Fancy soaps sit on the bathroom shelf, and potpourri sachets get lost in a drawer. So, instead of bringing traditional hostess gifts when you visit a friend, bust out one of these slam-dunk gifts that people will love (and want to use!) right away.1. Adorable watchdog doorstop to make them smile, $24.
2. Spanish lavender to make their kitchen smell like summer, $58.
3. Indoor s'more maker, for obvious reasons, $25.
4. Summery rosé wine, with a tree wine stopper, $8.
5. Cheeky dish towel, since we've all been there, $16.50.
6. Big Sur room spray to inspire wanderlust, $20.
7. Guilty-pleasure gossip magazines to flip through together.
Thoughts? What do you normally bring as a hostess gift?
P.S. More round-ups, and the first travel week...
(Post by Joanna. Graphic design by Rachel from Elephantine for Cup of Jo.)
The s'more maker is awesome! We're thinking about having a s'more bar at our wedding and that would be a perfect addition!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.runningblonde.com
i love number 1 and 2!! that puppy door stopper is so cute!!
ReplyDeletethat s'more maker is such a good idea! i need to invite some people over to try that one out...! yum! :)
ReplyDeleteDaniel Craig is such a Man, makes me wish I was a few years older.
ReplyDelete/ Avy
http://MyMotherFuckedMickJagger.blogspot.com
♥
love this post! and daniel craig...mmm don't even get me started ;)
ReplyDeletealissa b
http://alissab.us
Loving all your great ideas here! I often struggle with hostess gifts and usually end up just bringing a bottle of wine. I love that dog door stopper- too cute!
ReplyDeleteall of the sudden i NEED a tree wine stopper. absolutey adorable! xo. blog.tarapolly.com
ReplyDeletewedding smores would be amazing! great idea:)
ReplyDeletetara polly, i love wine stoppers. they're just a little added pleasure, i think. our babysitter gave me one for my birthday, and i love it :)
ReplyDeleteWhoa! How cool is an indoor smore maker? I would be happy to host any event to get that as a gift.
ReplyDeletewhenever I get together with my college friends (we are now in our 40's) one of our favorite pastimes is sitting around reading cheesy magazines aloud to one another- it is a summer pastime for us! Whoever is hosting the yearly get together is feted with many magazines, for the weekends "down time".
ReplyDeleteThere's a really good microbrewery in my neighborhood that just started selling bottled beer (before, it was only available in restaurants). I like to pick up a 6-pack of O'Connor whenever we go out of town. It's a good conversation starter - we've even met other people from our area because they recognized the label!
ReplyDeleteGreat gifts, but why is the lavender so crazy expensive?
ReplyDeletexx Marjolein
(The Netherlands)
Anything handmade but consumable seems to be a hit. A homemade and low-cal/low-fat banana bread that's wrapped up ready to go into the freezer seems to be a hit! Or a couple hand-knit dishcloths that can be turfed the minute they're not helpful anymore!
ReplyDeleteI think booze or something edible is always best -- that way it doesn't sit around for long.
ReplyDeleteIf I know my hostess is like me in her love of plants, I will bring a little potted friend. Sometimes that can be a little too much responsibility for some people, so I like to know they are plant people first.
It's always so nice when someone brings a hostess gift! Personally, I love to bring Italian sodas from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's (the glass bottles are really pretty) and sometimes, I bring really cute, festive grown-up napkins. xo
ReplyDeleteI've started to bring little gift sets from our local Oil & Vinegar store (and sometimes a loaf of bread to enjoy!). It comes with a small dish that you can mix the dried herbs with the delicious olive oil, and viola! An app is ready to be enjoyed now or later :)
ReplyDeleteOh these are awesome hostess gifts. Thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteI love all of these! I usually take wine or olive oil when I go to someone's house for dinner, but these would be great for an overnight or weekend stay! I like getting, flowers, anything foodie that I wouldn't buy myself, like marcona almonds, and would love that rose with a wine stopper. (I also love that doggie doorstop!)
ReplyDeletethat s'more maker...genius! nice roundup, rachel.
ReplyDeletexx,
Aja Lake
the gold hat.
Wow very cool s'more maker, never seen that. Have a beautiful evening.
ReplyDeleteI think I would love to give/receive the wine bottle and room spray the most.
ReplyDeleteThese days I mostly gift bakes to hosts. Brownies, cookies, etc are easier to give than go shopping hunting for gifts and wonder, "will they like this?" ... "is this their kinda thing?"... :)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Giveaway # 1 - Cupcake Carrier - Bake n' Take!
what great ideas! I might throw a party and causally suggest these as gift - I could really use that wine stopper or spanish lavender
ReplyDeleteTreasure Tromp
i saw your tweet, and thought you meant a real puppy. i was scratching my head for a few minutes, thinking, "would a puppy REALLY be a good hostess gift? i feel like that's so risky..."
ReplyDeletenow i understand. :)
Oh, that little door stop. My four year old plays endlessly with statues, including a little metal job from Watertown, a mutt made from metal bits. She'd adore this.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!!!! My most favorite is probably the guilty pleasure magazines, because I love them but would never actually spend my own money on them ;)
ReplyDeleteNurse Frugal
http://ladiesgofirst.wordpress.com
I love all of these, but it's actually considered bad luck to receive a towel as a gift. Superstition says if you do, someone in your family will die. I might buy that one for myself though...
ReplyDeleteIn the last couple of months, I have bought french lemonade to my girlfriends. This is because almost every one of them is now pregnant, and a little lemonade with some bubbles is just perfect:)
ReplyDelete-Bella
wine, flowers or some home-made baked dish is my go-to! nowadays everyone has an allergy or dietary restriction to something though so it's difficult to bring a home-cooked little dish.
ReplyDeletexoxo,
mon amy
This is a really great post! xoxo
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hellohellofriday.com/
I think I love all those things, but the dog doorstop is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI am on sort of a "dog" kick and recently purchased a really cute 15" cast iron weiner dog doorstop/bootscraper from High Street Market online. That other door stop could come join the family.
Some of my favorite hostess gifts! I always love to give a book of short stories, like Raymond Carver, or a quick novel like The Martian Chronicles for them to read and unwind after a big bash!
ReplyDeleteHow cool is that indoor smore maker! I always just held marshmallows over the flame of the gas stove...
ReplyDeleteThat Spanish Lavender would be amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe Lavender plant is absolutely beautiful! It would make a wonderful hostess gift. I also like giving nice champagne glasses, with a bottle of sparkling wine. Champagne glasses are usually ok if they're not part of a matching set:)
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh, that indoor s'more maker. IN LOVE!!!!
ReplyDeletexo TJ
S'MORE MAKER! So on my wish list!
ReplyDeleteThat s'more maker is ingenious!
ReplyDeleteSuch great ideas! My favorite is #5! I think my husband looks like Daniel Craig, so I get this guilty pleasure every night!
ReplyDeleteFab! I especially love the dish cloth and the s'more maker?! We don't really do that in the UK but they always look so tempting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
x
http://i-should-coco.blogspot.com/
I like to bring a bottle of high quality olive oil. That way they can use it that evening and later after everyone leaves. Plus its not something you usually get yourself but its something that's always great to have.
ReplyDeleteI love tea towels of pretty much any stripe!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cute! I love the inside s'more contraption, a must have!
ReplyDeleteFlowers best hostess gift
ReplyDeleteLove the tea towel,but really, a night dream? Betcha a daydream.
That s'more maker is ingenious, I want one!
ReplyDeleteGossip magazines! My best friend and I always buy them for each other! Now that we live 2500 km apart we buy them, stick post-its with our comments in the funny photographs ot texts and send them per mail!
ReplyDeleteWhat a coincidence, my boyfriend and I just spent a week with friends in Brooklyn (I'm from San Diego) and we were racking our brains for weeks trying to decide what to get our friends as hostess presents. We ended up getting them a pretty wooden serving platter that looks like a slice right out of a tree trunk, three cheeses from a local cheese shop, hard salami and some tomato jam. One night, we picked up some fresh fruit from the market, some wine, and made them a platter of cheeses and other goodies.
ReplyDeleteDarling!!! I love these ideas. My cousin taught me that a plant is always a great gift and I agree!
ReplyDeleterocky road cookies, or cakes to share after dinner (my sister and i have a thing that whichever of us cooks dinner, the other provides dessert) X
ReplyDeleteThose are very lovely gifts you have there. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post. I want that rose wine.
ReplyDeletewaikiki hotel