**Shoo Fly Pie Fae.** This piece features an adorable fairy who is adjusting to life on the farm. Dressed in traditional, modest Amish-inspired attire, she wears a rich slate-blue dress and a white, untied head-covering bonnet that flows back, revealing her intricately braided hairstyle and elegant, pointed fae ears. She has buttons on her dress instead of pins or hooks. She is of the wee-folk, after all. She balances a freshly baked, crumb-topped shoofly pie in her hands while her tiny feet work hard to stay steady on a rustic cobblestone path. With wide, expressive eyes, she looks to her right, caught in a moment of pure, innocent surprise as a single monarch butterfly decides to land on her delicate, iridescent wings. Set against a soft, dreamy backdrop of a sun-drenched barn and rolling pastures, this piece encapsulates the cozy, storytelling magic at the heart of my portfolio. A Tiny Nuance: Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore: It is worth noting that the Amish are part of the broader Pennsylvania Dutch cultural lineage (which also includes non-Amish, or "Fancy," Lutheran and Reformed German immigrants). Centuries ago, old European folk magic and superstitions—like Braucherei (a form of traditional folk healing) or beliefs about warding off bad luck—traveled over with German settlers. While you might occasionally find an older Amish person who holds onto a traditional folk superstition about weather, crops, or luck, this folklore never really included the whimsical, winged "fairy" of modern pop culture. To the Amish today, modern fairies are purely "of the world"—fanciful inventions of commercial fiction that have no place in a plain, faithful life. I did this piece for fun as a nod to my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. :) They have tales of beings known as Elite (or Glee-elite) pa dutch, which are garden-dwelling wee folk. In older traditions, families would leave bread or small baked goods in the corners of their yards to appease these beings and ensure a plentiful harvest. think this one found a tasty Shoo Fly pie as an offering!