Pretty Present in a Pinch

A couple of weeks ago, Hannah's friend called her and asked if she had received an invitation to her birthday party. The girl's father was supposed to hand deliver them for her, to save on postage, and the girl had only received 1 RSVP. Since we live in a small town, this happens a lot. Unfortunately, the girl's father delivered 2 of the 15 or so invitations he had agreed to deliver, and Hannah wasn't one of those 2 girls.

The party was at the local pool at 8pm that night, and we were notified of the party at around 2 in the afternoon the day of. Needless to say, that didn't leave a lot of time to find a gift, especially since we have a very small Wal-Mart that doesn't carry a whole heck of a lot. So, I did my best to create a unique gift, that any 11 year old would love. I started with an empty gallon paint can that I purchased from my local Ace hardware. I then glued scrapbook paper to the sides, and lid of the can. The scrapbook kit I purchased had several embellishments with it, so I added those to the can, and added some pretty fringe yarn around the top and the bottom, and lid. I stuffed some tissue paper down inside the can, and loaded it full of make-up. I then finished it off with pony beads on the handle, and matching curling ribbon on the bales.

I put the entire can inside a shrink wrap bag, and tied the top with more curling ribbon. Hannah said that everyone loved it, and her friend even called the next day to thank her again for the gift.

I sell these altered paint cans on my website, and they have been a popular item for years. They offer a unique alternative to the traditional gift wrap or gift bag, and they can be used long after the gift has been removed. Wal-Mart sells packages of scrap booking paper rather inexpensively, that contain papers for any occasion. These are nice to keep on hand, for those days when you need a last minute gift, and store bought gift packaging just won't do. :)