The Rural Voice, 2002-09, Page 62Home Decorating
Use hour imagination in gifts for hour hostess
Patti coloured sandpails. (Sandpails are
Robertson
operates
Classic
Interiors in
Wingham.
By Patti Robertson
Mom always said, "Patti, take care
of those who take care of you" (or
another way to state this would be
"Grease the wheels that turn").
My design mentor Jon would say
"the perfect guest always brings
something to an event, takes
something and leaves something" —
in other words, when you are an
invited guest, it is most appropriate to
honour your hosts with a token of
your appreciation in the guise of a
hostess gift — you take/receive by
enjoying with your host the fare and
activities they are sharing with you
and you leave behind your
appreciation through your gracious
comments and pleasantries.
And so I, like you, am provided a
multitude of occasions each and
every year to practice these simple
and enjoyable guidelines for being a
desired guest. The,fun part of
receiving an invitation is coming up
with a perfect hostess gift to fit the
host's personality and the occasion.
The following is a sample of tips and
tricks I have found useful.
We've been invited to a backyard
barbecue. It's fun to arrive with
potato chips, cheesies and popcorn
brimming forth from brightly
also perfect containers to hold potato
and macaroni salads or veggies and
dips.) A bouquet of rainbow coloured
balloons can be a fun addition to tie
to the end of a picnic table or float
from a fence post. A set of horseshoes
or a badminton set can assist with the
entertainment of guests.
A pool party also provides lots of
easy tokens of appreciation as simple
as a set of pretty acrylic tumblers or
wine glasses accompanied with a
bottle of wine, pool noodles or diving
sticks or even a sculpted shell dish
brimming with seafood dip and
crackers.
At a luncheon, a small floral
bouquet is always appropriate and if
it's already in a lovely container
you've doubled the impact of your
token. Recently, I was visiting a
client who had received a beautiful
nosegay bouquet that was a real
showstopper featuring white
sweetpeas and lavender for the
guest's garden. I was envious! A
floral tribute can be as elegant and
yet simple as one perfect rose in a
bud vase or rose bowl ... it's the
sentiment that counts!
Now there are also lots of fun and
offbeat ideas that will always be
remembered such as a bottle of Sake
and a collection of chopsticks,
candles and a candle snuffer. Jams,
jellies and pestos wrapped up in
pretty gingham tea towels. A basket
brimming with nuts and a
nutcracker. How about the long
forgotten pleasure of board games, or
decks of cards? Always appreciated
are seasonal wreaths for doors. The
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58 THE RURAL VOICE
list goes on and the ideas are limited
only by one's own imagination.
Two of my personal favourites
were a complete set of Christmas
napkins in all the sizes available. 1
was able to entertain the entire
Christmas season with this very
appropriate and useful gift.
A second really neat idea came in
the form of a large ceramic popcorn
bowl filled with packs of microwave
popcorn, a beer for each family
member and a gift certificate for a
video rental. What fun!
Tickets to local plays or art shows
or movies are all very appropriate as
are gourmet cooking magazines and
homemade jars of mustard for the
cook. How about gardening books for
the avid gardener or plush, floral
hand towels and scented soaps,
notepaper with a pretty pen and even
stamps are all useful and a delight.
Now I do not believe in breaking
one's bank. I highly recommend
keeping an eye peeled at the dollar
stores, yard sales and flea markets for
Etn and interesting objects and
materials, be they the wrappings and
decorative ribbons and bows to adorn
one's presentation or the vase, jug or
container to hold florals or soaps or
preserves etc.
I recommend reusing and
recycling where it's appropriate.
Your ingenuity will be applauded!
Simple brown paper bags can be
adorned with raffia and create a very
natural presentation for your gift.
Little plastic fruit baskets can sport
woven ribbon and become a perfectly
charming container and newsprint
can make the perfect giftwrap when
you make the section chosen suit the
hosts' interests.
So, have some fun in showing
your appreciation in what you are
about to receive and in honouring
your hostess for the time and effort
that she is extending to accommodate
and entertain you. May you be
invited to many interesting and
wonderful gatherings and may we all
come to understand that we
strengthen our bonds to one another
through mutual respect, recognition
and appreciation!O