I try very hard not to bring a typical hostess gift such as a bottle of wine. First off, I know nothing about wine - so unless I know the hosts favorite bottle, I just give up. Second, it seems everyone brings wine as a gift. Some times I just buy multiples of the same gift, but this year they were all different. Last year, I purchased a few square shaped baskets from Longaberger and filled them with personalized cocktail napkins from The Stationery Studio. I found people really like personalized things. I think it shows you put a lot of thought into the gift.
Two examples I gave this year were: Rachael Ray's Olive Oil Bottle (the hostess' kitchen is orange, I was sure to get her a matching bottle) and a good bottle of olive oil from Williams-Somona wrapped nicely in cello. She just LOVED the gift. Last night I gave another hostess a "Box of Wine" soap set from Rinse Bath and Body Co. Cute little take on the standard bottle of wine, I thought. I purchased the soaps on our last trip to Disney World in October; they have had a booth in EPCOT the last few years at the Food and Wine Festival. Their soaps smell yummy good! I look forward to visiting their booth again in May (again at Disney World in EPCOT).
I've started to plan our dinner and think about the menu, place settings, table cloths and place cards. I attempted something different today with the place cards. I used 3 mini candy canes to form an easel of sorts to hold the cards. I made the cards using Papertrey Ink's Places, Please stamp set and their matching die. I tied mini bows and attached them to the top of the place card holders. Something different and it was quick and easy. I have a ton of mini candy canes left over, so I think I'll fill some apothecary jars as decoration. 
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