The Lost Art of the Hostess Gift

On Saturday one of my friends brought a hostess gift to our get-together.  I was so touched by her thoughtfulness that it made me start to think about how we ( I ) don't do things like that enough.  Small gestures that simply say 'thank you' for your time and your effort.  I especially like the idea of how much more special a gift like that becomes when it's made by the giver.

I took some time today to try to find a couple great handmade hostess gift ideas.  Here are the best ones (I think!).  When giving these types of gifts, I'm drawn to things that the recipient can use/consume or are useful in nature.   Each of the names are linked to a set of instructions that show you how to make them yourself.  I came up with a couple ideas of my own, but I'll save those for a future posting! 

Tea Sachets in a Gift Box  marthastewart.com
A delicious and personal gift that you can easily customize for the recipient.  I love the chocolate box feel of the sachets and their 'flavour guide' on the lid of the box where you match up the tags to the flavours.



Flavoured Sugars  marthastewart.com
Another delicious gift, but for more of a 'foodie' type of person who will appreciate and know what to do with them.  These are so beautiful that they could easily be left out for display. I found jars like these at Ikea a couple years ago, I'm not sure if they still have them there.

Sewing Kit in a Jar  marthastewart.com
I don't know about you, but I keep my sewing box downstairs. I think it's an amazing idea to have a little kit like this handy for all those little sewing projects that get left undone because it's such a pain to go all the way downstairs for the box!

This idea would translate really well into other forms like a mini embroidery kit ore even a mini craft jar to keep in the car for the kids when they need an unanticipated distraction.  You can easily customize it for whomever you're giving it to.

Fun Functional Bags  marthastewart.com
As I'm sure you've guessed by now, I love personalized items either with initials or even images that are relevant to the person for whom I'm making them.

These bags are simple, functional and give you such a range of creative options that you can easily make a perfect gift for anyone and any occasion.  You can easily sew simple bags like these or if you'd prefer to buy them, they should be pretty easy to find. If I come across any, I'll be sure to update this posting.

Sea Salt Scrub  tipnut.com
I thought this idea was lovely.  Create scrubs in variety of different scents for a variety of different purposes.  Packaged in a glass jar with a tag that has the name and instructions for how to use it as well as a metal scoop, and you've brought the spa experience home.

ApartmentTherapy.com has a number of wonderful and different DIY ideas for hostess gifts.  I especially like the hand-printed tea towels (shown below) but you'll have to keep your eyes peeled in the stores for plain tea towels which I haven't seen very often.

Hopefully I've given you a couple ideas that have inspired you to never go empty-handed again!

- Jacs