new home gift to my sister?

Question

My sister is getting married and moving into her new home soon. What will be a good gift I can mail it to her?

Answer 1

I like to make personalize needlework samplers as gifts, but that may not be something you are interested in doing.

A nice card with a Home Depot or Lowes gift card is a welcome present for any new homeowner. So is a certificate for a local nursery in their area for them to go and pick out a tree for their yard.


Housewarming gifts are the one type of gift that needn't always be formally gift wrapped. After all, plants, gift baskets, and other large items are difficult and unwieldy to wrap in gift paper. Instead, consider using tulle fabric or netting, clear cellophane, or even just a colorful bow to adorn your gift. Be sure to include a handwritten welcome card, and whenever possible, personally take the gift to the home and officially "warm" it with your good wishes.

Whatever your gift choice, make is something appropriate for you and for the recipients. There's nothing more discouraging than to receive a huge Victorian swan planter when your entire home is black and white contemporary. It's better receive something predictible rather than something inappropriate.

Here are our favorite -- and not so favorite -- gift ideas for housewarmings... The Good

Give Something Classic
Simple beauty never goes out of style. A silver picture frame, a cut crystal bud vase, or a beautiful clock are objects that can fit into almost any home. Make it special by buying it in your friend's favorite store, or go all out and shop at Tiffany, Neiman Marcus, or other specialty store. For an extra touch, fill the frame with a personal photo, place a rose in the bud vase, or engrave the object with the move-in date.

Add to a Collection
Choose an object that your friends can add to a treasured collection -- things like an antique tin, a white ironstone bowl, or a silver napkin ring are possibilities for some collectors. Then add a little something extra to the gift... perhaps a mini box of truffles inside the tin, some wonderful tea in the ironstone bowl, or a small bouquet of flowers cinched with the napkin ring.

Gift Baskets
Choose a theme appropriate for your recipients and have fun putting together something creative. Just choose a themed container, several appropriate pieces to place inside, and tie it all up in cellophane and a pretty bow. Use package shred or crinkled tissue to cushion the items if necessary.
-- Gardening Bucket with garden tools, gloves, seeds, pruners, and gardening magazines
-- Just Add Water with a vase, stem cutters, floral design book, and a big bunch of fresh flowers
-- Paint Party in a Paint Tray with paint rollers, brushes, drop cloths, tape, 5 in 1 Tool
-- Starter Tool Box with tape measure, hammer, screwdriver, pliers, and assorted nails
-- Picture Hanging Kit with picture hangers and wire, nails, tape measure, level, and plumb line
-- Dinner Kit with a casserole, plates, utensils, paper cups, and a bottle of sparkling cider
-- Emergency Chocolate Kit for incurable chocoholics -- a candy tin or a basket, and a variety of chocolate candy, truffles, cookies, or freshly baked goods made of -- you guessed it -- chocolate!


Make Something Special
Gif the gift of yourself by presenting something you've made. Perhaps a flavored vinegar, shaped topiary, painted welcome sign, fireplace starters, a flower arrangement or an Easy Fruit Arrangment.

Toasting Flutes
Add to their wedding crystal, or choose unique toasting flutes especially for the occasion. Tie the stems with pretty bows, and include a bottle of bubbly to toast your friends in their new home.

Bridal Registry
Newly married couples can be easy to shop for since you may still be able to choose items from their wedding registry. If the registered gifts have all been given, you can look it over for clues to their chosen color scheme and style preference, then make appropriate gift choices that will fit into their decor. Consider placemats to go with their china, an additional setting or two of everyday dishes, or an alternate choice of colored glassware.

Start a Tradition
Pass along one of your own family traditions, such as bringing an iron cricket on the hearth for good luck, a wreath to symbolize hospitality, or a guest book to record events and celebrations.

Give the Gift of Memories
Bring a photo album of your special times together. On the last page leave a space for a photo of their new home and write: "To be continued..." This can be an inexpensive gift that will be treasured now and in the future.

Transform the Ordinary
Flowering plants, green plants, plant baskets, or fresh flower arrangements can be a pretty ordinary gift -- or they can be spectacular . Choose, make, or order something really lush and gorgeous, decorated with bows, balloons, or ornaments, and placed in a beautiful container.

One Big Beautiful
... take your pick: vase, bowl, basket, cache pot, coffee table book, pitcher, or tray. Most people can use another one of these. Choose simple classic shapes and colors, or make it something special for a current holiday such as a blue bowl decorated with white stars for July 4th or a vase etched with little hearts for a housewarming close to Valentine's Day.


The Bad

Scraggly plants
Never give a plant or floral arrangement that looks like it has seen better days. This can be an additional problem in very hot or very cold weather too, since fresh greens can wilt quickly in temperature extremes. And never give a plant to someone who will have no interest in looking after it.

Pets
Never give something so personal as a pet, unless you know for a fact that this would be a welcome gift. Pets will demand a time and care commitment that many people are too busy to give.

Food
Be careful with food gifts. Candy will be all wrong for someone watching calories, while fresh fruit will be wasted if the recipients have an out of town trip coming up. Only when you know the person well can appropriate food items be chosen that will be welcomed.

Don't Ignore Their Taste
Perhaps you love antiques but your friends love contemporary. Don't force your preferences on them with an unwelcome gift of something only you think they "should" like. Chances are the gift will be a dud. Better to go with something "ordinary" than to strike out completely.

Recycled Gifts
Don't ever (repeat after me) -- don't ever give a gift that you've already received yourself, then rewrapped for someone else. It's tacky, and eventually someone will probably figure out what happened, then everyone will be embarassed.


Here are tons of ideas:
http://www.findgift.com/Occasions/House-Warming/

Answer 2

Here's something creative that will be appreciated and you will have fun doing:

Make up a crossword puzzle and have all the hints be personal inside moments and jokes that only you two would know about. Put it on a poster board and add some clipart and some pictures to it!

The crossword puzzle could be time consuming and a bit frustrating ... you could do the same idea with a WORDSEARCH or WORDFIND puzzle.

Put your computer skills to work! Use Excel, get clipart from Yahoo Images Search, copy them, and reformat them, use a gluestick to put on posterboard.

Use graph paper, and pictures from magazines if you are not as good on the computer, and it will give it a homemade feeling.

Answer 3

You could always order something online and have it shipped to her. Crate & Barrel is a really good online place to order from with a variety of items. They will include a personalized note with the gift. Regardless of the store you buy the gift from though, your best bet is to send it directly to her from the store with a little note. Most online store offer that services and some will even gift wrap the item for you. That way you ensure that it is packaged properly (especially breakable items) and if something happens to the package or item(s) it's the store's responsibility to resolve the issue, not yours. Happy shopping!

Answer 4

How about a wine and cheese gift basket? Or a gift card to a local home store like Lowe's or Home Depot?

Answer 5

Buy gifts for sister from the amazing selection available at the online stores. You can buy online gifts for sister include accessories for sister, spa and cosmetics for sister, jewelry for sister, perfumes for sister, gift combos, sarees and stoles for sister and soft toys for sister.

Answer 6

Our daughter bought us a clock when we moved into our new home for our mantle. It is something we use all the time and of course think of her everytime we look at it.

Answer 7

Arent you going to her wedding?? Is she registered? Look through her registry and see what she needs. Or go to www.brylane.com they have all kinds of home things. I'm sure you'll be crawling with ideas once you see that page.

Answer 8

Has she registered anywhere? If you know where she is registered, such as Macys or some other dept. store, you can look up what she and her new husband need and send that.

Answer 9

Napkins and placemats, a wall clock, one of those "Welcome" signs for her front door, a small dry erase or bulletin board. Gift certificate or gift card.

Answer 10

Really nice, personalized or engraved coasters.