Summer is finally here, and the parties, BBQs, and picnics are starting! Hostess gifts are always important to show your gratitude, and we want to help you be the best guest there! Here’s our round-up of creative hostess gifts that will definitely be a hit!

DIY Freshly Squeezed Lemonade Basket

Homemade lemonade is the perfect summer refresher! It is a total crowd pleaser, and any hostess would love to mix it up for all of the guests!

Via Fashion Meets Food

DIY S’mores Kit

Yum! Who can turn down a box filled with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers?! Your hostess will love this delicious treat!

Via Today’s Fabulous Finds

White BBQ Sauce

BBQs are one of the best parts of summer! Wow your hostess with this awesome recipe!

Via Jacolyn Murphy

DIY Cork Coasters and Summer Drinks Basket

These DIY cork coasters are so cute and creative! Add in some summer drinks, outdoor glasses, and a pitcher for a fun and unique gift!

Via The Happy Housie

Homemade Chili Sriracha Hot Sauce

This hot sauce is awesome for the daredevil hostess! If they love spicy foods, then this is the perfect gift to show your appreciation!

Via White On Rice Couple

Happy gifting!

Today’s the day! St. Patrick’s Day parties are starting tonight and we found some awesome green hostess gifts! These say a big, green “thanks for having me!”

Green Jello Shots

These jello shots are a such a fun hostess gift that everyone can enjoy! The green twist for the occasion will be a total crowd-pleaser!

Via Open Source Food

Easy Chocolate Pretzel Bites

Hostess gift and snacks for all! Chocolate pretzel bites are the perfect balance of salty and sweet and the green looks great!

Via lovefromtheoven

DIY Irish Cream

This homemade Irish cream is so creative! We love the mason jar and decorations – perfect for the Irish hostess!

Via Style Me Pretty

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yum! These mint chocolate chip cookies look totally delicious! What hostess wouldn’t love some green cookies?!

Via The Food Charlatan

Ombre Veggie Tray

Have a healthy hostess on your hands! In honor of our healthy gifting theme, this green veggie tray is such a fun gift! Add some dips on the side to make it extra yummy!

Via Honest to Nod

Happy green gifting!

It’s the season for constant parties, celebrations and festivities.  With that, obviously also comes a lot of Hostess Gift needs.  If you waited last-minute and it’s hours before a party, we’re here to help! Here are some downloadable and FREE wine tags from The Gift Insider so if all you can scrape together is a nice bottle of vino, at least you’ll have a cute wine tag to go with it.

1. Download PDF Here: cheers-wine-tag (1)

2. Print

3. Cute along dotted line

4. Fold above hole

5. Personalize w/ To and From at the bottom

We’ve rounded up our favorite Gifts to Bring Your Host or Hostess for a Summer Party.  We’re highlighting them on Fox2 Detroit on July 16th and Fox 32 Chicago on July 18th. (view video clips below)

*Enter here to the win the Fiesta Private Island above ($599.00 Value!)

DIY BBQ Basket With a Healthy Twist 
Summer parties are a dangerous time to stick to your good eating habits, put together a basket of goodies for your next BBQ with some healthy alternatives.  Fill with BBQ popchips, (gluten-free and half the fat as regular BBQ Chips) add some fun napkins, a mit, special spices and favorite condiments and put in a reusable container.
Read the full DIY Post Here

Hardsoap Dispensers
Fun, functional, eco-friendly and a perfect gift for your male host, these recycled booze bottles made into soap dispensers are a fun gift to bring your Jack or Captain loving bud.
Buy Here, Use Code “HARDSOAP” for 20% off 

Gift of the Month Clubs from ClubsGalore
Even after the party or the weekend stay is over, let your hosts enjoy a little gift every month on you.  Send them a Home Spa Gift monthly, a Cocktail Party of the Month Club, Bacon of the Month or one of ClubGalore’s 36 club options. Use Code: INSIDER for 10% off any order + free shipping

Electric Bug Zapper from 13Deals
This Electric Bug Zapper is the fastest, cheapest and actually fun way to get rid of bugs while out in the summer. Low output power constitutes no real hazard, just hold up the racket & say goodbye to bugs.
Buy Here, HUGE FLASH DEAL – Pack of 2, was $29.98, now $4.99

“House Wine” in a Box
The very popular “House Wine” bottles now come in a cool, hip and cheeky House Wine Box.  It’s the perfect affordable hostess gift with a little more personality than your usual bottle of wine.$24.99  Buy Here

Wine Sak Purse 
This vacuum wine bag looks great on your arm, has a spout and keeps your wine from going sour for up to 6 days. It’s great for the party animal who knows how to bring wine with class!
$69.95, Wine Sak

Parachute Hammock from 13Deals  

Lightweight comfortable parachute silk hammock is perfect for camping or backpacking. Comes w/ travel bag all weighing just a pound & comes w.2 hanging hooks & rope. Huge deal! Retails for $69.99, now $19.49

The Fiesta Private Island from Skymall (WIN IT!)

The Fiesta Private Island is an 8 person raft that will make any pool party, lake day or boating adventure into one for the memory books. We’re giving one away on TheGiftInsider.com ($599.00 Value) 

View The Gift Insider chatting about all of these gifts on Fox 2 Detroit news below! 

The Fiesta Private Island is a float that seats 8 (you+ 7 of your closest friends.)  It’s one of those wishlist items that we all wish we had, but might not totally be on the “necessity” list.  Because we are all about trying to help you all get what you’ve always wanted, we teamed up with the folks at Skymall to giveaway a Sportstuff’s Fiesta Private Island to one lucky summer reader!

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below, last day to enter is 9/1/2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Who can get enough summer pool parties, BBQs and lake days?  Make sure to show your host or hostess how much you appreciate their hospitality with a thoughtful, easy and healthy DIY BBQ Basket.

What We Used:

– Grilling Mit, Spatula and Ketchup and Mustard Bottles from Target

– BBQ Pop Chips (our favorite easy + healthy summer snack to bring!)

– McClure’s Pickles (Detroit’s Own!)

– Stubb’s BBQ Sauce

– Detroit Greektown Spices from the Detroit Shoppe

What have you put in a quick and easy summer hostess gift? Comment below!

This is such a fun and easy thing to make and bring to your most fun-loving hostess!

1. Buy any size bag of gummy bears

2. Put bears in a bowl and leave a few inches of room at the top

2. Take vodka of choice, the cheap stuff works just fine, and pour in bowl of bears until all of them are submerged and covered

3. Mix around, wrap in bowl with tinfoil and put in fridge for 3-4 days

4. You can eat on their own, or toss in mixed drinks or white wine for a sweet and oh-so-fun treat

I decided to test out all of the DIY Sharpie Mugs I’ve been seeing on Pinterest lately for one of our lovely Gift Insider colleagues.  I’m always a little hesitant to try out handwritten crafts, because I’ve never been very fond of my penmenship and was worried it might turn out like a middle school art project…

But, with a little out of the box thinking I figured out a way… I used stickers as stencils to make amost perfect letters.

How to Make a DIY Sharpie Mug (w/ stickers)

1. Place the letter stickers on clean mug and trace around with a sharpie (I used silver since i loved the look with the Spring Starbucks cups)

2. Place mug in the oven (do not pre-heart) and heat up to 350 for 30 minutes

3. Take out of oven, let cool, take off stickers and you’ll have perfect letters and a totally customized mug

The Gift Insider is always looking at Pinterest for fun and unique gift ideas. Here are some of our favorite DIY gifts to bring to the party- Enjoy + be sure to follow us on Pinterest! 

Hangover Mimosa Kit: After all the cooking, cleaning, decorating – what hostess wouldn’t want to wake up the next morning with the ingredients for a mimosa?

Latern Filled with Hostess Gifts: Fill a latern with gifts any hostess would love.

Lime tree and Coronas: A simple DIY house warming gift for the perfect hostess.

S’mores on a Stick: Delicious gift for a weekend barbecue or party – presents so well party go-ers will think you spent hours on them!

Alcoholic Ice Pops: Holy adulthood! Alcoholic ice pops, perfect for a day on the beach/boat… or any day you’re too lazy to lift your glass.

We’ve rounded up some of our favorite gifts to bring for any summer fun occasion.

Watch Lindsay show you some Perfect Party Summer Gifts on KCAL TV – Los Angeles. Gift Insider Coupon Codes and details below.

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