Dirty Thirty

What a week! I turned Thirty on Thursday last week and designed the floral arrangements, including bouquet and corsages, for my friends wedding on Saturday. I was crazed. And in such a great way.

On Thursday my Facebook, email, and phone were out of control with many loving messages from friends and family. I went into Thirty with zero expectations and came out of the haze smiling from ear to ear. The gifts I received were memorable. My auntie made me a quilt, my friend in NYC sent me a flower arrangement, my boyfriend bought me the coziest robe just in time for the cold days ahead, and my mother searched out a beautiful piece of jewelry for this special day.


In a sense quilts and vintage goodies are designed from the same cloth. There's obviously a lot of hard work and love that goes into a quilt. This personal touch isn't something that attaches itself to many inanimate objects, and by no means does another persons used cookware compare to the dedication that goes into making a quilt, but they both tell a story.

This quilt tells a couple different stories. For me it holds memories of the baby blanket my aunt made for me, the one she finished while on a plane from southern California to Ashland, Oregon, the one I slept with until I moved out of my mother's house. It's an extension of the blanket I out grew, my grown up version of a safe haven. For her, it's a piece of many quilts she made over the years. Each of the fabric swatches come from a different blanket she selflessly made for someone else.


There's an unknown story that lies with the vintage goods we find at thrift stores, the things that have been used and discarded for whatever reason. These items can take on a story all their own, whatever you might imagine or whatever the future holds.

For instance, the items you see below or have seen throughout the summer months as I've entertained in the backyard abode. They'll all go on to be owned by someone else, they're all for sale, but for now while new memories are being attached to them I can't help but think that a 50's housewife was responsible for the purchase of this aqua ice bucket.


Or wonder for whose backyard this chair entertained.


For my friends and I they were perfect accompaniments to round out my birthday week. The Sunday Birthday Bash went off without a hitch. Everyone contributed a yummy dish or something to drink and me, the birthday girl didn't have to worry about a thing other than what I do best - pretty-ing up the house!


Thanks to all for a wonderful birthday week. Your presence either in person or digitally made turning Thirty a breeze!

A Birthday Present

It may be that I'm a bit self-obsessed, you see my birthday is coming up, it's a mere week away, and naturally I love my birthday. I've always looked forward to the big day, and like most things in childhood it never could come quick enough, but boy it sure was gone in a flash. Still, I can't say I've always LOVED my birthday. But that changed when I met my friend Morgan who introduced me to the concept of Birthday Week and broke wide open the most delicious can of worms. I learned that during birthday week I always get my way, and I like getting my way, because who can't give into a sweet plea of "but... it's birthday week!". There aren't many gifts better than that.

In fact, how often do you remember what you got for you birthday years after it's passed purely because it was the most unexpected and perfect gift? I'd say I've received a few, and that's being generous, in my pushing (I'm just going to say it) thirty years. One of these gifts I was using just today and decided it would be an appropriate time to share this with you. A beautiful set of green three leaf clover teacups in just my taste.


All I can say is three maybe four years later I still pull these out of the cupboard thinking LOVE LOVE LOVE. Thank you Julie! Verbatim. Yes, Julie is thought of often.

Julie I've known a very long time, we talk infrequently but she knows what her friends like. She's sweet and creative and well, her birthday is the day after mine so it makes since that she's all honey and graffiti rolled up in one. This is turning into quite the ode to Julie but her birthday is coming up too and she deserves it. I have only one more thing to say about Julie and that is, she was hitting the yard sale circuit and turning a dime long before myself, and you guessed it, maybe, did you guess that Julie got these pretty little clover teacups at a yard sale?


She did. Look, these dainty green teacups are from Neiman Marcus and were made in Japan! Awesome, I know.

So... yup, my birthday, October 8th, yup, 1979! It's... strange. It's even more strange to think that it's strange, because age has never mattered much to me before, but for the first time in ten years I could give it or I could take it. I guess I'm not taking full advantage of the birthday week. It's high time I start!

What's the most memorable, favorite, worst, whatever, birthday present you've ever received? Now, now, it's birthday week people, don't even THINK about leaving me high and dry! After all, I know who you are.

XOXO