A New Spin on Hostess Gift Ideas!

Image by ZenOptic via Flickr

Tonight I am attending a cocktail party with my husband.  Usually, I bring a nice bottle of wine or sometimes an orchid, but I am in the mood to do something a little different. When I host, I never complain when a guest brings wine, but sometimes it is nice to receive something a little out of the ordinary and thoughtful.  This made me start to think of what other types of gifts are out there.

I started looking around in local shops and online to get some ideas.  Pottery Barn had some great bottle stoppers. The one that says "stop" is great. If you keep scrolling down they have martini shakers with glasses. This made me think, why not purchase a bottle of liquor, as well as the shaker, and then hand write a drink recipe for the host to try.  I think handwriting the recipe, on a nice piece of stationary, gives the gift a more personal feel. Or you could monogram the shaker and the glasses with their initials.
Thinking of monogramming, I found this wonderful website that has a plethora of monogrammed gifts! If the host is an organized person, you could monogram a bulletin board, or if they host often, they have serving trays and much more. Really is a cute site.
Now, for the hostess's that are Eco Friendly you could give personalized reusable shopping bags.  Flip and Tumble have some wonderful stuff! They even have produce bags! How fun.  I just ordered the bags with the birdie for myself!  Lastly, if the host/hostess is into stationary, a personalized stamp would be a fantastic idea!

These are a couple of non traditional ideas.  Just remember to not stress about it. Soaps, candles, and dishtowels are always wonderful as well.  Also, cookbooks or a Table-Top books are great ideas.  Keep in mind, you do not need to wrap it. A simple bow will do fine. 
Hope this helps and have fun at all your parties!