Guest Post: Hostess Gifts

As I mentioned yesterday, Tyler's back with her second guest post and this time she's giving us ideas on hostess gifts. Enjoy!

Whenever I attend a dinner party or stay at someone's home, I like to bring a gift to show my appreciation for their hospitality. I typically like to include something homemade and/or a few items that the host can enjoy after I've left.  Recently we went to a friend's house for dinner and I wanted to put together a gift basket.  I wanted to include not only an item for her, but also some items that her entire family could enjoy.

This bushel basket was on clearance at Michaels.  I already had the stuffing left over from our wedding gift boxes - I knew ordering five pounds of this stuff would pay off eventually :)

I found these initial mugs on clearance at Michaels as well.

These cocoa mixes were at World Market.  Salted Caramel for the adults and Hello Kitty pink hot chocolate for the kids.

Town and Country - I think magazines make an excellent addition to a hostess gift since it allows the recipient to take some time for themselves after their event.

Lastly, I made s'mores cookies - I used a recipe I found on Two Peas and Their Pod:
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/recipe-for-smores-cookies/

I already had the treat bags and twine on hand, both of which I had purchased at Hobby Lobby.

It doesn't take a lot to create a hostess gift - After all of my purchases, I spent less than $22.  Whether your gift is homemade, store bought or a combination of the two, your host will definitely appreciate your thoughtfulness.