i am so looking forward to this saturday. it’s my birthday, and despite all the fun things i have had planned for me in the past, i am finally taking matters into my own hands. don’t get me wrong, i am so grateful for the love my family and friends have shown me over the years - surprise parties, dinners, games in my honour, etc., but this year i wanted to switch things up a bit.

it has been two years since my cousin started a tradition for her birthday. she has her closest friends get together for dinner and then share their favourite things with the other. the guest list is nice and intimate and the “investment” if you will, is nominal. we each spend $10 on something we love that we want to share. the first year we got an orangey-red essie nail polish and last year a few flavours of davids tea, among other things. it’s a nice gesture because we all share what we love and go home with something. and while birthdays are about celebrating our birth day and life, it’s kind if nice to not totally be the focus.

my cousins new tradition got my sister and i thinking about what we wanted our traditions to be. i started to think how i could give back, how i could share an experience something with my closest friends and settled on planting trees together. i have always wanted to do that and never got around to it. it works with the season too. i know my birthday is not technically in spring, but it’s close enough and spring is so lovely. full of fresh starts and new beginnings. anyway, this year the tree planting program that my city hosts lands on the same weekend as another one of my cousins’ wedding, so i had to find something else to do. and like angels, the gents of crown flora and their talents with succulent plants and terrarium-making fell into my lap. once i heard about their workshops and i organized one for my friends and i to take! we are going to be making two containers full of these green beauties and learning the ropes on how to reproduce this at home. and honestly, the little green corner in my home could use a little sprucing up!

photo courtesy of crown flora studio

basically, it will be a fun mix of making, home decor, socializing and treats. a perfect morning, in my books! i’ll post more about the day next week.

what do you have planned for the weekend?