Easy and Inexpensive Hostess Gifts
In days gone by,it was considered impolite to go to someone's house for dinner or a party and not take a small gift for the hostess (or the host!). The gift didn't have to be anything "special" or very expensive, just something that said "Thank you" to your hostess. It can be very easy, and not at all expensive, to renew that happy custom. And speaking from personal experience, it is so much fun to watch her face when you hand her a little gift! Keep Gift Items on HandIt is relatively simple to keep a few things on hand that make nice little gifts. You don't need to spend a fortune either---and here's how you do it:Buy trial-sized items! You can find hand lotions, small bottles of spray perfume, bars of moisturizing soap, etc.
I've even found very small bottles and tubes of bath gel, body lotion, and after-bath spray all in the same scent---these make a perfect hostess gift set!Look for 2-for, 3-for, and 4-for sales! I watch for sales and coupons, especially BOGO (Buy One, Get One) or sales that offer a one-price-for-several items. Look for anything in the "Health and Beauty" category: nail files, bathtub "puffs," fancy soaps, scented sprays, and lotions. Another idea would be looking for sales of scented candles and other small decorative or universally useful items. Walgreens, Eckerd's, and CVS drug stores are great for their sales and coupons, especially right before and after a holiday.Shop in "dollar" stores! Bargain stores or "dollar" stores are great places to find things like small wicker baskets, votive candle holders, and really inexpensive wrapping paper, gift bags, and bows and ribbons.Keep your eyes open! Anytime I'm in a store like Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, or even the local grocery market, I watch for sales of "things"---anything that would make a nice little "something" to wrap up as a gift.Keep Wrapping Paper and Ribbons on HandThink "tissue paper" and "curl ribbon"! I keep plenty of tissue paper, in a variety or colors and patterns, on hand. It is very inexpensive and makes for an easy way to wrap just a tube of lotion or a bottle of scented spray because you can "twist" the ends together and then tie with a ribbon.
It is also a good idea to have at least one type of Birthday wrapping paper, as well---for those impromptu Birthday parties, or if you suddenly remember that it's your next-door neighbor's (or your boss's!) birthday. I have just about every color of curl ribbon on hand, as well (you know, the kind that you can "curl" by pulling it across the flat edge of a scissor blade). Any gift can be made to look very festive, especially if you use several colors of curl ribbon that compliment the color of the tissue paper, or match the color of the gift item! I recently put together a small gift set of lavender scented bath items, all of which were purple-colored, and wrapped in silver tissue paper tied with purple and silver curl ribbon. It was very attractive and no one would have known that it probably cost me less than $5.Put the gift in a basket or bag! Any gift, no matter how small (even a single votive candle in a 50-cent plain glass votive holder) can look like a million dollars---if you "present" it nicely. I like to put small items in a little wicker basket or a plain-colored gift bag that is stuffed with tissue paper that I've put through a shredder (you can buy really inexpensive paper shredders, I've seen them for less than $10).
Remember to color-coordinate the wrapping paper and the gift item!Be Creative! Think "Fun"!A hostess gift can be anything, put in anything, wrapped in anything! Think outside the box---or rather think INSIDE the...bucket, shoebox, plastic container, empty oatmeal container, etc. Don't limit yourself---or the gift!We recently spent a weekend at the beach with friends. For a hostess gift, I bought a small tube of Aloe gel, a tube of Aloe bath gel, and a little pump bottle of "After Tan" body lotion. I went to a "dollar" store and bought a plastic bucket and a shovel (the kind that kids use to play in the sand). I tissue-wrapped the few little times, shredded beige tissue paper to make "sand" to put in the bucket, nestled the wrapped items in the shredded paper, stuck in the shovel, ran several streamers of curl ribbon that matched the color of the bucket through the handle of the bucket---and I had a perfect "Weekend at the Beach" hostess gift! I spent less than $8 and my girlfriend laughed and thoroughly enjoyed digging into her bucket and searching for the little presents in the tissue paper sand!For a friend who is very culinary-minded, I found a package of different-sized wooden spoons on sale for $1 and added to that a small spice jar of cinnamon and a bag of brown sugar, and I plopped everything in an empty Quaker's Oatmeal container (after emptying and wiping out with a damp paper towel).
I printed out a recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies on an index card and punched a hole in one side. After looping several turns of blue and red curl ribbons around the container, I strung the recipe card through one end of ribbon, tied it off, and then curled all the ends of the ribbons. She was delighted with her special hostess gift. Cost? About $6.If you need a gift for your host, you can apply all these same ideas---just with a man in mind! Surprisingly, men can be appreciative of nail files, clippers, fold-up comb, a lint brush, etc. For a host who is sports-minded, get a tube of BENGAY and wrap it in an ACE bandage!Remember: It's Not the Gift, It's the Thought That Counts!Giving a gift that comes from the heart---and not from the wallet---is what your hostess will appreciate the most.
Take the time to select individual items, instead of buying pre-packaged "sets." It doesn't have to be anything fancy, it doesn't have to be anything expensive---all you need are a few little items, put them together with a little bit of thought, and you have a delightful hostess gift!.
Jan K., The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit http://www.janktheproofer.com for more information. Visit Jan K., the Proofer?s sister sites: Mom?s Break at http://www.MomsBreak.com for free printable projects and crafts. Jan?s Dough at http://www.jansdough.com for free printable recipes for Sourdough Bread and more. For free content articles, visit http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com. Article © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.jkproof@bellsouth.netSurrounded by Signs and Landmarks
Take a right. Bear left. Turn left. Straight. Left.
Right. Left into the parking lot. I drive to the grocery store without even thinking about it. There are many places I drive to each day or week without giving it a second thought. Sometimes I don't even give it a first thought!But when someone asks me for directions, I have to stop and think.
How do I get to the grocery store, my hair salon, or a Toastmasters meeting? What signs and landmarks should someone be looking for if they want to travel to those destinations? When someone asks me for directions I realize how many signs and landmarks are available to guide me.Last summer I was meeting a friend at a nearby bank. Although she was familiar with the road it was on, she didn't remember seeing this particular bank branch before. So I told her it was located between the Friendly's and Wendy's restaurants. She didn't know where either of these were! I was shocked. I couldn't think of any other landmarks so I told her to...
Surrounded by Signs and Landmarks
Birthday invitations > Surrounded by Signs and Landmarks
Jobseekers Advice Celebrates its 3rd Birthday
(ContentDesk) September 10, 2005 -- Independent career advice website, JobseekersAdvice.com celebrates its 3rd year of operation and continued growth.Launched by Scott Boyd in September 2002, http://www.jobseekersadvice.com was setup to help answer some of the common questions new jobseekers have - how do I get a job without experience?
How do I prepare for an interview?
How do I write a CV?Starting with a small forum with a handful of people helping out and a few articles, Jobseekers Advice received only 1000 visitors in it's first month.That turned out to be a solid foundation for growth as Jobseekers Advice saw traffic levels double each month for the first six months, and then move to a consistent upward growth.3 years on, 90,000 people a month visit Jobseekers Advice which holds (and has consistently held) top rankings for many industry terms across all major search engines.
Industry experts...
Birthday invitations > Jobseekers Advice Celebrates its 3rd Birthday
THE ZODIAC LOUNGE Celebrates Bed-Stuy and Beyond in the New Year
Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York City (ContentDesk) January 12, 2006 -- Need to relax?
Need a massage?
Need nutritional counseling after binging during the holidays?
Or do want profound insight on serious personal problem?
Then chances are you can find what you need at the Zodiac Lounge. The Zodiac Lounge, currently only at the Food 4 Thought Caf? (443 Marcus Garvey Boulevard at MacDonough Street) every other Friday, is an alcohol-free mini spa event.There are practitioners on handranging from astrologers to massage therapists to top psychicsto provide 20 minute consultations for attendees.
Participants can also sit out the consultations and enjoy an invigorating natural juice while taking in the entrancing sounds of Bed-Stuys newest mixologist from Los Angeles, DJ 180 (nee Stephen Barrios).The purpose for creating the Zodiac Lounge, according to co-creator Samuel F. Reynolds, an astrologer, was to provide the people of Bed-Stuy with a regular...
Birthday invitations > THE ZODIAC LOUNGE Celebrates Bed-Stuy and Beyond in the New Year
International Superstar and Former Olympian Keba Phipps Returns as a Key Player to Help US 2004 Women?s Olympic Volleyball Team Win the Gold in Athens
San Francisco, CA (ContentDesk) August 13, 2004 -- Keba Phipps returned to the US National team in 2002 to make the U.S. Olympic Volleyball team after refusing several invitations over the years.
Keba produced immediate results at the 2002 Worlds competition, ranking seventh of all competitors (and first on the U.S. team) in spiking percentage. She was a key element of the team's block, its best weapon.
Due in part to Keba's stellar play, the U. S. won its first ten games in the tournament and advanced to the gold medal final against Italy. Records show it was the best performance the women had at a World Championship since 1967, when it placed second for the silver medal. Keba missed the final because of an eye injury, and the U.S.
lost, 3-2.
Keba went on to help the U.S finish third at the 2003 World Cup to qualify for Athens. With Keba as its most experienced player, the U.S. has a chance for its first Olympic medal since 1992. The ReturnThrough the...
Birthday invitations > International Superstar and Former Olympian Keba Phipps Returns as a Key Player to Help US 2004 Women?s Olympic Volleyball Team Win the Gold in Athens
Fun & Easy Halloween Party Themes and Ideas
Halloween is the day of the year that has the most parties thrown in its honor. Everyone loves to dress up and attend Halloween parties with their friends. Most people end up getting several invitations to different Halloween parties that are often on the same night. If you are planning to throw your own Halloween party, how can you get all your friends to head to your shindig and not someone else's? You need to come up with some unique and fun ideas that will get everyone on your list so excited about your party they won't even consider going anywhere else.Not Just Any Old ThemeMany people don't bother thinking of a theme for their Halloween party since it seems to be somewhat of a theme already. But rather than just putting up some Happy Halloween banners and fake cobwebs, why not come up with a great theme party idea? You can do anything from a haunted house or graveyard to a monster mash or horror movie bash.
Once you've chosen your theme apply it to everything from your invitations...
Fun & Easy Halloween Party Themes and Ideas
Birthday invitations > Fun & Easy Halloween Party Themes and Ideas
How to buy Dinnerware as gift
Dinnerware is a perfect gift for couple occasions. For example, house warming, anniversary, mother' day, mother's or grandmother's birthday, Christmas, and wedding event are good occasions for giving dinnerware. Most people only know to give dinner plates or tea cups as gift. In fact, there are much more than that. For example, you may give glass stemware or serveware, or flatware as gift.Dinnerware can be made in different materials, also determined by the prices.
Basically, the highest quality is Porcelain. Next are China, Bone China, EAPG, Depression glass, Pottery, Stoneware, Ironstone, Earthenware and Plastic. However, this is only a general guideline; different people have different tastes and styles. When you send gift, you should consider other people's tastes and styles. Some people may only like Stoneware, so make sure to check it out first.Even plastic is lowest in quality, but there are some people who like it.
There was once a dinnerware sold in eBay for almost...
How to buy Dinnerware as gift
Birthday invitations > How to buy Dinnerware as gift