Whether you’re attending a dinner party or spending the weekend at a friend's house, its customary to show your appreciation to your host and/or hostess with a thank-you gift. Whether its treats from your kitchen, a gift basket or bottle of wine, we’ve suggested some of our top one-of-a-kind and favorite gift ideas below!
1. Good morning:
After a busy night of cooking and entertaining a really thoughtful gift is giving a breakfast gift basket for the following morning with all the essentials. Line a basket with tea, coffee, sugar, scones, muffins and jam. These healthy breakfast items will are the perfect start to the day!
2. Coasters:
Cork coasters or decorative coasters are a personal and practical hostess gift that will be a sure hit. Create a set for your hostess, tie together with ribbon, and present with a nice bottle of wine.
Tips: Bed Bath & Beyond has great cork coasters that you can design yourself. You’ll just need craft paint, masking tape and stencils to create the perfect homemade hostess gift.
- Create stripes with masking tape and initials with vinyl letters.
- With a stencil brush, apply craft paint; let it dry; then remove tape or letter.
- Tie together with colored ribbon
3. Taper candles or handmade votive candles:
Gifting candles is always a classic gift that you can’t go wrong with. Whether its traditional white or cream taper candles for candlelit dinners or votive candles to display on a coffee table or in your kitchen, both are gifts that the hostess will find very useful.
Tips: Check out candlescience.com for step by step details on how to create your own votive candles. A set of votive candles makes the perfect compact gift for any hostess, and making them yourself out of beeswax adds a personal touch.
4. Flowers:
Bringing a fresh flower bouquet is a lovely gift for any hostess. What woman doesn't love fresh flowers? :)
Tips: We do suggest having the bouquet already trimmed and in a pretty vessel (an open container that holds cut flowers). Having the flowers "ready to go" is thoughtful so that the hostess doesn't have to unwrap them, snap the stems and find a good vase all while attending to her party guests. Another nice option is sending the flowers the day before or the day after and accompanying them with a nice thank you note.
5. Wine cork:
We love to give a bottle of refreshing rose in summer or rich malbec in the winter and adding a vintage or monogramed corkscrew makes it feel special. It’s the perfect gift paired in one!
Tip: Pottery Barn has great monogramed wine corkscrews that we love.
6. Homemade breads or pies:
A tasty homemade poppyseed bread or pumpkin bread makes a thoughtful hostess gift. We suggest wrapping in a clear bag with a bright bow or wrapped with linen or striped cotton and neatly tied with colored, waxed-linen thread. It's the perfect touch to this homemade treat!
7. Sweet relief:
Present your hostess with a set of luxurious toiletries for her to enjoy after the party. We suggest buying a small basket (Marshalls sells great baskets) and lining it with a simple cloth and then place a variety of bath products such as scented bar soaps, bath salts, bubble bath, bath gel, lotion, candles, and tea bags.
Tip: Bath & Body Works sells great already packaged gift sets so if you’re not up for putting together your own DIY basket we suggest gifting one of their sets.
8. Jam gift package:
This small, thoughtful gift is a great way to thank a hostess. Wrap two loaves of French baguettes in a linen dish towel, and top with a small jar of homemade jam. We suggest tying the bread and jam together with a pretty bow or ribbon. Adding a spreader on top is the perfect touch.