A Smelly Hostess Gift

'Tis the season for holiday parties! And, therefore, for thanking people. Do you always remember a nice hostess gift when you're invited for a get together? Do you always resort to the same old, same old? Well, I've got you covered! Over the next few weeks, I'm going to share with you a few very easy, very inexpensive alternative hostess gifts.

And I'll be sure to give you the skinny - where I got the stuff, how much it was, how long it took, etc.

That way, you can plan your DIY presents into your budget AND schedule (I'm always really bad at that last one...) AND you won't be bringing the same thing to your best friends Thanksgiving fiesta that you've brought the past five years in a row.

First up.

After I made and photographed these, but before I edited and posted them, I actually saw a few variations on this theme. Which just goes to show you that great minds think alike, or some such business...

So. These potpourri jars are cute and wonderfully smelly - in a good way. And they're the perfect INEXPENSIVE gift for a hostess who wants her house to smell like the holidays while she's partying.

Here's what you'll need:

Notes: Make sure the jar is wide mouth and the orange is small or you won't be fitting that thing in there, no how. Also, after making these with that crazy gorilla glue, I realized that since the hostess in question is likely not going to be doing battle with these jars and they will likely just be sitting on a shelf somewhere, you really could probably get away with hot glue. Your choice.

So. Here we go. Lids first.

Ring the inside of your lid seal with gorilla glue/E6000/strong glue of some sort.

Place the lid inside as per normal.

Put a big heavy object on top to make sure it stays tightly in place.

Grab a cute decorative item indicative of the season/party. If you're doing this for Thanksgiving, this mini pumpkin might be a good idea. Put glue on the bottom of it.

Place it firmly on top of the lid and let dry.

Notes: If you're using gorilla glue, DON'T be liberal. That stuff expands like CRAY-ZEE. Also, as you can see below, once this part is accomplished, you could continue on and spray paint the whole lid, but for the pumpkin one I thought it would be cute au naturale.

As illustrated above, if you'd like you can spray paint it a festive color. And if you want to get REALLY fancy, you can add glitter!

A cute decorative item if you're using this for Christmas? A large jingle bell!

Now, to fill the jar in an aesthetically pleasing manner...

Sprinkle in some all spice.
Add a handful and a half - two handfuls of cranberries.
Place the (SMALL) orange on top.
Slide in the cinnamon stick and 1/2 a vanilla bean at an angle on the side.
Sprinkle with several cloves.
Top with your adorable lid.
Voila!

Of course, you'll probably want to add a tag.

Fun little seasonal/potpourri themed message on the front, instructions for using the potpourri on the back.

One that is fall/Thanksgiving themed:

And one that is Christmas themed:

Now, here's the disclaimer. Obviously the cost of these items vary depending on location. Also, you might have some things on hand, which will obviously bring the cost down. I've broken everything down for the price per jar of potpourri, though you may need to buy a whole pack or jar of something (you know, since they don't sell whole cloves in singles).

Aaaaaand, I think that's it.

The deets:

Cost to complete:

Jar - thrift store, Walmart; anywhere from .25 - 1.20 per jar

Glue - Walmart, hardware store; 5.97 for a 2 oz bottle (and it will last you forEVER)

Pinecone - free

Large jingle bell - Target; .25 per jar

Cinnamon stick - Walmart, grocery stores; about 1.05 per stick

Whole Cloves - Walmart, grocery stores; about .72 per jar (assuming 15 cloves per jar, and using a .62 oz container of cloves)

All spice - Walmart, grocery stores; 2.82 for a 9 oz container

Vanilla beans - Walmart, grocery stores; 2.28 per jar

Small orange - Walmart, grocery stores; about .31 per jar