Mark’s Turntable of Toppings: Creative Gift Idea
A step-by-step video & photo tutorial of how I created “Mark’s Turntable of Toppings”–a creative birthday or Christmas gift idea adaptable for any lover of sprinkles, spices, and salad toppings!
Backstory
One of the things I appreciate most about Mark is his ability to turn an ordinary meal into something truly extraordinary just with a little bit of thought, intention, and creativity.
There have been countless evenings where nothing looks appealing in the fridge, and yet he still manages to whip up something fantastic. If we had a nickel for every time I said, “Wow, Mark. This looks amazing!”…well, you know the rest. It’s all in his presentation and attention to detail.
His secret weapon? Toppings! He always jazzes up our plates with a special finishing touch be it nuts, dried fruit, or rainbow sprinkles. They’re his trademark move!
So, when we ran out of rainbow dot sprinkles and couldn’t find any at our grocery store, it sparked an idea in me to track some down for his 41st birthday this November… which blew up into a whole gift idea revolving around (pun intended) his talent with toppings.
And so, I created “Mark’s Turntable of Toppings.”
First, I’ll share the 30 second video tutorial that I made for Instagram Reels & TikTok. And read on for a photo tutorial and list of supplies:
View this post on Instagram
Supplies
For your convenience I’ve included *affiliate links below.
- Clear Rotating Turntable
- Large 8 oz. Spice Jars & funnel (I used 6 of 8)
- Small 4 oz. Spice Jars & funnel (I used 6 of 12)
- Label Maker & clear label tape
- Himalayan Salt (coarse)
- Rainbow Dot Sprinkles
- Assorted Candy Googly Eyes
- Silhouette Cameo Machine, discount code: CLOSET
- Silhouette Cameo Cutting Mat, discount code: CLOSET
- Silhouette White Carbon Fiber Vinyl, discount code: CLOSET
- Silhouette Transfer Tape, discount code: CLOSET
- Hook Tool
- Another option: Waterproof White Sticker Vinyl Letters
Step by Step Tutorial
1. Gather supplies and decide which toppings to use. This is the fun part! I used a combination of toppings we already had on hand, as well as some new ones I purchased. For reference, 6 Large 8 oz. Spice Jars and 6 Small 4 oz. Spice Jars fit perfectly in the turntable I used.
Here’s a list of what I included in the Large 8 oz. Spice Jars:
- granola
- trail mix
- craisins
- Himalayan Salt
- coconut chips
- dried apricots
Here’s a list of what I included in the Small 4 oz. Spice Jars:
- Rainbow Dot Sprinkles
- Assorted Candy Googly Eyes
- sliced almonds
- chia seeds
- mini holiday chips
- dark chocolate chips
2. Wash and dry your spice jars. I ran them through the dishwasher just to ensure they were dust and smudge-free. They dried beautifully.
3. Fill your jars with toppings. Both the small and large spice jars I used came with funnels, which were very useful for the smaller grain toppings. Some toppings will just need to be carefully poured in. Note: both sets of jars come with inner plastic lids for sifting.
4. Label your jars. Both sets of jars came with their own labels that you could write on (a chalkboard style set and a clear label set). But I decided to use my label maker with clear tape to create my labels for atop the jar lids.
5. Label your turntable. I used my Silhouette machine and White Carbon Fiber Vinyl to create vinyl letters that say, “Mark’s Turntable of Toppings.” Here’s the font I used in my design.
I used my hook tool to weed my vinyl as displayed here by my lovely assistant…
…as well as transfer tape and my scraper to apply the vinyl to the turntable.
Click HERE for a detailed tutorial on how to create your own custom vinyl labels. You could also purchase a set of Waterproof White Sticker Vinyl Letters and place them one by one!
Heads-up: Silhouette’s Holiday Sale runs through December 7th, 2020 if you need to stock up on supplies at 50% off discount using my affiliate code CLOSET at checkout. And definitely check out their machine bundles if you’ve had your eye on one! This is the biggest sale of the year and the best time to invest.
6. Add a bow on top and your gift is ready!
I really meant what I said in the video:
I love giving gifts. And I especially love giving gifts that are super specific to the recipient. Made just for them. So I’ll take one unique quality about someone, and go all out celebrating that one thing. The more random, the better. I mean, a one of a kind person deserves a one of a kind gift, right? The best part is the look on their face when they open it. And that’s a gift to me, too.
It truly brings me joy to create gifts like these that make the recipient feel known and loved. And it was evident from Mark’s face when he received “Mark’s Turntable of Toppings” that that’s exactly how he felt. Mission accomplished!
He has already been putting these fun toppings to good use, so much so that I need to refill some of the bottles already. (A good sign.)
The other night, the girls’ bananas had googly eyes. Ha ha. So really, this is a gift to all of us!
Where to next?
If you love one-of-a-kind gifts for one-of-a-kind people just like this one, well, I have 75 more gift ideas like this one in my book, Thinking Outside the Gift Box! Each book package comes with an instant download of the book in PDF format and a free printable toolkit of ready-to-make gifts. So, what are you waiting for? Check it out HERE.
Here’s one of my most popular gift ideas EVER, “What I Love About You From A to Z” mini-book, which is a free printable that comes with the book:
*Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping to support this site!
Super fun and practical gift, Lauren. And so specific to Mark who is truly a creative gourmet cook!
You are blessed and so wise to encourage him!
Someone gifted us Himalayan salt and so I’m curious, how do you and Mark use it?
Also the edible goggly eyes are the cat’s meow!
Thanks for always inspiring us with these outside the gift box ideas!