My 30th Birthday in LA

Written By Kiana Sakamoto

Hi friends,

Originally, I was planning on returning to Paris before my birthday at the end of April, but since I still don’t have a visa appointment in my local prefecture, my LA sabbatical continues. I recently learned that there was likely a delay due to Easter holidays and since then, the progress has been slow.

As we all know, time waits for no one, so I decided to throw together a last minute birthday celebration with a few of my friends here in LA. Ever since I was little, my mom always made sure my birthdays felt special. There was always a theme, a big cake, party favors, and an activity. My mom would go full Martha Stewart mode crafting little trinkets and party favors for my friends from scratch, making a full spread of food, and decorating the house to feel festive. As I got older, I started to take on more of the hosting responsibilities and I began to crafting my own birthday traditions.

Some of my current bday traditions include:

  1. There must always be a theme.

  2. There must always be an activity (usually DIY related).

  3. I always wear white. My favorite color.

Since my birthday falls in springtime, I love the concept of renewal, turning a page, and starting fresh to enter a new era.

The Mood Board:

The Theme: DIY Essential Oil Candles

One evening, I was trying to organize a little girl’s night with some friends. I asked Chat GPT for some inspiration for activities that could be easy and fun to do and one of the ideas it suggested to me was candle making. I looked all over for simple workshops to propose to my friends but eventually I realized it would probably be so much easier and cheaper to do it at home.

I bought a simple candle making kit at Hobby Lobby to practice my candle making skills beforehand. It’s all pretty easy from melting to pouring the wax. The trickiest part is being patient enough to let the wax harden before adding the decorations on top. If you do it too soon, everythig sinks to the bottom. If you do it too late, nothing sticks to the wax.

Here’s what I bought to host my candle making party:

  • Candle Making Kit (Includes: wicks, essential oils, soy wax, and pouring pot)

  • Little glass jars from Ikea

For decorating the candles I invited my friends to bring their own essential oils, seashells, and whatever else they wanted to add. My mom has a big collection of sea glass, so we also used pieces from her collection around the house. We also added rose petals and lavender.

The Menu:

This year I wanted to keep it simple and easy. I bought a few boxes of small bites, fizzy sodas, cheeses, and scones from Trader Joes. The only thing I made from scratch was a Strawberry Frangipane Tart similar to the one I made for Easter. Here is the recipe I use for the frangipane.

The party was held in the mid afternoon so the menu was meant to serve for light grazing:

  • Pigs in a Blanket

  • Squash Bites

  • Mini Pizzas

  • Assorted Dips and Chips

  • Charcuterie Board

  • Marinated olives

  • Scones and Jam

  • Strawberry Frangipane

  • Sparkling soda

  • Tea

The Outfit:

White has always been my favorite color. When I was a teenager, I was a big fan of teal. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more fond of neutral colors like chestnut and eggshell. Now, if I were to pick a pigmented color, I’d say my favorite color at the moment is matcha green.

Wearing white has become a tradition since my 24th birthday. I designed a custom outfit with one of my friends that year and from there, I just loved the idea of wearing white for my springtime birthday. This year, I thrifted a dress from Crossroads on Melrose, one of my favorite places to thrift in LA. The dress is by an Australian brand called Third Form known for minimalist, modern dresses. I was amazed that the dress still had it retail tags on it and I bought it for $50!

The hair piece that I wore is something I’ve had for years. I bought it at a craft fair called Unique LA. I love how much it elevates any look and adds a romantic touch.

The End:

Hosting is my love language. I get it from my parents. My mom, the hospitality. My dad, the chef. I love creating an environment where my friends from all different circles feel welcome and invited to mingle. Where new memories can be created and people feel the freedom to be creative for just a moment. For me, hosting is all about showing grace and gratitude for my friendships. It may be my birthday, but I wouldn’t be the person I am without the love, support, and affection of the people around me. Hosting is my way of expressing my appreciation.

It’s a labor of love and it always leaves me feeling so fulfilled.

In another blog post, I’ll share more about my thoughts on turning 30, my goals, and reflections. If you’ve gotten this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read my latest blog post.

Feel free to leave a comment here or on my Substack.

Much love from LA,

Kiana

PS: Many thanks to all my dear friends who stopped by to celebrate my bday with me in LA. To all my friends in Paris, I can’t wait to celebrate with you when I’m back! xx

Kiana Sakamoto
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