my birthday week...

when you hear people talk about how their family is the "best", do you secretly think in your head that they're crazy? 

i hope so.

i hope for everyone that they are fortunate enough to believe that they belong to a family that is unlike any other. 

i'm one of the lucky ones. 

i have the BEST family.

i'm gonna let you in on a family tradition of mine that makes my heart swell.

it's a tradition that started only a few years ago.

(which is proof that it is never too late to start new traditions!)

my mom started giving my brother and i a week of presents leading up to our birthday.

these presents are small of course, leading up to the main gift.

and i love that because sometimes the smallest gifts are the most meaningful.

and it also helps to make our birthday week special, giving us something to look forward to every morning. 

so if you are looking for new traditions to start with your loved ones- i'm telling you, this one is pretty amazing! 

i actually wasn't expecting a week of presents this year since my mom and i live so far apart.

but like i said, my family is the best, and they found a way to get me those seven presents.

so i just wanted to share with you the goodies that i got, in hopes that you will want to start this same tradition! 

1.

 this car charm was special because of the words "be happy".

my mom thought i needed that reminder every time that i get into my car because some days are rough being out here all alone.

2.

i love getting jewelry! 

this bracelet is perfect for me because it fits my tiny wrist.

i have the hardest time finding bracelets that aren't huge on me.

you can change out the center of this bracelet as well with different magnetic pieces- so awesome! 

3.

i did pink ombre nails for valentines day this year and had complained to my mom that i didn't have white polish.

of course, she remembered and got me some!  

4.

i'm a sucker for quotes.

i need them.

i've spent hours and hours out of my life finding quotes that inspire and speak to me.

now i have a quote to read every day for a full year :)

5.

 i absolutely adore this pink felted bag.

i'm one of those that saves every meaningful receipt, movie stub, even clothing tags.

i'm always looking for cute storage.

this is perfect.

and it has a heart on it.

did i say it's perfect?  

6.

these are lavender sachets.

my mom bought them for me because she thought they were cute.

however, they have way more meaning to me than that. 

when i was growing up, my grandparents lived on a farm.

every weekend they would sell produce at the farmer's market.

 my grandma would sell lavender sachets and bouquets made from lavender grown in their gardens. 

sometimes i would help her prepare the lavender to sell. 

when i got these sachets for my birthday, i put them inside my pillow so that i could fall asleep to a special memory from my childhood.

7.

my main present.

okay there's a story behind this.

when i lived at home, i had hopes of starting a shop on etsy.

my mom and i would scour thrift stores for things i could fix up and sell.

we came across an old glasses case.

i got the idea that i could cover glasses cases with cute fabrics and ribbons.

well, i never got around to it.

but my mom took the case that i had bought and covered it with magazine pages and ribbon.

and is it not the cutest thing ever?! 

she is so talented.

inside was some money.

my dad gave me strict instructions that the money was only for shopping, not bills. 

i have a pretty sweet dad.

so for all of you crafty girls- remember this when you see an old glasses case at the thrift store! 

it was a great birthday week.

xoxo