元素不会显示在其包含元素的边界之外

I have a div (relatively positioned) containing data, and want a series of buttons sitting on top of the box. These buttons are just div's with absolute positioning. However, if I position them outside the containing div they do not display. They display fine if the positioning is positive (inside the main div). Is it possible to have an absolute positioned div (or other element, I'm not fussy) show outside the bounds of its container? If so, how?I have a div (relatively positioned) containing