A Garden Party, A Citrus Tree, & A Scookie
Hi friends,
This past week marked my second birthday in Paris. Now, inching away from my twenties and closer into my thirties, I feel ever so older, wiser, and grateful.
As someone who loves to host, I’ve created a few birthday party traditions that I follow each year:
Every party must have a theme.
Every party must have a creative activity.
I always wear white, but guests are not expected to do so.
Every since I could remember, my mom took great pains to always throw the most thoughtful birthday parties for my twin brother and I. There was always a theme, paper invitations, a big spread of food, and goodie bags for each guest to take home. As I got older, I started to take on more of the party planning activities myself and carrying on the tradition of hosting my own birthday parties.
The Theme:
When I moved to Paris, I was determined to continue to do the same and this year was no exception. Despite the rain and cold weather, I decided to host a Garden Party complete with vintage porcelain tea cups, scones, matcha shortbread cookies, and finger sandwiches. My roommate and dearest friend, Vina, helped me prep, cook, and set-up everything in time for all my friends’ arrival.
The Outfit:
Per personal tradition, I wore a full white outfit consisting of a white dress that I wore as a skirt and a top by Georgia Alice, both pieces are thrifted.
The Activity:
As a creative person who loves to do creative things with other people, I came up with the idea of making phone keychains together. I thrifted the beads from my local second-hand shop and bought elastic string. I only wanted to use the cutest beads so I hand selected the beads from a big tray at the shop. I love how everyone’s keychain turned out as a perfect reflection of themselves with a color scheme to match.
The Menu:
Strawberry scones: I mixed in too much strawberry jam and they turned out flat and brown. They still taste good though. Vina kindly named them “scookies” as a scone/cookie hybrid.
Matcha shortbread cookies: Also turned out slightly burnt but still delicious.
Pigs in a blanket: An American classic.
Finger sandwiches: Made by Vina in two variations: ham/cheese and egg salad.
Lemon cake: Made by my dear British friend, Charlie. The perfect pairing with tea.
Small bites: Baguette, cheese, charcuterie, nuts, olives, strawberries, the usual.
Drinks: tea, rose, and other bubbles.
The Surprises:
Personally, my love languages are words of affirmation and acts of service. I love gifts as much as anyone, but time well-spent together over tea is simply what I enjoy most. That being said, my friends were kind enough to spoil me with some beautiful things including a mini citrus tree, candles, cards, skincare, jewelry, and a Chanel charm. Words cannot express how grateful I am for such thoughtful and generous friends from all around the world. Friendships like this are my true treasure and hosting is the way I like to show my friends how much they mean to me.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my latest blog post and I hope you enjoyed seeing a peek into my little bday celebrations in Paris.
À bientôt!
Bisous
Kiana