DIY Hostess Gifts: 16 Cheap Handmade Ideas to Bring to Every Holiday Party

DIY Hostess Gifts are the little thank you that makes a host smile before you even take off your coat. Think about how much work goes into a holiday party. Someone cleaned the whole house, cooked for hours and moved furniture so everyone could fit. Walking in with something you made by hand says you noticed all of that. It does not need to be fancy or expensive. A loaf of bread wrapped in linen, a set of stamped tea towels or a painted pot of bulbs feels more personal than anything grabbed in a hurry at the checkout. Most of these ideas cost less than five dollars each, and many can be made in a batch on one quiet evening, so you are ready for every invitation this season. Here are the ones people keep asking about..

DIY Hostess Gifts Start With a Mini Rosemary Tree

A small rosemary plant shaped like a tiny Christmas tree is the gift that keeps going long after the party. The host can set it on the table that night, snip it for roast potatoes next week and plant it outside in spring. Garden centers sell them for a few dollars this time of year. The magic is in the pot. Paint a plain terracotta pot, tie a velvet bow around it and suddenly it looks like a boutique find. Would your host keep it on the kitchen windowsill all winter? I bet they would..

You will need: a small rosemary plant, a terracotta pot, white and red acrylic paint, a sponge brush, velvet ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Paint the pot white and let it dry. 2. Add simple red stripes or dots with a sponge brush. 3. Repot the rosemary, water it lightly and tie a ribbon bow around the rim.

Hand Stamped Tea Towels

Every kitchen needs more tea towels, which makes them one of the most useful DIY Hostess Gifts, and nobody ever buys pretty ones for themselves. Plain flour sack towels are cheap in packs, and a potato cut into a simple tree shape makes a perfect stamp. Dip it in fabric paint, press, and repeat until you have a little forest across the bottom edge. Add a few red dots for berries. Fold three towels into a neat stack and tie them with plaid ribbon and a pine sprig. Could you make a whole stack of these for every party on your calendar?

You will need: plain cotton tea towels, a potato, a small knife (adult job), green and red fabric paint, a paper plate, plaid ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Cut the potato in half and carve a simple tree shape. 2. Dab paint on the stamp and press it along the towel edge. 3. Let it dry, heat set with an iron and tie the stack with ribbon.

Sweater Sleeve Bottle Cozies

That old sweater with a hole in the elbow still has two perfect sleeves left. Slip one over a bottle of sparkling cider or wine and it instantly looks dressed for the holidays. Fold the cuff down at the top, tie it with twine and tuck in a pine sprig. Cable knits in cream, red and green look especially cozy lined up together. The host can even keep the sleeve for next year, and it is one of the quickest DIY Hostess Gifts you can make. Do you have a sweater in the back of the closet waiting for a second life?

You will need: an old sweater, scissors, a bottle, twine, a pine sprig.

How to make it: 1. Cut a sleeve a little longer than the bottle. 2. Slide it over the bottle with the cuff at the top. 3. Tie twine around the neck and add the greenery.

DIY Hostess Gifts Fresh From the Oven

Few things say welcome like a warm loaf of homemade bread. Wrap it in a linen tea towel instead of plastic, tie it with twine and tuck in a sprig of rosemary. Add a small jar of jam and a wooden butter paddle, and the host has breakfast sorted for the morning after the party. A simple no knead recipe works well and only needs a bowl and a pot. The towel is part of the gift. Who would not love waking up to that?

You will need: a homemade loaf of bread, a linen tea towel, twine, rosemary, a small jar of jam, a wooden butter paddle.

How to make it: 1. Let the bread cool completely. 2. Wrap it snugly in the linen towel. 3. Tie with twine, add the rosemary and set the jam and paddle alongside.

Painted Wooden Spoon Bundle

Plain wooden spoons come in cheap bundles and make sweet DIY Hostess Gifts once a little paint on the handles turns them into something special. Use painter’s tape to mark clean stripes, then fill in with red, white, sage green or a touch of gold. Polka dots are easy too. Just use the end of a paintbrush handle. Keep the paint on the handle only, never on the bowl of the spoon that touches food. Tie three together with velvet ribbon. Which colors would match your host’s kitchen?

You will need: wooden spoons, painter’s tape, acrylic paint, a small brush, clear water based sealer, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Tape off stripes on the handles. 2. Paint, let dry and peel the tape. 3. Seal the painted part only and tie the spoons together with ribbon.

Hot Cocoa Cones Make Easy DIY Hostess Gifts

These cocoa cones look like little works of art, and they take minutes to fill. Spoon cocoa mix into the bottom of a cone shaped treat bag, add a layer of crushed peppermint, then top it with mini marshmallows. Twist the top and tie it with baker’s twine. Make a handful and hand them over with a pair of plain mugs. They are perfect for a host with kids, or anyone who loves a warm drink on a cold night. How many could you fill in one evening?

You will need: cone treat bags, hot cocoa mix, mini marshmallows, crushed peppermint candy, baker’s twine, kraft tags.

How to make it: 1. Fill the bag one third with cocoa mix. 2. Add peppermint, then marshmallows to the top. 3. Twist, tie with twine and add a tag with mixing directions.

Painted Pots of Paperwhites

A pot of paperwhite bulbs is one of the few DIY Hostess Gifts that keeps growing. Set the bulbs in a bed of pebbles, add water just to the base, and in a few weeks they bloom with clusters of white flowers right in the middle of winter. Give them a painted pot with simple stripes and the gift looks finished from day one. The host gets to watch them sprout all season. If you give them early in December, they often bloom right around Christmas. Is there a nicer way to brighten a gray January?

You will need: small terracotta pots, paperwhite bulbs, white pebbles, acrylic paint, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Paint the pots and let them dry. 2. Fill with pebbles and nestle the bulbs in, pointy side up. 3. Tie on a bow and add a care tag.

A Cookie Box Lined With Parchment

A box of homemade cookies is one of the classic DIY Hostess Gifts, but how you pack it makes all the difference. Line a simple wooden or kraft box with parchment, then fill it with a mix of shapes, colors and textures. Nestle a few pine sprigs around the edge and add a little bell or ornament. Choose cookies that travel well, like shortbread, gingerbread and thumbprints. The host can set the box right on the dessert table. Which cookie would you put front and center?

You will need: a gift box, parchment paper, a mix of homemade cookies, pine sprigs, twine.

How to make it: 1. Line the box with parchment so it hangs over the sides. 2. Pack the sturdiest cookies first, then fill gaps with small treats. 3. Fold the parchment over and tie with twine.

DIY Hostess Gifts the Party Can Eat Tonight

Here is a gift that helps the host right away. Arrive with a small wooden board already filled with cheese, crackers, grapes and a few slices of cured meat, wrapped loosely in parchment. It can go straight onto the table, and the host gets one less thing to worry about. Afterward, the board stays with them. Thrift stores often have nice wooden boards for a dollar or two, so a quick scrub and a little oil makes them look new. Would your host be relieved to see you walk in with this?

You will need: a wooden board, food safe mineral oil, cheese, crackers, grapes, parchment, twine.

How to make it: 1. Clean the board and rub in a little mineral oil. 2. Arrange the food just before you leave home. 3. Cover with parchment and tie loosely with twine.

Coffee Lover Morning Bundle

For the host who runs on coffee, put together a small morning bundle. Pour good beans into a plain kraft bag and seal it with a sticker or a clothespin. Add a mug you decorated with a simple painted pattern, and a few pieces of homemade biscotti wrapped in a cellophane bag. Set it all in a little basket or a wooden crate. The best part is that it is ready for the morning after the party. Do you know how your host takes their coffee?

You will need: a bag of coffee beans, a kraft bag, a plain mug, porcelain paint, biscotti, a small basket.

How to make it: 1. Paint a simple pattern on the mug and bake it as the paint label says. 2. Bag the coffee and the biscotti. 3. Arrange everything in the basket with tissue.

Sweet and Spicy Nuts in Kraft Bags

Roasted spiced nuts are cheap to make in a big batch and they disappear fast at any party. Toss pecans or almonds with a little egg white, brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt, then roast until crisp. Once they cool, scoop them into small kraft bags with clear windows and tie them with red twine. They smell amazing, keep well for a couple of weeks and make easy DIY Hostess Gifts in bulk. Just add a tag listing the nuts so guests with allergies know what is inside. Would you keep one bag for yourself?

You will need: pecans or almonds, egg white, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, small kraft bags, twine, tags.

How to make it: 1. Toss the nuts with the egg white and spices. 2. Roast on a lined tray until golden, then cool. 3. Bag them, tie with twine and add an ingredient tag.

A Kitchen Bouquet of Herbs and Citrus

Flowers are lovely, but a bouquet the host can actually cook with is even better. Gather bunches of rosemary, thyme, sage and bay leaves, tuck in a couple of lemons or clementines, and wrap it all in brown paper like a florist would. It smells wonderful and looks beautiful in a jug on the counter. Later, every bit of it goes into dinners for the week ahead. This is one of the easiest last minute DIY Hostess Gifts on the list. Which herbs grow in your garden right now?

You will need: fresh rosemary, thyme, sage and bay leaves, two lemons or clementines, brown paper, twine.

How to make it: 1. Bundle the herbs with stems lined up. 2. Tuck the citrus into the front. 3. Wrap the base in brown paper and tie it tight with twine.

DIY Hostess Gifts for the Table: Painted Cork Trivets

Cork trivets are one of those things every host needs on a busy party night, when hot dishes come out of the oven one after another. Plain round ones cost very little. Use painter’s tape or a stencil to paint simple patterns like stripes, snowflakes or a plaid grid in red and green. Leave some cork showing so it still feels natural. Stack two or three and tie them with ribbon. Could these be the gift your host uses most all year?

You will need: round cork trivets, painter’s tape, acrylic paint, a sponge brush, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Tape off a simple pattern. 2. Dab on paint with the sponge and peel the tape while it is wet. 3. Let dry fully, then stack and tie.

Recipe Cards in a Fabric Pouch

If the host makes a dish everyone raves about, give them a sweet way to share it. Sew or glue a simple fabric pouch from a scrap of plaid, then fill it with a stack of blank recipe cards and a pencil. Write your own favorite holiday recipe on the first card as a thank you. It is a small gift with a lot of heart. Over the years, those cards often become family treasures. Whose recipe would you love to have in their handwriting?

You will need: a fabric scrap, fabric glue or a needle and thread, blank recipe cards, a pencil, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Fold the fabric into a pocket and glue or stitch the sides. 2. Fold down a flap and add a ribbon tie. 3. Fill with cards, one with your own recipe.

Salted Caramel Sauce in Swing Top Bottles

Homemade caramel sauce is one of those DIY Hostess Gifts that sounds fancy, yet it only needs sugar, butter, cream and a pinch of salt. Ask an adult to handle the hot sugar part, since it gets very hot. Once it cools, pour it into small swing top bottles and tie a ribbon at the neck. The host can drizzle it over ice cream, apples or pancakes. Keep it in the fridge and add a tag that says to use it within two weeks. Who on your list has a sweet tooth?

You will need: sugar, butter, heavy cream, salt, a heavy pot, small swing top bottles, ribbon, tags.

How to make it: 1. With adult help, melt the sugar, then whisk in butter and cream. 2. Stir in salt and let it cool. 3. Pour into clean bottles, seal and tie with ribbon.

A Morning After Brunch Kit

After the last guest leaves, the host will be tired. A brunch kit means they can sleep in and still have a cozy breakfast. Mix your own pancake mix in a kraft bag, add a small bottle of maple syrup and a wooden spatula, and set it all in a little crate with a folded napkin. Of all the DIY Hostess Gifts here, it feels the most thoughtful and practical. For more ideas in the same spirit, our neighbor Christmas gifts work well for parties too. If you are unsure whether to bring a gift at all, the Emily Post Institute has kind advice. Which of these will you make first?

You will need: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, a kraft bag, a small bottle of maple syrup, a wooden spatula, a small crate, a napkin.

How to make it: 1. Mix the dry ingredients and pour them into the bag. 2. Write the add milk and egg directions on a tag. 3. Pack the crate with the bag, syrup, spatula and napkin.