Thirty five year old polaroid film. Yes, that's right. Discovered with an old polaroid camera my stepfather found at an estate sale. It was still sealed, the packaging in almost mint condition and perfectly preserved.

Naturally, I couldn't wait to open it.

And open it I did. Breathlessly. And then shoved it into my SX-70 land camera and took off for the Zilker Botanical Garden to take pictures of flowers. As I arrived and approached a beautiful lotus flower floating in murky water, I opened up my camera and prepared the first shot. Then…nothing. Nada. Zilch! No gratifying click (ugh!).

The film was just too old. The battery no longer worked. Disappointed, I put away my land camera and whipped out my trusty DSLR instead.

That's when I noticed them. The Faerie houses. The Zilker Botanical Garden just happened to be hosting the very first annual Faerie House and Garden competition. And this day was the last day.

The little kid in me jumped up and down. I might have squealed.

So, I didn't get the chance to play around with polaroid film (this time), but I did get the chance to peek into these magical little structures.

And that (almost) elusive lotus...

(You're still here! A little goodie for you then, dear reader. Currently loving Chvrches - Lies. Enjoy.)