Gift Guide: 25 Hostess Gifts

It’s time to kick off the holiday buying season with gift guides. I’ve put together rather a lot of them, which I hope will be helpful. The hyperlinked price will take you to the site where you can buy it. If you get sick of so many guides, let me know and I’ll cut back. Happy shopping!

Here are 25 hostess gifts, all under $50. I’ve split them into three categories: Glam Hostess Gifts, Rugged Hostess Gifts, and Preppy Hostess Gifts. You may be tempted to make a little purchase for yourself, or stock a few extra for any last minute invitations.

glam-hostess-gifts

Glam Hostess Gifts
1 Cheers! Letterpress Coasters, $26/set of 15
2 Gold Dipped Porcelain Spoons, $18/set of 3
3 Gold Plated Glass Vase, $68
4 Gold Animal Figurines, $25 each
5 Rose Gold Champagne Pop Candle, $42
6 White Opal Soap Rock, $12
7 Juliska Cocktail Spreaders, $38/set of 3
8 Brass Crest Bottle Opener, $44

rugged-hostess-gifts

Rugged Hostess Gifts
1 #bosslady Dish Towel, $10
2 Monogram Cheese Board+Spreader, $22
3 Soapstone Whiskey Rocks $24.99
4 Needlepoint Key Fob, $28
5 Dipped Vase, $12
6 Sea Salt Soap, $7.50
7 Letterpress Coasters, $30/set of 100

preppy-hostess-gifts

Preppy Hostess Gifts
1 Mini French Macarons, $39 
2 Monogram Glass Plate, $12
3 Enamel Elephant Earrings, $28
4 Keep Calm & Carry On Porcelain Mug, $11
5 Hardcover Pocket Notebooks, $12.95 each

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Summer Style: Shopping the Memorial Day Sales

It’s supposed to rain all weekend in Boston and on the Cape. Bummer. We had planned to head to Truro for the first time since last fall. We still may go; there’s dead bug vacuuming to be done. However, like on all holiday weekends, there are sales galore. I may just be able to get some summer shopping accomplished online. I pulled together four sets of clothing and accessories I found. Everything shown is on sale. Not sure what to buy first. Oh, well actually I already picked up the stripey tote from Gap this week. What have you guys been buying for summer?

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SHOP 1 Sleeveless Hazy Dot Shirt at Madewell ||| 2 Karen Walker Super Duper Strength Sunglasses at Les Nouvelles ||| Sonia by Sonia Rykiel Oxford Shirt Dress at Les Nouvelles ||| 4 Jessica Biales Block Signet Ring at J.Crew ||| 5 Surf Stripe Board Shorts at J.Crew ||| 6 Coach Henley Espadrille Wedge at Coach ||| 7 3.1 Philip Lim 31 Second Snakeskin Pouch at Shopbop ||| 8 Printed Multi-Stripe Canvas Tote at Gap

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SHOP 1 Rag & Bone Graphic Tank at Rag & Bone ||| 2 Rag & Bone Easy Stretch Silk Pant at Rag & Bone ||| 3 Armani Collezioni Short Dress at Yoox ||| 4 Joie Jordyn B Blazer in Caviar at Joie ||| 5 Fort Standard Cage Necklace 8 at Need Supply Co. ||| 6 Lucy Folk Watermelon Pip Stud Earrings at Steven Alan ||| 7 Marcy by Marc Jacobs Marc’D & Check’D Small Satchel, Shopbop ||| 8 Joie Grenada Sandals at Joie

weekend-shopping-4

SHOP 1 Stripe Rash Guard at J.Crew ||| 2 Monique Péan Mwanza Warthog Tusk Shell Earrings with Diamonds at Barneys New York ||| 3 White Linen V-Neck Tee at Madewell ||| 4 Steven Alan Elliot Pant at Steven Alan ||| 5 Timex Round Mesh Strap Watch at Nordstrom ||| 6 Bag’n’Noun Nylon Muffin Bag #210 at Steven Alan ||| 7 Strawberry Lip Glaze at Stila ||| 8 Tory Burch Catalina Espadrille at Tory Burch

weekend-sales-shopping-1

SHOP  1 Whale Of A Tale Intarsia Sweater at C.Wonder ||| 2 Rag & Bone/Jean Mint Mid-Rise Legging at Intermix ||| 3 Shimmer Scarf at Gap ||| 4 Arrowstack Necklace at Madewell ||| 5 Anya Hindmarch Studded Heart Pouch at Shopbop ||| 6 Rag & Bone Dana Dress at Rag & Bone ||| 7 Vince Lara High Sandal at Nordstrom ||| 8 Chevron Cosmetic Bag at Furbish Studio 

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Sale Alert!
NORDSTOM’S half-yearly sale is going on now!

Site Spotlight: Room 68

Nick Siemaska, Eric Portnoy, and Brent Refsland in their shop, Room 68.
Photo: Laura Barisonzi for Boston Magazine

Design shop Room 68 is Boston’s answer to Matter (heaven, on the edge of Soho). Owned by three bespectacled design hipsters in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts (an outlying area of Boston), the gallery-like shop opened this past fall. I cringe to say I haven’t actually been (it may be Boston, but it’s a 25 minute drive from my Back Bay sofa). The guys have garnered plenty of press (no surprise, as we get hot and bothered by new design outlets), including write-ups in Boston Magazine, Boston Globe, and Apartment Therapy.

I am familiar with a number of the Boston-area designers whose work if for sale, including furniture maker Jacob Kulin, who I’ve had the pleasure of working with, accessories designer/architect Susana DeVoe of Make.Good Studio, who I met last year at the SoWa Open Market, Debra Folz, a New England Home 5 Under 40 winner, who I met at the party, and Nervous System, a design team with degrees from MIT and Harvard.

Textile designer Cary Hewitt is a new find . . . her reversible rugs look delicious. I love the wood vases from Seth Rolland, and  Pelrine + Durrell Design’s Lobster Trap Table is an excellent contemporary interpretation of a vernacular monstrosity.Many of the designers are local, but not all. Room 68 recently launched its online shopping site. Below are the above mentioned items, and more, complete with links both to buy and to the designers’ own sites.

 

S H O P P I N G

Lobster Trap Table by Pelrine + Durrell Design, $1,500 (Boston)
Comfort/Conform Pillows by Make.Good Studio, $150 each (Boston)
Reaction Cups designed by Nervous System, $60
Lotus and Jasmine Wood Vases by Seth Rolland, $115 (Seattle)
Balancing Blocks designed by Fort Standard, $80.
Turned Leg End Table by Pelrine + Durrell Design, $700 (Boston)
Procession Reversible Rug by Cary Hewitt, $750 (Boston)
Concrete Idea by Kaza Designs, $15
X-Stitch Stool by Debra Folz, $1,600 (Boston)
Twist A Twill Blanket by Tina Ratzer, $140 (Copenhagen)
Spool by Jeb Jones, $450 (upstate New York)
Blossoms on Cherry Reversible Rug by Cary Hewitt, $650 (Boston)
Single Leg Coffee Table by Jacob Kulin, $3,500 (Boston)
Beam Bench by Jacob Kulin, $2,000 (Boston)

Room 68 • 68 South Street • Jamaica Plain • Boston

Photo: Apartment Therapy Boston