Hey friends!
If you read my post “A Letter From Me to You” (you can find it here), then you already know there are a few changes I’ve been wanting to make to the blog in 2026. The main is introducing Slow Sundays! When I first started Gabby’s Happy Place back in 2023, I was in a season of life where digital drawing was my main creative outlet. That’s why the blog began with mostly free wallpapers, it was simply what felt natural at the time.
As time passed, I found myself falling back in love with reading, which led me to add more book-related content like TBR jar prompts and, eventually, monthly reading challenges. I had so much fun creating those, but lately I’ve realized that I’m in a very different place in my reading journey. For a while, I was focusing far too much on the quantity of books I was reading instead of the quality of the experience.
I also picked up a lot “BookTok” books that everyone seemed to be talking about. While I still occasionally pick one up if it genuinely interests me, I’ve been making a conscious effort to step away from trendy anything, both in reading and in life in general.
This past year has been deeply transformational for my values, my hobbies, and my lifestyle as a whole. Because of that, it feels natural for the blog to change too. Slow Sundays are just a new “section” of the blog, the same way #WallpaperWednesdays were all about creativity and new backgrounds, Slow Sundays (#SlowSundays) will be about conscious living and slowing down to enjoying life. I keep sharing more about all these exciting ideas down below!
I ask for a little grace from you as I navigate this transition and slowly shape the blog into a space where I feel truly happy and at peace. I’ve never wanted Gabby’s Happy Place to feel forced or anything less than genuine. And if slow & sustainable living, and a God-centered life resonate with your heart, I hope you’ll enjoy this new chapter right alongside me.
I know that even tho its really exciting for me to introduce this, there can be some questions, so I’d love to hear from you. Drop your questions or suggestions in the comments below, I’m more than happy to get your feedback. You can also reach out to gabbyshappyplace@gmail.com
And let me know how you found my blog! I’m always curious about that. Visit my Etsy store for more goodies and make sure to subscribe for email notifications so you never miss a new freebie, and get exclusive access to the Subscribers’ Vault!
So grab a warm drink and enjoy the ride,
Gabby.
If you’d like to stay connected, I share more content in other spaces online. You’re always welcome to join me there!
Table of Contents
What changes can you expect? What are Slow Sundays about?
A more Slow Living perspective
My theme for 2026 is (not surprisingly) slow living. Striding for a more connected lifestyle towards the “real world”, nature and the people I love. As you know, we are all part of an extremely accelerated time in human history. Everything is a click away and we are staring at screens probably a fourth of the time that we are awake (if not more). This “hustle” and automated society has brought a lot of advantages but also, a lot of stress, comparison, loneliness, and extreme anxiety. This year I want to step back and reflect on the things that work and doesn’t work for me. That’s why starting a Slow Sundays series is a great opportunity to share my journey with you!
If you want to learn more about Slow living, I found this video that explains more about it!
If you are looking for a book to read about this: last year my husband and I read “The little book of hygge” (hoo-ga) by Meik Wiking the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute. This book is not exactly about slow living but it touches on a lot of tips to live a more cozy life. It’s based on the Danish philosophy of comfort, togetherness, and well-being that are key in slow living. And you can always include a cozy book to your Slow Sundays routine!
After reading that book and loving it, my husband and I picked up a similar one called “The Scandinavian Guide to Happiness: The Nordic Art of Happy and Balanced Living with Fika, Lagom, Hygge, and More!” by Tim Rayborn. We are still reading it during our hour of no screen/phones every evening. We have found that reading a book thats short and sweet together have brought us closer in terms of our perspective in life.
Sustainable living
Wikipedia defines Sustainable living as “a lifestyle that attempts to reduce the use of Earth’s natural resources by an individual or society. Its practitioners often attempt to reduce their ecological footprint by altering their home designs and methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet.”
If you’ve read more about me. You might know that my career is in Climate communications and marketing. I know that sounds like a lot of big words but it basically means that I am passionate about communicating to people the status of the climate and how humans are related to that. As you’ve seen in printable posts I always invite you to print on both sides of the page, or to use it digitally to fully avoid waste. Well… sustainably goes a little bit deeper than that. And I feel really passionate to share more about it. Sustainable living & slow living are really connected so it makes sense to talk about both.
You are already here… give me 9 more minutes of your day and enjoy this video!
God-centered content
After working on building a genuine relationship with God, it feels impossible not to share more God-centered, encouraging content. After a year and a half of walking with Jesus, I finally feel comfortable opening up about what I’ve learned along the way.
I also want to acknowledge that, like everyone else, I’m still learning every single day. This blog has always been as much for me as it is for you: a place to grow, reflect, and show up honestly. And in this season, I feel truly called to share more about God. Slow Sundays is just a fancy title for the concept of Sabbath.
The Bible says: “For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the Lord.” – Exodus 35:2 (NIV) and I like the idea of it being the 7th day of the week, a chance to rest and start a new week with the correct mindset. That’s why I chose Slow Sundays and not any other day. I know not everyone practices Sabbath on Sundays so it’s fine if
One of my beginner-friendly tips to start your relationship with God is to start with a devotional, I know that everyone says “just read the Bible” but I can understand how it can be a little bit intimidating. I started reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young last summer, and now I look forward every morning to read it. It is a great tool to start your journey.
If you want to jump right into reading scripture, then I can recommend you “The Bible in 52 Weeks: A Yearlong Bible Study for Women” by Dr. Kimberly D. Moore, there are also other versions of it but this is the one I use.
I’m aware that my readers come from many different backgrounds, including a wide range of spiritual beliefs. I want you to know that I don’t mind what religion you practice, or what God you put your trust in. I truly love and appreciate you for being here and for supporting my blog and my work.
As I continue sharing content that some may consider “Christian,” I’ll do my best to clearly label and organize it so everyone can easily find what they’re looking for. I understand that this kind of content won’t resonate with everyone, and that’s okay.
If you’re here mainly for book recommendations, slow living inspiration, or creative activities (with little or no spiritual content) that’s completely okay too. I’ll make a conscious effort to keep things as thoughtfully separated as possible, so Gabby’s Happy Place can remain a welcoming space for all.
I know I’m planning on adding a lot of content to the blog, but if you are here just for the wallpapers, or the reading challenges, I want to assure you that those are not going anywhere! This is not a restructure of the blog but more like bonus content!
Heads-up: This post contains affiliate links. I truly believe money is a powerful tool for supporting your values and the communities you care about. In a world where so much of our spending ends up in the pockets of corporations that already have more than enough, I’ve chosen to partner with Bookshop.org, a platform that supports independent bookstores instead.
If you’d like to learn more about their mission and how they work, you can visit their website here.
P.S. Sadly, not all the books I recommend are available on Bookshop.org, so you may occasionally see links to other platforms. That said, I always do my best to prioritize independent and non–big corporate businesses whenever possible. If you know a better place to find any of these books, please let me know in the comments, I’d love to support them.
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I hope you are as excited as me for all the great things coming to the blog! Let me know in the comments below what you want to see next!
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