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Welcome guests this season with a fire

rreditor — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:15:35 +0000

My husband and I took a last-minute trip to Massachusetts this week. We stayed in Boston the first half of the week while he attended a conference for work; the latter part of the week we’ve spent at the Inn at Castle HIll in my hometown of Ipswich.

The Inn oozes hospitality and when I was here earlier this year, it inspired me to write this post on ways to make your overnight guests feel comfortable and welcome.

On this most recent visit we were charmed by the Innkeeper’s offer to build a fire for us each evening in the main sitting room. Relaxing by the hearth in overstuffed chairs, sipping coffee and playing Scrabble, we could not have been any more at home.

So as you welcome guests into your home this Fall and Winter, be sure remember the treat a bright, crackling fire can be. Follow these simple reminders on building a great fire.

Fireplace tools are a necessity for tending to a fire. Since they are always on display in one’s home, be sure to choose not only functional but stylish sets.

Rivet Hearth Tool Set from Restoration Hardware

Wood Holder from Pilgrim Home & Hearth

Fire tool set from ACHLA Designs

Accessories like these can make your next fire even more memorable:

Wrap dried herbs in newspaper to make fragrant firestarters

Pine Mountain Firecone Basket from Gumps

Sumptuous Soap Suds

rreditor — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:43:27 +0000

A good hostess doesn’t always get it right. Case in point: My husband (then boyfriend) for years hosted a longstanding poker game at his house (now our house) every Monday night. They played on a felt-lined poker table downstairs with mismatched chairs. It was very much a “guys night.” No frills. No appetizers set on pretty platters. Just whatever the guys wanted to pick up on their way from the office to the game.

I moved in to my husband’s house after we got married and, well, let’s just say I upset the apple cart a little. Furniture started being moved (or went suspiciously missing altogether) along with those Britches rugby shirts from 1980′s. (I don’t care if rugby’s are ever in style again; THOSE rugby’s never will be!) And then, I really did it. I put fancy soap in the bathroom. My poor husband never heard the end of it from his poker buddies.

The lesson here: know your audience. If the poker friends use the downstairs bathroom, dig out the manliest soap you can find and put away the frilly French-milled couture soap. However, for all other occasions, I highly recommend any of the following which, in my opinion, represent some seriously sumptuous suds:

With its faux bois style, this wood bar soap from Gianna Rose Atelier may be just masculine enough for the poker buddies (but I wouldn’t chance it!).

Wood Bar Soap from Gianna Rose Atelier

I spotted these leaf soaps recently at Neiman Marcus — a gorgeous addition to a guest room or perfect as a gift.

Leaf Soaps from Gianna Rose Atelier

These leaf-shaped soaps are equally beautiful and I love the cedar soap dish, too.

Jardin de l’Olivier Olive Oil Leaf-Shaped Soap

Roger et Gallet is one of my all-time favorites. I faithfully hoard their bath products everytime I stay at a Sofitel.

Tea Rose Soaps by Roger & Gallet

The ultimate gift bag for out-of-town wedding guests

rreditor — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:13:50 +0000

Welcoming out-of-town wedding guests with a gift bag at their hotel is a thoughtful gesture and one that is an increasingly standard part of most weddings. A welcome gift need not be extravagant — a thank you note, an itinerary and map, and maybe some water and snacks would certainly suffice. But for those who may wish to add a little more pomp and flair to their guests’ arrival, the following ideas may get your creative juices flowing and, if assembled, would indeed constitute one incredibly luxurious SWAG bag!

The ultimate out-of-town gift bags will help your guests…

1. …stay hydrated.

Water is a critical element to any welcome gift. Voss (sparkling is my fave, but it is also available in still) is not only great H20, but it’s packaging is also very sleek.

Voss water

2. …fight back a snack attack!

To satiate those late night snack attacks, be sure to include some treats — both salty and sweet — for your guests. To reflect your wedding location, consider including snacks with local flair (e.g. Virginia peanuts, Maine blueberries, etc.).

Kettle Chips are a great option for a salty snack.

Lightly salted Kettle Chips

For a sweet snack, consider these options from two of the best artisan chocolatiers.

Knipschildt's chocolate-dipped pear slices

Recchiuti's Black Box

3. …keep their breath fresh.

Jila gum and Choward’s mints are not only a refreshing treat for guests, but the smart packaging will be visually appealing, as well.

Jila Sugar Free Gum available through CandyDirect.com

Choward's Spearmint Mints

4. …know where they are going.

One of the most important things to include in a welcome gift is information about the timing and locations of the weekend’s events. Three great options for wedding maps include:

Beautiful hand-drawn maps by Laura Hooper Calligraphy
Custom wedding map designs by Snappymap or Weddingmaps

5. …feel even more comfortable during their stay.

Help guests make their hotel room feel more like home with thoughtful touches like travel diffusers or monogrammed slippers. For beach weddings, consider adding flip flops or a beach towel. For cooler climes, a cashmere throw, ski hats, or monogrammed scarves would be a nice treat. Guests will also appreciate other small items like asparin and a mending kit.

Travel Diffuser from Archipelago

Hermes printed beach towel

Williams-Sonoma Home Cashmere Throw

6. …capture the moment.

Yes, your professional photographer will be there to capture the key moments of your wedding. But don’t miss those behind-the-scenes moments that only your guests can capture. Single use cameras can be fun for guests; those cameras with black-and-white film are particularly cool. A luxurious option for capturing moments on film would be to provide guests (or even just your wedding party) with Flip cameras. You can even personalize the camera with a picture of the bride and groom or the bride/groom with that particular guest.

Kodak's Black & White Single Use Camera available through Amazon.com

The Flip MinoHD camcorder

7. …feel welcomed and honored.

A welcome back is not complete without a personalized note from the bride and groom thanking the guest for coming and for sharing their wedding with them. While personalized notes do take time to write, they will make each guest feel even more honored and welcomed and know how much you appreciate their presence and friendship.

8. …pack it all up.

Once you’ve assembled all of the special welcome treats for your guests, you’ll need to present the items to them in lovely packaging. This is a wonderful chance to incorporate your theme (e.g. gifts at a beach wedding could be packaged in canvas beach bags). Keep in mind that your guests will have to pack up these items and to take them home with them, so try not to make the packaging too bulky or awkward. Fun tote bags like the ones below or beautiful Kolo boxes can be good options.

City Out-of-Town Totes available at Blissweddingsmarket.com