When there are so many famous birthdays on 2 May, it’s a bit hard to choose. Many Happy returns to David Beckham, Princess Charlotte, Englebert Humperdinck, Lily Allen, Donatella Versace and Dwayne Johnson – each blue bloods in their own world.
An then it occurred to me – what if I had to wrap a gift that I would be happy to send to each of the recipients above? Now that would be a bit of a challenge!! I very soon decided on blue. And the I don’t just mean any blue, I mean navy blue – the blue that got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with white) worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. Navy goes with just about any other colour or pattern or occasion. It looks great with neutral colours (light/toned down hues) such as whites, creams, tans, browns, greys, and silvers and can easily ramp up or down depending on the formality.
Off to Pinterest I went looking for inspiration in my favourite places – flowers, food and fashion (the fashion bit is for David’s wife Victoria because I know she checks everything he does). And it soon became clear I needed a bit of white (just like the navy) and a touch of silver to lift the gift and make it work for boys and girls young and old (though Donatella probably wouldn’t like being associated in the later category).
I ended up using a paper that I already had to hand and which had a white woven contrast pattern. I then added a silver chord for texture and a navy ribbon because I think the wrap can take it. So Happy Birthday David, Princess Charlotte, Englebert , Lily , Donatella and Dwayne. Never thought I would say all your names in the same sentence.