A Bridge to the Island of Misfit Toys, or Faeries meet Internet

Faeries have many survival skills, from knowing where to forage for sustenance (coffeeshops!) to getting out of a jam (alternate routes!) to getting jam *out* (cool water and white vinegar - thank you, Heloise!) - but one of the most important skills we've learned is how to protect our hearts.

You see, one of the driving forces that attracts one to the Faerie life is this feeling that somehow the difference you feel in yourself isn't so different after all. It's the seventh sense that out there, somewhere, there are others who share your unique sensibilities, your love of glitter, your propensity to giggle, your easy enthusiasm. 

Someday, a friend will come!

You just know that you'll meet someone to whom you'll be able to solemnly say, "The oddball in me honors the oddball in you"...and then you can both put your faces really close together and grin like crazy!

Kind of like this! *laugh*

It is a soul satisfying thing to find others who not only allow but embrace your idiosyncrasies, and to revel in their own brand of bizarreness. Our Happily Ever Laughter population is a small and career-centric knot inside a more diverse community of people who might not don wings for work, but who share the same level of zeal and drive, and are not too timid to shine.

However. It is weird to talk about work when a) most people don't seem to share the same eagerness and b) your job is so shiny on the surface that it blinds others to the deeper side.

Inbox. What you don't see is the pile of insurance forms *under* that corset that I was equally excited about! Yay, math!

That's why I was thrilled when this morning, I got a message from a long-ago friend saying she'd discovered this marvelous piece by Lauren Davis, "What Does It Take To Become a Professional Faerie Princess?". It's so hard to describe how pervasive the magic of the job is in everyday life, and I thought, "Yay! Now I have something I can show to people to help them understand!"

Then I started to read the comments, and I was blown away by the outpouring of positivity and like-minded lovers of the peculiar (and glittery!). I am no stranger to internet comment boards, and I find that they're usually disproportionately malicious and abrasive compared to face-to-face interaction. Not so here. The number of comments expressing feelings of solidarity and support despite a different career path warmed my heart. 

I loved that this article showed the difference between fairy and Faerie, and that that divide can be understood as universally translatable. We all put on 'costumes' and do various tasks; that is a very basic concept of what a job is - and if you look at jobs that way, Faeries and Engineers, Chefs and Nurses have zero intersection. It's the fervent intensity, dedication, and full-on "I love this thing so much that I'm going to learn everything I possibly can about it until I can get inside of it and live there because it completes me"-ness that brings us together, regardless of where our passions lie.

I felt that it had most unfortunately become the norm to feel neutral to negative about one's occupation. What I have happily discovered is that there are still fellow weirdos out there who go to work with fierce enthusiasm and reckless excitement. The Island of Misfit Toys takes all kinds - thank you for joining us on this very sparkly journey *smile*.

Careers and Chrysanthemums,
Violet

4 Faeries went out to play, near Downtown not far away!

New costumes mean new pictures, and new pictures mean photoshoots! Faeries have a hard time standing still, even when they're getting their pictures taken *laugh*. We took this video on the move - it made us smile, and we hope it does the same for you!

Misses Lyric, Lulu, Sparrow, and Merrily visiting all the way from LaLa Land!

There's nothing like a midday constitutional. Particularly in a petticoat! 

Wings and Things,

Violet

Live, from Sacramento, it's Thursday Morning!

I don't know about you, but I love my couch. I really, really do. It's cozy and comfy, and has a very snuggly throw blanket on it.

So how marvelous would it be to invite not one, not two, but three Faeries into my living room without having to get up from said couch? It would be AMAZING!

And now...we can! Through the power of television *laugh*. Tomorrow morning, between 9 and 10 am, 3 Faeries will be entertaining a very sparkly group of children on Good Day Sacramento. There will be Face Painting, Balloon Twisting, and even a banjo sing-along with my faerie good friend Fae Diddle Diddle! (Ah, the notorious F.A.E. *giggle*)

Oh! If you don't have a TV (or you don't live in Sacramento), you can also watch on the internet! Technology, we love thee...

In case you missed it...

We meet the Good Day Sacramento team!

More Faeries on TV!

Huzzah!

Pirate Ships and Dolly Grips,

Violet

Just the right amount of love for Valentines Day!

I'll admit it - Valentines Day isn't really my most favorite holiday. I think it's because a) I have an early February birthday, and so was oversaturated with heart-wielding teddybears and pink plushies when I was wee, or b) I like to let the people who I love let them know that I love them all the time, so having one day for that feels...redundant?

It also could be that it lends itself towards parties of two, which can be fun, but I like to celebrate things with as many people as is humanly (or faerie-ly) possible!

That being said...sometimes it is nice to allow a leeeeetle bit of cheesiness in...just a small, adorable size amount...and I think I found the perfect amount here.

Faeries. We're suckers for tiny things. *laugh* There's quite a few more videos to see if you want to ham it up this Valentines Day! Here's the link!

Ribbons, Bows, and X's and O's,
Violet

These Monsters are more kooky than spooky!

One of the fantastic things about being a Faerie for work is that my coworkers are also Faeries! (Well, there's also several Elves, a couple Mermaids, and one Hobgoblin who helps with the invoices *laugh*.) As such, they tend to be a pretty creative bunch...and sometimes we collaborate...and then stuff like this happens!

Lucy's House of Monsters! That Mermaid's voice sounds pretty familiar...

Faerie June came up with this most remarkable idea, and Paisley, Rose, Beauregard, and I were more than happy to participate! You can follow June's Lucy adventures right here - happy viewing!

Seashells and Doorbells,

Violet

Wait, *that's* what you use Post-Its for?

Technically, I work in an office. We have many of the things that other offices have - computers, inbox trays, a microwave, and a temperamental printer. I even got "Caged"on April Fools Day last year! (Thank you, Paisley!) But we definitely don't have some of the things that are staples of other, more "official" offices...staples, for one, but also cubicles, fluorescent lighting, and passive-aggressive notes.

Ah, the passive-aggressive note. I discovered the potential hilarity of this form of correspondence thanks to the internet, and because I had a huge backlog to get through, I binge read them. At first, I laughed! Then, I laughed a little harder! Then...I did that thing where you've been laughing really hard, but suddenly you realize it's not quite as funny anymore, so you kind of stop laughing? Yeah. That thing. And then, I just felt...well, a bit sad, because these missives range from annoying to hurtful, and could be quashed with open, honest communication.

Which is precisely why notes on my computer don't make me sad, because if things are bothering us in the office, we let one another know. Openly. Shocking, I know, but that means you get nice messages like this one:

It really did!

Or this one!

She's really a Jill of all Trades *laugh*

This one is sweet...

Ghost remains at large.

This one might seem odd, but is very high praise:

We really do love manatees...

And this one, which..just...awww...

I love you too!

How different it must be to dread, or just feel mildly annoyed by, those small fluorescent squares of sticky paper!

I was thinking about all of that (umm...I mean I was diligently responding to important emails and updating our deposit logs...) when I heard giggles from down the hall. Naturally, I had to get involved (because hello, giggles) and so I followed the sound to the Little Mermaid's Room and this is what I saw:

I told you there was a Mermaid.

What's that?! Is it...a note?? Is it of the Passive-Aggressive variety?!?!?!

There was a third??

Nope. Notes in the Treehouse remain splendiferous. Either kind and supportive, weird and hilarious, or...umm...this.

Missives and Magic,

Violet

But seriously, why is this not a thing?

As I'm sure you can imagine, Faeries like to have fun. We like loud music, dancing, dressing up, giggling, and general merriment.

And sometimes, we go rococo!(Thank you amazing photographer friend Kenny!)

The hard part is that we also really, really, reeeealllly like sleep! *laugh* So staying up late, while fun, can be difficult when you have bunnies or dragons or tiny humans who like to wake up before 7 am and demand your assistance *wink*.

Faerie Wendy and I with our "fur-children" - err..."shell-child" for her...she has a thing for mollusks!

We were pondering this one evening while decorating ourselves for the evening's festivities (sidenote: getting ready for a fun evening can sometimes be the highlight of said evening!), and we realized another ludicrous thing about staying up late at night...it is dark! And often chilly! And when you spend all that time curating the perfect outfit and meticulously applying all three pairs of lashes (just me?), it feels silly to put on a coat and frolic in the darkness. Wouldn't it be much better to go out dancing when it's warm? And light outside?

And that, friends, was the "aha!" moment. You know when it's warm and light? Daytime. You know when it's dark and good for sleeping? Nighttime! Why are we switching these two?? There's only one solution.

Rage all day, sleep all night.

Yep. Let that sink in.

It just...makes sense. And part of being an adult-kind-of-type person is getting to live by your own rules, right? So...I will absolutely go out at 11 and not get home til 4, or even 5!

It will just be that I'll be leaving around 11 am after having a nice productive morning, and then I'll be home in the late afternoon...just in time to eat some yummy dinner, take a bath, and crawl into bed around 8 pm!

Rage all day, sleep all night.

It just makes sense.

We interrupt regular scheduling for this very important employment announcement!

In case you haven't been able to infer from my gushing thus far, I'll say it plainly: I LOVE MY JOB. Yes, performing is incredibly fun and sparkly, but being a part of Happily Ever Laughter means the world to me beyond the glitter and the glorious costumes.

The Faerie family is incredibly tight-knit - more than I ever could have imagined. It is a supportive community, where we encourage one another to reach for our highest dreams, pool our creative resources, and provide reinforcement whenever needed. It is a truly astounding thing to be a part of.

See? We're helping each other house hunt! Toadstools, am I right...*sigh*

And yes, while performing at parties is definitely the sparkliest facet (literally - my car shimmers on the inside! *giggle*), I adore working in the Treehouse. Being able to set the tone of our future visits makes me feel all glowing inside...I can't believe how many families contact us and are surprised when we're friendly and upbeat on the phone or through email. I get to talk about parties all day; it's pretty easy to be happy! *laugh* Also, the "office environment" (ooh, that sounds obnoxiously corporate!) is so warm and positive - I actually enjoy coming to work. Wow.

This happened in our office. Yes that is cake, made by Meadow...who is also a Secrefaerie. Be a Secrefaerie, get cake.

So this all sounds like a lot of fun, right? *wink* I promise, it really, really is!

If you're interested in being a Performer, we are currently hiring in the Bay *and* LA! (Or as we call it, La-La Land!)

Here's the link for the application: http://www.happilyeverlaughterparties.com/faerie-job.html

Or, if you live near Santa Cruz and think you might like to be part of Team Treehouse, you can find the Secrefaerie Application here: http://www.happilyeverlaughterparties.com/index.php?id=326

I encourage you to be as creative as possible with your applications, regardless of which aspect of the Faerie realm you'd like to join! 

Facepaint! Costumes! Enthusiasm! and...Referees?

Alrighty: I'm hoping that this topic isn't too incendiary for post #3, but Faerie Rose is very, very excited about today and it made me think about how oh so different we Faeries can be from one another, and so while I wait for the food I will only eat one time a year to finish baking, I wanted to write about something I bet you never thought you'd read about on this blog....non-Quidditch sporting events.

So. In general, Faeries and Sporting Events are kind of like Penguins and Redwood Trees...people can like one, or both, but the two don't interact much with one another. In fact, it wasn't until last week that the rest of the Secrefaeries in the Treehouse realized that today was a slow day for bookings due to the Superbowl.

And I get it - well, kind of. I mean, I understand where the Faerie/Sport divide comes from in theory...but in practice? Um. Give me something that necessitates my dressing up in theme colors and costumes, and being loud and enthusiastic in a large group? Sign. Me. UP!

Perhaps it's because the Humans to whom I am closest have specific teams that mean the world to them, but I find it exhilarating to be around a large group of people who, regardless of other differences they may have, are united in this one goal - to cheer! I will admit that after spending a lot of time with one Human in particular, I have narrowed my reckless enthusiasm down to one team...but even though I've only been cheering for them for 6 years as opposed to my whole life, other fans do not care. They like the solidarity, I think! Whee! Not only that, but even though they might find the way I dress to be a bit odd at other times, when you show up with a black and yellow flower crown, they love it *laugh*.

Also I get to wear these socks. Basically, I can dress up like a fancy Hufflepuff. Come on!

It's funny - within the Faerie realm, this gets a little bit more inclusive...because so few of us are excited about this Human tradition, we eschew any sort of rivalry and just say "yay teams!"

And sometimes, we paint ourselves beautifully. I'm looking at you, Rose. Oh! You all want to look at Rose too?? Here she is!

Glitter and Football? Sure, why not!

Get it, girl!

Anywho. No matter what you are doing today, I hope you have a glorious time *smile*. I will say that if you want to get in on the lots-of-snacks-watch-tv-in-a-group-get-excited activity, but football isn't your thing? PUPPY BOWL. Squeeeee!!!!

Apple Trees and Nacho Cheese,
Violet

On moods and manatees...

Okay.

I have a secret for you.

Sometimes, even Faeries have bad days. It's true. I mean, I am part-human, after all...and also, how obnoxious would it be if we were cheery All. The. Time. *laugh*

Fortunately, it isn't difficult to leave stormy feelings at home when one is going to a party. There's something about an extra-fancy hairstyle, perfectly applied sparkles, a beautiful costume, and 10 - 15 small children screaming "I LOVE YOU LIVE WITH ME FOREVERRRRRR" that just make it super easy to forget about the real world, and to be totally present and exuberant in Birthday World.

In the office...not so much. Now, I recognize that I am incredibly lucky to get to work in a beautifully decorated office with fantastic, caring people - but invoices aren't nearly as uplifting as party guests, and sometimes I have to do a lot of boring paperwork. I'm sure all of you have had one of those days where almost nothing can help kick the Grumpy Goblins out of their residency in your head.

Almost nothing, that is.

Enter the Manatee. (*cue angelic choir music here*)

Everybody loves Mermaids. I love Mermaids. I told my mom when I was three that I was going to be a Mermaid when I grew up (goal accomplished!), but for some reason, their beachy bovine counterparts do not receive the same amount of attention.

Quick recap, for those not in the know - apparently, when sailors from long ago thought that they were seeing Mermaids, they were actually seeing Manatees. (Because obviously, Mermaids live in the deepest depths, like Angler Fish. Maybe. We'll come back to this another time.) Um. For reference?

Mermaids.

 Yep?

Manatees.

Hmm.

Silhouettes, for even more clarity and side-by-side comparison.

Definitely not the same.

Yeah. I'm not so sure about what those sailors were thinking, but I do know this!

They weren't wrong in thinking that they were seeing magical creatures. Because Manatees have a weirdly soothing presence, and they just make things feel a little bit better.

"Violet," I imagine you're thinking, "that's all well and good - but I don't live anywhere near a Manatee! How is this going to help me?"

Good point. I knew you were smart! If only there were some sort of website that combined photos of the majestic sea-cow with comforting, reassuring words...not inspirational quotes, something a little more personal...oh wait.

There is!

I present to you the official HELP Office pick me up - calmingmanatee.com ! 

Go ahead. Click over. I'll be here. Let me know when you're ready.

Ready?

Right??? I know! Ahhh! They make everything so much better *smile*. Today is going to be a good day!

Happy Thoughts and Polka Dots,

Violet

Welcome back!

Hello out there!

It's been a while! *giggle* We were having so much fun over on Facebook, but then someone introduced us to the joys of Instagram (if you give a Faerie a filter...well, you can guess!). Shortly thereafter, we fell down the Pinterest rabbithole (more on that in posts to come!), and well, Faeries don't like to do things halfway...so we're throwing glitter around the whole internet, and putting our wings to social media. Yay!

That means that there's lots of pictures and links and sparkly bits to view about the Faerie world, but we also wanted to give you a direct line into our real lives and the very glittery, sometimes odd, and often hilarious world of being a Professional Faerie. (Seriously. It says Faerie on my W2. Whaaaaat!!!)

So! That's what I'll be doing here *smile*. Oh - I should probably introduce myself, shouldn't I? I'm Violet, and I am a full-time Faerie. I perform on the weekends, and during the week I work in the Treehouse (that's what we call our office *wink*), answering phones, writing emails, dealing with inventory, training new Performers, dealing with inventory again, making invoices, asking the people loitering in our parking lot very nicely to please move their drum circle elsewhere¹, having incredibly serious discussions re: the pros and cons of different types of glitter, writing another email, and squishing the inventory into a closet for Future Violet to deal with later. Ooh! And now writing blog posts - yay!

Would you like to see where I'm writing to you from?? Of course you would! Here you go:

Thumbs up, new friends!

That is in fact, the Treehouse. Ok. So it's not actually in a tree, per se...but it's on Cedar Street! So...that counts, right? *laugh*

Alrighty! Thank you for reading this far - this is the end of my first post, but there will be many more to come. Here's what you'll be able to expect...

• Pictures!
• Glitter!
• Things to make or do, sometimes!
• Many mentions of unicorns!
• Things that make me laugh...which will hopefully make you laugh!
• Words! Hopefully strung together in grammatically and syntactically correct sentences!
• Lists!

Now, doesn't that sound exciting? Actually, I am really excited. I love, love, love my job here, and I cannot wait to be able to share more treats and tid-bits with you about what goes on behind-the-scenes at Happily Ever Laughter.

If you have any burning questions, put some water on them! Quick! They're on fire! *phew* That was close. But seriously, if you have any queries or quandaries that you'd like answered here, please comment down below - I am here to inform and entertain you *smile*.

Puppy Dogs and Faerie Blogs,

Violet

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1 I am not being entirely honest here. Today it was a lone, mournful, out-of-tune (VERY LOUD) guitar. Ah, the joys of having an office Downtown!^↩