Building Our Giant Mushroom Tent

This fall, Scott and I have been working hard to upgrade our Renaissance Fair booth for the Central Missouri Renaissance Fair in Kingdom City, Missouri. What started as a wild idea a few years ago has slowly grown into something we're incredibly proud of, our very own giant mushroom tent!

But before I get into all the updates, I want to share a little about how this whole project started.

A Little Renaissance Fair History

A couple of years ago, I took Scott to his very first Renaissance Fair. Needless to say, he loved it. He loved it so much that he suggested we attend as vendors, but with one very specific idea. He wanted us to build a giant mushroom tent.

Naturally, I thought this was a fantastic idea.

However, if we were going to participate, I wanted to do something different. I didn't want to simply show up with 3D-printed animals and resale merchandise from Temu. I wanted to create something original, handmade, and memorable.

When I was little, Renaissance Fairs were full of actors, theater, storytelling, and characters who made you feel like you'd stepped into another world. Some of that magic seems to have gotten lost in more modern experiences.

I didn't want our participation to be purely about selling artwork. I wanted to give attendees an experience.

That's when we started developing our Fairy Field Guide concept. I'm the fairy, Scott is the scientist, and together we introduce visitors to Missouri's Fairies.

The First Mushroom Tent

We originally started building the mushroom tent in 2024, hoping to have it ready for that October's Renaissance Fair. Unfortunately, we didn't finish everything in time.

Rather than rush the project, we decided to push our debut back another year.

In 2025, we finally brought our giant mushroom to the fair! It was exciting to see everything come together, from the enormous red-and-white mushroom cap to the shelves filled with artwork, fairy specimens, and other woodland treasures.

I loved it, but it still wasn't quite what we had envisioned.

There were structural elements we wanted to improve, decorative details we hadn't finished, and a few things that simply needed rethinking.

So this fall, we decided it was time for a mushroom makeover.

Rebuilding the Mushroom Cap

One of our biggest changes was replacing the original arches that supported the mushroom cap.

We swapped those out for a giant inflatable pool pillow! It's an unconventional solution, but building a giant mushroom isn't exactly a conventional project.

The inflatable creates a much fuller, rounder shape beneath the fabric cap. The painted cap is already a pool cover, so it seemed fitting they be used in tandem.

Once we had the structure figured out, it was time to give the mushroom itself some attention.

A Fresh Coat of Paint

The original mushroom cap was already recognizable with its bright red color and white spots, but I wanted to give it more depth and character.

We laid the enormous cap out on the ground and got to work repainting it.

I added richer reds, warmer orange tones around the edges, and more variation throughout the surface. The white spots also received some attention to help them stand out.

It was a lot of surface area to cover, but the additional details make such a difference. I wanted it to look less like a simple fabric covering and more like an actual oversized woodland mushroom.

Turning Floor Supports into a Stone Path

One of my favorite upgrades was transforming the floor supports into something decorative.

Previously, these were simply functional wooden panels extending from the base of the mushroom. They helped support the structure, but visually, they didn't fit into our enchanted woodland theme.

So I painted them to resemble a stone pathway!

Using different shades of gray, I created irregular stones with darker spaces between them.

Adding highlights and shadows gave the stones more dimension and texture.

Now, instead of looking like structural supports, they resemble little stone paths leading visitors into our fairy world.

Even the Weights Are Getting a Makeover

Another detail we wanted to address was the weights that help secure the structure.

Weights are necessary for a setup this large, but they aren't particularly magical to look at.

Rather than leave them as plain equipment, we painted them to resemble stone pillars.

The goal is to make even the practical parts of the tent feel like they belong in an enchanted forest.

Every little detail helps bring the entire environment together.

Adding Mushroom Gills

Our newest project is adding gills to the underside of the mushroom cap.

Real mushrooms have beautiful, intricate structures underneath their caps, and I wanted to incorporate that detail into ours.

We've been experimenting with curved supports and iridescent fabric to create the appearance of delicate mushroom gills.

This addition is still a work in progress, and we're not entirely sure whether we'll have it finished in time for this weekend.

But that's the thing about a project like this. It's constantly evolving.

There's always another detail to paint, another idea to experiment with, or another way to make the experience more immersive.

Bringing the Enchanted Grove to Life

When we started this project back in 2024, I don't think either of us realized how much work would go into building a giant mushroom.

It's been a combination of creativity, experimentation, problem-solving, and plenty of trial and error.

But it's also been incredibly rewarding.

For me, our giant mushroom tent is more than just a place to sell my artwork. It's an extension of the fantasy world I've spent years creating through my illustrations and Fairy Field Guide.

I want visitors to feel like they've stumbled upon a little corner of Missouri where fairies really might exist.

And I love that Scott and I get to build this world together.

This upcoming weekend, we'll be unveiling the newest version of our giant mushroom tent at the Central Missouri Renaissance Fair in Kingdom City.

We still have plenty of ideas for future improvements, but I'm excited to share how far we've come.

I hope you'll come visit us, explore our little woodland world, and see what we've been working so hard to create.

See you beneath the mushroom!