Birthday Gift in a Deli Tray

The family knows when birthdays roll around they are going to get a hand made gift. They even request what they want. And May is chock full of gifting occasions, with birthdays for my three girls (Christy, Kelly and Katy) and my younger sister (Dianne)...plus Mother's Day. Buying gifts for everyone would be hard on the wallet!

So, for my daughter, Kelly, the scrapbooking, cardmaking, senior and prom photo taking impresario of the family, I knew that scrapbook embellishments and trims would be the perfect gift. Also, she asked for them :o)

I started out making ribbon and fabric rosettes with hot glue on punched card stock circles. I even made a few with scraps from a Tiffany blue bridesmaid dress I sewed for her a few years back.

I usually hand sew all my rosettes but since these were for scrapping and card making, hot gluing was fast and easy. Also, fun!

I made LOTS of rosettes.

And I made more!

Then I made yo yos, and melted fabric flowers and twine discs and a twine daisy and ruffles out of crepe paper and strips of fabric and even some white satin roses like the 37 I sewed for her wedding dress 20 years ago. Why 37? Because even tho the pattern called for 50 rolled satin roses, I stopped at 37...because that's a lot of rolled satin roses and I was pooped, that's why.

The dress, by the way, was GORGEOUS. You never even noticed it had fewer flowers. That's the story and we're all stickin' to it.

Then I was casting about for a cool way to package these cool flowers and trims. I tried putting them in a big jar but it looked cluttered and chaotic. Part of the impact of a good gift is PRESENTATION, baby! Then I remembered this clear plastic deli tray I'd saved from a family picnic. SCORE!

I must have loaded and reloaded and rearranged that deli tray four or five times. I put the ruffled trims in the center with a package of flat lace tied with twine as a divider. It was twice this full when I got everything arranged just so.

I snapped the dome top in place and realized I had to cover the printed label. So with a bit more ruffled crepe paper and a rolled rosette with a button and bead center and more buttons around edges and a bit of burlap and a satin ribbon...okay, time to stop!

Does anyone else have that small problem? Lol

And here's something sweet. Here are two extra melty edge and beaded flowers that Insanely Creative Christy made for Prom. Whose Prom? Kelly's daughter, Rebecca's, Prom.

Becca wanted to wear that same bridesmaid dress I made for her mother, with a few additions. Like sheer caplet tulle straps. And lacing up the back. AND melty edge and beaded flowers made by her Aunt Christy!

Memories and nostalgia win in our family every time! The dress came out nicely and Rebecca loved the family story that came with it.

And Kelly? After she was done smiling and weeping over her daughter's first Prom and ripping into her Deli Tray birthday present, she went straight to work on this....

The Prom layout from Christy's daughter's Senior Year in 2010. It's not done yet, she says. She's got the ruffled crepe paper trim in place and that rolled satin rose and the kickin' pic of those beautiful girls....

And since today is National Scrapbooking Day, she's got lots of plans for the rest of her birthday gift. Ahem, "Her Deli Tray Birthday Gift!"

So what have you repurposed for a special occasion? Cake platter, jewelry box, recycled mailing boxes, pizza box? Come on ladies, tell!

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