A Soulful Vlogger With a Touch of Fairy Dust
By: Felicity Love
Tags: Mindfulness, Artist, Beyourself, Vlogs, Creativity

The Cottage Fairy

The epitome of beauty, mindfulness, and simple living.

The instant you delve into one of her videos, time stops. Her name is Paola Merrill and she is TheCottageFairy on YouTube. She is a 24-year-old Puerto Rican American, a self-described bibliophile and daydreamer, an incredibly talented artist and lives the simple life in the most charming little cottage in rural Washington State.

Flowers abound in her videos and make an appearance in every single one of her vlogs, and I love it! She gathers them in a wicker basket during her nature walks through scenic landscapes and later shares the many ways they may be appreciated… In Paola’s case, they are an inspiration for her paintings and homemade postcards, for papermaking and decorating, for baking and cooking, for tea and honey, and the list goes on and on… Each creation is a feast for the eyes and feels like a warm hug for your soul.

Mr. Darcy is her pet rabbit, and her muse. After all, she is The Cottage Fairy… Why wouldn’t she have a pet rabbit named Mr. Darcy? She also shares life’s adventures with an adorable black Lab named Aegir. A guest appearance by either one of them always brings a smile to my face. Paola has also shared that she has a loving and supportive boyfriend who is a Surveyor by profession. He’s also made brief appearances in her videos, as well as her brother who now helps her with video production. You can find more of his filmmaking work on his Instagram account @ Rohan_Merrill.

Paola brings an interesting mix of simplicity and authenticity, with a touch of fairy dust. As you submerge yourself in one of her cozy vlogs, it’s as if you are being wrapped in a warm blanket of love, and you can’t help but wonder… Is she for real? ~ And I mean this in the best of ways. Her daily life depicted on camera seems like a fairytale, straight from the land of rainbows and butterflies. Every little detail in her space and surroundings is a beautiful expression of her creative soul. From the decorations on the wall, right down to her flower-adorned hair. She reminds you that beauty is in the details and all around us…

Photo Source TheCottageFairy YouTube Channel ~ Preparing for Autumn — a cozy vlog

The magic of her channel is the poetry woven into everything she shares; The soft music, her calm and soothing voice as she shares her inner experience, the slow rhythm of rural living, the many walks strolling through fields of wildflowers... Yet in all its simplicity, she still manages to share the complexities of life we all encounter, in a way that is so genuine and relatable, she feels like a dear friend you wish was always by your side. Her presence feels warm, gentle, and loving. By the end of her videos, it’s as if a personal invitation had been extended to nurture your own inner zen garden and creative potential.

In one of her vlogs, she speaks about the message she wants to convey through her platform…

“I see my own videos as kind of… Artistic, creative short films, that offer a haven from loudness and busyness for those who need it.”¹

Image Source Soul Whisper Creations ~ Video link to the audio version of this story

As I write this story, she already has over 642K subscribers on YouTube and has only been around for a little over a year. The rapid growth of her channel is remarkable, to say the least, yet I can’t say I’m surprised. Her videos are immersed with beauty and have a subtle meditative quality to them. Not to mention the comments left by her following which clearly lay out how deeply they resonate with her and what she has to share.

She seems to have appeared out of nowhere, to remind us of the peaceful stream that flows deep within all of us. She takes each one of us by the hand and guides us into the present moment. She is mindful and fully present within each moment, creative and incredibly inspirational, a brilliant storyteller and vlogger.

After nearly a year of watching Paola’s weekly content, I have to remind myself that she is just like the rest of us… A human being doing the very best she can. And even though her channel exudes the calm and inner peace we all aspire to, she experiences the same challenges as we all do. In her self-reflective moments, she shares some of them with us with an open heart.

Nonetheless, the little nook she has created deep in the womb of YouTube’s universe is truly special. It opens the door to a peaceful space; one where I feel as though I’ve been whisked away to a magical cottage nestled in the landscape of my very own heart.