WELCOME TO IDA STREET!

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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.

AT HOME: IN MT. ADAMS

Hi guys! Guess what? I'm finally home :)  For the past ten days I've been semi-homeless (kinda). My Roomie4Life & I moved out of our house in Columbia Tusculum the last Friday of June. & in natural Annie-Style, I miscommunicated my move-in date with my new landlord & moved straight into a storage unit. Then, as you may know, my sweet Papa passed & we all high-tailed it down to South Carolina to celebrate his life. So, though I moved my possessions into Ida Street on Tuesday the First... it was essentially a dump&go. Fast forward to Sunday the Sixth, when about half way home (again, in perfect Annie-style) I realized my keys were sitting idle in my sister's glove box. That sister was scheduled to return with our mom on Tuesday. So my dad was stuck with me for yet another few nights. 

But as of YESTERDAY, the Eighth... I am finally  home. There are boxes everywhere. I ate peach pie for dinner  (with my hands, because I don't have silverware). It's an absolute disaster... but it is my disaster. I cannot wait to grow & live & love in my adorable little studio in Mt. Adams. Get ready, guys. I have a lot of fun projects coming your way. 

Until next time, Annebelle.

Photog: Jackie Butler.
Dress: Old Navy via Gabriel Brothers (old)
Fedora: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: Madewell

STYLING IN: LONG CROPS

Photog: Courtney Boeckman
Shirt: Crop Top from Abound via Nordstrom Rack 
Pants: Cartonniev via Gabriel Brothers (old);
Shoes: Leopard Skimmer via Madewell
Earrings: Curate Boutique

You asked for it! Well, only one of you did (love you so much, Leis!)... still waiting to hear from the rest of you. But,  writing my first style post was so fun that I decided to answer for you. Here comes Magical Simplicity's Style Post Volume 2: The Crop Top. 

Crop tops have been sneaking into our wardrobes for years & now it's pretty much everywhere! In fact, the last time I was at Neons, there was midriff at every turn. (Including a turn around the mirror in the (omg when did Neons make both bathrooms downstairs women's?!?!) bathroom).

I love the crop top. For one, there is literally less material to it. That is oh so nice in these warm months. Also, I think it's cool that this trend is coming back from the 70s. It really is a testament to my theory that all fashion is cyclical. But lastly & most importantly, it's about time we own our bodies! To me the crop top says: Well heck yes! I am confident & happy & love my curves! (But in a humble way, because you're not actually speaking it... Right?)

Anywho, I'm not quite cool enough for the full crop, but I sure do like to rock a long crop from time to time! & because I'm Annie, I've incorporated bows where I can (the pants. They've been a pair of my faves for years.  Partially for the ruffles but mostly for the bow).

Trying to decide if I would be able to make it up there... I was :D

One of my best gals & I took a little walk through our neighborhood  this week in a quick & rare respite from the rain. I know I've talked about it before, but the murals in Cincinnati are just the coolest. & isn't Courtney a great photog!? I love her angles & shots & I gotta say the fact that she's seen me at my truest (we send triple chin snaps to each other throughout the work day) made this shoot so fun & natural. Felt like we were just out for a stroll :D

Oh & p.s. in case you're wondering: my arm. I want to lie and tell you I injured it doing something really cool (skydiving? scuba diving? hang gliding? even a cartwheel..). But nope. Poison ivy. Probably got it while exploring Cincy for the blog. So, I guess it was something cool, after all.  :D

Well, this is my last post as a twenty-three-year-old, lovers! I'll catch ya in my mid twenties! Hope you have the best weekend.

YOUR FATHER'S DAUGHTER

It's when I come home with a bag of cheetos and a diet mountain dew;
When I choose the hotel with a continental breakfast;
When I sing along to oldies as I'm driving across town.

It's when I make my cookies extra chocolatey;
When I karoke in my seat at dinner;
When I fall asleep on the couch. 

It's when we're at weddings, and people see our dance moves;
It's in pictures, and people see our profiles;
It's on the plane, and I make friends with the unknown passenger next to me. 

It's when I draw, and remember his talent. 
It's when I write, and see our sentence structure. 
It's when I speak, and remember his grace at countless podiums. 
It was when I coached, and tried to emulate him.
It was when I mowed the lawn... Oh wait... that one doesn't work. 

"You are your father's daughter," I hear it all the time. And every time, I smile - there couldn't possibly be a better compliment. Happy father's day, to the man who taught me everything. 

the balloons that carried away a girl

my birthday has never been so lovely. surrounded by friends and feeling so happy. my opera family has gone completely out of their way to decorate my bland desk (with balloons bigger than my body!) im quite suprised ive not yet floated away.

my real family picked me up for lunch whisking me away to eden park for an elaborate picnic where we stood out like a kennedy clan in our casual summery elegant attire.

ive never felt so loved, and im only halfway through the day.

youve carried away my heart this birthday.