Practical Magic Blog Party

This is my first year participating in the Practical Magic Blog Party and I am so excited to get started! When I first sat down to figure out what I would write about, I wasn't really sure where to start. This has been one of my favorite movies since I was a kid and I've probably seen it over 100 times. Once I started thinking about how much I love Practical Magic,  it became obvious that I should just talk about that--all of my favorite things about the movie. I think part of why I connect so much with this movie is because it is so in tune with the home and life that I hope to someday create for myself. So that's what I'll share with you today: all of the little pieces of Practical Magic that represent my "dream life". Enjoy!

The most obvious place to start is the house. A beautiful, historic, and cozy Victorian home right on the water, surrounded by towering trees and lush flowers:

I could just imagine myself creating cozy little corners and nooks to read in with a nice cup of coffee. I love that every inch of the house has so much character, you can never get tired of looking at it. That's the kind of house I want some day.

When the sun sets and the crisp evening air comes around, you'll find me and my beau sitting on the porch enjoying the calm of the night air.

Traveling now to the interior of my dream home, I would love to have a kitchen like the Owens ladies. There is such a warmth in their kitchen, even though it's so open and airy. 

Ah I would kill for that rustic farm table. And that stove with the huge kettle for concocting all kinds of brews and such...so perfect for this kitchen.

This next shot isn't from the kitchen per se, but I think it still fits within the theme. I dream of someday having an extensive collection of herbs and oils, all kept in pretty antique bottles like the ones in the background here:

One feature of our dream home that my boyfriend and I would really love is a conservatory so that we could continue to grow herbs, flowers, and veggies throughout the year. The conservatory in the Owens' home is particularly nice because it has a feeling of an outdoor garden that's been brought indoors, which is exactly what I would want to create.

Okay, so we would have our indoor garden in the house, but we'd like an outdoor garden as well so that we could spend time outside whenever the weather is nice and have even more space to grow all sorts of goodies. I love the outdoor garden in the film because it seems to me like a combination of a Victorian garden and an apothecary's herb garden, a perfect blend of the Owens history and their present-day use of herbs for medicinal and beauty purposes.

Since I started Candles By Nature, a dream of mine has been to one day open my own botanical shop where I grow my own herbs, which I would then use in health and beauty products and, of course, candles. I didn't even realize until a few weeks ago that the kind of shop I want is pretty much exactly like Sally's shop. I even love the simple, natural, country-inspired feel of her shop. Ahh that is my dream shop. Maybe one day...

I'm sure many would agree that one of the most endearing aspects of Practical Magic is the incredibly strong sisterly bond between Sally and Gillian. This is something else that has always drawn me to this movie because it reminds me of the closeness that I have with my sister, as well as the complexities that come along with having a sister who is so ridiculously different from yourself. Every time I watch Practical Magic I feel grateful for having a sister who I can share that bond with. As they say in the movie, "My blood, your blood, our blood..."

 

Throughout our childhood my sister and I spent so many hours just hanging out before bedtime talking about random things, bothering each other, and just being sisters. This scene always reminds me of that and makes me hope that we can keep that even when we're two old bitties.

And what would this dream life be without the annual tradition of showing off for the neighbors on Halloween by jumping off your roof (in full witchy garb, of course)? 

I hope you've enjoyed this little adventure into my dream life, as seen in the world of Practical Magic. If you love this movie as much as I do and would like to delve into more ruminations on the subject, please click here and check out all of the other participants of the 2011 Practical Magic Blog Party. Thanks for reading, and Happy Autumn!!  

Here's a fun little tidbit I discovered while pausing the movie over and over again for screen shots: In the scene where the aunts are reading a postcard from Gillian, the post office sign reads “Maria’s Island, MA 02568” which is the zip code for Martha’s Vineyard. Am I the only one that now wants to take a trip there and check it out?  ;)