Gourmet foods like good cheese, beautiful olives and specialty teas make great hostess gifts, especially when you pair them with inexpensive finds from the flea market. You know all those boxes of tarnished silverware you're probably passing up? Well, they're full of great, onsie pieces like teaspoons, olive forks, sugar tongs, butter knives, and spreaders. Polish them up, pair them with a favorite food, and put them in a pretty package for a hostess gift that's memorable, beautiful and best of all, one-of-kind.
The sugar tongs I picked up at the flea market for a dollar. Then I found a red paper doily at the supermarket, rolled it into the shape of a cone, and filled it with beautiful white sugar cubes. A little cellophane, pretty red ribbon to tie and you're done! How sweet is that?
And what goes better with beautiful white sugar cubes than a cup of hot tea? In a large antique tea cup I found at the flea market, I placed five bags of pretty English Breakfast tea (my favorite!), then tied it up nicely the same way I did the sugar. I even added a cute little teaspoon for three gifts in one!
Olives and cocktail onions are essentials at any holiday fΓͺte. Why not give your hostess something to use all year long by pairing them with a beautiful olive fork? All I did was add a circle of linen fabric to the top, then tied it with pretty ric rac. So cute, no?
Finally, who doesn't love a good gourmet cheese come cocktail time? For three gifts in one, I paired a pretty glass leaf plate from the flea market, together with an antique spreader and a wedge of creamy, walnut-encrusted Saint Andre cheese. Yum!
And so, as you get ready to hit the holiday party circuit, why not swing by your favorite flea market or thrift shop and do a little digging? Creative combinations are everywhere! And who knows? You might even find a little treasure of your own.
One of the BEST sites with ideas and inspiration out there! Not too much, not too little, great photos, and well written. Perfect. Thanks!
Eddie, these are all great ideas.Gifts so personal and from the heart.In the current economic conditions these are wonderful ideas that anyone could duplicate.It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to be a lovely gift and you have proven that.I love the sounds of that cheese,yummm.Speaking of cheese I am still waiting for you to post a how to do a cheese bar, I love to serve cheese at my gatherings and I would love to see a display done by my Eddie.Thankyou for more inspiration. xoxo Kathysue
You are amazing, you clever monkey! Thanks for the inspiration and top of the holidays to you guys!
LOVE IT!!! I have never been so inspired by someone before. You have the best ideas.
Ellen
Great ideas, all. I think that vintage and antiques are the ultimate in “living green”.
Great ideas, all, Eddie. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic idea! Thanks for sharing!
It’s official…I love you and all of your creative, wonderful ideas! I only discovered your site a couple of days ago but I believe in love at first sight π
Carrie
Love the tiny olive jar with the fork!! Too cute.
Love your gift ideas! I will take the tea cup! lol The red doilies are great in the cone.
You’re a genius! These gifts are such lovely ideas; they’re thoughtful, useful, and unique!
Eddie, as always, you rock. Love the ideas! We’re always looking for something more creative than a bottle of wine to take as a hostess gift.
I love the sugar cube packaging. Very clever. I suggested something very similar in my gift guide. I suggested a vintage sugar bowl filled with sugar so that they always have the neighborly excuse to stop by and borrow some.
Simply adorable!
What fabulous ideas Eddie! I love the little sugar tongs with cubes…adorable gift! Thank you for wonderful inspiration, as always:) Have a great day! Aline
Thanks for the inspiration Eddie. I have been baking up an assortment of cookies for gifts. My favoutite trips to the thrift store are to find pretty silver platters to place them on. I put paper doilies on them and a few balls of Lindt chocolate. Wrap them in saran and then overwrap them in cellophane a pretty bow and a candycane. These are well received. I also found some pretty vintage glass bowls and beautiful jars of cranberry sauce with port. A consumable gift is wonderful. Thank You for all your wonderful ideas. Still waiting to see your tree in all its vintage glory. Donna
I must have missed the one marked “to Jean”. Back in a minute…gotta go read the post again…
LOL
Cute ideas!
Eddie, stop…please. The olive fork cuteness is making me dizzy!
Great ideas for gift-giving. You are an inspiration to us all!!
Lori
Hi Eddie, I also use fancy stemware for goodies. I’ve never included the silverware though. I’m starting my collection now and I can’t believe how many beautiful one of a kind I’ve passed up. I’m so glad you are blogging. You are one of the bright spots of my day.
What great ideas. I am hosting a holiday brunch on Saturday. Will you come, I am only 8,000 miles away!
Eddie, you make the best diy, projects! I need to make them into a book! LOVE!
I adore these sweet ideas! Problem is that I’d want to receive something as lovely myself!
Thanks for the inspiration!!!
This is why I want to go to Scott’s with y’all! That is so great! I’ve always wanted to give gifts like this, but have never gotten around to getting a good collection going.
Eddie,
These are all GREAT ideas! Thanks for sharing with us. Actually, I have been banned from the thrift store by my scrooge hubby….. bah humbug…but I still sneak away and I swear I have found some wonderful stuff there. I try to make it to the thrift at least twice a week. The flea is great, but right now in IL they are closed because of the winter months. I actually attended an overnight flea here in Wheaton. I went by myself. It started around 4:00 p.m and went on till if I remember correctly 2:00 or 4:00 in the AM. It was fun even though I went by myself.
Peace.
Angelica Torrez (MRS. BAH HUMBUG)
When I was very young and had first moved to Charleston, the ladies about town would do this kind of thing at bridal showers, only not with as much talent for presentation. I was appalled – thought the goal was to rustle around in the cellar and find some odd piece they could part with – these days I understand what lovely pieces they were gifting from one old family to another while ny old NY family shopped at Hoagland’s for showers. It was just another, lovely way and one I now adore. Be well, The Hostess
I love this!
Oh I love those ideas! So inspiring I think I’ll go back to the flea market this Sunday when everyone is out of the city! I love those sugar tongs; my parents have some at home and they were my favorite piece of silver growing up. Thanks Eddie!
Eddie, I say a book is next. I remember one of Martha’s very first on entertaining with Hor’dourves, and I think yours would be better, With great photography! I love the doilies into sugar cube cones, darling!
Eddie, sugar tongs and olive forks! I adore these ideas. I read your post first thing in the morning and then I walk around all day asking myself ‘why didn’t I think of that? I want to think like Eddie’. You are my inspiration.
What marvelous ideas, EDDIE! THANKS!
t’is better to give than to receive, unless of course you are on your receiving line. lots of simple ideas straight from the heart.
love them all.
thank you for your exquisite and frugal ideas! elegant and witty as usual
hugs from Italy
Antonella
You are a clever boy! Such good ideas, and more importantly, so much thought has gone into them. I think that’s the best gift anyone could ever give: thoughtfulness! Enjoy your Christmas!
Eddie, these are such great ideas! Great presentation!
eek! these are just stunning! and the photography…!
dallas
http://dillydallas.blogspot.com
I love giving gifts like this! My only problem is when I find vintage pieces I love them so much I want to keep them!!
Thanks for sharing. xoxo
Eddie,
Thank you so much for these little gift ideas. They are perfect for friends who have everything and you just want to give them a little something special. Keep the ideas coming.
Debbie
Merry Christmas Eddie –
We do a big extended family thing on Christmas Eve, and the question is always what to do for all the cousins. This year we decided on batches of my molasses spice cookies, and my husband came up with the plan to present them on silverplate or ironstone platters tied with fat luxurious ribbon! They are going to be lovely!
Your suggestions tempt me to branch out, however. I love the olives and olive fork idea – there is something so elegant about olive forks. And then I wouldn’t have to bake quite so many cookies!
All the best – Hilary at Tandem Antiques
Your ideas are perfect — I often find beautiful things in our thirft stores for a $1 or 2 but am never sure how to gift them — your post is just the inspiration I need! thank you so much!
I am a fan from Alberta Canada!
wow, these are really great ideas!! π Wish I had all these parties to go to, so i could give these fabulous gifts!!
wonderful gift ideas. I usually have a terrible time thinking of things to give and these are wonderful ideas.
oh! SUGAR TONGS! i saw some at the local Salvos and passed them up! i will have to get back next week to get them π
you have started a silverware collector in me! i spent the 45 Celcius day indoors polishing my few first pieces π will blog about these soon!