blank spaces as time allows.  She adds, “For sure, I’d like to keep expanding and changing it up so the kids have something to look forward to and can spot things they didn’t see since their last visit.  I recently joined a Fairy Garden Facebook group, so I’m sure I will be inspired to add and change things the next few months before the cold and snow return!  If you see me outside and want to share an idea, I would love to hear it!”