November 18, 2009

A perfect and personal hostess gift for the holidays…and it’s a snap to create.

I’ve just received several invites to holiday soirees next month so I’ve been on the prowl for the perfect little treat to give to each hostess.

While it’s fun to pop into a boutique and grab a pre-fab. gift, I wanted to put a little more of a “personal touch” into these.

So when I came upon this post by Mindy Lockard from Manner of the Month, I knew I’d found my answer. I adore forced bulbs and always have big bold Amaryllis on my mantel in January. It just feels like I’m getting away with something having blooming flowers in my house in the middle of our brutal Mid-West winters.

Because Mindy is oh so gracious, she’s agreed to share this idea with all of us.
Here’s what Mindy will be giving to the hostesses in her life this season.

Thanks for sharing it with us Mindy! (and for letting us steal it for ourselves).

Today, while standing in line at Trader Joe’s wondering why I always pick. The. Slowest. Line. These pots caught my eye.

In previous years I’ve put-off buying little gifts like this until the night of the event or a few days before the last day of school.

For me, last minute shopping creates undo stress–not to mention I usually end up spending twice as much. This year, I’m trying to listen to those little proactive whispers and get most of my shopping done by Thanksgiving.
Responding to the Christmas nudge, I added a couple amaryllis pots for teacher gifts and paperwhites for Hostess Gifts to my cart.
In the spirit of getting ahead, after the girls went to bed I created labels in Microsoft Word and printed them on Avery #5265 sticker paper…

cut them out, stuck them to the top and wrapped with ribbon I had left over from Elle’s birthday invitations.

Next, I cleaned out our hostess gift closet making room for these gifts and a few others.

These will be perfect for those invitations we have from family for several Christmas gatherings and last minute seasonal holiday invites. Hostess gifts don’t have to be elaborate or expensive to say thanks for the invitation. And, remember it’s gracious to arrive with a token of thanks no matter if the invitation is from a friend or family member.