Summer Magic + Some Big Decisions & Thoughts

Hello friends!

I hope you are well in your neck of the woods, and that you are having a swell summer.

My summer is really in full swing right now…

With zinnias and cosmos becoming 4 feet tall and blooming like mad.

I've had so much fun bringing in blooms to place on shelves.

Foxgloves, yarrow, delicate soft pink Pearly Gates roses and a ballet slipper pink zinnia sure do make a girl like me happy.

And then, there's the rain…

We are having a very nice monsoon season, such delicious rainy days.

You never know which kind you will get, but last year was spectacular and this year is turning out to be quite lovely as well.

There is soft wild grass growing, pumpkin vines blowing up, trees growing super tall.

Nothing like real rain to feed the gardens.

Plus, endless rainbows.

This little window shelf does my heart so good.

Mister Lovee built it this spring, in the little kitchenette that is in my office

It's actually a very bright space, but the window back light makes for moody photos.

Which evokes the exact mood of the garden and rain swirled together.

Cozying up with a good book, or just looking out the window in bliss, makes me very happy in this little nook.

Listening to the tap tap tap of rain.

Plugging in the fairy lights and filling the mantel with garden findings really makes me feel a certain kind of joy.

I think it's the exercise in mindfulness of it all.

Taking the time to snip the flowers, put them in water…

Arrange them where you want them – it's honestly so relaxing.

It makes you slow down and enjoy your garden and the moment more deeply.

Giving the figurines some giant zinnia parasols for good measure.

And just enjoying the beauty that nature creates.

I've been taking these moments to really think about what I want out of life these days.

What is important to me, what I'd like to share in this virtual world.

I have definitely gotten carried away with the social media aspect of all of it…

Mainly because, everyone is moving so fast, few people take time to read blogs.

And it's a place to connect with your friends.

Although, I can't help but notice that everyone seems to just be scrolling quickly, looking at pictures and videos endlessly.

There is a lot of beauty to see, but it does move so fast, and there is sooo much of it, you almost become numb.

I've joined in the endless scrolling myself, and really immersed myself in the ins and outs of the social media world.

What I have found though, if I am being completely honest here, is not always a sense of fulfillment and inspiration, but more of a frantic deluge of visual stuff.

Buckets of it really.

And whilst I truly love the connections with my friends, because it's really the only way to connect and share these days…

I often find the endless stream of visual candy to be exhausting, if I'm being honest, as I said.

Of course, there is beauty to see and enjoy, but it can get overwhelming.

I love to share too though, so I suppose, just like anything, there are more than two sides to the complexity of it all.

In simpler terms – it's fun to share and look, but to an extent, does that make sense?

In an effort to mitigate this feeling of everything moving too quickly, I've been taking time to order books and sit and page through.

To hold a beautiful decor book in my hands, and quietly pore over each page.

To take a stack of magazines and lay on my sofa enjoying every morsel.

Instead of just scrolling mindlessly on my phone.

Social media moves so fast, you sometimes can't really even enjoy the beauty.

It can't fully sink in, because you see one thing after another, after another.

When vastly beautiful things, like a woman running through a field in a beautiful princess gown with an exquisite castle in the backdrop, becomes the norm, and you are not impressed or inspired by it, then you know something has gone awry.

I think what that thing is, if I even dare to say this…

Is a bit of an overload of beautiful things to see.

There's so much beauty that I think sometimes our brains don't even register it.

And so, for me, I've been taking the time to do more tangible things, for the own joy of my life.

To be more present, to fill little jars with water and flowers.

To take the time to do all the little beautiful things that fill my soul and make me feel good and well.

Of course, in the middle of those thoughts, I think about my blog, this space here that I hold so dear.

For a while it has seemed that blogging is relatively over.

However, it does not feel over in my heart, for a few reasons.

Mostly because it makes me slow down and enjoy my life's moments.

I take photos with my actual camera, it's a much slower type of virtual sharing.

And it really makes me so happy.

Curiously, I recently received a notification from Facebook stating that my account is considered gray and will be shut down on August 31, 2022.

I admittedly use Instagram a lot more than Facebook, and almost didn't care to lose my account.

But then I really started thinking about it, and my 4500 friends over there.

I have become increasingly sadder about losing it and have tried everything to try to save it.

I tried to post about what was going on, to let me friends know, but my posts get taken down by Facebook.

And so, this led me on a real heart to heart journey with myself about social media in general, and how it fits into my life.

What role I want it to play in my life, and the balance of my involvement in online activities.

I have seen so many people lose their Instagram accounts, get hacked, have everything deleted and wiped out.

I've had friends pay hackers to get their account back, and some land in a puddle on the ground in despair, having to start a whole other account after posting and losing 10 years of daily content.

The thing is, we do not own our social media accounts, and we've put so much effort and time into something that can be wiped out in the blink of an eye.

On August 31, ten years of my own content and posts will be deleted from Facebook, by Facebook.

I've pretty much accepted it (mainly because I'm older and wiser about letting go), but also, I've decided to be proactive about finding a solution.

I've watched videos and read a hundred posts about it, but in the end, it really is out of my control, despite my best efforts.

And that is truly okay.

But this led me to think about an important thought/realization, and that is…

We are really at the mercy of the social media services we are a part of.

We put so much time and energy into something we do not own.

It's not your own blog or website, and it can be taken away at any time.

So, with that in mind, I asked myself what I wanted to put my heart and soul into.

This makes me want to hug my blog and say I love youuuuu and I'm sorry I have not been coming here so often.

For whatever reason, I think the universe has spoken to me and said, open your eyes Vanessa!

Your blog needs you.

Even if there are crickets here.

Even if it is only me, in a hidden secret garden in the middle the deepest part of the forest…

It is mine.

It is my 15 year old home.

And so, I've had weeks to really think about what is important to me in life, what I want to put my energy into, and how I want to fill my days.

I am met with the same realization at every corner of my thoughts.

Your blog is your home.

You invite people here, to visit you, to be a part of this space, and to be friends.

So many of us kindred spirits have gathered here and found each other through this space throughout the years.

And it's a special place in my heart to share with you.

To share a morsel of my art world, and my garden world, that I have been building since I was 11 years old.

I still feel like that young girl painting vines on her furniture and helping water her dads' petunias and trees.

This space is so important to me.

To share my journey, and to maybe impart a little bit of light, hope and inspiration with whoever I come into contact with.

I've never been one to care about likes and followers and growing growing growing.

That is not me.

I care about people, and friends, and this one life we get.

I care about really living.

We are here for such a short time, I don't want to waste it.

I want to embrace it.

And that means, coming home.

Coming home to A Fanciful Twist.

This place that was created on a scrap paper, with a pencil drawing and endless hope 16 Decembers ago.

A place for you and me.

Not just for me, not just to see inside my house or to see everywhere I travel to, or what I buy.

But to really stand side by side, holding hands, looking into the world with a sense of support and inspiration.

To know that I am real like you, that I can cry, get anxious, feel lost and confused.

But that I find ways to experience life in a way that brings me joy and helps me get through the trials and tribulations of life, and perhaps through my journey I too can help you.

And somehow, we can help each other.

I don't care about numbers and content.

I care about you.

I care about me.

I care about this one life, and a sacred space to be free to be ourselves.

To be funny and silly, to love tea parties, to cry when our dogs die, to plant seeds of growth.

To know that you are not alone.

These are the sort of things that slip through the fingers of social media.

We can't visit our favorite blogs anymore, because no one is home.

Everyone is on a fast roller coaster ride, with a very beautiful scenery, but one that moves too fast to make a real impact.

At least that's how I feel.

There's too much to see, too many reels, too many posts, and it's moving so fast.

I want to just sit on a quilt under a tree here with you, and talk about life, and inspire one another.

And to make sure that you know that you are wonderful just as you are, and we are going to be okay.

I will still partake in social media in my own little way, but my heart will come to focus again, and put the time and effort into this space.

I don't know how I will tell you that I am here when my Facebook account closes, or in the ever changing world of social media.

So, I'll just tell you now.

I will be here.

I have decided this.

This space is where my virtual home is, and it's time to come back home.

So, I'll be here, in my little house under the big tree, with my rounded door, making a fire, putting on a copper kettle.

And you are always invited to join me.

This is the next leg of the journey.

Coming back home to where I belong.

A Fanciful Twist.

And nothing can make my heart feel better than this.

 

Lots of love, always and forever,

Vanessa

 

I will be here several times a week, from this day forward.

 

See you soon <3 <3 <3