Little old housewarming for Pasadena
February 10, 2018 9:34 AM Subscribe
As it says, I have a pair of lovely friends who've bought and have been renovating a house in the LA area. I wasn't able to do much by a way of a wedding present when they got married, so I'd love to get them a housewarming present to show I've been thinking of them and that I know how important the place is to them. Complications - I've never owned a house; place-making has never been important to me; I've never been to LA. Anybody who fits those categories, please chime in!
So, said lovely friends have been living in a very small space (a guesthouse, actually), while working full time AND doing the renovation themselves. They'll be moving in before the rennos are done, and basically I am super impressed and love them and love that they've done it all while maintaining a very loving, balanced relationship. I'll be writing that out and telling them, but I'd like to give them something either to use in the house or in its further development to show that I know how much it means to them.
They're both very proficient in various hobbies and professions (artmaking, film editing, old cars, bikes, honeybees), but know a hell of a lot more about them than I do and probably own everything they need. They're also in a much higher income bracket than I am (though still on a pretty tight budget) so probably something small but meaningful. Things I've thought of and dismissed:
-a tree? Is that even a present or just a burden (something else to plant)?
-a hook for their keys (what makes that special?)
- a picture of a cactus (giving people art who have strong feelings about art seems...questionable)
- a cool doorknob (WHAT DO HOUSE PEOPLE LIKE?)
- a local thing (HOW DO I LOCAL IN PASADENA?)
This has been on my to-do list for months and I can't come up with anything. Any ideas are good ideas. Thanks!
So, said lovely friends have been living in a very small space (a guesthouse, actually), while working full time AND doing the renovation themselves. They'll be moving in before the rennos are done, and basically I am super impressed and love them and love that they've done it all while maintaining a very loving, balanced relationship. I'll be writing that out and telling them, but I'd like to give them something either to use in the house or in its further development to show that I know how much it means to them.
They're both very proficient in various hobbies and professions (artmaking, film editing, old cars, bikes, honeybees), but know a hell of a lot more about them than I do and probably own everything they need. They're also in a much higher income bracket than I am (though still on a pretty tight budget) so probably something small but meaningful. Things I've thought of and dismissed:
-a tree? Is that even a present or just a burden (something else to plant)?
-a hook for their keys (what makes that special?)
- a picture of a cactus (giving people art who have strong feelings about art seems...questionable)
- a cool doorknob (WHAT DO HOUSE PEOPLE LIKE?)
- a local thing (HOW DO I LOCAL IN PASADENA?)
This has been on my to-do list for months and I can't come up with anything. Any ideas are good ideas. Thanks!
Would a wreath be too old fashioned? I'm a sucker for interesting/not cheesy door wreaths and have sent them for housewarming gifts (usually when people move during the holidays). I know that's not everyone's thing, but I always get compliments when I have one hanging. I gave my mom a something like this succulent wreath last year, she said it's beautiful, but I haven't seen it yet. The nice thing about something like this is that you wouldn't have to hang it on a door, you could hang it inside or outside on a fence or lay it flat, etc. I also have a felt floralone I put out during the spring/summer months. It's nice because it's maintenance free (when it's sheltered on a door), especially when it gets hot out, and doesn't pretend to be something it isn't.
posted by littlerockgetaway at 10:33 AM on February 10, 2018
posted by littlerockgetaway at 10:33 AM on February 10, 2018
A while back I gave someone a wooden trivet that seemed to me both beautiful and useful. If they have too many trivets already, they could hang it on the wall, it's so pretty.
If you're looking to spend more, you could see if the Etsy seller would be willing to make something custom for your friends, maybe with their last initial(s) worked into it and/or their house number.
posted by lakeroon at 10:33 AM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
If you're looking to spend more, you could see if the Etsy seller would be willing to make something custom for your friends, maybe with their last initial(s) worked into it and/or their house number.
posted by lakeroon at 10:33 AM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Oh, also a custom self-inking return address stamp is neat and useful.
posted by lakeroon at 10:38 AM on February 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by lakeroon at 10:38 AM on February 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
My favorite housewarming gift was a wooden lawn ornament shaped like a penis. It is ridiculous, I'm not suggesting you go this route specifically. I love gardening and I also sometimes have a bawdy sense of humor. When they came to visit, they handed me this object and said THIS MADE ME THINK OF YOU. It...confused me? And then they told the story of going to the little farm stand and garden store and purchasing the object. How the lady cashing them out said , "Oh, I see you're buying THE GARDEN WORM." They all nodded knowingly. Worms are good for the garden. It's kind of hidden in the backyard, so it's not the first thing you see but when someone gives me side eye about it, I say "I SEE YOU'VE NOTICED THE GARDEN WORM. IT'S A GOOD LUCK CHARM." My 17 year old niece has seen it and also just assumed it was a worm without prompting. Every time I'm gardening it makes me smile. So maybe not a wooden dick, but something that relates to them and to you.
posted by Bistyfrass at 10:44 AM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Bistyfrass at 10:44 AM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
When I was renovating my home I most appreciated people stopping by and lending a hand or moral support.
After that, I was super thankful for wine/champagne and gift cards to Home Depot/bed bath.
I wouldn’t have appreciated door knobs or trivets or other decor! I do have a friend who comes visits and sends a housewarming gift AFTER she had arrived and sussed out what I need. “What do you mean you don’t have measuring cups?” And then measuring cups arrive by Amazon two days later. It’s a lovely and thoughtful strategy.
posted by slateyness at 10:47 AM on February 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
After that, I was super thankful for wine/champagne and gift cards to Home Depot/bed bath.
I wouldn’t have appreciated door knobs or trivets or other decor! I do have a friend who comes visits and sends a housewarming gift AFTER she had arrived and sussed out what I need. “What do you mean you don’t have measuring cups?” And then measuring cups arrive by Amazon two days later. It’s a lovely and thoughtful strategy.
posted by slateyness at 10:47 AM on February 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
Are they working on the yard as well as the house? We have given a gift certificate for a local nursery/garden center as a housewarming gift so our friends could get a few nice plants (here is one place).
posted by gudrun at 11:46 AM on February 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by gudrun at 11:46 AM on February 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
I have two gifts I appreciate every day. One is a truffle shaver that I got from my childhood best friend. I rarely eat truffles, but there are a million things I use it for, and every time I think of her.
The other is more complicated. When my stepmother was 50, I gave her a big bowl made by a master glass blower, and she always had it prominently displayed with fruit in it. When she died I inherited it, and it reminds me every day that I managed to find her a gift that she loved and told her of my love for her.
posted by mumimor at 11:53 AM on February 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
The other is more complicated. When my stepmother was 50, I gave her a big bowl made by a master glass blower, and she always had it prominently displayed with fruit in it. When she died I inherited it, and it reminds me every day that I managed to find her a gift that she loved and told her of my love for her.
posted by mumimor at 11:53 AM on February 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you're not local and can't get out there to see what they really need, I'd give them a gift certificate to the local hardware store (the renos aren't done; they will never be done) or to the local garden store. People take their gardens very seriously in Pasadena and we're heading into spring.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 12:12 PM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 12:12 PM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Membership or passes at one of the local treasures like the Huntington, the Norton Simon, or other such comes the mind, as does a gift card to my personal favorite spot, Vroman’s Bookstore.
If they’re nerds, tell them to head to the Neon Retro Arcade post haste. ;)
(These also serve as present ideas for me, for future reference. ;D
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:34 PM on February 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
If they’re nerds, tell them to head to the Neon Retro Arcade post haste. ;)
(These also serve as present ideas for me, for future reference. ;D
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:34 PM on February 10, 2018 [4 favorites]
Art tiles are a common interest among Angeleno homeowners. Do you happen to know if they eventually plan to retile part of the house (backsplash, bathroom, fireplace, etc.)? An art tile would be a nice gesture toward that future. Even if they don't want to retile, a lot of people display individual art tiles. If you really want to make it special, get a Batchelder tile (unless they already have a Batchelder fireplace/installation, in which case...those lucky so-and-sos). The less nice ones can be had for a reasonable price, although if buying on a marketplace like ebay, I'm not sure how you would judge authenticity. Exercise caution.
Alternately, instead of giving them a picture of a cactus, why not an actual cactus or succulent? If you know they want to xeriscape their yard at some point, any small native plant would also do nicely. I would not recommend a tree, because that's such a(n eventually) large landscape element, and it may not actually work with their plans. Then they have to wrestle with whether to keep buying pots of an absurd size or to find a place other than their own yard to plant the tree. Ask how my family knows this.
It's also hard to go wrong with giving some gourmet dried pasta or similar foodstuffs. You probably won't be the only person to give such a thing, but hey, there's a reason it's a common thought.
posted by desert outpost at 2:08 PM on February 10, 2018
Alternately, instead of giving them a picture of a cactus, why not an actual cactus or succulent? If you know they want to xeriscape their yard at some point, any small native plant would also do nicely. I would not recommend a tree, because that's such a(n eventually) large landscape element, and it may not actually work with their plans. Then they have to wrestle with whether to keep buying pots of an absurd size or to find a place other than their own yard to plant the tree. Ask how my family knows this.
It's also hard to go wrong with giving some gourmet dried pasta or similar foodstuffs. You probably won't be the only person to give such a thing, but hey, there's a reason it's a common thought.
posted by desert outpost at 2:08 PM on February 10, 2018
Descanso Gardens is another local garden you could get them a membership for.
The Theodore Payne Foundation sells California native plants and also offers classes.
posted by mogget at 2:15 PM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Theodore Payne Foundation sells California native plants and also offers classes.
posted by mogget at 2:15 PM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
All these membership suggestions are great, but they may already have them. If they're doing their yard, get them a gift certificate to a local nursery (look on Yelp --the Armstrong Nursery on Glen Arm has been there for a million years and it's lovely and charming, but if they're up in Northern Pasadena, another one might be closer). Other good local gift certificate options: Bristol Farms (our upscale market), Trader Joe's (which might not seem local, but TJ's started in Pasadena!), the aforementioned Vroman's, which is an amazing bookstore, or the hardware store closest to their address. You could have Monople Wine send them some wine! If they like weird sodas and retro candies, send them a gift certificate to Galco's.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 7:11 PM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Countess Sandwich at 7:11 PM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Gift certificate to the California Cactus Center or the Pasadena Museum of History shop.
posted by Scram at 7:51 PM on February 10, 2018
posted by Scram at 7:51 PM on February 10, 2018
I'm a new homeowner in Pasadena. My favorite gift received has been hard related: a large, beautiful wind chime that I love but will take years before a $100 wind chime takes shopping priority over, say, saving toward a kitchen table. I love it.
I live near Lincoln Nursery and I think I'd be overjoyed to receive a gift certificate there.
posted by samthemander at 9:10 PM on February 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
I live near Lincoln Nursery and I think I'd be overjoyed to receive a gift certificate there.
posted by samthemander at 9:10 PM on February 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by BlahLaLa at 9:52 AM on February 10, 2018 [2 favorites]