Hi there! Remember me?

After a break, I am back with a few posts in mind (and in progress)! May has been quite a hectic month for me: with three birthday celebrations to plan and prepare, I was very busy. I love organizing little themed birthday parties and making them very personal. I always try to remember people’s likes and interests (be it a film, food, culture, activity, music, art, etc), even if they are mentioned in passing. If I like someone I meet, I immediately create a mental list of gift ideas for that person – researching, finding, and getting/making gifts is one of my biggest hobbies!

The first party, on May 5th, was for my partner’s grandfather. This was actually a very belated celebration – honestly, his real birthday was in February, but my partner and I were away for a few months and promised him to have a little celebration when we got back. The theme was his favourite movie, Casablanca (1942).

Black and white gift wrapping with cut-out characters, stills from the iconic scenes, famous quotes and recognizable elements from the film, and (among other) a few themed gifts (e.g. Round Up the Usual Suspects by Aljean Harmetz, a framed art print of Rick and Sam in the bar at night (“Play it again, Sam”), Casablanca coasters, etc).

Drinking being a big motif in the film (it is set at a bar, after all!), there even was a bottle of champagne with a personalized “Here’s Looking at You, Kid” label. We wore fezzes and dressed g-pa Richard (Rick!) in a beige trench and fedora (Ah, Humphrey Bogart) and escorted him into the decorated room while “As Time Goes By” was playing in the background. He found it very amusing.

The next one, on May 12th, was a little party for my partner’s grandmother (and Richard’s wife), Peggy. She always said that French language was her “first love”, and so the theme was France! As you can imagine, there were many ridiculously stereotypical French elements, from baguettes and striped t-shirts to berets and felt moustaches. Check out the greeting card I made using a Sizzix fold-a-long die (the card opens in the middle); I was quite pleased with my funny French Fox design.

We created a full playlist of classic and iconic French songs, decorated the room with blue, white, and red balloons, and hung vintage French posters everywhere.

There were croissants, madeleines, éclairs, and macarons, cheeses, bread sticks, saucisson, and ratatouille. French books and films were among the gifts. It was fun and delicious!

The third celebration was for my partner himself. His birthday theme was Kimono, and since I have quite a few photos from the day, I will upload a separate post about it shortly. Here is a sneak peek:

Ciao!