Shopping challenge: Hostess gifts

A bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers is fine…but if you have the time and the creativity, you can come up with some fantastic hostess gifts for the same price:

• Chocolate covered Oreos – This is still in the traditional food hostess gift realm but much cooler. Check out the gold designs on the top of each cookie. Is it a sin to pay $18 for 12 Oreos?
• Fleece throw – You can find these fleece throws for $10-20 just about everywhere. The trick to turning them into a good hostess gift is finding one in a color that matches your host’s house and then quickly embroidering their initials into one corner. It will literally take you 20 minutes to embroider this memorable gift.
• Printed cocktail napkins – This one requires a little more advanced planning but it’s worth it! A set of 100 custom printed cocktail napkins is only $28.
• Mini citrus or gardenia tree – Citrus and gardenia trees do well indoors and are great for people with green thumbs. You can find them online but they are much cheaper from your local nursery.