When I was a little girl, I was always enchanted by all things whimsical and magical.
I loved ready old-fashioned fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, and even more than that, I adored directing complicated games with my siblings and cousins about other worlds filled with adorable pixies and fair folk.
Today, though, my games are (mostly!) behind me, I still love celebrating that cute and quirky world. That’s why I love crazy crafts like this ethereal little fairy house made out of a tree stump!
Of course, I love it even more when it becomes a whole movement. I’m talking about people quietly paying homage to all their fairy tale fantasies, in a way that’s simple, subtle, and oh-so-cute.
Nowhere is this magically minded culture more obvious than in the pretty city of Ann Arbor, MI, where fairy tales have taken root with a will, resulting in a beautiful phenomenon.
They’re called “fairy doors,” and people from all over have learned to love them for their interesting symbolism and backstories.
Check out a few of our favorites in the gallery below!
The very first fairy door appeared back in 2005.
It was installed in the cozy, red brick interior of Sweetwaters Cafe in downtown Ann Arbor.
Based on the human-sized door gracing the outside of the café, it's a little white door set into its very own brickwork.
People even leave little gifts, like pennies, on its threshold!
Before long, even more of the little doors began cropping up all over town.
These doors are often no more than a few inches high, but very elaborate.
In many cases, they are kitted out with a stoop, a lintel, even a door-knocker like the one above!
Lots are in public establishments, but the trend has grown impressively throughout the city.
After the first door appeared in Sweetwaters, more and more of the tiny phenomena began to crop up.
A few surfaced over the next months, but quickly disappeared.
Then, later in 2005, one was installed in the wall of a little boutique called Red Shoes.
This one perfectly matches the bright red door of the shop, and even swings back and forth on a miniature hinge, just like its real-life counterpart.
The next installation was set up, fittingly, in the city's public library.
Tucked away at the end of a bookshelf, it's appropriately fitted into the fairy tale and folklore section of the library.
Its little blue double door is adorable, but this fairy door comes with an additional extra special feature…
The door actually opens up into a tiny little fairy house, built into a stack of hollowed-out books!
The spines of the books are studded with mismatched windows, and the titles include a volume of Encyclopedia Britannica, and one of Hans Christian Andersen.
With good light, you can peek inside and spy little pieces of fairy-sized furniture!
This little door is perched underneath the display windows of Peaceable Kingdom, another boutique in Ann Arbor that specializes in gifts.
Peaceable Kingdom's simple little door closely reflects the human-sized store.
Inside, a viewer who crouches down can see a teeny-tiny "fairy gift shop."
Depending on the day and time, it may even have a "closed" sign in the window, so that otherworldly customers know to come back another day!
Last but not least, the itty-bitty door outside of the Selo/Shevel Gallery outlasted even the gallery itself!
The gallery shut in 2013 when the owners retire, but the fairy door is still laid into the foundation.
This particular door, tiny though it may be, is especially popular for its cute lintel and door knocker, and often receives little "gifts" from passersby!
Nowadays, the tradition is even spreading to towns around Ann Arbor.
If you'd like to see fairy doors start appearing in a town near you, let us know in the comments, and don't forget to SHARE on Facebook!
