At midnight the night before our daughter's party, I finally took the time to wrap the only two gifts we were taking to the party. 
I was exhausted. I was anxious about the party. I was alone in the diningroom with wrapping paper, ribbon, tape strung out across the table while everyone else was fast asleep. I was thinking "Why do I always put this off until the last possible minute?!" I was working very quickly. No time to miscalculate. No time to start over and redo. It's funny. I began wrapping without a plan. No Secret Garden Wrapping Plan floating around in my head. Just scissors and extemporaneous cutting and taping.
In the buffet drawer in our dining room lies some of the most beautiful wrapping paper, double faced satin ribbon, tissue paper, and paper flowers sent to me by none other than Sande aka A Gift Wrapped Life. Yes, I was armed with paper from the renowned Wrap Room!
The beautiful blush paper with handwritten script and celadon birds is my absolute favorite paper in Sande's Wrap Room. I also have a secret to tell you...Sande tied the bow on this gift!
Do you know that when the gorgeously wrapped package of gift wrap arrived on my doorstep the long rectangular white box inside was wrapped in this very bow?
That night, in my haste and desperation, I grabbed this gorgeous pink ribbon bow, that I had stowed away, and twisted the loop and made it fit this box. It took some patience and maneuvering, but it worked!
And this beautiful bow was rescued from the giftwrapping trashbag at the end of the party. I caught my husband just as he placed it in the trash. "What are you doing?" I said as I halted him in the act, "I can reuse that! and the paper!;)
The second gift was a complete accident. I can't take credit for this idea. I wasn't even thinking straight by this point. I wrapped this box in solid white paper.
I did something terrible. I ripped a page out of a Beatrix Potter book! Oh, that's bad.
I trimmed the illustration down to fit the surface of the box and rounded the edges.
Then I cut two small slits at the bottom of the illustration so that I could run the ribbon under it.Then I added some more Wrap Room ribbon. Layering different widths of ribbon is another one of Sande's tips.
Then something reminded me of the little celadon green paper flowers she sent in the package...
I pulled them from the drawer and laid them on the pink bow.
"The lettuces were certainly fine."
Total accident.
Green paper flowers pose as sweet little lettuces
Green paper flowers pose as sweet little lettuces
This last image is a freebie. Exactly one week after the party I saw this display created by Linda at WillowNest.
A simple white pedastal with white roses tucked in cabbage leaves...
A fine idea for a secret garden party.
Did I tell you that the party actually took place in a secret garden? No, I didn't create this garden just for our daughter's party. This secret garden has been a tranquil retreat for a few years and has been cultivated with the love by my mother-in-law, my husband's aunt, and several other very sweet women who attend our church.
My mother-in-law created this beautiful basket full of flowers with a skeleton key suspended by a ribbon, which hangs on the door leading to the secret garden. She has been doing this for years and changes out the flowers seasonally.
My goal from now on is that when I host a party, I will make at least one of the decorations and hopefully create something that is unique.
With my love for photography and obsession with photo editing and graphic design, I just couldn't bring myself to buy invitations for our daughter's second birthday party, so I made them myself. Honestly, they only took a few of hours from start to finish and for all of you crafty and creative women out there, I encourage you to try making your own invitations for the next special event you plan; it not only makes such an impression on your guests but it also peaks their interest.
