The idea to create the “Magic Garden” came to me after children started coming to the Sparkle Barn (a gift shop I own in Wallingford, Vermont) the past couple of months as pandemic restrictions eased. They had been following us on our FB page for most of the year and couldn’t wait to visit. What made me just melt is many of the youngsters picked out their sparkliest outfits to wear for their trip, and some came from hours away. This was so touching and humbling. The Sparkle Barn is a happy and fun little shop – but were we worthy of this? I felt we just had to have more SPARKLY MAGIC for kids of all ages to enjoy — And something that didn’t have a price tag attached.
Walk Through the Magic Archway Into a World Where Unicorns, Mermaids, Fairies, Fantastical Sea Creatures, Flowers, Butterflies, a Giant Guardian Dragon and much more all co-exist in our Magic Garden and can’t wait to meet you and shower you with wonder – kids and adults, alike! My hope is that The Magic Garden becomes a joy generator, planting seeds of wonder.
A little bit about the creation process:
The Magic Garden started off with a single Unicorn bench. Then a giant dragon was added as “The Guardian of the Garden.” That’s when my imagination, buoyed by everyones’ excitement around creating the Garden, really kicked into fantasy-world building gear.
It took about four months of “hunting and gathering” the beautiful and mostly handcrafted objects that make up the garden. Since I am a mixed-media artist, this became one giant and joyous collage! I designed everything and put the installation together with the help of the Sparkle Barn Team.
If you are ever in Vermont, I would love for you to visit!
Yours in Magic, Stacy Harshman
Photo Credit – Maria French
More info: thesparklebarn.com
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