Gift Giving Guidance - A Simple, Chic Hostess Gift

So here's the situation: My hubby and I were invited to dinner by some sweet friends of ours, and I wanted to create a cute, little hostess basket for them. I had noticed from their social media that our friends had been doing a lot of baking, so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to give them something that could aid their process in making all of those wonderful baked goods. 

I have found that gift giving around a theme makes it super easy for the giver. Furthermore, sticking to a specific color scheme also makes gift wrapping and presentation a breeze... and we know that as with most things in life, it's all about the presentation! 

So the gifts themselves, which I purchased from IKEA, came in right under $20. I jazzed up the basket with Givande paper ribbon from the IKEA papershop (which I already had on hand) and a wire basket from Target's Bullseye Playground for $3. The cake decorating set was wrapped using a paper bag that I cut flat and trimmed out in Scotch Washi Tape from my craft stash. To assemble the basket, I gently folded the textiles, added the wrapped box in back, then slid a hand-written card between the folds. Easy peasy, right?  If you want to create something similar - here's a little help! 

Smaksam cake decorating set / Gubbrora spatula / Givande paper ribbon 

Unfortunately the Sommar towels and apron I used is no longer available, but no worries! You can find other super cute kitchen textile collections here or even here!

And if your hostess (or host) isn't a baker, here a few more theme ideas:

• The coffee or tea lover (mug, french press, tea or coffee, milk frother, batteries)
• The bartender (ice molds, cocktail shaker, glasses, coasters, wine opener)
• The neat freak (brushes, sponges, cleaning cloths, mini dustpan, soap)
• The workaholic (notebook, notepad, pens, pencils, scissors, paperclips)
• The chef (timer, garlic press, peeler, meat thermometer, oven mitt, trivets)

So what have we learned today about creating an easy, effective hostess gift? 

1. Make it easy, stick to a theme!
2. Using a color scheme creates a bigger impact.
3. Keep a small stash of gift supplies.  
4. Presentation is EVERYTHING!
5. Great gifts don't have to cost a lot - they can be small, but also chic!