On Going Away Gifts, A Tutorial

I am at that stage of life where a lot of my friends are facing major life transitions. College to grad school. One city to another. Starting a family. One dear friend in particular received word that she will be chasing her dream of grad school in New York. Definitely a gift moment, but what to get her? Moving across the country and into a dorm is quite the experience, and one that doesn’t need to be weighed down with more “stuff”. At the same time, I’m not a big fan of gift cards (though, that was my last resort). Time to get creative. Being that we both share a love of food and that she is moving to one of the best food cities in the country that made things easy: a top list of interesting eats in NYC.

Step One Gather your supplies. Fun scrapbook papers related to your theme (in this case, apples for New York and black&white for the theme of her party). Stickers related to the city or food theme of choice. Matching ribbon. Scissors and glue. A personal touch (Gooseberry Press makes some beautiful letterpress city cards).

Step Two Make your list. This is where you can get really creative and match your theme to the person on the receiving end of the gift. For me this meant affordable eats and interesting eats in the vicinity of her new school. This can also mean top ten lists of burger or burrito joints. The best coffee shops. Food related to a favorite book. The possibilities are endless. If you’ve been to the city in question, by all means use your expertise! Otherwise compile a list using the resources at your fingertips. I used Yelp and Bon Appetit to compile mine. Don’t forget to add the address to make future mapquesting easier!

Step Three Make your card. I wrote out my list on cardstock and layered it with the different papers, ribbon, and my favorite sticker from the bunch. Don’t forget to label your list! If they stumble on it later after unpacking they will still know what it is.

Step Four The final step. Make your envelope! I have a plastic envelope template that I’ve been using for well over a decade now, but there are a bunch of tutorials online (this one is pretty straightforward).

From this point it’s up to you how to finish it off. You can tuck some money in to kick-start the food adventure. A book for the plane ride there. A journal to document the journey. The possibilities are, again, endless.

I’m curious, what is your go-to gift for friends who are moving away?

So far this summer...

So far this summer has been filled with fresh flowers from the market down the street. Quiet times in the park and little reminders from God. Lunches on the lake where I spent many an afternoon as a kid. Really, really good burgers and my new favorite pickled red onions. Blossoming friendships and get-togethers.

What has your summer been filled with so far?

Nostalgia

Something about summer afternoons makes me nostalgic. And hush, I know it’s not technically summer yet, but I just can’t bring myself to consider 100+ weather to be springtime. Amplifying that feeling, I am meeting up with one of my closest friends from middle school for brunch tomorrow. We drifted apart over the years, I haven’t seen her since she moved away after our freshman year of high school, but digging through boxes of long buried memories I remember the summer we spent joined at the hip. I remember afternoons of watching Sailor Moon and writing horribly cheesy fanfiction. I remember late night talks from our almost daily sleepovers. I remember laughing with her mom and sisters, feeling like one of the family.

I couldn’t resist going through photos and while I was looking I got caught up in some family albums. This one from the first time my aunts came to visit my mom and me in Vegas. If it wasn’t obvious I’m the one in overalls, circa sixth grade. I miss them. I miss making the trek to Northern California to visit them during summer break (and if I was lucky, winter break too). I miss exchanging letters, a habit lapsed on my end once I got caught up in the rigors of university and working life.

I am trying though. Space at my desk has been cleared for some unimpeded writing time. Notecards have been purchased. My aunt and I has taken to sending me photos from our visits and I think this time I’ll send this one along to her. It's time. It’s time to mend some relationships. It’s time to get some closure. It’s time to move forward.

Stop and Breathe

If you know me it's no secret that I am a little neurotic. I thrive on organization. I keep lists of lists. In general, this isn't always a negative trait, but sometimes I forget how much beauty that I am surrounded by. I get so caught up in everything that needs to be accomplished that I lose sight of savoring the simple moments. Sometimes you have to stop and breathe for a moment. Even if a single moment is all you can muster.

What are you savoring today?

Afternoon Tea at English's

When I was in England my mom and I enjoyed afternoon tea at the Orangery after a long morning touring Kensington Palace. I was just out of my freshman year of high school and I had not yet developed a taste for tea. Of the experience I remember lip puckering tart lemonade and my beloved clotted cream. There was always an excuse for clotted cream. Now, despite wanting to recreate this sort of experience many a time, it’s taken me almost ten years to find time for afternoon tea (in a restaurant, at least).

Cue my 25th birthday. Not wanting the fuss of a party I found myself again with my mom enjoying an afternoon of tea and treats. Only this time we were a little closer to home. To my delight, one of my favorite restaurants, English’s Quintessentially British Gastropub, offers several tea menus to choose from. It’s funny the difference a decade can make, and at the same time how little difference at all. A pot of rich, smoky Irish breakfast loose leaf tea. Crisp, refreshing tea sandwiches. Warm, crumbly cranberry scones with little bowls full of fresh strawberry jam and clotted cream. Perfectly sweet bites of cake. Bliss.