🌼A Cottagecore Day🌼 (Tea☕️, Letters💌, Books📔📚, Movies 📽️, Dresses👒, Botanical Art🌿)

Hey everybody, thanks for stopping by Joyful Habits. So today was just an ordinary summer day that I decided to turn into a not-ordinary summer day. I decided to bring out some fun things and do some of the activities that I enjoy, and just enjoy a relaxing, lazy, summer afternoon. So if that sounds like something you're interested in, you have clicked on the right video. Welcome. So first I wanted to show you how I made these beautiful botanical art pieces. Honestly, art doesn't have to be expensive, and you don't have to be a world-class artist to make your own either. This was very easy and cost virtually nothing. The trick that I learned a while ago, and I've been implementing in almost every season now, and if any of you saw my Christmas video, you might remember how I made my Christmas bucket list. This is very similar, but just slightly different. So I started with these. I went online, looked up botanical images, printed out the ones that I liked, and then I colored them in with colored pencils. After that, I filled a casserole dish with some coffee, let them soak in the coffee for a few hours, laid them out on some paper towels to dry, and ta-da! Beautiful vintage art. It definitely looks better than something I just printed out and colored, if I do say so myself. So for this one, I decided to put it in a wooden frame that I found at the thrift store. However, instead of placing it under the glass, I decided to tape it on top. I liked how it kind of kept the texture, and I really like how it turned out. For the daisy picture, I went a step further, and I placed an actual daisy that I had dried and pressed from the previous summer right on top of one of the buds in the drawing. And I really, really like how this turned out. Again, I think it just adds a nice 3D effect, and it blends really beautifully with the daisy drawing. Next up, we have books. I truly love reading. It is such a calming activity, and I really love to immerse myself in another world for a little while. Even better is immersing yourself in a story that fits the season or the area that you live in. And while all these books that I'm going to show you today don't necessarily take place solely in spring or summer, they're fun stories that I enjoy and that make me think of the warmer months and appreciate nature and the warmer months just a little more. Reading in general encourages me to slow down and take a few more deep breaths, to smile more. So often we walk through life frowning, and we don't even realize it. So this is your friendly reminder to take a deep breath, slow down a little bit where you can, and don't forget to smile. So first up is Sense and Sensibility. Really any Jane Austen novel is enjoyable. My two favorites are Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. I've read Pride and Prejudice a few times, and I found this version of Pride and Prejudice, which has all the letters that are mentioned in the story actually written out. So when you get to that part of the story, you can pull out an actual letter and read it. It makes it more fun and interactive. And there are a lot of letters in this story, so you get to read quite a few. Also, this may be controversial, but I really enjoy the Pride and Prejudice 1995 series. The reason for this, one, I kind of grew up with it, so I'm a little biased, but also that compared to the newer one, the 1995 version remains very true to the original novel, almost word for word. You know, if you enjoy the newer one, that's fine, but I would really recommend, if you haven't already, giving the original film a try, especially if you are trying to read Pride and Prejudice for the first time, because the 1995 version sticks so close to the original story. It kind of helps you picture things and more easily follow along with what's happening in the story, because you've seen it on the screen already, if that makes sense. And of course, who hasn't heard of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings in general at this point? But if you've enjoyed the movies and haven't taken the time to pick up any of the books yet, I would highly recommend. The Hobbit book is probably the easier to get through versus the Lord of the Rings book, so if you want to start with one, maybe start with The Hobbit and then move your way up to Lord of the Rings. But either way, it's a fun read. Next up, we have Beatrix Potter. She's mostly known for Peter Rabbit, maybe Benjamin Bunny, but if you haven't checked out some of her other little stories, she actually has quite a few, and they're all just so fun, and they have beautiful illustrations. So I was gifted this beautiful book with her stories and illustrations for Christmas. It has a beautiful map in the front, and this is just the kind of book that I like to pick up when I've had a long day or my brain is just tired and I really don't feel like learning anything or diving into a deep story, or maybe I just don't have the time, you know, to get through an entire chapter of something or to really get into a story. So yeah, just picking up one of these books and flipping through the pages of these light-hearted stories and enjoying the beautiful, bootiful, so yeah, just flipping through the pages. Just put a smile on my face. Next up, we have The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, also titled Nature Notes for 1906. This is a book filled with some beautiful drawings and short little journal entries describing each season and month. I actually really enjoy picking this book up each month and just reading the journal entries and looking at the beautiful drawings for that month, so that's really fun if you want to do that throughout the year, but I was really excited to find that they had a coloring book version of this book. It's the same as the original book, but you get to color it in. Also, if you happen to have an Audible account or you just enjoy listening to books, they do have this book available on Audible. It's titled Nature Notes for 1906. I don't know, I just thought it would be kind of fun to, you know, lay a blanket out in the grass and listen to the book while coloring in the pages or something like that. But yeah, if you haven't checked out this book yet, I would highly recommend. Again, I really enjoy picking it up at the beginning of each new month and reading the journal entries for the months as we go through the year. It's just a book you can read all year long. So this book, Let's Have a Tea Party, I've had since I was very little, but I still like to pick it up and flip through it now and again for inspiration because I really enjoy hosting events. You know, putting on fun Christmas parties or themed parties, hosting elaborate tea parties, and just making a fun time for my friends and family. So last year, I hosted a summer tea for some friends. And what I did, though, is I incorporated a murder mystery into the tea party. So every person was assigned a character. They got to come dressed and ready to be that character. While sitting around and enjoying our tea party, we got to solve a mystery and figure out who did it. And that was really fun. Not that this book has anything to do with murder, but I just like to find books or magazines or photos or movies or whatever that inspire me, and then kind of put my own twist on it. If you guys would be interested in hearing more about the murder mystery parties that I put on, maybe I could do a video about that in the future. So yeah, let me know in the comments if that is something you would be interested in seeing. I think that would be a fun video to make, so stay tuned. Maybe that will be in the future. Anne of Green Gables is a classic. I'm sure you've heard of it somewhere along the line. There are multiple books in the series, and I love them all. This is the first book, and even though it doesn't take place solely in spring or summer, it has so many beautiful descriptions of nature. And when I think of summer, I always think of Anne. So if you haven't read any of these books, I would highly recommend. They're a really fun read, and they just really immerse you in the scenery in the book. It's just very descriptive. Also, if you are less of a reader and more into TV and movies, check out the Canadian television series of Anne of Green Gables. I believe it came out in 1985. I would highly recommend it though. There are three movies in the series. I enjoyed the first two the best, but they're all worth a watch. Throughout these three movies, you get to watch Anne grow up, and not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. There really is a lot of character development in these movies, which are really fun to watch for all the different characters. We watch Anne go from being a young kid to a teenager to a young adult and so on, and we get to watch her handle all of life's problems and joys and ups and downs that come with each of those chapters. I've been watching these movies since I was a kid, so I remember when I was younger, I related mostly with the first movie. And as I got older, I started to relate more with the second movie. And so it's just really fun to be able to grow up with Anne in a way. There are definitely some moments that will bring a tear to your eye, but overall, the movies are just so heartwarming and fun and beautiful. You can really tell they put a lot of effort into these movies, and they're just a joy to watch. This is not an exhaustive list by any means. I would love to hear what books or movies or stories really bring the just a little bit more, or maybe slow down, or just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I love taking a book outside with me to read under a tree, or lay a picnic blanket out in the afternoon sun, or sit by the water. You know, hearing the birds sing, or the bubbling stream, or the breeze through the trees. Take a favorite book, find a favorite reading spot, and leave your phone at home. Leave it in the other room, wherever. But just disconnect from the world for a little bit. Disconnect from technology. Immerse yourself in the story. Enjoy the fresh air. It's really therapeutic for the soul. So I had some extra time this afternoon, and I decided instead of drinking tea out of a regular mug, I would use a teacup. And instead of a regular teabag, I would use flower tea. And instead of a regular spoon, I would use a dainty golden spoon. Sometimes it's nice to slow down and find little ways to make your ordinary days and moments feel a little more special. And I find sometimes we kind of put off being happy, or put off having fun for special days or special occasions. You know, maybe it's that special outfit, but it just sits in your closet and you never wear it because you have to wait for a, you know, justifiable event to wear it. But why not just wear it whenever? You know, whatever makes you happy. Or, you know, in this case, we save our fancy dishes for when company is over, or again, for a special event. But why not just use it whenever? You know, or whatever it may be. But just don't put off having fun. Don't put off being happy. Don't put off wearing your favorite outfit. Just do what makes you happy on an ordinary day or a special day, and make an ordinary day a special day. So I sat down with my tea, I put on some relaxing music, and I decided to write a letter or two. I used paper that I stained in coffee, a fancy pen, and a wax seal to make everything just a little more fun. And who doesn't love to receive an old-fashioned letter in the mail from a friend, especially with a little bit of pizzazz, I guess. I really enjoy the time to slow down, and I really enjoy crafting and finding ways to surprise my friends, so this is almost my way of making a gift for them and checking up on how they're doing. And, you know, it doesn't have to be their birthday or time for Christmas cards. It can be just because. The wax seal definitely turned out a little messier than I had intended. So I decided to try sealing in a little flower piece. Still kind of messy, but I like it and I think my friend will too. Something else I enjoy doing is collecting fun outfits that I can enjoy wearing during each season. In the warmer months, I definitely enjoy wearing more flowy, light-colored dresses. Sun hats, letting my hair down. You know, in the winter, it's more cozy sweaters and maybe warmer colors. But really, whether it's plaid, or t-shirts, or shorts, or skirts, or dresses, or pants, just find outfits that you enjoy wearing that make you feel good about yourself and have fun with it. Well, I hope you've enjoyed taking a peek into my cottagecore themed day, or old-fashioned day, slow living day, vintage day, summer day, whatever you want to call it. I hope when you watch one of my videos that you learn something new, you become inspired, or at least walk away with a smile on your face. This is Joyful Habits, where we daydream and add a touch of whimsy to the ordinary. I'll see you very soon in my next video, and until then, keep smiling!