Capturing a Fairy and Keeping it as a Magical Friend!!

A Sweet Fairy Friend to Keep and Love!

I made some fun fairy party favors this week.  I loved how they turned out and received lots of oohs and awes.  I thought I would share this fun and funquie craft with all of you! But first I need to give credit where credit is due and tell you a sweet, story.  My friend Jennifer is BIG into fairies and events.  So she has often had fairy parties for her 3 dotters, and they have 'captured fairies' for jars that they have kept.

On Valentines she was doing this craft with friends, and had sheets of the fairies ready to cut out along with the other supplies.  Her four year old daughter saw the sheets of fairies and recognized her own captured fairy among them, and said, in a disappointed voice, "Mom, those fairies are just paper!" Jenn had not realized that her little girl had thought the fairies in the jars were' real'!

Step 1:  Find a fairy graphic that you love ... this one came to me by way Jennifer who buys them by the page from some  altered artist on etsy.  I cut this one out for my own fairy jar at her Valentine's party.

Step 2: Find jars to collect your specimen.  Jennifer likes jars without raised words on them, but I actually like the 'ball mason' type letters on the jars, first because they further distort the 'fairy' making it seem more possible that it is real.  Second mason jars is what I always used as a kid to collect bugs and butterflies. 
Step 3: Find a graphic for the lid of the jar.  I printed off these fairies on card stock.  I found them and other fairies I used later,  at http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/p/search.html
Use the mason jar lid to trace the insert, then cut it out to fit inside the ring (which I spray painted).  Be sure to punch holes in the card stock fairy circle so your little fairy friend can breath.
Step 4: Loosly fill your jar with shredded gift bag filler, leave the top part of the jar empty.  I like the cellophane, iridescent stuff because it seems ethereal to me.
Step 5: Place your fairy into the shredded material, somewhat towards the middle, with some of the material covering the bottom part of her/his body, so that it appears to be emerging.  (The example below was put together by one of my guests and the fairy was put against the front of the jar, which shows off the fairy better, but seems less dimensional to me.)

Step 6: Put together items to help insure the survival of your little captured friend in a 'fairy survival kit'.  I bought wedding bubbles (Thanks Michelle for this suggestion) and made labels (graphicsfairy) that said "Magic Fairy Orb Potion". I also bought tiny craft glitter bottles (Thanks Nell for this suggestion) at the dollar store (5 on a card for a dollar) and labeled them "All Purpose Fairy Dust".  Tiny wax 'sodas' were labeled with a fairy picture.  I used another fairy picture to make fridge magnets, then added Disney Fairy notebooks I got 6 for a dollar in the party favor section of the dollar store, and small treats, a plastic 'jewel' ring, etc.
Step 7: I arranged the goods in a small decorated zip lock bags, and made a header listing items in the "survival kit", mine had silver stars.

 This is a gathering of the 'survival kits' ready to be placed with the completed 'captured' fairies.

These fun favors were really a hit.  I still have the one that I made at Jennifer's Valentines Party, and I smile whenever I look at it. I hope I have made you smile as well!!  :-) I would like to thank all of my friends who brainstormed with me and inspired me and shared their ideas for my fairy favors.  Thanks girls!