Housewarming Gift Advisor

Housewarming Gift Idea: Unique Coaster

I must confess that I am a coaster junkie and if I were allowed free reign, I would probably have them scattered throughout the house. For the moment, I keep a couple out for display for when I'm expecting guests to come over. I realized when I thought about how much I like a variety of coasters that they would make an awesome gift for someone who is getting ready to move into a new home.

There are a variety of coasters to choose from when it comes down to picking one out for the special someone in your life who is getting ready to move into a new home. The deciding factor, at least the way I see it, is selecting a set that reflects how close the individual is to you and what the person likes and dislikes. For example, if you have a friend who tends to decorate with an eclectic style, coasters from another country or that have a foreign element to them would work well. New home owners who prefer traditional furniture and decorations will most likely gravitate toward simple coaster themes made with one color and no image.

Country decorators will love coasters that have animal or cross stitch themes such as a crochet coaster pattern or one with a rooster one it. The new homeowner who has a house that shows off 60s art will appreciate a coaster that has a unique look to it such as the ones found on cafepress.com, which feature colorful flowers and butterflies on them. No matter what the new homeowner's personality is, there is surely a coaster to match his or her personality.

Put Together a Housewarming Gift

... for the Aspiring Baker in Your Life

Things You'll Need:

Basket

Baking Pan (optional)
Cake, cookie muffin or waffle mix
Stirring spoon
Spatula
Oven Mitten
Decorations as needed
Decorative ribbon

Do you know someone who's getting ready to move into a new home soon? If so, think about creating a baking gift basket for them. The special someone in your life who's moving, whether it's a close friend, a neighbor you talk to on a regular basis, your son's math teacher or your mom will appreciate this type of present if baking is something they do on a day-to-day basis. How do you tell if the individual you know who's moving enjoys baking? Take a peak around their kitchen to see if any mixing bowls, spoons or baked goods such as muffins and cookies are hanging around. If so, and the food is not store-bought, you know you got a baker on your hands. Personalize the housewarming gift to fit with what you discovered while you were in her kitchen.

Muffin sets make a cute present for the baker who enjoys making the fluffy pastry for breakfast and as a comforting snack. Cookie mix gifts work well for the individual who likes baking them for his or her friends and family. Waffle mix sets are a good idea for someone you know who regularly contributes to the pancake breakfast. Pop cake sets make a great gift for the new homeowner or renter in your life who likes to bake and think outside the box.

Gather together a basket from a craft store such as Michaels and any of the above items you think would work for gifts you can place inside it. Choose items including the type of baking pan they'll need, a packet of cake, muffin, waffle or cookie mix, an oven mitten, stirring spoon, various topping types such as sprinkles and a decorative ribbon. The new homeowner will surly appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into a unique gift that fits with his personality.

How to Put Together a Housewarming Gift for a New Neighbor

Have you tried to come up with a housewarming gift for your new neighbor only to wind up at a loss for ideas? For this housewarming gift all you'll need is your phone book, computer screen, printer, computer paper and a ribbon to tie together your finished product. Your new neighbor may only be moving 10 miles from their previous destination. It is enough, however, for them to wind up feeling out of place when it comes to knowing the destination of nearby takeout restaurants, grocery stores, hair salons and other services they might need. Putting together sheet or two with your go to spots will delight and relieve your new neighbor when he or she finds themselves looking for a local business.

Pick out a decorative ribbon to secure the papers once your finished. Pull up an Internet phone book on your computer and locate each business you frequent often. Websites that allow you to find the address and phone number of a local business for free include switchboard.com, yellowbook.com and dexknows.com. Copy and paste the service to your word document and move onto the next one until you have compiled a list of all your favorite services. Enter in the numbers of all your neighbors that you know you can count on if an emergency crops up unexpectedly. Print out the documents and grab the ribbon you'll use to wrap up the paper. Fold the paper and tie with the decorative ribbon. Rest easy knowing your new neighbor will appreciate this low-cost welcome gesture that will save them gas and time.

How to Identify Wine Types

Have you been scratching your head trying to figure out what type of housewarming gift to get your friend, neighbor or sister who's in the process of moving? You don't want to spend too little or too much and everything seems either cheap or expensive. Think about purchasing a bottle of win that taste good and doesn't cost a ton of money. Look to what type of vino that the person in your life who is moving likes. Bring them sparkling cider if you know for a fact that they don't like to drink.

It's a daunting task when you're trying to figure out which is the best wine when several varieties of vino exist on store shelves and online. Pick out which type of wine you want to buy before you decide on which company to purchase it from. Learn the different varieties that can help you not only with this gift, but with future purchases as well. Wine types include sweet, dessert, dry, red, white and fortified wine, according to an article posted to “eHow” titled “Types of Wine” written by Nathan Egelhof.

Wine companies add liquor to the wine to form the fortified version. Sweet wine contains 3 percent of residual sugar after the fermentation process has taken place. Dessert wine contains 95 percent wine and 5 percent of sugar. Dry wine only allows for about 1 or 2 percent of sugar once its been gone through the fermentation process. Wine producers take out the seeds when making a white variety while red wine makers keep the seeds for the vino. Knowing the difference between the various wine types can make the selection process go much easier.

Gift Them the Gift of Practicality with a Tool Box

I am the first to admit that I'm not the most functional with tools. However, I do know how to use a wrench and screw driver when needed. I fall under the category of most of the people who I hang out with when it comes to repair knowledge. I believe that everyone who understands at least a little bit about tools would appreciate receiving a box with a couple of basic items for them to use around the house. A tool box is the perfect housewarming gift for both novice and expert alike. You never know when they'll need to tighten an electrical outlet cover or hang a painting.

Personalize your tool box gift set by color and tool type, depending on if the new homeowner is male, female or knows their way around machinery and other avenues that require the use of wrenches, screws, drills, drill bits and measuring tape. For example, my dad bought my mom her own toolbox that's pink in color and contains just about everything she would ever need. She was ecstatic to receive the gift because it meant that she would know where they were all located at and wouldn't need to search for his out in the shed anymore.

You can find gift sets that contain both tools and the tool box online at amazon.com. Other places that sell tool box gift sets include Home Depot, Lowes and Walmart. Prices for basic gift sets range from $10 to $50. The boxes that contain more tools have a higher cost associated with them and would be better suited for the individual that knows his or her way around them.

Give the Gift of Flowers to Brighten Up a New Home

It's less than a month away from Valentine's Day and with that thought in mind I came up with the perfect idea for a housewarming gift: fresh flowers. Flowers work even for men. The key to picking the right type of flower is knowing the favorite color of the person you plan to give the gift to and what gender they are.

Men often prefer flowers in colors such as a white and blue arrangement. Think about purchasing varieties including white orchids, blue irises and peace lily plants, which will enchance a space without coming off as feminine. Picture if he would display the blooms somewhere in his office and go from there. One of my family members isn't big into feminine flower shades but I might find a single orchid resting on one of his tables upon visiting his home. My husband would enjoy receiving a functional, blooming herb plant that he could use in his cooking.

You have a wider range of plants to choose from when it comes to the women in your life. Choose flowers that you know she would gravitate towards. For example, my mom is an avid gardener and a gift from a casual friend who knows this about her would probably please her by offering any flower that she can grow. I and those very close to her, however, know that her favorite plant is orchids. She absolutely loves them and wouldn't mind receiving one for whatever the occasion. Ask close family and friends what colors and flower types the new home owner likes and go from there to find the perfect housewarming flower gift.

Housewarming Gift Idea: Kitchen Herb Garden

Winter isn't the best time for flowers to bloom, even with the mild one that's dominated much of the country for the last month. It's a frustrating combination for those who love to garden but can't rely one the weather enough to plant new seeds. That being said, you just got wind that your best friend, who loves to garden, is moving into a new house next week. Help chase the gardening blues away by putting together kitchen herb garden housewarming gift.

Incorporate herbs that he or she can sprinkle into meals. Find plants that complement the type of food she eats. For example, if she enjoys spaghetti and meatballs, purchase a basil plant. Herbs you can add to your housewarming gift include bee balm, chamomile and oregano. Bee balm is used both in tea and as a garnish. Chamomile is placed in tea and can work for covering the ground outside, should she decide to plant them outdoors once spring rolls around. Oregano often accompanies basil in spaghetti dishes, along with thyme, rosemary and parsley, according to an “Ehow” article titled “Herbs to Grow for Making Your Own Spaghetti Sauce” written by Anna Johnson.

Factor in whether or not the new homeowner enjoys planting flowers, landscaping or functional plants Some herb plants, such as lavender, bloom with beautiful, purple stocks. Lavender serves an aesthetic and useful purpose.

Finish your gift by wrapping a piece of ribbon around the tiny pot for decorative purposes. You could even place the herbs inside a trendy outdoor bucket and decorate it for the new homeowner.

New Year's Housewarming Gift Idea

Are you having a hard time finding the perfect gift for the close friend or relative that's moving into a new home at the beginning of January? Rest easy with the idea of giving him or her a pair of champagne glasses. When all is settled, he or she can uncork a bottle of bubbly or non-alcoholic cider to toast the New Year and their new home. The nice thing about a gift such as this one is that you can purchase them at discounted prices, depending on where you shop such as at discount super centers.

There are three main types of champagne glasses on the market today: the coupe, the flute and the tulip. Each of these has a slightly different feature.

The coupe has a short stem and widens at the area where you place the champagne or sparkling cider in. This is the least popular of the three champagne glasses.

The second type, the flute, is narrow and tall with a flared top. According to an “Ehow” article titled “Types of Champagne Glasses” this glass type works well with younger wines.

The tulip glass is also long and narrow with a rim that has a top that curves inward and has a “wider bowel than mouth,” according to the “Ehow” article written by Antonia Sorrin. The construction of the tulip champagne glass works well to draw out the smell of aged wine and champagne.

Keep in mine the type of wine or champagne that the new home owner typically drinks. This will help you decide on a set of glasses that they will enjoy for many years down the road.

Holiday Housewarming Gift Idea

Unlike with some of the other topics I write about I didn't have to search far and wide for information in order for me to find the perfect holiday housewarming gift idea. Last year, when my husband and I moved into our new apartment, my parents gave us a huge holiday wreath that my dad had won at a party. It's homemade and beautiful, filled with an assortment of items designed to promote holiday cheer. While we lived in a fairly safe area I was worried that the wreath would get stolen if we placed it on our front door and since I spend most of my time working indoors, I wanted something pretty to look at during the holidays. Others I know enjoy placing a decorative wreath outside where everyone who comes up to the front door can see it.

Present a holiday wreath to the new homeowners in your life. Find one that will work both indoors and out as they may not want to place one on their front door. Do some detective work to find out the potential color scheme that the new homeowners are working with. For example, lets say you find out that they want to use the color gold as an accent color. You could get them a green wreath with gold decorations on it. Someone who decides to decorate using a primarily white color may like a green wreath dusted with materials that make it appear as snow against a deep green forest. The homeowner who loves red will love a holiday wreath made with the same shade used for decorating the home.

How to Give a Housewarming Gift that Combines Symbolism and Creativity

Housewarming Gift Symbolism and History

The practice of bringing gifts to a housewarming for the purposes of welcoming a family or individual into their home has gone on for centuries. The first known case of someone receiving a housewarming gift was in Russia where a couple named Boris and Yelena presented a traveling dignitary with a loaf of bread and a tiny bit of salt. As the story goes, the dignitary asked the couple why they were giving him the two gifts. The couple answered him by explaining that the loaf of bread stood for good health and the salt represented a long life. Since then, people throughout the world have upheld the tradition of presenting new homeowners with a housewarming gift. Below is a list of popular housewarming gifts and the symbolism behind them.

Olive Oil – Olive oil represents good health in the form of a wish given to the new home owner by the person bearing the present.
Bread – A homemade loaf of bread, seen often in Italian traditions, is given to the new home owners to tell them that the person giving the gift wishes that the inhabitants never go hungry.
Wine - Full-bodied wine gifts, a practiced by the Greeks, represent a wish that the new owner never gets thirsty.
Salt – The gift of salt stands for a long life for the dwellers inside the home.
Honey – Honey signals that the new owners will see the sweetness in the every day.
Coins – To receive coins as a housewarming gift means that you'll experience good fortune for the year to come.
Plant – Plants represent life and signal to the homeowners that they are welcome in the community.
Brooms – Brooms stand for sweeping out the evil and making sure the new home stay clean.

Take the symbolism behind traditional housewarming gifts and modernize them by putting together a pretty basket with the necessities such as olive oil, dusters and wine. Personalize the gift by including something that you know the new homeowners need. You can even get creative by giving them chocolate coins or classy salt and pepper shakers.