Homemade Hostess Gifts

Homemade Versus Store Bought Gifts

It may be easier to pick up a bottle of wine, a bouquet of flowers, or a luxurious scented candle for a hostess gift, but store bought gifts do not always convey the appreciation and respect for a hostess’s efforts that a homemade gift can. A party planner puts tremendous effort into an event, from sending invitations to coordinating decorations to planning a menu to offering activities, and a homemade gift shows similar time, effort, and thought. The more unusual the homemade item, the more meaningful it may be because it also demonstrates the friendship between the party hostess and the guest.

Ideas for Homemade Hostess Gifts

Homemade gifts can be simple items or elaborate creations. How much effort and time a guest puts into a homemade gift can reflect their relationship with the hostess or simply demonstrate their passion for creating lovely homemade items. Either way, a homemade gift is sure to be memorable and appreciated.

Popular homemade gift ideas include:

• Baking: Cookies, pies, breads, and other treats are delicious gift options, particularly if the party hostess is not as adept in the kitchen or if the gift represents a gourmet or specialized treat. These gifts may be enjoyed right at the party or they could be saved for the hostess to enjoy after the event. Another variation is a mix-in-a-jar for muffins, brownies, or other easy to bake treats.
• Scrapbooks: A blank scrapbook with a coordinated theme can be a welcome homemade gift. If the party is a holiday celebration, for example, the scrapbook could be decorated to eventually showcase the event, or it may be a simpler design for family photos or other mementos.
• Knitting or Crochet: Hundreds of great gifts can be made with yarn, including potholders, ponchos, scarves, gloves, doilies, and more. Choose luxurious yarns and elegant colors for a treasured gift.
• Embroidery: An embroidered gift is easy to make and is a fabulous hostess gift. Table linens, towels, and samplers can easily be embroidered with “Home Sweet Home” sentiments or decorative details such as monograms, flowers, or patterns.

Homemade Soaps

• Paintings: An artistic guest may be able to paint a hostess gift. Landscapes and seascapes are lovely choices, or an even more talented artist may paint a picture of the hostess’s home for personal appeal.
• Soaps and Candles: Homemade soaps and candles can easily be customized with favorite scents, colors, and shapes, and they make luxurious and practical gifts.
• Home Grown Gifts: Gardening guests can surprise the party host with a gift of fresh flowers, produce, or herbs.
• Jewelry: Beaded jewelry is delicate and distinctive, and handmade earrings or a necklace can be a lovely and unique hostess gift.
• Freezer Meals: Delicious meals can be created specifically to be frozen and cooked later with a minimum of fuss or effort. After a hostess prepares an elaborate party menu, she may be delighted to enjoy a quick freezer meal the next day.
• Service: Guests who do not feel they can create homemade gifts can always offer their labor and service in appreciation. Help clean up after the party, assist with yard work or landscaping, sew clothes, baby sit, or do other small tasks to show thanks for the fun event.
• Coupon Book: A fun homemade gift idea is a neighborly coupon book. A printer and a few graphics are all that is necessary to craft fun vouchers that can be exchanged for things like a quick hand with a chore, running an errand, borrowing a cup of sugar, or just enjoying a morning coffee together.

Tips for the Best Gifts

The best gifts – homemade or not – are those that are truly meant for the recipient. Making a gift they are sure to enjoy because it reflects their interests ensures that the gift is meaningful and appreciated. Gifts should be carefully crafted with appropriate attention to detail to give them the highest quality, with extra touches added to personalize the gift for the hostess and her home.

Homemade Alternatives

Some guests may not be able to craft homemade hostess gifts and may not have the time to offer their services or skills in thanks. In this case, there are several alternatives that can be just as distinctive and thoughtful as homemade gifts.

• Gift Baskets: While individual items in a gift basket may not be homemade, the act of choosing different coordinated items and arranging them attractively adds a personal touch to a delightful gift.
• Unique Gifts: Choose unique, unusual gifts that will be memorable tokens of appreciation rather than predictable items. Apres dinner drinks, toys for the children, or a bonsai tree are all unique and interesting choices.
• Reciprocate: One of the best gifts a guest can offer is a reciprocal invitation to take the hostess out to dinner or to enjoy a party she doesn’t have to plan.

Homemade hostess gifts range from small tokens of appreciation to larger, more elaborate creations, but they all have something in common: by putting personal effort into creating the perfect gift, the party guest is showing his or her appreciation far better than a standard gift ever could.

For more information about homemade gift ideas, visit LoveToKnow Crafts!