Before becoming an artist, I created a beautiful magical garden in Maple Ridge, BC. My garden was my joy, full of peace and good energy and I loved to share it with other gardeners. With the help of a good friend, we organized "Country Garden Tours" that raised over $30,000 for "Sunshine Dreams for Kids". Over the years I had hundreds of people tour my garden, and often I was asked how I managed to keep it looking so healthy. My answer always was "the fairies help me". The garden was featured in "Canadian Gardening" and the article on the garden was called "The Magic Touch". I always loved the whimsical fairy ornaments I would see in the garden centers and had a few placed along the pathways but suddenly "fairy" statues of all kinds and sizes began to mysteriously show up for me to find among the flowers. To this day no one has owned up to leaving them but they all moved with me and sit quietly on my balcony garden here in Vernon. I am sure those little fairies continue to inspire me but now on paper instead of in the garden. Laurel has come up with the most delightful poetry to accompany my illustrations.
