I AM DOUBLING DOWN ON INVITING WHIMSY INTO LIFE (wanna join me?)

Whimsy has always felt like magic to me.

I have always been drawn to the quirky, the unexpected or slightly off-centre beauty of things.

And the quiet, tucked-into-the-corners, you-almost-missed-it kind of whimsy is my favourite.

A tiny detail that makes you smile. A surprising moment of delight in an otherwise ordinary day.

And it’s something I’ve woven into my art, that echoes of the fairytales I read as a child, hidden symbols, unexpected colour, quiet little stories, layered into the painting.

Over the past few years, whimsy has at times felt frivolous, indulgent, maybe even wasteful.

But lately, I’ve realised something important. For me, whimsy isn’t just something I just create; it’s something I need to live inside of. And something I need to invite into my everyday life.

Because life can so easily become practical. Efficient. Functional…. a bit Meh.

Somewhere along the way, the whimsy and magic were swept aside. I have added little pieces and created spaces or started routines here and there, but never fully embraced it.

This year, I decided it was time. Time to embrace it properly, choose it purposely and invite whimsy into my everyday.

WHIMSY MATTERS

It has taken me a long time to realise Whimsy isn’t frivolous, wasteful or unimportant. It’s restorative, it’s a sanctuary, and it’s meant to be fun.

Whimsy softens the hard edges of everyday life. It reconnects us to curiosity and wonder. And it creates tiny pockets of joy that don’t rely on big life changes

And in a world that has been constantly asking us to be more productive, more efficient, and more serious…(BLEH) Whimsy can be a quiet act of rebellion.

WHIMSY IN MY LIFE

Although I haven’t embraced my full whimsical side in years, I am still surrounded by it. It is layered in my life in ways I hadn’t really even realised until I consciously invited it in this year.

In my art, it looks like hidden symbols, unexpected colour combinations, the stories tucked inside each piece, the hidden layers of ephemera from my life.

In my home, it’s little collections gathered over time (the feathers, the shells in jars, or the stones, acorns and flowers picked up during my morning walks), the thousand and one (not quite, but according to Mac it is) indoor plants, draping down from shelves, hanging from the ceilings and filling up my windowsills and the mementos that are symbols of an adventure, a holiday or a memory.

And in my everyday life, it’s the small things. The music that plays throughout the house often prompts spontaneous dancing or singing in the kitchen, lighting candles for no reason and choosing ‘soft’ lighting in the evenings, taking far too many photos of the sunrise, the moon set, the clouds, the trees, the rainbows, the fog on my walks, and choosing to embrace the beauty even in the most ordinary moments

I used to think that creating a whimsical life meant changing everything. But it’s not about adding more to my life ‘to-do’, I am busy enough.

I’ve learned that it’s about embracing the things I already do and noticing them differently.

These are some of the ways I invite whimsy into life:

My Favourites:

Create tiny collections:
There are little clusters of found objects – shells, feathers, rocks, trinkets everywhere in our home that can turn ordinary spaces into curious corners.
Add fairy lights (everywhere, obviously):
There is almost no situation that isn’t improved by soft, glowing light – currently I have them on the ceiling of the studio and our entrance way, set to turn on when the sun is setting. (I also have a drawer full of fairy lights waiting for winter and our backyard trees)
Have a “just because” celebration:
Maybe it’s Friday and it was a long week, maybe your kid was out of bed the first time you asked (miracles do happen). Celebrate the mundane – cake is optional but highly encouraged. (Also displaying baked goods under a glass dome on my kitchen bench makes me feel instantly accomplished – even if I didn’t bake them)
Go barefoot in the grass:
I love doing this on a summer morning with my first cup of tea. It’s simple, grounding, and quietly magical and something I don’t do often enough.
Grow a garden of flowers to cut:
I have only just started (with varying success!), but I love turning into our driveway and seeing my small garden of wild flowers, sunflowers and dahlias swaying in the breeze – alongside the dandelions and other weeds, let’s be honest! I also love picking some for our home.
Create a whimsical morning ritual:
This makes me significantly less offended by the mornings. Music, blankets, my favourite teacup, my journal, and sometimes a candle.
Make your everyday objects beautiful:
Outside my studio, the wall has had a fairy door that’s been there for years. It started as a place where the tooth fairy came to collect the teeth, leave notes (and of course the mula), where there were glittery trails, and trinkets were left. Now I decorate it for the seasons – tiny wreath and lights for Christmas or cotton wool spiderwebs and tiny pumpkins for Halloween. I love that a mundane wall has this little whimsical element.
Have a nighttime picnic:
Occasionally in the summer, we put out rugs, cushions, citronella candles (essential!), and music (always) on the balcony and have a nighttime picnic. Sometimes it’s fish and chips from the takeaway shop, sometimes it’s the slow-cooked curry that’s been simmering all day. It’s the same food but a completely different experience.
Leave a little magic for someone else:
We loved doing this in COVID, and loved finding them. A painted rock, a note, a surprise, whimsy shared. I have always wanted to do this with a small series of paintings – I will let you know when I do.
Add something unexpected to your space:
A tiny figurine to your plants (Lego is great!), a framed print in your bathroom, a collection of quirky garden statues (hello, Luke Skywalker meerkat!), have a fairy garden in a tree stump, glow-in-the-dark stars, or a sun catcher catching the afternoon light.

Whimsy isn’t something you find; it’s something you cultivate and invite in.

And I don’t know when we decided we all had to live white-walled minimalist lives, but it took me a while to remember I was allowed to live a life that feels magical and whimsical.

As I was writing this, I realised how many small ways whimsy has found its way into my life over the years, intentionally and accidentally, but all of it is meaningful.

Over the years, I have started many blog series, written a never-before-seen e-course and made countless lists of ‘whimsical’ ideas.

But it just seemed too big, too many ideas to gather in one space. But I still had this calling to create something simple, gentle, a place to begin to share with you.

So if you’ve ever felt the same, but don’t know where to start (or where to go next), I made you something.

52 WAYS TO INVITE WHIMSY INTO YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE

Is a collection of ideas I have been gathering for years, along with a few new ones, to help you invite more whimsy into your everyday, in ways that are simple and completely your own.

You can start anywhere. Dip in and out. Change it up to suit you.

And it’s completely free (alongside 100’s of other downloads and creative tutorials) when you join the LilliBean Designs community.

DOWNLOAD HERE

You can explore more ideas over on Pinterest: INVITING IN WHIMSY | HOME & EVERYDAY MAGIC

And if you’re craving more beauty, magic, and meaning in your everyday – this is exactly the kind of space I love to create. I’d love to have you here more often!

From my whimsy world to yours.