Are you looking for a last-minute holiday hostess gift that is both affordable and handmade?? Well, I have the perfect gift idea for you…and the best part is that you can grab the supplies on your next visit to the grocery store!
DIY Holiday Herb Swag
So you have a holiday party tonight and are at the grocery store and don’t want to bring that foil-wrapped red poinsettia that’s at the check-out counter as a hostess gift …well, I have a pretty handmade idea that you can make in about 15 minutes AND you can grab the supplies in the produce department!
What is a hostess gift anyway???
A hostess gift is a small gesture that you give to your hostess as a thank you for the invitation. Traditionally it is something that she/he can use in the kitchen or for entertaining purposes.
Popular gift ideas are flowers, plants, wine, candles, a box of candy, kitchen towels, pretty hand soap or lotion, and specialty foods like jellies or infused oils.
Some of my favorite gifts to bring are my favorite locally-made candles, New Hampshire maple syrup or honey, and baking mixes or jams from Stonewall Kitchen (also local to me).
Supplies for fresh herb swag:
- Fresh Herbs
- Thai Chili Peppers
- Raffia
- Floral Wire
Some common herbs that will work well in a DIY swag are rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaves, lavender, & oregano.
Most grocery stores have plastic packs of fresh herbs usually by the packaged salad mixes. When I was shopping I found packages of a poultry mix that included sage, rosemary, and thyme for $2.99 each! I grabbed 3 packages to use to make my herb swag. For a smaller swag, 2 packages would have worked perfectly.
For a pop of color, I also am going to use bright red Thai chili peppers. Just make sure to wash your hands after handling them!!
Making the Herb Swag
1. bundle the herbs
My first step was to separate the herbs into piles. Oh my gosh, my studio smelled so good while I was making this project!!
Next, I gathered one of the herb bundles and my paddle of floral wire and wrapped the wire around the ends of the herbs.
Make sure to secure it tightly as the herbs will shrink as they dry out over the next couple of weeks.
This is a really easy and quick project to DIY even if you don’t think you are very crafty, I promise!
2. make a raffia braid
After I had bundled the 3 herbs together that I am using for this swag I needed something to secure them to. I decided that the perfect thing would be raffia because it’s also a natural material and would be strong enough to hold the herb bundles.
The Dollar Tree or similar dollar stores is a great place to buy your raffia. The Dollar Tree packs have 3 bundles of raffia in them.
For the raffia braid that I am going to make I used 2 of the small bundles from the dollar store pack.
After I straightened out the raffia bundles I wrapped the raffia around the neck of a bottle to create a loop, making sure the ends were even.
I tied a common knot that created the hanging loop.
Then I just did a quick braid of the raffia and tied a piece of raffia at the bottom to secure it.
3. attach the herbs to the raffia braid
Starting at the bottom of the raffia I attached the herbs to the raffia braid using floral wire. The woody rosemary looked the best to be at the bottom of the herb swag.
In the center, I attached the bundle of thyme to the raffia swag.
Then I attached the bundle of sage to the swag.
4. Attach the chili peppers
Now if you want to keep your herb swag all green then you can skip this part but I love the pop of color and the shiny smooth texture of the red chili peppers!
To secure the peppers to the swag I used a drop of hot glue on the backs of the peppers and attached them to the top of the raffia braid.
All I did was glue the chilis close to each other across the top of the swag and then layered a few on top. Be sure to wash your hands after handling the peppers.
To finish off the swag I tied a raffia bow at the top. The natural look and texture of the raffia work perfectly with the fresh herbs and peppers.
Finished Fresh Herb Swag
I did string a couple of dried orange slices onto my herb swag once I hung it up; I have a huge batch for decorating already done.
The herbs will naturally start to dry out over the next few weeks but dried herbs look lovely too!! The dried herbs are also totally usable too!
Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas
Please check out the handmade gift ideas that my friends Amy from Amy Sadler Designs, Regina from Saved From Salvage, and Wendy of WM Design House have made this week! Such pretty ideas that you will want to make this holiday season.
Amy Sadler designs
Amy made the prettiest bath bombs! Not only are they just lovely to give as a gift they are also easy to make!
Saved from salvage
You will just love the homemade watercolor note cards that Regina made this week! What a fabulous gift to give!
Wm Design House
Wendy made the coolest-looking wax sachets that you can add as gift toppers on your presents this holiday season!
DIY Fresh Herb Swag
Here is an easy idea for a hostess gift or just for your own home! The best part is that you can pick up all the supplies at the grocery store!
Materials
- Fresh Herbs (3 different herbs)
- Small Red Chili Peppers
- Raffia
- Floral Wire
Instructions
- For this herb swag you will want at least 3 different herbs. I used rosemary, sage, and thyme. Lavender, bay, or oregano are also good choices.
- Separate the herbs into 3 piles
- Use floral wire to tightly wrap around the end of each of the herb bundles.
- Grab a thick handful of raffia.
- Use a sturdy bottle and wrap the raffia around the neck. Tie a common knot to make a hanging loop for the herb swag.
- Braid the rest of the raffia, securing the end with a piece of raffia or floral wire.
- Wire the 3 herb bundles to the raffia braid starting at the bottom and overlapping the herbs as you work your way up.
- Hot glue the red peppers to the top of the raffia braid, overlapping to create a bundling effect.
- Tie a raffia bow at the top of the herb swag.
- The herbs will naturally start to dry out over the next few weeks.
Notes
I used the fresh herbs that you find in plastic packages in the produce dept. For my swag, I used a poultry mix that already had the 3 herbs. I used 3 packages to create this long swag.
JENNIFER,
GOING TO MAKE THIS. GREAT IDEA. KEEP THEM COMING SWEETIE.
Thanks, Mary!! I’ll try!!
Jennifer – I love this. It is so creative and out of the ordinary. I have an event in a few weeks and I think this would make THE PERFECT HOSTESS GIFT. Thanks for the inspriation!
Thanks, Regina!!
I know I say it all the time but I love everything you do! I’m so glad we’re friends!!!!
Me too!!
What a cute idea my creative friend!
Thanks, Kimmy!!
Wowza, this is such a brilliant idea! love it. I am so glad we are doing this together! I also love the layout of your blog. Is this a 360 design? I am switching over in January.
It’s by 17th Avenue and it’s the Clover theme. It’s built on the Genesis framework. It does lots of cool things and they have a great support team and extensive tutorials.