Needing Help with Ideas for a Hostess Gift

[AngelicGamer]

Hey everyone:

I'm going to be visiting a friend for a weekend who is being the host for a somewhat combined birthday bash for a friend and I.  I'm having trouble with figuring out what to give her as a hostess gift because I usually bring a bottle of their favorite wine.  I'm traveling by bus and I doubt I can bring booze onto a bus or have it packed in a suitcase.  I've thought about getting her a gift card for a wonderful chain of bookstores where I work, but it doesn't seem personal enough to be a good hostess gift.

So, does anybody have some good ideas for a hostess gift that can be brought on a bus while crossing state lines? 

[AprilRenee]

hmm I would think you could bring wine in luggage, but then again, I have no idea if you can or not

Hmm, does she collect anything?

[AngelicGamer]

hmm I would think you could bring wine in luggage, but then again, I have no idea if you can or not

Hmm, does she collect anything?

She does collect dice.  I could get her a nice D&D dice set, which is very easy to transport and I know she'd like.

[carolcard]

There are so many things that make nice hotess gifts. I was wondering about a floral arangement sent after you leave with a card thanking her for the wonderful time you had.

If a gift card is to impersonal why not buy her a book you think she would enjoy.

[Sibby]

Aside from it being heavy I see no reason why you can't bring wine.  However if you don't want to risk it perhaps a local food (for example I as a NYer have been known to bring people bagels since outside of NY and certain parts of FL you really can't get a "real" bagel). 
The book gift card is a great idea and if too impersonal perhaps add to it a nice set of bookends as small home furnishings/ojects d'art are pretty traditional gifts.

[mbbored]

You can always send flowers ahead of you.  Call up a local florists and have them send over a simple bouquet, and you won't pay much more than what wine would cost, plus you don't have to carry anything with you.

[Clara Bow]

A pretty glass votive holder...Kirkland's has some really pretty green glass frogs and clear bunnies....

[Arianoor]

You CAN bring wine in your luggage.  If you wrap it in your clothes there's no reason it won't survive the trip.

If I can't bring wine, I usually do fun bath and beauty stuff.  One year I brought a whole bunch of hand-specific things to a friend who was a server and had really beat-up fingers and cuticles.  I've also been known to bring an expensive beauty item (as in $20-30), something that my friend would love to have but can't bring herself to waste that much money on for one little item.  Let's see, a book on identifying wines for a woman who had recently shown interest in my wine selection.  A book of elegant but simple appetizers for a new cook/hostess.  A coffee table book about crazy shoes for my shoe crazy mother.

If you go to Border's (or similar) and look at the clearance tables there are usually dozens of beautiful coffee table books and cookbooks for 50% off or more.

[likiak]

The dice gift sounds perfect. Plus she collects them and it's personal! There you go- you have your perfect gift.