“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”

It’s pretty amazing to live in this time in history and to be able to, with a click, enter into an entirely different world.  You can travel anywhere in the world with GoogleMaps, intimately get to know people you will never actually meet,  do an entire career online.  For me, blogging is more of an exercise in creative writing but it’s been really fun to see people from as far as Scotland and Japan, reading, liking or commenting on my posts.  The blogs I enjoy are a mirror into topics I am passionate about: Nature, Photography, Cooking, to name a few and these are some of the blogs I follow.

1. The Pioneer Woman – http://thepioneerwoman.com

Ree Drummond lives on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma with her husband and 4 children. I first learned about her while reading an issue from my subscription to Food Network Magazine.   She has a cooking show and her blog is a step inside her gorgeous home and family life. She shares delicious and easy to make comfort food recipes, many of which I’ve tried. She also shares great ideas for hosting parties and offers giveaways of her cookware line (who doesn’t love free stuff?).  I consider her within the topic of homesteading which is something I’m really interested in, although, after getting to know her a little better, she is definitely not roughing it in any sense like true homesteaders do.  Which is fine with me – best of both worlds: Country living with all the amenities of modern day life.

 

2.  A Fanciful Twist – http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/a_fanciful_twist/

 This blog is like stepping into an enchanted fairy tale world. I’ve followed this blog for 5 years or more.  Vanessa Valencia lives in Arizona where she works out of her garden studio. She not only is an illustrator, jewelry maker, doll maker and painter, she creates the most whimsical parties you’ll ever see.  I really enjoy seeing what she’ll come up with for her annual Gypsy themed, Tea and Halloween parties and I day dream of an invite to one.  Alice in Wonderland has nothing on this woman. I could stay on her page for hours and if you visit, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

 

 

3. Down to Earth Blog – http://down—to—earth.blogspot.ca

This is another blog I’ve been following for 5+ years.  Rhonda Hetzel and her husband Hano live on the Sunshine Coast of Australia.  They have a small home where they live a self reliant lifestyle. They grow almost all of the food they eat and Rhoda blogs about how to live life in a very simple, practical manner, on a budget.  Living on one pension, Rhonda’s message is that you can have a very fulfilled life without a large income.  Her blog includes gardening, meal planning and home  tips.  I especially enjoy her simple cooking from scratch  – and I’ve tried more than a few. Others I want to try are her canning and home made cheese recipes.  This blog has a cozy feel and as a home body I’ve found myself inspired to make my own bread and natural cleaning supplies including homemade clothing detergent and soap. Rhonda also has a book called The Simple Home.

 

4. Tanya Burr – http://www.tanyaburr.co.uk

I started following Tanya Burr on Youtube years ago when she started her channel as a very shy, soft spoken girl, dedicated to giving makeup tutorials and I’ve follow her channel religiously for her Sunday makeup posts ever since.  She now not only has over 3.5M subscribers, she’s written 2 books and launched a gorgeous makeup line that carries her name. Her blog includes beauty tips, travel, cooking and posts on her life in London with her husband Jim and their dog Martha.  Aside from her makeup tutorial, I anxiously await her “Vlogmas” each year where she vlogs every day in December until Christmas.  If you know me, it’s one of my favourite times of the year and it’s so easy to get into the spirit with Tanyas vlogs.

 

5. Wilderness Dweller – http://wildernessdweller.ca

I included Chris Czajkowski’s book Diary of a Wilderness Dweller in my last entry because it is one of my favourite books.  Her blog is an extension of the book, a more intimate glimpse into daily life up in the remote Chilcotin BC mountains.  If wilderness living is something you’re interested in, you’ll enjoy Chris’ un -presumptuous blog.  She is an avid bird enthusiast and has been cataloguing the wild flowers of this region for years.  Her photography is stunning as well.

 

6. Kinfolk – http://www.kinfolk.com

This isn’t really a blog but an online magazine.  All the same, I visit their site and Pinterest board regularly for their beautiful photo essay style articles with subdued hues that have an organic feel to them.  They do an really good job at creating an experience with their photos and one could only wish your life looked like a page out of their articles.  One of their most memorable ones for me was “Picnic in the Forest”, photographed by Lisa Warninger.

 

 

Hope this post may have introduced you to some new blogs and that you might feel inspired to check them out.  I’d love to hear what you’re reading.

Love,

Jennifer