Purchasing a home brings with it so many exciting emotions, and having a housewarming party is a great introduction to the celebration. As a host, a housewarming party is held to show off the new home and a gift is presented to celebrate the occasion. So what on earth do you give someone that just purchased their new home? How about firewood? Ok, so not exactly what you had in mind. But before central heat, firewood was an excepted gift to “warm” the house and rid evil spirits from the home. Lucky for us, we now have heaters so housewarming gifts no longer require fire.

Being that I am a designer (mythical, creative creature of imaginary folklore) people often look to me for ideas on what to give as a housewarming gift. Traditionally, housewarming gifts are given during a housewarming party and consist of a vase, picture frame, food or wine. While those are nice, they are kinda boring and expected. I like to give gifts that are much more personal and unexpected. Here are five of my favorite gifts

1) Party Kit

Shop sweet lulu’s

Homes are a great place to entertain, so why not give the gift of cheer? One of my favorite gifts for a couple is a party kit. Party supplies goes on sale after all major holidays so it is a perfect time to stock up. Select a theme that suits your host and refine your kit accordingly. It could be a cupcake party, Saturday B-B-Q, or movie extravaganza.  It gives your host an exciting opportunity to have a get together in his or her new home with friends and family. A starter kit also takes a lot of the hard work out of planning and preparing for their next party so your host only needs to fill in the blanks.

Where do I like to shop? Try Shop Sweet lulu’s full of super fun supplies, like SUPER fun!

2) Family notations

Housewarming gifts

In a time when electronic mail and texting are considered excepted forms of  communication, simple thoughts written in old-fashioned note cards are forgotten etiquette; not to mention they are often overlooked, and unexpected. As a busy professional myself, I fall into this category of being busy, over scheduled, and never enough time in the day. I rely on posty notes to remember important days. Um, did I mention that I have a tendency to LOSE posty notes? To help improve this dilemma for others, one of my favorite housewarming gifts is a calendar and notecards.

I purchase a beautiful calender that my host will enjoy and I fill it with important birthdays, anniversaries and days of signifigance. The calendar provides some sense of organization, and the note cards ensures that your host will always be prepared for the important days, and the important people in their lives.

Where do I like to shop? Try Linda and Harriet for charming stationary, calenders, invitations and personal notes of thanks .

3) A guide to kitchen and home

Guide to kitchen and home

Getting settled into a new home brings a homeowner many new challenges. When David and I moved into our new home we were overwhelmed with all of our homes idiosyncrasies. For example, on a windy day our garage door would randomly open. We learned to program a frequency that isn’t effected by wind and lightening. Seriously! Our home also came plumbed with an exterior gas line for a B-B-Q. Did you know you have to buy a special B-B-Q for this type of application? So wait, I can’t just run to home depot and buy a B-B-Q? Nope. Or how about that garbage disposal that won’t turn on? Did you know that there is a switch to flip it back on? Whoa! I also was the winner of a brand new washer and dryer that came with four prong plugs, problem was our wall outlets were made for three prongs – so I learned how to rewire a dryer because I was desperate for clean clothes!

So, I started giving new homeowners a handmade book of helpful tips and tricks to surviving their new home. Tweak this idea to suit your host and you could include a guide to simple household management, your favorite easy recipes, and great gardening tips.

Where I like to start? Try this etsy shop to find great handmade books to start your handmade hostess gift.

housewarming gifts

4) Custom Kitchen Board

If you are anything like me, you love to cook! And I also love my cutting board. I use it every night for dinner, and I prep all sorts of yummy recipes like salsa, pesto and other goodies throughout the week. When David and I bought our new home I bought a beautiful cutting board made of beech wood; did I mention that I love it to pieces? Mine however, is not customized. So when it comes to housewarming gifts, I love giving a customized cutting board for the host who loves to cook. It is a personal gift that reminds them of home and family every time they cook, which infuses the food with love.You can find this option and more here. They offer several different wood types and custom options. What a great gift for the host who loves their prep work!

5) Furniture Repair

Moving into your new home is exciting, but the actual moving part can be quite stressful. Most of us hire professionals to move our precious pieces but things still get damaged. I can’t tell you how many trips I made to the hardware store looking for various touch-up kits to improve blemishes on my furniture. Moving can cause scratches, dings, and other damage so I used to get all types of products from the hardware store and put them in a metal bucket as a housewarming gift. The good news is, now I don’t have to!

This is the perfect gift to touch up and care for your pieces, and it’s all in one box! The best part is the oils are 100% organic. The Kit contains 5 all natural products to repair, fix and love on your precious items. Each kit contains one full size bottle of Furniture Tonic & Color Reviver. One 6oz Tin of Paste Wax, one 2oz vial of Leather Serum, and one 2oz jar of Leather Cream. The wooden shipping crate that the items are shipped in is reusable and handcrafted in Wisconsin. Love that!

Want to buy this kit? You can find it here.