5 years ago...

What were you doing five years ago today?
You might have been in college, like me, studying for finals.
Or, instead of studying, starting a blog.

Yep. I've been blogging for five, whole, crazy, entire years. For better or worse, every embarrassing memory, style of writing, emo fashion post, and a little random poetry, are documented in this site. Much of it is buried, thank God, but you can still find it. It's a matter of searching the right terms in my search bar. (Lucky for you, I linked some of my most embarrassing ones at the end of this post 🙈.) 

So let's see, where was I five years ago? Well, I was 20 years old. I was at the end of my third year of undergrad. & I thought certainly, life was as complicated as it would ever get.

HA.

That's one really neat thing about blogging. Every year, I get to look back at my old posts, use a time warp (that I will hopefully find by next year) to smack myself in the face for thinking homemade filters were a good photo edit, and revel in the fact that I've grown up.

I barely recognize the girl I was when I started this blog five years ago. 
So, I guess that's the lesson I want to share: everything changes.

Including this blog!  Feast your heart out on the embarrassing posts of my youth. & from the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking the time to visit me here for these past five years. It's been a true honor to travel this journey with you.

• When I was into rhyming, and I guess, really loved the beach. Here. 
• Then, for a little while, haikus. Here.
• My second ever fashion post, also around the time I stopped using capitalization. Here.
• Then I started to draw. Here.
• & omg my first power tool. Here.
• When I thought I was finally an adult.... because I did my laundry at the laundromat. Here.
• I pretended to care about sports: here, here, here and here.
• I confessed a crush on ee cummings (what?! ya big weirdo) here.
• Then I decided to write and illustrate my own children's novel. Here & here.
• I got all emo about graduating here.
• & then I actually graduated here.
• I kept on drawing here.
• I went back to Miami University as an alum, here.
• I took ridiculous photos in front of construction sign here.
• I posed in front of the side of a house here....
• & in a parking lot behind my office here.
• I used wrapping paper for a background (and it looked horrible) here.
• & then told you guys all about my embarrassing posts... HERE!

I love you so much. Thanks for five tremendous years. xox

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Photography: Jake Heath, Nikond3200 35mm and Kit Zoom Lens / Edits: Adbobe Lightroom and Photoshop

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4 years of blogging

Can you believe it? I am at a complete loss of words. I know that's unusual.
It's April 29th. April 29th. Today is my fourth year of blogging. 

What does that mean? For many, nothing. But for me? Wow. I have 4 years of my life here.

It all began in 2011. April 29th. I started Magical Simplicity. If you dig really deep into the search bar (key word: "Magical Simplicity") you can still see my very early posts -- talking about love & college & fairy tales & all the things that seemed of the utmost importance to my 20-year-old self. It makes me smile now. 

2014, April 29th. We rebranded the blog. & I came back with a new conviction, a new perspective & a new understanding of what I wanted the blog to be. That makes me smile now, too.

Around the new year Magical Simplicity transitioned into Ida Street. A place for today. A space where I know I don't have all the answers, not even close. But it sure is fun to figure it out. A space where I met a lot of you. That makes me smile to think about.

OMG so sentimental! See! I told you! I am at a loss for words! So I'll stop trying. Here's something fun: I've pulled my first and last posts in Ida Street's major post categories into hyperlinked images below. Take a look if you'd like & we can all laugh about being 20. 

But before I leave you to my embarrassing past - thank you so much for stopping by Ida Street. I hope you find your visits are a few happy minutes in your day. That's all I'm aiming for -- to write about something that will make us both smile. xoxo a thousand times.

Header image by Mintwood Photo Co.

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FASHION  |  2011

FASHION  |  2015

FOOD   |   2011

FOOD  |  2015  

CINCY   |   2011 

CINCY  |  2015

LIFE  |  2011 

LIFE  |   2015

WELCOME TO IDA STREET!

Editor's Note: If you're looking for an older post (from Magical Simplicity), try searching the title in the search bar, top right. They're all in here somewhere. Thanks for stopping by!

You're finally here! I have been dying to say this & finally I can: Welcome to Ida Street! It's a new space, with a new name, to celebrate a new stage & talk about the same things. I'm so glad you're here :D

Ida Street is a real place. I moved here just after my 24th birthday. Do you remember? In my tiny studio apartment I started learning a lot. Like what the tool box is for. & that I actually love photography. & that personal style is everything, but that sweatpants are a girl's best friend. It was on Ida Street that I started growing up.

It's okay! Magical Simplicity is here too! I stuffed it (& all my old posts) into this beautiful leather tote. So... let's continue our adventure.  Welcome, at last, to Ida Street. I think we will like it here :)

Photography: Mintwood Photo Co.

IN PURSUIT OF MAGIC

For some time I have been searching for a tagline for Magical Simplicity. Remember that e-course I am taking by A Beautiful Mess? Well it really has been helping me focus on the branding of Magical Simplicity. Unfortunately, it's been really hard to describe what we do here in just a few words. Until I was wandering around West Village with Colleen during my long weekend to New York. She was showing me around town when a mural caught my eye. & in the mural was a tiny message.

"In pursuit of magic."

That's it. Magical Simplicity is living your life in pursuit of magic. & magic, well that's a state of mind. & your state of mind is controlled by your thoughts. So if you choose to look at everything as positive & magic & awesome & wonderful & lovely & fun, then one day you'll wake up & realize that's really your life. It's no accident that the universe sends us these tiny moments. It's just a question of whether you choose to pursue them. 

P.S. Right after I saw this mural we walked into one of New York's Famous Cupcake Shops. Nothing is a coincidence.

HELLO, DARLINGS!

So where do I begin? I think probably with hello, darlings. Welcome back to Magical Simplicity. & really that’s a welcome for me as much as it is for you. I’ve been away.

When I graduated from Miami University in 2012,  my world turned all the way around- like twenty times. I needed to do a lot of growing up, really fast. & guys – it was really hard. But more on that another day. Today, we are celebrating. Today is special. Today  is Magical Simplicity’s third birthday.

& that is a big deal. I’m coming home.

I’ve finally made a little bit of sense about this growing up business. & now that I have, it’s really important to me to come back here. Here: my tiny little corner of the web where you are.

& I have really exciting news! I’ve taken a long, deep look at Magical Simplicity & found its core. Magic. Magic happens every day. It masquerades as tiny little moments. & you know what? Those moments seem pretty simple as they pass us by. It’s a butterfly outside your window. It’s your hometown (Holla at me Cincinnati, O-H!). It’s smiling with your best friend over a hot cup o’ joe. Magical Simplicity, at its core, is life. 

I’ve been planning & prepping & pouring myself into a refreshed place for us to stay. It’s going to be stock full of LIFE, guys. The good stuff. The real stuff. The fun stuff. The magic.

I’m so excited. 

Happy birthday, Magical Simplicity. Let’s go adventure. 

Photog by my ever-loving mother: Jackie Butler