best beach hostess gifts ever

Every summer, I sneak away to the beautiful beaches of the Outer Banks with my sister. Oh, did I forget to mention that she also beings along her grandson, husband, and occasionally his son and daughter-in-law? It’s perfect, actually. We spend the first day convincing her hubby of the importance of grandfather/grandson bonding; then we have the rest of the week pretty much to ourselves. Sunbathing on the beach, lounging by the pool, and the occasional massage or pedicure. Because it’s such a perfect week with much-needed sister time, I feel a bit obligated to shower the tag-alongs (oh, I mean other guests) with beach hostess gifts, just to say thanks for inviting me. Truthfully, the members of her extended family that join us are all lots of fun, so I recently spent time researching some of the cutest beach projects that would make perfect thank-you gifts. 

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for the girls

photo via Haute Off the RackBeach spikers – I think a personalized beach spiker is simply the ideal girlfriend gift! There are plenty of online shops that sell them, but why not make your own? You can purchase the blank cups in almost any color here and use these instructions from Keeping It Simple to personalize your own.

Macrame & driftwood planter – I love the idea of a darling little macrame planter filled with a mason jar and woven onto a piece of driftwood. You can check out my easy-to-follow tutorial here.

Beach towel/tote – One year, I made a very cute beach towel chair cover for my sister, and she uses it still. Check out my Coolest Beach Towel/Tote Roundup post for some nifty ideas and patterns.

for the hostess

Picnic placemats – I love, love, love this idea. Such sweet little placemats with a built-in pocket to keep paper plates and utensils from blowing away. What vacation hostess wouldn’t appreciate these ultimate picnic placemats from Fabric Mutt?

for the kids

Fish beach/laundry bag – This sewing tutorial from Sew Can She is adorable. Made from mesh, it makes a great tote for lugging the kids’ beach toys back and forth.

Bandanna tote – If you prefer a fast and easy project, these bandanna totes from Martha Stewart make ideal gifts for young kids as well as teenagers.

Shell-collecting bags – I also fell in love with the idea of these small shell-collecting bags from Come Together Kids. 

Personalized beach pails – Although this idea is not new, it is one whose popularity never wanes. What kid wouldn’t love to have his or her own personalized beach bucket? Check out this tutorial from Designs By Miss Mandee. 

for the men

… just joking. There are no hostess gifts for the guys. Didn’t I tell you at the beginning of this post that the men were instructed to bond with the children (babysit) all week? 

Okay. All kidding aside, any man that I know would appreciate a nice cigar or a cold 6-pack of beer over any clever, little craft you could make him. Keep it real, sister. There’s a vacant beach chair calling our names.

So there you have it. Some clever ideas for beach hostess gifts.

INTERESTED IN MORE UNIQUE BEACH IDEAS?

• Coolest beach towel/tote round up
• Recycled sailcloth pillow