Hostess with the Mostest

 

How many of you are like me, and feel the need to bring a hostess gift with you to a dinner party or a get-together? You probably either agree, or you may read that and think I'm Martha Stewart on steroids and I always bring a gift with me when I leave the house, but that would be very very wrong. We do, however try to always bring something with us when we are invited over - but that "something" varies depending on the situation. When we visit with friends we see all the time we usually bring beer or wine, or if dinner is involved - a side dish or dessert. But friends we don't see often or if it's an actual "dinner party", sometimes it's necessary to present our hosts with a token of our appreciation for their hospitality.

Now when you couple that with two very busy schedules and multiple circles of friends, there is sometimes a last minute rush to grab a gift and head out the door. So it is for this reason that I have taken a queue from the master himself (Colin Cowie) and I keep a few hostess gifts on hand, ready to go!. Colin suggests that you keep these items wrapped and labeled with sticky notes so you don't forget what it is. ~Genius!~

So, what kinds of things do I keep on hand to give as a gift? Obviously nothing personalized since I'm never sure who is going to get it. And by the same token, it can't be anything too personal or taste specific. There are 6 categories of gifts I have in my "gift closet" and 6 weeks until New Years'. So, I'm turning this into a MINISERIES! I'll feature a different category each week from now until New Years, with lots of ideas for you all. This week's category: Vino! I thought it was a great item to start with since it's typically the most common hostess gift to give.

Generally you would give a red or white, but sometimes it's more festive to give a bottle of champagne instead. Now I LOVE me some bubbly, but not everyone does. A great option? Asti - Spumante. It's a sweeter alternative to dry champagne. The best brand? Martini + Rossi. Anywhere from $10 - $18 depending on where you go. (Yay, Costco!)

For times when you can get away with giving just simply a bottle of wine, its nice to dress it up with a gift tag.  You can get a stash that are personalized with a message from you and just slip one over top of the bottle neck - good to go! And if you don't know a lot about wines or you don't drink the stuff yourself, how great are these wine tags from Papermash?!

You can also dress it up with a pretty gift bag. Go with a gift bag from a card store, or go multi-purpose with a wine tote. It's a gift bag for your wine but is a gift all by itself that can be used over and over again. I love the Built NY wine koozie totes. These are especially great if you're giving a white wine that needs to be kept cold. If you're going to keep one on-hand and you're not sure who will end up receiving it, try a basic black or even red.

A pretty bottle stopper is another great option. You can get these anywhere! I try to keep my eye out for them when I'm out. I love these from Pottery Barn

Some other wine accessories are a fancy bottle opener like the Metrokane Rabbit.

Or try the Vinturi wine aerators - they have one for red AND one for white!

With the holidays coming up, you'll most likely know of parties and get-togethers in advance so you can be better prepared with a gift picked out just for the recipient. It's fun to give something more personal and specialized during the holidays. You don't necessarily have to spend a ton of money on these gifts either. I'm going to be working on some DIY gifts this season to keep my budget under control. I tested one out last night and I can't wait share with you!

Stay tuned for these DIY money-savers and don't forget to check back each week between now and New Years to see what else I've got stashed away in my "gift closet"!

Two Birds: One Stone

I killed two birds with one stone and I'm going to show you how I did it. (Not literally, I promise!)


My desk at work (at my "9 to 5" job ...which is NEVER 9:00 to 5:00 so why do I call it that??) is a desk in an open area. It sits outside my office with a window and a door that closes (where I only sit about once or twice a week). I can't keep a plant or real flowers at this desk because there's no sunlight and they would die very quickly so I have had the same fake flowers on my desk for almost 8 years. Well, maybe only as long as I've been in my current building so let's say 5 years. Needless to say, I have grown tired of these flowers. They are also orange and don't go with my stuff unless my Autumn and Halloween decorations are out. So, I gave them to a co-worker.


I have another problem which I'm sure a lot of people can relate to. Being that I'm in an open area, people always steal my stuff (mostly pens). I try to keep a separate stash of pens and pencils I don't care about so that when they disappear I don't care as much - but it gets expensive because I constantly have to replace them. And since I'm OCD, they have to match the decor so they can't be any old pens or pencils.


My solution:


I made flower pens! They are great! I have to admit, I don't like them separately because they look a little juvenile. But when grouped together, they look like a pretty decent bunch of (fake) flowers! Now, when people "borrow" a pen, most of them are guys and won't want to hang on to it. The rest of them who do take it, won't be able to claim it's theirs when I catch them with it!

Start off with regular stick pens. DON'T use click pens!

Cut the stem of the flower to the length you prefer. I tried several different lengths but never past the soft grip of the pen.

Use floral tape (I used green to make it look more like a flower stem) and wrap the pen and stem closely together...all the way down to the end of the stem and all the way back up to the top.

et voila! It's that easy!

Repeat until you have enough flowers to fill a cup or vase. If you want the look of an arrangement, it would be better to use different pens of different lengths. I used the same pens so they would match.

The finished product resting on my Colin Cowie Bible.

(Seriously, the book is my hostessing, organizing BIBLE)

I'm dreaming of a Tequila Christmas!...

I *heart* Neiman Marcus (and Horchow and Bergdorf's). The Neiman's Christmas Book just came out. The theme this year is 50 years of His & Hers. It's a super cute concept. I enjoy seeing what the big gift items are each year. Always things that are completely extravagant and 5-6 figure price tags or more - totally not in my price range. But, fun to look at! This year they have a 2011 Camaro - a Neiman Marcus edition Camaro. What do you think?


But my favorite gift item that I would LOVE for someone to give me? The party planned by none other than Colin Cowie himself!

Colin Cowie will plan a party for 75 guests in your home, Chef Todd English will cook up some divine delights for you to munch on, all while you sample Tequila Avion cocktails created by mixologist Yusef Austin and listen to the sounds of DJ Donna d'Cruz. All this can be yours for the budget-friendly price tag of $125,000.

*Keep Dreaming, Kat*


Check out the Neiman Marcus flip book online if you didn't get your own copy at home!