Personalized Hostess Gift

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, friends, which means many of us have family to visit and food to cook. If you’re like me and have managed to not end up hosting the big meal, you may find yourself looking for a small but thoughtful gift for your hosts. Here’s a quick and really simple idea I came up with that anyone can do.

Personalized Hostess Gift

All you need is a wooden spoon and a recipe – this is extra awesome if you gift a copy of a recipe you are actually contributing to the meal. So often, we’ll be sitting around the table and much of the conversation is one guest asking the other for the recipe because they’re enjoying a dish so much. But with all the bustle of the festivities, those recipes rarely actually get shared. So, I thought it would be a nice gesture to give your hostess a copy in a cute and personal way.  Here’s how I did it, and you can too!

Materials:
Some of mine were provided by sponsors, but all opinions are honestly my own.
– wooden spoon
– Krylon Gold Leafing Pen
– washi or painters’ tape
– 3×5 index card or piece of scrapbook paper
– hole punch
– Epson Printable Ribbon Kit {or of course you could substitute any ribbon you like}

Step 1: Tape a pattern on your spoon handle. Remember, the areas covered by the tape will remain the natural wood, while the areas you can see will be colored. I did a large stripe at the top and bottom and three thin stripes in between, but you can do any kind of pattern you like. If you want your stripes closer together, just cut the tape in half!

hostessgift5

Step 2: Color in between your tape lines using the Krylon Gold Leafing Pen. If you prefer a different color, you can certainly use any kind of paint you like. Metallic paint will work too; I just chose to go with the pen because it’s literally as easy as coloring on the wood with a marker and there’s no mess to clean up. Plus, the drying time is faster than regular paint, which {as an impatient crafter} I appreciate.

hostessgift6

Step 3: Remove the tape and set your spoon aside.

Now, this next part is super-duper cool. If you don’t happen to have the Epson LW-300 Printer, you can most definitely substitute any cute and festive ribbon you can find and your project will still be fabulous. But this is my new toy, so let me show you how it works…and why you might want to put it on your own Christmas list.

This is the back of the printer, opened up, and you can see that along with 6 AAA batteries, there’s a space for a ribbon cartridge. This particular one is brown ribbon with gold ink, which I thought was pretty for Thanksgiving. There are lots of different ribbon and ink combinations to choose from, though, and each starter kit comes with two.

hostessgiftepson

Once the cartridge is loaded, it’s time to turn on the printer and create whatever message you want your ribbon to say. You can choose from 14 different fonts and 10 different styles {bold, italic, outline, shadow, etc}, as well as over 300 symbols. The machine has a built in memory for up to 30 labels too, so you don’t have to start over again every time.

hostessgiftepson2

I chose to make my ribbon say, “grateful for you,” followed by a leaf, “give thanks,” another leaf, and then the hosts’ names, “stephen & joanna.” Here’s how it turned out.

Host Gift Idea

Step 4: Write your recipe on a card or piece of patterned paper. Punch a hole in the corner and thread it through the ribbon, then tie in a knot around the painted spoon.

Hostess Gift Idea

And that’s all there is to it, friends. So often, giving a gift isn’t at all about how much it cost, but the thoughtfulness it shows. A sweet gesture like this is sure to be appreciated by any hostess in your life. {Especially those who, like me, might be allergic to flowers!} As an added bonus, it’s a good way to let your hosts know what ingredients your dish contains so that they can skim for any allergens they know other guests may be sensitive to and can tip them off privately.

Hostess Gift Idea

What do you think? What are some of the best hostess gifts you’ve ever given or received?

honestlyheart2

Similar Posts

4 Comments

  1. Such a sweet and cute idea! I don’t think I’ve ever received a hostess gift. But I have given towels, hand soap from Bath & Body Works, cute frame, etc.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.