David Tsay
22.07.2023 - 14:05 / thespruce.com
You know by now that it's always good manners to show up to an event with a little trinket for the host in tow. But if you're feeling stumped about what to bring with you to the next summer get together that's on your calendar, we're here to provide you with a whole new list of ideas that are sure to be well received.
Below, expert party planners share 13 of their fave items to give as hostess gifts.
August Morgan
Ellie Durbin, founder and planner at The Aisle Assistant, a wedding planner service, likes to present friends with whimsical cocktail napkins like the ones shown here.
«These cheeky cocktail napkins are so fun, it's impossible not to smile,» she says. Order a matching set or choose a few favorite designs and present your host with a customized mix of napkins, if you wish.
Mariah Grumet, founder of Old Soul Etiquette, agrees that cocktail napkins are always an excellent gift choice.
«I like the versatility of them, as you can choose between paper or linen depending on your budget and relationship with the host,» she comments.
Sorelle Gifts
Rather than simply arriving at a party with a bottle of bubbly in hand, Lindsey Morgan, owner and creative director of Bello & Blue Events, makes an effort to take an additional step when it comes to presentation.
«If I find cute tea towels, I will buy several and use them to wrap hostess gifts,» she says. «This one is really cute and would be darling wrapped around a bottle of champagne and tied with a pretty bow!»
West Elm
As Elise Keen, owner of Keen Events, says, «anything related to cuisine is always a hit» when it comes to a hostess gift. In particular, wooden spoons are one of her go-to gifts.
Amazon
If you're looking for an activity that you will be able to enjoy with
No food signifies summer more than watermelon. We’re so sweet on the hot pink (or yellow) fruit that we designed an entire watermelon bar party showcasing the many ways to snack on, sip, and even centerpiece-ify the hydrating produce item.
A late start to the gardening season may not deterred insects. Bees and hoverflies are spoilt for choice of nectar rich flowers in the summer months
Can you grow too much of a good thing? Yes I think so. There are only so many plants you can accommodate in the garden, house or even through life. So as part of enjoying the growing aspect of gardening I have started to deliberately grow for giving plants away in this case Gloxinia.
Everyone loves a relaxing day at the beach, but if there’s one thing beach-goers can collectively agree on, it’s that no one loves the post-beach day laundry. Post-beach washing has a bad reputation thanks to the buildup of sand and saltwater in clothes, towels, and even skin.
If you have an unused room in your home that's mainly being used to store items or it's completely empty, it's time to repurpose it so it can transform into a place that serves your lifestyle and needs well.
Tired of planting the same old marigolds, petunias, and begonias? Try some different annuals in your garden this year. Many provide pollen and nectar for pollinating insects and attract hummingbirds. Here are a few of my favorites that I always incorporate into my landscape. They will perform well in South Carolina’s hot, humid summers, and with proper care, these annuals will continually bloom until frost.
Want to brighten up a shady spot in your summer annual containers? Caladiums are an excellent choice. Due to their insignificant flowers, caladiums are grown for their colorful foliage. The leaf colors range in a wide variety of red, pink, white, and green combinations with contrasting leaf margins.
THE 2010 SCHEDULE:Each Wednesday for the rest of the summer and probably longer, a group of blogging friends including Todd and Diane at White on Rice Couple; Shauna Ahern the Gluten-Free Girl, and Food2 will swap our recipes and tips about the following harvest-fresh ingredients. You’ll love meeting this year’s participants (a full list with links will accompany my post Wednesday and every week). The schedule:7/28: cukesnzukes 8/4: corn 8/11: herbs, greens, and beans 8/18: stone fruit 8/25 tomatoes more to come if we all want it — stay tuned! We each post something and then link to one another, so that you can travel around the combined effort, gathering the goodies.HOW YOU CAN JOIN IN SUMMER FEST:Giving back
First, a word about Summer Fest, which I co-founded in 2008: It’s a giant round-robin of sharing themed to a single garden-fresh ingredient each week. Get all the details and latest links below, just before the comments, and stock up on delicious ideas from around the web—or add your own.I READ UP ON CREAMED CORN this week (as did many of my Summer Fest colleagues—see the links below), and found a lot of variations included cornstarch or flour as thickeners, sugar, and even Parmesan cheese or bacon or any manner of extras. Once I shucked the fresh-picked corn from down the road, I thought: I can’t do that to this beautiful stuff, and went the ultra-simple route. Even adding cream seemed like gilding the lily. But I did.Corn in Historical ImageryMY VINTAGE PITCHER GOT ME THINKING how much a part of our heritage corn has been,
YES, IN THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO, preparing to save seeds starts with decisions about what variety to plant in the first place, and rouging out weak and then “off types” that don’t measure up, or conform to the desired traits of that particular tomato or squash or zinnia. Inferior or atypical? Out you go!It’s a process that is repeated throughout the life cycle. For instance, you might pull the lettuce seedlings that are slowest to germinate from your row or cellpack; later pull and eat any with off-type foliage, and perhaps even rogue a third time if some individuals prove more inclined toward disease than others. Only let the best and brightest go to seed and provide the genetics for next year.Want to guard against inadvertent cross-pollination? A chart in the OSA’s guide clarifies what crops are vulnerable (and what close cousins they can cross with—such as carrots with wild Queen Anne’s lace, or that many brassicas, such as Brussels sprouts and kale
DEAR SANTA: I have been very, very bad. Such facts notwithstanding, I’m submitting a request for the following items, should you be so kind as to overlook my occasional foul mouth, endless complaints about the weather, procrastination over writing my next book, and other general naughtiness. Begging your forgiveness, may I please have a pair of Okatsune pruners, more mossy pots and Weck canning jars, something magic to heal my wounded gardener’s hands, and a brush to clean the damn birdfeeder? (Oh, dear, there I go again….) The list of things I’d like, or like to give: