8 Easy Handmade Holiday Gifts for Hosts

Courtesy of Brian Patrick Flynn

Happy Holidays Friends,

From coffee cozies and drink coasters to cinnamon-stick candles and wine bottle covers, event designer Camille Styles shares eight easy-to-make host and hostess gifts ideal for holiday entertaining.

Christmas Coffee Cosies

Create colorful, Christmas-themed drink cosies for coffee lovers this winter. Choose a variety of felt in holiday colors, then cut into seven-inch to nine-inch rectangles. Trace holiday shapes directly to accent pieces of felt, cut out with fabric scissors, then attach to the cosy with iron-on adhesive tape and an iron. Add self-adhesive Velcro along the back side of the cosy so it fits securely around the cup.

Baby-Food Jar Snowmen

Put a new spin on an old holiday classic with hot chocolate snowmen made from baby food jars. First gather a mix of small and large jars. Then fill the largest jar with hot chocolate powder and use it as the base of the snowman. Next add starlight mints or peppermint candies to fill a small jar for use as the center of the body. Lastly, fill a second small jar with marshmallows for use as the head, adding buttons as eyes and small pieces of wood as noses. Add a final touch with grosgrain ribbon tied around the bottom of the top jar to create the look of a scarf.

Elf Wine Bottle Covers

Before you bring a bare bottle of wine to your next holiday soiree, dress it up like an elf. First cut felt into an eight-inch-by-10-inch rectangle, and then fold into a conical shape. Fasten the folds tightly with a dab of fabric glue along the bottom. Next, cut faux fur into a triangle shape approximately four inches long by two inches wide, then attach along the inside edge of the felt cone. Add a pompom along the edge of the felt cone, and then slip onto the wine bottle.

Spool of Thread Bottle Stoppers

Create one-of-a-kind, color-coded bottle stoppers from old corks and mini spools of thread. In order to attach the mini spools to the corks, simply use a hot glue gun.

Candlestick Bundles

Practicality often works best in relation to gift ideas for hosts, so why not help the host add ambiance to their soiree with candlestick bundles? Pick up several sets of candlesticks in holiday hues. Next, wrap each bundle with coordinating fabrics, and then add a layer of ribbon or twine, ensuring the candlesticks remain neatly gathered.

Paint-Chip Drink Coasters

These drink coasters are the perfect fit for do-it-yourselfers. Pick up paint chips and laminate flooring samples from a local home improvement store. Lay the materials out on a flat, level surface in a well-ventilated area, then seal and secure them to one another with shellac.

Cinnamon Pillar Candles

Bring holiday charm to basic pillar candles with cinnamon sticks. To make these, first add a dab of hot glue along the back of each cinnamon stick, then secure them around the perimeter of the candle, placing each one side by side. Once the candle is covered, add decorative ribbon in holiday colors as well as a jingle bell for that classic Christmas touch. In addition to the layered look, the candle will also give off a sweet, holiday-infused scent.

Kitchen Essentials

Every host is sure to need extra kitchen supplies when whipping up holiday meals. Create a kitchen-supply bundle complete with oven mitts, wooden spoons, tongs and linens by wrapping the disparate objects together with ribbon or twine, then add a holiday-themed gift tag.

Enjoy the parties...

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Live well,
Yvonne