Morg's Merry Maids... take NASHVILLE!

So about a week ago I came back to Ohio with an adorable southern accent. Why? Because I spent Memorial Day Weekend with these beautiful ladies, self dubbed: Morg's Merry Maids. You can look us up on Instagram ;D

We share one gorgeous, fabulous, sweet, wonderful friend, Morgan, & we gathered in Nashville to celebrate her. Going into this weekend I knew two of the bridal party. The bride (of course!) & the maid of honor. When I left, it was with so many lovely new friends. 

So I want to take this post in a few directions: 

1. Nashville. Fun! We were in the super touristy parts. We stayed at a hotel near Broadway, took a sprocket rocket, bought cowboy boots and laid out near our pool. It was really fun, but when I go back I want to do Nashville the local way -- so suggestions are 100% welcome. 

2. Bachelorette Party: Believe it or not, this is the first Bachelorette Party I had ever been to. It was really fun & I learned so much. The Maid of Honor was a pro. She literally thought of everything. There were games, personalized shirts, personalized water bottles, personalized gifts -- not just for the bride! We had an itinerary, & plastic champagne glasses, we were delivered champagne to the room, we were delivered champagne to the restaurant... are you sensing a theme? I had no idea Bachelorette Parties were such a big event! No wonder people love them. 

3. Southern Girls: are so sweet. Except for myself and the MOH, all the bridesmaids met our sweet Morgan either in college at Clemson (South Carolina) or post college in Charleston (South Carolina). They have great accents & have never met a stranger. I can't wait to see each of these wonderful women again in September when Morgan Milano becomes #HappilyEverMuller.

To happily ever afters & love all around.

xox

Photos edited with Lightroom & VSCOcam

Travel SF!

That's right! San Francisco! A few weekends ago I took a pretty spontaneous trip to visit my sister in SF. It was just a quick two night stay but we sure packed a lot in! Forgive my iPhone pics - I didnt bring my dslr in an effort to pack lightly. 

My sister and her boyfriend are the greatest. She moved to SF after college & has been there ever since. It makes for some fun (& very active) vacations for me :D

^^^ After walking to the corner store for breakfast on Saturday morning (which included some delicious Blue Fog Coffee) we took a 7 mile hike up to Mt. Tam East Peak. It was seriously so beautiful - though my un-athletic legs were definitely feeling the pain.

^^^ Friday night we took a walk down to the bay for dinner at Off the Grid. There were probably thirty food trucks down there, a live band, spiced warm wine & lots of fun hip people, out for a delicious taste of SF. It was perfect & so chill. 

In a very impromptu move we stumbled upon an improv show in the building next door & decided to stay to watch. I had never been before, it was so fun. Talk about quick wit.

Claire lives in the cutest studio apartment, in the cutest neighborhood. It was really lovely to see her - even if it was just for a quick trip!

Hoping to make it back again soon! What should I try out next time?!

xo

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.

---

FASHION  |  2011

FASHION  |  2015

FOOD   |   2011

FOOD  |  2015  

CINCY   |   2011 

CINCY  |  2015

LIFE  |  2011 

LIFE  |   2015

Badlands Photos + Earth Day Deals

In honor of Earth Day (today! wohoo!!) I wanted to share a few photos from a recent trip to the South Dakota Badlands. Round trip, we took a ten hour detour to see this legendary space - smack dab in the middle of the Prairie States. We were there for about 45 minutes of Magic Hour. It did not disappoint.

Seriously, Mother Nature. Show off, much? This world. I swear. It can take your breath away.

Gush.

Anyway, hi guys! How's it going? Man last week was busy! I took a red eye home Saturday night/Sunday morning & have spent the last 72 hours recovering hard core. Part of that recovery included spiced vegan chickpea wraps (yum!) & while we were picking up ingredients at Fresh Thyme I noticed some Earth Day Deals on the schedule. So here's a little run down, be sure you take advantage! Let me know if I missed anything. xoxo

Fresh Thyme Bulk Sampling + Sale (Oakley)

The rest of these aren't really on sale. But I do love them & they're kinda earthy.
Star & Moon Necklace (etsy)
Hydrangea Petal Earrings (etsy)
Antler Necklace (Jane Divine) 
Zodiac Zing Top (modcloth)
Take a Hike Tee 
Klean Kanteen Water Bottles

LESSONS FROM: MINTWOOD PHOTO CO.

Sometimes being a twenty something is hard. Rent (even though it’s for your dream apartment) causes a big dent in your paycheck; learning to cook is a real adventure & work takes up almost all your time. But being a twenty something is also incredible. You get to learn who you really are & how to pursue your dreams &, best yet, who will help you achieve them.

A few weeks ago I introduced you to a new series called Lessons from a dreamer. It's an Ida Street feature that spotlights our peers, pursuing & achieving their creative dreams. Today I'd like to introduce you to another dreamer: Lydia Phillips of Mintwood Photo Co.

Q: What advice would you give to other twenty somethings trying to figure it all out?

A: If you’re a creative, a business owner, or anyone who claims their trade as their identity:  Be friends with everyone. Everyone! Don’t give anyone fuel for the time they’re gossiping and your name comes up. Also, take it from me: people feel valued when you ask them for their advice (smiles).

So, who is Lydia and what is Mintwood Photo Co.? Well, take a look at her website & prepare to swoon. Mintwood is a natural light portrait & event photography partnership of two lovely ladies. Lydia Phillips is the founder. In my personal opinion, she produces the most stunning, the most amazing & nearly fairy tale-esque photos. Seriously.  I first met Lydia when we were teens. We spent a summer waitressing in our hometown between college semesters. (You may have seen us at The Works Brick Oven Pizza circa 2009.) Since then I've been following her growing talent with awe through Instagram and Facebook. I finally caught up with Lydia about a year after  she founded Mintwood & we got to talking :D

Okay, so Mintwood. How did you choose that name? 

It’s borrowed from my street address in college! I lived on Mintwood Place & my roommates & I would host various get togethers "at Mintwood.” We liked how fancy & formal it sounded (smiles). When I was re-branding I really wanted a name that I could own... even just in the littlest way. Mintwood fit. 

You studied photography in college, right? What is your favorite thing about it? 

Wow, my favorite thing. I love taking a photo of someone’s kid and knowing that I also gave something to that child, 20 years in advance. Does that make sense? I love thinking about pictures of newborns winding up in graduation slideshows 18 years from now. Or with engagements and weddings, knowing their grandkids will look at the photos someday.  It’s just so cool to be responsible for something so precious. I know the picture is special right now but for myself, I like thinking about how much more special it will be down the road. 

Speaking of that special-ness, your style is SO unique. It has such a whimsical & romantic feel.. do you do that on purpose?

  Yes! I do it on purpose but I also build my editing style based on current trends. (Laughs) Is that a terrible thing to say? I believe that my clients are paying for my knowledge of photography & part of that is knowing how to get “that look” they want. I’m constantly observing other photographers & building a mental list of images to make. I also have a BFA in Photojournalism: four years of learning how to shoot compelling, beautiful images on the fly. I believe one of my greatest strengths is being able to assess a location/person/event & quickly know how to take the best possible photo.  

I only dollop in photography, but that's all it takes to realize what a time consuming art it is! First the photo shoot, plus all the edits, how do you balance it all? You're the lead on business, a newly wed, a young professional, an entrepreneur, pet owner.... you've got so much going on!

Ahh.. I don’t think I can quite claim that I "balance it all" yet—but hopefully soon! 

Balancing the business has been harder than I expected. A few weeks after I decided to go "all in" I had a minor meltdown over the expectations I’d put on myself: do all of the graphic design, blog copy writing, & social media marketing, learn about the legal side, getting licensed, tax IDs, checking/finances, find clients & socialize with local vendors. Oh! & take pictures! & edit them! & post them on the blog!  (smiles) 

Yes! That's exactly what I mean! How do you get past that?

Well, creating smaller, achievable goals within those broad areas has helped A-L-O-T. It helps me not feel crazy busy when jumping from walking the dog to editing photos to making dinner. I also set time limits on certain tasks. Like, if I’m not finished with a blog post by 5:00 then I leave it for the next day. I give priority to the tasks someone else is waiting on me to do even if it means walking away from something I'm absorbed in. This all probably sounds like common sense to you organized folk (laughs).

She's awesome right? I love Lydia and Mintwood  so much. You've seen  a bit of her work on Ida Street. Remember here? & also here. & even here. She's a true talent & her photos are as sweet as her personality. I literally can't wait to see what she does with Mintwood. 

& what is that, you ask?

Oh my gosh I have so many dreams. For the next two years I want to maintain a growing client base. I haven’t really set any strict limits on quantity so long as it’s growing. My bigger picture dream is 3 to 5 employees or partners offering more than just event coverage. I would love to have a studio space in the next 3 years. I want to offer lessons for the community & host events for area photographers. Also I want to learn basic repairs and be able to service camera gear locally.  I want Mintwood Photo Co. to be a phenomenal set of independent photographers & a great resource for the community. 

Lydia lives in Georgia now, but she comes to Cincinnati to visit her family a lot. (She has a pretty cute nephew.) Ask about her appointments here.  Oh, & also, a little PSA: Mintwood's instagram is like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It will make your heart smile.