The Hostess Gift That Keeps on Growing!

Two years ago, I was given a lovely baby shower by some very dear friends of mine. I've been friends with most of these girls since high school, actually some of the friendships go back to our elementary days. Needless to say, we're all tight so when they offered to throw a shower for me, I knew I had to give them a hostess gift that would be special. I wanted to give them something unique, something that required a little thought and effort. Now, most days I doubt my creative abilities, but I must say I really love the idea I came up with and better yet, it was all mine. :)

So this is going to sound random, but I love succulents. You know, those plants that are water-retaining and do well in dry climates. The most common of them are aloe and agave but my favorite succulent would be the Hens and Chicks. I found this description of them on the website, About.com. The article was written by David Beaulieu who gives a much better description then I could...

Hens and chicks plants are mat-forming succulents that produce clusters of rosettes. The parent rosettes are the "hens," and the smaller rosettes that spring from them are the "chicks" or "chickens.

Love the vibrant green color of these Hens and Chicks.

One 'Hen' with her three 'Chicks.'

I included this picture so you can see the variation in color, pink is always pretty.

So when thinking about how much I love Hens and Chicks, it dawned on me that this would make a great hostess gift from an expecting mother. Or, at least I thought my idea fit nicely within the baby theme! And who doesn't like a pretty house plant?? So I set off for my local plant nursery and purchased a container full of Hens and Chicks for each hostess. I also purchased little pink pots... I was having a girl so this color made the most sense. After potting each one, I came up with a little rhyme to accompany my green gift. I printed my poem out on card stock, placed the little cards on plastic florist picks and stuck one down in each succulent.

My expression to my hostesses went like this...

There once was an expecting Hen

Who had herself some great friends



 

These girls were awfully kind

Showering her with goodies for a lil' behind

In order to thank this click

For the gifts they bought her baby chick

She put together this little ditty

And stuck it in something pretty

Once my beautiful shower was coming to a close I presented each friend with their succulent. Judging by their reactions I think I can say they appreciated this gift! I was certainly grateful for all the time and effort they put into my shower and wanted to give them something special. :)

Catherine