Sugar Plum Fairy

Sugar Plum Fairy Ornament

very time I hear the name Sugar Plum Fairy theme, my mind immediately associates it with Plum Pudding. For Christmas Eve, my mom would always make this scrumptious English style bread pudding. This dessert is also called Christmas Pudding. Oddly enough, the recipe does not call for plums, it calls for raisins. In medieval England, raisins were referred to as plums. Now, my mom’s recipe is true to this pudding’s name. Her recipe calls for raisins and prunes, which are dried plums.

So, as a child, I figured that it was the Sugar Plum Fairy that was responsible for the invention of such a rich and decadent dessert which always held such a prime spot at our dessert table on Christmas Eve. After we were done with our entrée, dad would turn off the lights. The only light left was the one from the four candles on the Advent wreath. This was to set the mood of what there was to come. What was cool about the Plum Pudding, is that right before serving it, my mom would flambé it by pouring warm brandy or cognac over it and lighting it with a match. Under candlelight, the brown pudding would flame blue until the alcohol would burn off. It did not last long. But it was a wonderful spectacle that gave my mom’s Christmas Eve dinner a magnificent closing act.

So, whether you agree with me on the important role of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the invention of Plum Pudding, I dedicated this ornament to the many Plum Puddings baked by my mom’s loving hands that we ate growing up while immersed in the magic of Christmas.

Nutcracker Sugar Plum Fairy Ornament Design Process

I envisioned The Sugar Plum Fairy, ruler of the Land of the Sweets, as a young ballerina with greenish eyes and elfin ears. As I design each of my unique figurines, I always tried to create several slightly different designs, so that people can have some color choices. So, when designing the Sugar Plum Fairy, I chose a pink palette that varies from pink-yellow to pink-plum shades. Thus, my Sugar Plum Fairies wear leotards that range from white to light baby pink with an iridescent finish. Also, their tutus are in all sorts of shades within that color palette. So, I have Sugar Plum Fairies wearing tutus that are white, light pink, yellowish pink and pinkish burgundy. I achieved the different tones by layering tulles of various colors and hand-stitching them together to create the typical fluttering tutu.

The tutu has a sash made from spaghetti straps that came from wedding dresses. I acquired these straps from Bahari, the seamstress who altered my daughter’s wedding dress. She knew I worked with recycled and repurposed materials, so she gave me all sorts of beautiful laces, fabrics, and whatnot. I got about six trash size bags filled with these wonderful treasures. As I was sorting through and organizing the materials, I found two large zip-lock bags filled with spaghetti straps from wedding dresses. The colors ranged from white to nude, which were perfect to complement the color palette I had already selected for the tutus.

Like the Clara figurine, I fit the Sugar Plum Fairy with pink pointe ballerina shoes with pink laces. Her brunette hair is pulled up in a ballerina-bun decorated with mini pearls. Her pulled-up hairdo was not easy to achieve. I took a few strands of yarn at a time and twisted them until the group of strands curled on itself. Then, I secured the lock of yarn with hairpins, and then stitched it in place. Once the hairdo was done, I added the pearl adornments.

As the monarch of the Land of the Sweets, I gave the Sugar Plum Fairy a tiara with all sorts of precious stones. To make the tiara, I used glass beads and charms from old jewelry. To complete the character, I added pink and white fairy wings that flap at her back. I made the wings from lace fused in between white and pink organza. Under the wings, I placed ribbons that fluttered at her back, as she takes flight around her kingdom.

Specifications

Year Designed

2017

Size

Actual size may vary, approximately 3.25” x 3.25” x 5.0”

Materials

Tulle, cardboard, ribbons, beads, sequins, fabric, plastic gemstones, paint, wood pegs, wood knobs, old jewelry charms.

Note: Given the handmade nature of the ornament, all ornaments are different. The pictures depict just one sample of the ornament.