Monday Musings – The Writer’s Corner: At Home With Beatrix Potter
Posted by Tania Marie's Blog
Today’s musings take us back to Beatrix Potter and her journey ignited with Peter Rabbit. Now and then I will share a few of my favorite authors and artists, as well as books and works that have been inspirational muses for me.
A few months ago I finished reading a very interesting book that immediately became a favorite titled, At Home With Beatrix Potter: The Creator of Peter Rabbit, and it was a fascinating story that took you inside her life through extracts of her letters and diaries, as well as revealed the intimate relationship between her work and the land and homes she acquired, as a result of her success. The most famous being her Hill Top home.
It journeys through her transition from writer and artist to environmentalist of the Lake District in England who transformed the interiors and exteriors with an eye for antiques and natural beauty – she was a botanist too.
You’ll get inside peaks at the intimate spaces she created, lived, and worked in, as well as looks at the gorgeous gardens and grounds she cultivated. I only took photos of a few images in the book to share, but left a lot for you to discover.
She was ahead of her time, demonstrated here with one of her rabbit companions whom she walked on a leash – turning many an eye then.
This is her with Benjamin Bouncer who accompanied her and family on holiday in Scotland. She also had Peter Piper who accompanied her everywhere.
I found myself swept away in her whimsical world and saw so many heart-warming intersections to my own life, processes, and journey that made me smile.
Most recently I’ve made some connections to why certain things are happening in my life and even point to the changes I’ve made and styles I find myself melting into with ease – all finally making me feel most at home in embodiment and at peace with my expression.
If you love Beatrix Potter, Peter Rabbit, and her work as much as I do I think you’ll find this book a wonderful and interesting bedside read. The book made me want to go back and start reading all of her children’s books again and get lost in the faery tales.
She is a woman of my heart the way she also creates life as art. It’s fascinating to see how the illustrations of her books mirrored the inside chambers of her beautifully decorated and charming homes.
I think you’ll also discover a side to her that you didn’t know. She was quite the character, had very strong opinions, and was both a very smart business woman and faery tale dreamer enraptured with the natural world around her and a desire to create beauty and preserve the old ways.
I happen to have faery tales woven throughout my office space. Each corner and shelf has its own theme. And part of the enchantment includes some Peter Rabbit fun alongside figurines of Blackberry from Watership Down – another favorite book for another time – and a bunch of children’s books.
I also happen to have several articles of clothing that are Peter Rabbit themed, as you can see in this collage that includes a magickal Peter Rabbit muse who moves around my office as needed.
And most recently acquired a vintage looking Victorian Peter Rabbit coat dress. I’ll save it for another time.
Thank you for journeying with me into the world of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit for a moment. It’s a wonderful thing to find those inspirations that light your heart, especially as writers and artists. Connecting with what moves you and threading it into every part of your life brings the worlds you create in your minds alive.
Who are some of your favorite authors that inspire you? Are there any other Beatrix Potter fans out there?
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A little heads up that I just finished updating this web and blog site over the weekend so the pages that were “coming soon” have arrived. 🙂 In them you’ll find some of my inspirations, passions, projects, resources, and even a bunch of fun facts in answer to many repeated questions over the years and some recent new ones. I hope you enjoy having a peek into my world and along the way I will look forward to continuing to get to know each of you more too, so please don’t be shy to share a comment or drop me a note.
About Tania Marie's Blog
Creating life as a work of art with a magick rabbit by my side. I remember my song. Do you? Artist, Author and Reiki Master Teacher with over 30 years' experience in creative healing arts and metaphysical studies. Tania inspires people globally to return to natural harmony, draw forth imagination to manifest dreams, embody creative empowerment, and live more magickally and abundantly from their most natural frequency – in essence, Tania helps you to remember your song.Posted on November 5, 2018, in Uncategorized and tagged at home with beatrix potter, author, Beatrix Potter, musings, Peter Rabbit, rabbits, tania marie, writer. Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.
The movie “Miss Potter” is also very well done. Highly recommended viewing! 🙂 ❤
Yes! I loved that movie! Saw it when we were in the Magick Bus!
Reblogged this on Blue Dragon Journal.
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I love to go back and re-read childhood favorites ❤ Some of mine are A Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and a book called Behold Your Queen, whose author continually escapes me, even though I have read this book at least 50 times – no kidding! I also adored the Anne of Green Gables series and most of the Nancy Drew books. I was always in the library when I was a kid, bringing home literal wagons-ful of books. I once read one called Linnet, about a girl who had a pet Linnet bird. I loved all kinds of science fiction, fantasy, and thriller stories. Books have played a huge role in my life, and I took many of the qualities of my favorite heroines and developed them in myself. Many of those books helped raise me. I love that you have such a soft spot for these children's books, Tania. There is something so gentle and sweet about most of them, and I think those are such important qualities to encourage in children. Thanks so much for sharing your love of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit. I'm all warm and fuzzy-feeling now, and eager to go re-read some of my favorites again. ❤
i do too linette…i have one shelf designated to children’s books 😉 a couple of the books you mentioned i haven’t read, or at least don’t remember. i’ll have to check them out! and too funny! not sure if you saw my FAQs page, but i mentioned reading the nancy drew series when i was young. i’d read tons in my summer months between school years. another similarity! we loved the golden books when we were kids and had all of these classics on record that we’d listen to like the three little pigs, little red riding hood, etc….so fun!!! i remember the days. simple and fun times. that’s so cool about the book called linnet!! i so love how you described taking those qualities you loved in heroines you read about and cultivating them in you! i’m all about anything child-like and definitely am a big fan of children’s books and those good ol’ memories that are the sweetness of what love and life are about. i couldn’t agree more…i love and resonate much more with the stuff from back then than the new children’s things i see. there’s just something much more close to home and innocent about them. ❤ you're so welcome!! i'm really happy this rekindled that warm feeling inside ❤
No, I didn’t read that FAQ about you! That’s so funny; another Nancy Drew fan! I also loved those LIttle Golden books, and I bought them all for my daughter when she was little, too. We both loved The Pokey Little Puppy and the Tawny, Scrawny Lion. This is only slightly related, but I also loved coloring books. I spent so much time coloring as a child. I still love to color, though I haven’t done it in some time. I may get my supplies out this weekend, and ride through the 11:11:11 portal while coloring. That seems like a great way to steer myself onto the timeline I want ❤
haha!! then i love it even more that you have nancy drew and the golden books in common!! i so remember both of those stories!! hehe! the pokey little puppy! i can see his image clearly! 🙂 and YES!! i loved coloring books too! coloring and drawing were fav pastimes along with reading. aw, sweet memories all around for us both. i think that’s an awesome idea for the 11/11/11 portal. i think i’ll be painting!
I rather like “The Velveteen Rabbit.” The wise old Skin Horse is one of my favorite characters. 🙂
me too!! so so much and in fact it’s in my resources page as book i love! ❤
Beautiful shoes
thank you so much!