Hostess Gifts

You are walking into a house you did not decorate, carrying something for the person who did.

Hostess Gifts

You are walking into a house you did not decorate, carrying something for the person who did.

So this edit stays in the rooms a guest is allowed in. The Ro-Tel Can and the Ball Jar are the two people laugh at first and keep longest. Parker County Peaches is the right thing to hand somebody in July, and Texas Essentials is a pantry shelf drawn with the seriousness usually reserved for Dutch still life. The bottles do quiet work: Topo Chico caps, a Dr Pepper 10-2-4 in minimalist black, a single yellow Big Red, a Lone Star bottlecap squared off like a Warhol. For a more formal house, the bluebonnets — the aqua Hill Country field, the chinoiserie line drawing, Caya's quilt square — are flowers that will not wilt in the car on the way over.

Each one is a giclee pulled in Fort Worth on 100% cotton rag, archival inks, heavy paper you can feel through the tissue. Standard sizes throughout, so nobody is sent hunting for a custom frame.

Hostess gift questions

What is safe for a host whose taste I do not know? Food and drink. A can, a bottle, a peach, a jar. Nobody has ever taken offense at a Topo Chico. Skip anything with a name, a date or an opinion on it — those presume a relationship you may not have yet.

How much should I spend? Less than you think. The smallest matted sizes, 8x8 in a 12x12 mat or 8x10 in an 11x14, are the entry price and the correct choice. Something large and expensive leaves a host having to find a wall for it, and that is not a gift, that is homework.

Should I bring it framed? No. A mat and a clear sleeve looks finished on the counter and lets the host frame it their way. Framing it yourself is a decorating decision made on somebody else's behalf.

What about a Thanksgiving or Christmas host? Kitchen subjects win, because that is where the host has been standing all day. Everything is made to order, so allow production plus transit and order well ahead of the date you are expected.

If your host has just moved in, the housewarming gifts are the better shelf. Otherwise keep going through kitchen wall art and bar cart art, browse Texas gifts, or shop by budget in Texas wall art under $100.

Frequently Asked Questions