Meet My New Friends on YouTube: Part Two

Last week I posted Part One of "Meet My New Friends on YouTube." These video channels are a collection of dedicated women who share their talents on YouTube. They garden, forage, bake, preserve food, write poetry, create art, produce beautiful filmography, and that is just a small part of their multi-talented gifts.  

I specifically chose to save this group of women towards the last in Part Two since we're so close to Halloween, as I find these particular women quite "magical" - and a few of them practice a bit of magic, as well. 

Meet Jeri Landers of Hopalong Hollow. She is an artist, storyteller, and mistress of her gardens. It's often tea time at Hopalong Hollow where you join Jeri over tea and biscuits while she shares historical stories about the tea she serves, and about the illustrated and needle-felted creatures, she creates large and small. The beautiful old Victorian farmhouse, Ochre Moon Manor sits on the lush grounds in a small town in Eastern Tennessee. I am also reminded of the worlds of Beatrix Potter and Tasha Tudor as I explore her videos, and find myself watching her videos a second time to make sure I didn't miss a thing. Jeri also keeps a website featuring her watercolor prints and fiber arts. 

Jonna Jinton from Sweden is a YouTube phenomenon with over 2 million subscribers, so we might as well give her a couple more viewers. Once you watch one of her videos you will understand why the popularity. Jonna is a young woman in her twenties who decided to change her life. She left her apartment in the big city and moved to the woods to be close to nature, tranquility, fresh air, meadows, lakes, sunsets, and silence. Her greatest challenge would be the cold winters. Today she is sharing her art of photography and adventure with stunning visuals of the greenest of green mountains and most of all the coldest of winters with singing ice, Nordic chants, and celebrating Santa Lucia as she walks through the snow with a crown of candles on her head.  Her website also includes her photos and other videos. 

"Hello, Moon Babies! It's Molly!" Molly Roberts' opening greeting of her videos always makes me smile. She is a self-described writer, poet, singer, performance artist, meditation advocate, rock & roll witch, magick junkie, and beauty enthusiast living an enchanted life near the shores of Lake Michigan. Molly takes walks in the woods where she gathers her inspiration for her colorful art, which can be alive and whimsical with unicorns and yet as bold and dark with skeletons. Whether you're a budding or saged artist, Molly often gives prompts and encouragement so her viewers feel inspired to create their own art. This "art witch-grimoire rocker-magick teacher-beauty seeker" can also be found on Instagram. 

Paola Merrill, The Cottage Fairy is a watercolor and ink artist based in rural Washington State. Since this is in my home state, I am assuming she resides up north as in the video she released a couple of weeks ago, she filmed a walk in the neighboring woods while we watched the new snowfall around her. Paola shares with us the mountains, the meadows, her garden, and even the inside of her small yet very quaint cottage. She gathers herbs to make her own tea, takes walks with her dog, read children's books, prepares simple "snacks" of fresh berries, and sometimes even fresh pastries that she bakes. But most of all we watch her paint whimsical watercolors featuring fairies, witches, and forest creatures. For a sampling of her magical art, you can find them on her Etsy page. 

And last but certainly not least is Annabel Margaret - also known as Annie. She is the owner of two YouTube channels, The Green Witch and Daughter of Old.  She is an amazing ink and papercut artist, videographer, green witch, aspiring student of the herbs, and has a way with pastry dough baking up beautiful creations with fresh fruit and herbs. Annie incorporates the "old ways" into her daily life, and we especially see that in her Daughter of Old channel. In The Green Witch channel we watch Annie prepare tinctures, teas, and vinegars from the nearby fruits and herbs around her, along with sharing the old world seasonal celebrations from "many moons" ago. Annie's home base is Virginia - - well, until just a few weeks ago. We watched her pack up her car and by all of the hints, it appears she is coming to settle in the northwest - the great State of Washington. (Since I wrote this blog, Annie settled at Salish Sea at the Puget Sound on the west coast of Washington State.)

So these are my "new friends," an escape from regular television programming and far away from the frustrating news of politics and quarantine. While it seems as if regular television channels are flooded with boisterous and combative reality programs, these women offer me the reality television I prefer with beautiful scenes, inspiring words and art, delicious and imaginative recipes, peaceful background music, and friendly voices. 

Turn off those reality housewife programs and turn onto the fresh and positive reality of talented women who are sharing their gifts without the drummed-up drama.