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DEFINED
MAG-I-CAL
--- adjective
Beautiful or delightful in such a way as to seem removed from everyday life.
[This is no ordinary sunset, it is magical]
SIM-PLIS-I-TEE
---- noun
Freedom from complexity.
[Her cotton dress was pure in it's simplicity]
MAGICAL SIMPLICITY
--- state of mind
A state of noting all the simple things for their beauty + delight.
[My dream is to practice magical simplicity so acutely, that it becomes my natural state]
ANNIE + MAGICAL SIMPLICITY
Well, what can I tell you about myself? My name is Annie! (exclamation point optional, but encouraged). But you already knew that.
I started this blog in 2011. I was twenty years old & my professor said it was a good idea. So I went home & thought about what made me happy & Magical Simplicity was born. A lot has changed since that first post. Namely that I use uppercase letters & write fewer poems. I mean really? Who did I think I was? Answer: e.e. cummings. (Like I said, a lot has changed.) Anyway, forgive me because I have edited a few of those first posts to make me cringe just a little less.
In 2012 I started being a real adult & in 2013 I dropped off the face of the world. My favorite year is 2014. That's when I returned. Inspired by one of my best friends, Magical Simplicity was rebranded into what it was always meant to be: a blog about life. On it's 3rd birthday, we celebrated. I'm a little older now, not much wiser. I still would like to call you darling.
& that's Magical Simplicity! I'm growing up here. & I'm trying to capture the magic in my life while it happens. The magic, I've found, that masquerades every day as simple moments. I'm hoping to not let them pass me unnoticed. & I'm hoping I can inspire you to do the same.
So cheers to you & cheers to me & cheers to this magic little fairy tale we were each blessed to write. Title: Life. Stay in pursuit of magic.
In 2012 I started being a real adult & in 2013 I dropped off the face of the world. My favorite year is 2014. That's when I returned. Inspired by one of my best friends, Magical Simplicity was rebranded into what it was always meant to be: a blog about life. On it's 3rd birthday, we celebrated. I'm a little older now, not much wiser. I still would like to call you darling.
& that's Magical Simplicity! I'm growing up here. & I'm trying to capture the magic in my life while it happens. The magic, I've found, that masquerades every day as simple moments. I'm hoping to not let them pass me unnoticed. & I'm hoping I can inspire you to do the same.
So cheers to you & cheers to me & cheers to this magic little fairy tale we were each blessed to write. Title: Life. Stay in pursuit of magic.
Once upon a time: a year later
This Thanksgiving Weekend there is so much to be thankful for, but today I would like to focus on one item on my list.
You may remember about a year ago, as a senior in college with many reasons to avoid growing up, I traded my crayons and coloring books for a sharpie in my day planner. Thanksgiving weekend, 2011 I told you all I was going to write and illustrate a fairy tale.
So here is my one year check-in. The fairy tale lives on. Actually, it has its own blog. I would love to share the adventure with you.
You may remember about a year ago, as a senior in college with many reasons to avoid growing up, I traded my crayons and coloring books for a sharpie in my day planner. Thanksgiving weekend, 2011 I told you all I was going to write and illustrate a fairy tale.
So here is my one year check-in. The fairy tale lives on. Actually, it has its own blog. I would love to share the adventure with you.
The Gentleman.
Snapping a picture at Sunset
I grabbed this great shot on a short run this evening. How magical is our city?
Cookie Madness
I have the sweetest of teeth, and thanks to a bit of magic, today they got their fill! At around noon a coworker passed by my desk and threw me this Cheryl's smile.
A few hours after work, my adorable two-year-old neighbor stopped by with his parents with these native Australian cookies in hand.
It was the MOST magical day, you all know I go mad for cookies!
Back to the basics.
"The rain is falling, it looks like love."
As she lounges on a rainy day, sketching and day dreaming, I only imagine the magical world she creates.
What's your daydream?
Many thanks to
. Mine is a simple rendition of a talented man's work.
Happy Mother's Week.
They deserve more than one day, afterall.
Cheers to our magical mothers.
The written word.
I inhale books. My bookshelves are home to several genres: magical fairytales, autobiographies, plays, and classics, every Jane Austen, a couple Hemingways, of course the Potter Heptalogy & as of yesterday the Hunger Games trilogy.
I love books because they transport you into a new world. A world that is guided by a set of unknowns: unfamiliar laws, incredible rules, new love, and heartbreaking loss. You know the characters more than you may even know your best friends. You hear their every thought. See their every move. In most of my favorite books, there are mystical creatures lurking around every page corner. You paint an entire world, a new landscape, a whole LIFE within your mind that is inhabited by these characters. And they live there, forever. Never to leave the confines of their hardbacked cover.
I love books. But with four years of ridiculous studying, too much coffee and lots of textbook chapters clouding my eyes- I let that love go unnourished. And I had forgotten. Until yesterday afternoon, while laying in the sun I picked up my first post-grad book. It was closed by dinner.
And a piece of my identity had been rediscovered.
The written word: my magical simplicity.
I love books because they transport you into a new world. A world that is guided by a set of unknowns: unfamiliar laws, incredible rules, new love, and heartbreaking loss. You know the characters more than you may even know your best friends. You hear their every thought. See their every move. In most of my favorite books, there are mystical creatures lurking around every page corner. You paint an entire world, a new landscape, a whole LIFE within your mind that is inhabited by these characters. And they live there, forever. Never to leave the confines of their hardbacked cover.
I love books. But with four years of ridiculous studying, too much coffee and lots of textbook chapters clouding my eyes- I let that love go unnourished. And I had forgotten. Until yesterday afternoon, while laying in the sun I picked up my first post-grad book. It was closed by dinner.
And a piece of my identity had been rediscovered.
The written word: my magical simplicity.
Compilation: a character sketchbook
A magical journey
The Sketchbook Project: Limited Edition
A character sketchbook
Character sketch two: Rachel McAdams
Character sketch three: Gemma Ward
Character sketch four: Emma Watson
Character sketch six: A Little Sister
Character sketch seven: Max.
Character sketch eight: Gerard Butler
Character sketch nine: My love.
Character sketch ten: Thomas
Character sketch eleven: Papa.
Character sketch twelve: Miles.
Character sketch thirteen: Betsy (from Peru)
Character sketch fourteen: A little brother
Character sketch fifteen: Genevieve
Character sketch sixteen: Revisiting Rachel
Character sketch one: Adventure of an amateur.
Sketching the lovely Genevieve
I will post a few pictures later, but for now- a sneak peek into the process of one character #fifteen. The lovely Genevieve.
Cheers!
A year of magic.
The happiest year it has been! Thank you for a year of magic, darlings.
We've come a long way from this, our first post ever.
Cheers to another three hundred sixty-five!
We've come a long way from this, our first post ever.
Cheers to another three hundred sixty-five!
Mission Statement
I believe that the world is filled with magic- whether we see it or not. It's the simple things: a rainbow around the corner, a smile on a stranger, a cupcake out of the oven. My purpose is to capture those moments, and bring a smile to your face.
And I believe in a world with love. Where people love themselves and love each other and celebrate that every day. My purpose is to give a space where that love can be immortalized.
So come, join a world thats runs on love and is empowered by smiles. Join a world of magical simplicity.
And I believe in a world with love. Where people love themselves and love each other and celebrate that every day. My purpose is to give a space where that love can be immortalized.
So come, join a world thats runs on love and is empowered by smiles. Join a world of magical simplicity.
A Magical Simplicity
There are still a few days to go til a big birthday bash. I cannot wait to share the magic with you. In the meantime- share a little with your friends. Love as always, and thank you for sharing in life's magical simplicity.
Inspired Tuesday
& my mother.
& my sisters.
& laughter.
& daisies.
& YOU.
Have an inspired Tuesday. And tell me, what inspires you, lovelies? What is your magical simplicity?
Birthday bash.
My dearest birthday wish is to share the magic with as many fans as possible. Magical Simplicity lives on smiles and celebrates life's real and simple magic. I mean, as a dedicated dreamer, I am a little biased- but why not be a part of that!? So, if you haven't:
I love you all to pieces, and I am dreaming of something magical for Sunday, so stay tuned. Happy Monday! xoxo Annie
