Scenario: your best friend, or co-worker, or nephew  just moved into a new home and is throwing his/her first get-together. Now you’re racking your brain to come up with a thoughtful housewarming gift and you have no idea where to start.  Fear not my friend, because I’ve assembled the greatest compilation of housewarming gift ideas (okay, I may be a bit biased) that you will ever stumble upon.
I love indulging in a crafty crafternoon now and again. The excitement of pulling into the Michael’s parking lot … browsing the scrapbook aisle just in case you ever decide to do something with the pictures from that family trip to Puerto Rico back in ’07 … filling a basket chock full of art supplies (most of which you didn’t even know existed 10 minutes ago) … then finally making the switch to a cart when you can’t handle the weight anymore. Boy, that’s my idea of heaven.
BUT … for those of you who aren’t quite so enthused about mastering the glue gun, here are a few homemade housewarming presents that require minimal crafting but will still be excitedly received:
1. The Gag Gift. I especially like this gift idea for a couple of first time homebuyers.  They just spent a huge portion of their life savings on this house, and haven’t even begun to think of how they are going to decorate.  To start off their art collection, get a print made for them that says, “Still saving for my Van Gogh.”  The key to a successful gag gift is making sure that at least part of it is an actual present.  Even though the print is a joke, make sure it is in a beautiful frame.
2. The Wine Lover Gift. This gift idea has certainly been making the rounds on Pinterest lately, but I still think it is charming, easy, and funny.  Tie a hammer to a nice bottle of wine with a big bow and attach a note that says: “Take a break from all of your hard work and get HAMMERED!”  This is a great way to introduce yourselves to the new neighbors.
3. The “Techy” Gift. Don’t you hate having to rummage through your junk drawer to find that little yellow post-it with your wifi password written on it every time one of your friends stops by for a visit? Spare your host this pain in their new pad by making a QR code specifically for their WiFi Password.  To DIY, follow this blog  for instructions to make a wifi password QR code display.
4. The Classy Baked Goods. Let’s be honest – no one is ever going to be upset with some delicious baked goods.  Especially if you make my famous Oatmeal Craisin Cookies (email me for the recipe!)  It all comes down to how you present the gift.  I learned this trick from the queen of housewarming (Martha Stewart): iron patterned tissue paper in between two pieces of wax paper and use it to wrap your baked goods into a pretty, little package.
5. The “Not Your Average Gift Basket.” Â No one wants to receive a cellophane-wrapped wicker basket full of pears … or at least, those people are few and far between. Â Why not give them a “basket” that consists entirely of items that they will actually want/use? Â My favorite example is the dog bowl gift basket filled with toys, treats, and pet shampoo and all tied together with a dog collar.
I don’t know about you, but I would love to receive any (all) of these presents.  Do you foresee hosting a housewarming gathering of your own in the near future?  Let me get you one step closer by helping you start your home search in Loudoun and Fairfax County here!
– Casey Menish
Casey.LiveLoudoun.com
casey@e4realty.com
(571) 426-8567
The E4Realty Group of RE/MAX Gateway – 42365 Soave Drive, Suite 200, Ashburn VA 20148