The Art of Gift Giving

As promised, here is a post detailing the wonderful gifts that I received for my 21st Birthday last week! I adore each and every one of the gifts I was given. I don't ever expect anything from my friends or family apart from their "presence", and so it was a lovely surprise to unwrap so many amazing items the day after my party.

The art of gift giving is something that I pride myself on. There is no better challenge than that of thinking up the perfect gift for someone. And no better reward than seeing their smile to reaffirm your choice. It's an art form that doesn't necessarily require a lot of money, but rather a little bit of time, patience, thought and of course love. And it is safe to say that each of my gift givers should be considered experts. Here are some photos...

I received an overwhelming amount of teapots and teacups for my birthday. Some were new, some were vintage and some were even oriental, but each of them made the smile on my face grow even larger. Worthy of mention is the squarish one right in the middle. This little charmer is over 150 years old and was a gift from my Great Grandmother. She hasn't been with us for about 5 years now, but gave this to my Grandmother to pass on through the generations to me. It was actually her Great Grandmothers... so I'm a bit unsure as to how many "greats" it actually is. Either way though, it is lovely to have something heirloomy to pass onto my children one day.
 

 

For some years now I have been a collector of the lovely, timeless and sentimental jewelry created by Pandora. Although I have a rather large collection, I received some new pieces this year that really made my heart swoon. The bracelet is something different, and has just the right amount of patterning to make it glimmer in the sun. The ring was a gift from my best friend... something I pointed out months and months ago whilst we were shopping for another friend. And the charms will make for a cute addition to my bracelet from my boyfriend. Now I just need an occasion to wear them all!

Books and lists are two other things I enjoy in my everyday life. This leather bound book was a gift from a friend, who instead of writing a card, wrote some inspiring words on the inside of the cover. The "listography" book was an accompanying gift from the bestie, another item that I had admired in passing which she sneakily purchased for me.

I think I have made it fairly evident that on rainy days, or really any day, I will whip up a batch of something to cure those blues. I love that my friends know this about me and purchased me gifts to continue the trend. I just don't know which book I should bake from first! 

Some of the other amazing gifts I received were these bottle's of Chandon, the Marc Jacobs Daisy Ring (so freakin adorable), a make up bag for my latest Napoleon purchases, Revlon nail polish and a one year subscription to Frankie Magazine! 

Oh and I cannot forget... my parents were ever so kind and gave me a brand new Cannon DSLR (used to take these, and so many other wonderful photos). Might I just say, best parents ever!

I also received some very well thought out gifts from friends to help me finish off my 101/1001 list. One of my best friends cleverly purchased me a 6hr Photography Day Course in the city, crossing off number six. While my family friends thought it appropriate to give me a gift voucher for Circus Trapeze lessons, which is about as extreme as I will go, crossing off number 64.

For those of my friends who read this regularly, thank you again! I can't believe how lucky I am.