The YaYa Sisterhood...

Given that it's my birthday, I thought I'd take the opportunity to introduce you to the "YaYa Sisterhood Travelling Paper" that's been passing back and forth between my younger sister and I for about 8 years ( I think). It started as a lazy gift wrapping attempt and has, over the years, grown in significance.In fact, it almost doesn't matter what's inside the wrapped parcel anymore, as long as you pass on the YaYa paper.

It all started as a mad rush to wrap my sister's present before heading away for a ski weekend. I grabbed some old pink paper and jazzed it up with some awful cat stickers. I didn't even get her a card, instead, just wrote on the paper. The paper received alot of comments at the lodge that weekend and at the time I felt a bit embarrassed with my crap wrapping attempt.

The following year, to my surprise, I received my birthday present wrapped in the same pink paper covered in tacky cat stickers. I couldn't believe my sister had saved it!

And so a tradition began... the YaYa Sisterhood Travelling Paper. It goes back and forth from NZ to Australia year after year, and each year you have to find a present that will fit inside the paper. It is getting worn in places, so we have to limit the amount of sellotape used, and I've added some stickers to cover up small holes along the way.

One year I heard from Mum following my sister's birthday, that she was really disappointed I hadn't wrapped her present in the YaYa paper. I felt so awful, I had to get her another present just so I could pass the paper back to her.  It's a little bit of a bizarre tradition, but I've become really attached to it. You wouldn't believe the disappointment you feel if you receive your birthday present wrapped in anything else.

This year, inside the YaYa paper was a cat eye mask and some moustache cookie cutters. My sister is so funny.

Love you sis x