My mom, Susan Rose Azzarito, is a born and bred Southern California girl who met my dad at sixteen, got married at twenty-two and had babies early. (She had me when she was only twenty-four and my sisters followed in short succession. And because three wasn’t ever quite enough, my brother came along seven years after the last girl). My mom’s personal style is casual and unfussy – Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion and cherry ChapStick are her scents of choice – but she is always decidedly feminine. Her middle name is Rose after all, and pink has always been her color of choice (except for a period in the ’80s when peach gave pink a run for its money). She has a love for all things British – tea, mysteries and TV shows. My childhood was filled with carefully crafted tea parties and tea time is still a tradition, although these days, it’s a bit more expensive. (Did someone say tea at the Ritz?) She spent hours reading to all four of us and introduced me to Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and the Pink Motel amongst many, many others. She is always up for an adventure, whether it’s a long car ride, a trip to Egypt with three kids under the age of ten or a visit to Moscow with a two-year old.
(psssst: Tell us what you love about your Mom in our Mom Instagram Challenge)
My mom’s style domain has always been her house. She visited auctions and garage sales to hunt for bargains and painted, striped and sanded everything that came into our house. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen her get rid of a piece of furniture – she changes the color and finds a new home for an object rather than let it out of the house. She’s a champion room painter and has helped me paint my own countless times (and even passed along a few of her trade secrets). During that peach period in the ’80s, she stenciled peach flowers around the dining room, painting each petal by hand. We visited the U.K. when I was seven, and my most vivid memory is of coming home on the plane with boxes of porcelain dishes rather than carry-on suitcases. Her central focus was always about creating a house that was beautiful and nurturing. I feel lucky to have grown up in such a place. -Amy
Image above: 1. billabong flower bear womens tank $21.99 | 2. The Vintage Tea Party $29.95 | 3. paintbrush $17.82 | 4. cherry ChapStick $3.29 | 5. candied almond drops $32 | 6. jane austen quote mug $16 | 7. bois de rose candle $35 | 8. paper rose $14 | 9. KISMET basic wayfarer $12.50 10. leather colorblock passport case $45
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