Plants
subscription to decorating magazine

2 stand out for me:

Bags of Bulbs (for a gardener)
Time - X hours of help doing house projects.

I like a plant or potted lavender for garden.

Red

Or gift certificate to home store like Lowes

I've gotten some great bottles of wine and some nice personalized stationery with some new address return labels :-) I also think the famous framed initial would make a great housewarming gift, personal and inexpensive.

Booze :) Wine actually. It never goes to waste in our home.

I've received a couple of pieces of Nambie? (I'm spelling that wrong) as well, which are very nice. I tend to use the wine more frequently than the Nambie. heh heh

One rule of thumb is never try to decorate someone else's home. Chances are you won't get it right. Lamps, pictures, indoor plants, ugly cookie jars are out. You're safer giving them things that will be consumed...any kind of food (fruit basket, candy, drinks) or flowers that will die so they don't feel guilty not planting it outside (where that pretty little plant will grow into a monster shrub) or keeping it forever in a pot that now requires maintenance. Movie passes are good. I received a gift card to one of the smoothie shops in town and I loved it. It's not something I would ever buy for myself but boy did I love having it during the hot summer months when I was out running errands and had a craving for a a good drink. It's an inexpensive item as it is so even $20 will take care of several trips to the smoothie shop. Same goes for ice cream parlors. A little goes a long way compared to threatre tickets or paying for a couple to go out to dinner.

oops I meant a Cool drink not a good drink. lol. That came out sounding like I was wanted a swig of something. ;-)

flyingflower's post made me remember, I've gotten Starbucks gift card too, that was awesome. And I agree about the plant thing. My builder's wife gave me a beautiful japanese garden? arrangement of different plants. I killed them all and still feel badly about it.

I agree with all of Flyingflower's suggestions! For xmas was given gift cards to: a movie theater, 2 great restaurants, a bookstore, & a local garden center. Have a had a lot of fun using them!

My standard housewarming gift has to be given just before the recipients move into the new home or the day they move in. It's a bucket with necessary things, like tape, scissors, bandaids, wipes of all kinds, sponges, paper towels, a marker or two, a bottle of aspirin, a small sewing kit with safety pins, and a gift card for a pizza place or Dunkin Donuts. Sometimes a map of the new town if I can find one. Things that you need those first few days, but can't always remember where you packed them. Everything can be used up, except the bucket.

If that's not appropriate for the recipients, I usually do a food basket with healthy snacks, like fruit and crackers and cheese, things that are easy to grab on the run and don't need much preparation.

What a strange question...how do we ever know if our plants, food, decor, or wine is ever appreciated? I am sick of gift cards although I understand the reasons behind them.
To a new neighbor I would take a homemade pound cake but to a house warming party I would take a nice plant. They can throw it out if they don't like it!

I appreciate the thought no matter the gift. We've bought 3 houses over the years. None were a "dream" home, but all were OUR home. We've never had a house-warming party but have had a few kind neighbors drop off some simple but thoughful goodies. When you are scrubbing and unpacking, a cool drink and sweet treat are wondeful! However, the absolute BEST housewarming gift ever was when a good friend and professional painter painted both my boys' bedrooms before we moved into the house! I still think about him (and his family) every time I walk into those rooms!

Nin

"One rule of thumb is never try to decorate someone else's home. Chances are you won't get it right. Lamps, pictures, indoor plants, ugly cookie jars are out."

And speaking of ugly cookie jars, make sure you remember that your idea of a truly adorable cookie jar may well make your recipient want to ralph. (The THS chicken fetish comes to mind... LOL Teasing!)

It all boils down to one thing: Know thine recipient!

Best housewarming gifts I've gotten were gift cards to the closest hardware store, because there's invariably the "oh drat I need picture hangers/batteries for the smoke detectors/light bulbs/extra keys cut!" When the giver's cash was short, help with the manual-labor part of unpacking and getting settled in has always been MOST appreciated.

bumblebeez, if you're sick of gift cards you can send 'em right on over to me anytime. ;-)

The best, most creative gift wasn't, strictly speaking, a housewarming gift. It was more of a moving present. A bunch of friends help me make a local move. One friend's young son came along with a paper bag of fresh catnip and kept my cat entertained and out of the way while we worked.

Well, I like getting them, of course! But I also like getting a well chosen present beautifully wrapped because a great gift is often something I would Never buy for myself.
And gift cards, even when I get them seem materialistic.

Really, Know thine recipient! does sum it up.

I like to think that someone would enjoy an orchid in a nice pot, for a time, even if they do eventually kill it and they would never buy it for themselves.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases
That would be daffodil bulbs!

For our first home we were given a brass door knocker, engraved with our name. We have moved it to every house since. We have kept the tradition with our own children.