Well, I wanted to do something more "grown up" and I came up with this vase full of origami boxes. Besides cross stitch, origami is one of my favorite things to do. To keep my folding skills up, I typically leave some piece of origami next to our tip when we eat out. Usually a crane since it only takes one sheet of paper. I've never stuck around to get a reaction from the wait staff, but I hope they enjoy the surprise (right before they throw it away!).
I decided to find some quotes about marriage (some funny, some snarky, some serious) and I printed them out and then rolled a $10 bill within each quote. My favorite quote was "No husband was ever shot while doing the dishes" - amen!
After rolling them up, I put a bow around each one.
Then each quote went into a box and the the last flaps were folded in place.
Ten boxes, each with a quote and $10 inside.
There is an easy tutorial for the boxes at Origami Mommy. You can just Google "quotes about marriage" for tons of ideas. Picking ten was kind of hard to do.
I ran out of time and didn't get a snap of the note that went with it explaining that the small (3" x 3") boxes were just "filler" while the 10 large (4" x 4") boxes were the ones they needed to open. To make sure no friends or other family members thought they could take one (not knowing there was money inside), I sealed the top with a circle of celophane and then added the ribbon to hide where I had taped it down.
They were very excited to see the vase and were curious about what was inside. It was fun to do and a great conversation piece at the party.
