A housewarming is a fun opportunity to reconnect with friends new and old and celebrate the purchase of a new home. With the joy of attending a housewarming party, however, comes the socially accepted custom of bringing a gift to welcome the new homeowners into their new space. This can be anything from small items for personal consumption, to larger decorative objects meant to liven up the living space.
In recent times, there has been increasing interest in making and giving handmade housewarming gifts. Though these often include consumables, such as desserts or baked goods, many people are leaning toward making quality handmade items that will last the recipient a lifetime and forever commemorate the time when they moved into the new home.
Here are six different DIY housewarming gift ideas that are sure to satisfy even the most discerning new homeowner.
Beaded Table Runner
With a new home, most homeowners will have to purchase some new furniture to fit their new space. Often, this includes a new dining room table, as well as a table for the living room and smaller coffee tables.
With all this newfound tablespace, why not surprise your friend or family member with a beaded table runner? This can break up the drabness of having so many empty surfaces and add a pop of color to just about any home. Choosing material and gemstone beads to match their living space and color palette is a tasteful way to show your support for their new home.
Similarly, a specific pattern can be chosen to suit the tastes and preferences of the homeowner. For example, you could choose a seashell theme or nautical pattern for the new owner of a seaside bungalow, or patterns of leaves and birds for a new home in a rural area.
Framed Photographs
Framed photos of happy times are a wonderful way to showcase the special bond between yourself and a family or friend who has recently purchased a home.
Either choose one spectacular photograph to highlight or select several you love for use in a collage-style frame. Outdoor photos and staged photos are typically better-suited to this application than candid shots.
Photo frames can be pre-purchased in infinite colors and sizes. Consider also if the recipient will likely be hanging the photo on the wall or resting it on a table or other surface.
To ramp up the DIY factor, consider customizing your photo frame with paint, beads, feathers, or other similarly crafty accents.
Vase or Flower Planters
If your friend or loved one is a lover of plants, flowers, or anything related to the garden, then a handmade vase or planter is a thoughtful gift they will surely appreciate.
A vase can be as simple as a mason jar painted by hand in colors matching the interior of their new home and filled with a few stems of fresh flowers. For those inclined to play with pottery or glassblowing, there is the potential for endless iterations of vases a new homeowner would certainly appreciate.
If your new homeowner is not known for having a green thumb, then a simple, painted planter with an aloe, peace lily, or other plant that is difficult to kill is a well-considered gesture. Cacti and various varietals of ferns are also drought-resistant and commonly given in planters as well.
For those who would genuinely prefer not to be bothered with any live plant but desire the look of having one, a clear glass vase filled with colored sand or beads and with a few silk flowers requires absolutely no watering, and will not go unappreciated.
Homemade Bath Bombs
Moving into a new home can be stressful even under the most ideal of circumstances. The headaches of orchestrating movers, signing papers, meeting with real estate agents, and mortgage brokers can all make a move even more difficult.
For these reasons, giving a gift that helps reduce stress and promote a calm and relaxing environment in the new home is among the greatest gifts you can give. Homemade bath bombs meet these criteria: They are relaxing, soothing, and enjoyed by virtually everyone.
Bath bombs are simple and inexpensive to make at home and can be customized to incorporate the preferred scents and colors of the recipient. If you are unsure of what scents the recipient would like, choose something that is known to be relaxing, such as lavender or chamomile.
Wreath
Most people associate wreaths of pine and spruce boughs with the Christmas season and all that it entails. However, wreaths can be used through all the seasons and can be created from wire, buttons, beads, and a diverse array of other items as well.
DIY wreaths are an up-and-coming décor trend on websites such as Pinterest. Though time-consuming to make, the result is stunning and will certainly be appreciated as a housewarming present.
For a wreath that is guaranteed to please, consider your recipient’s tastes. If their home has a minimalist blue theme, think sparse silver wire and beads of sodalite or lapis lazuli. If the recipient is more of a girly-girl and the décor in the new home is reflective of this, think morganite or amethyst beads instead.
Placemats for All Occasions
As any new homeowner is aware, with home ownership comes the tradition of entertaining. A pleasure to some and a burden to others, entertaining guests in the home requires a number of items that the first-time homeowner may not possess: placemats, serving trays, and much more.
For this reason, placemats make an ideal gift for the first-time homeowner. They can be customized for any season or occasion, any set of interior décor or color preferences. For those who desire handy and multipurpose items, they can even be made reversible or double-sided to be useful for twice as many dining occasions.
Best of all, placemats can be adorned with any number of tasteful design features, including buttons, beads, and more. If you know the color of dishes and flatware your host uses, then you can match the beads to those colors as well.
The table size of the host will determine the number of placemats to make. Typically, these come in sets of four or eight.
Final Thoughts
No matter the season or the type of home the new homeowner is moving into, you are sure to be able to create a gift your friend or family member will love.
Whether young or old, first-time homeowner, or a seasoned veteran of home ownership, any new homeowner will appreciate a handmade gift made by the giver.
Author Bio: Roxy Burg is the Marketing Manager for Beads of Cambay. She is very passionate about channeling her creativity. When she is not busy writing she loves working on projects ranging from jewelry making to crafting. Roxy gets her inspiration from nature and seeing the beauty in everyday life.