kaufmann mercantile: a housewarming giveaway

March 3, 2014

kaufmann mercantile: housewarming James and I have finally fully moved into our new attic apartment. The boxes are unpacked and long gone, but there’s still all of the usual fussing to be done. We’re deep into what I like to call the housewarming stage of a move. Decisions still need to be made about where to hang what. We’re looking at what furniture still works and what needs some attention and what can safely go out to the curb. There are hooks that need to be purchased and light fixtures to replace and corners that could use a second scrub.

When my friends at Kaufmann Mercantile reached out about a possible giveaway for these tea leaves, I knew just the sort of care package I wanted to put together: a small collection of my favorite housewarming essentials for folks on the move to a new place or settled deep into a place that could use a little livening.

They’re not the usual sort of housewarming gifts: the tea towels or the salt cellar or the brass door knockers. They’re housewarming gifts that acknowledge that getting a house warm requires a fair amount of elbow grease and a friendly acquaintance with one’s tool box.
kaufmann mercantile: housewarming For one of you sweet readers, here’s a little thank you for reading through all of my tales of tiny apartment adventuring; and a collection of goodies to encourage nesting of the serious sort—plus a set of beeswax candles for an added bit of calm.
kaufmann mercantile: housewarming {A set of eight screw drivers.} kaufmann mercantile: housewarming {A tiny broom for cleaning up messes and beeswax for polishing.} kaufmann mercantile: housewarming {All-purpose soap and a scrubby coir brush.} kaufmann mercantile: housewarming {A leather-wrapped hammer to last you a lifetime and then some}. kaufmann mercantile: housewarming Here’s the complete list of everything Kaufmann Mercantile has been generous to send home to one lucky reader:

To enter the giveaway, subscribe to the Kaufmann Mercantile Newsletter through this unique link, and leave a comment below, complete with your contact information and a note about your favorite housewarming ritual. (Psst: Every newsletter signup comes with a $7 gift card.)

The giveaway will close at 5:00 pm on Friday, March 7 and a randomly selected winner will be announced on Monday. UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed, Caroline of C is for Caroline was the lucky winner.

xo. ~ E

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410 Comments

  • Reply julie March 3, 2014 at 3:57 pm

    There are so many great ideas for house warming gifts!

    1
  • Reply Caroline March 3, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    The night after we move in I love to order takeout and open a special bottle of mead/beer/etc. and toast to our new place! Thanks for the chance!

  • Reply betterheathworkouts March 3, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    Great items! A great gift!

  • Reply Theresa March 3, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    What a great gift basket! We downsized in mid-January, so all of this moving talk is is very applicable to my life right now. I enjoy taking the time to "smudge" or burn sage in a new place. It smells wonderful and is a ritual that reminds me that things are starting afresh. coppersnowflake at yahoo dot com

    -Theresa

  • Reply malaree March 3, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    We just moved last week. Thanks for all the tips, our place is 400 sq. feet too!

  • Reply Anonymous March 3, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    These are such great ideas! I just bought my first new home and I could use all of the above! 🙂
    It's very overwhelming when you realize all the things that you need to get started. I love putting together a basket w/ cleaning supplies, gloves, soy candle, and other items that really help when you first make the big move for my friends. Thanks again for all your great ideas!!

    Jen D [email protected]

  • Reply rebeccacloyd March 3, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    Moved in November and still working on making it feel like home! I love giving people really nice all-purpose and bathroom cleaners – you do so much cleaning in the first few weeks, but you're also spending so much money on the move that it's easy to reach for the cheaper cleaners that make your home smell like bleach instead of mint or lavender. It's great as a simple and useful gift!

  • Reply Jenn March 3, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    Moving from Philadelphia to Milwaukee at the end of March. Reading your blog gives me the courage needed to start the journey. Really like the cleaning supplies and Dopp bag. Favorite housewarming ritual is to use cardboard boxes as tables and eat off them for the first week!

  • Reply m. yourick March 3, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    Lovely products that are both useful and beautiful, a classic combination.
    I love a homemade candle lit dinner in a new place, usually atop a cardboard box. Beeswax candles are the best!

    Mandy
    [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 3, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    Such a unique housewarming gift idea! I remember how when we first moved into our apartment, we had to go around asking neighbors to borrow a hammer. This is perfect!
    –Gena
    [email protected]

  • Reply Norma March 3, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    Such lovely items that inspire one to get the place in order!
    -Signed up
    -Contact info is: sixaguilars at gmail dot com

    Crossing my fingers and congratulations on the new place & changes coming your way~~

  • Reply bofill March 3, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    What a wonderful giveaway! Housewarming definitely means takeout on the floor, with candles, cushions, and a nice wine.

  • Reply Caroline Nitz March 3, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    Filling stark walls with beloved images is my favorite thing about settling into a new space–framed photos of my parents from the 1970s and a old map of Minnesota make me feel right at home!

    Caroline
    [email protected]

  • Reply Kelly March 3, 2014 at 4:13 pm

    Love Kaufmann Mercantile! I love lighting a familiar candle, even though it sounds so obvious. Nothing like getting rid of the smell of the previous tenants and making it feel more like home.

  • Reply Christina March 3, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    This gift basket looks great! I love moving into a new place and slowly figuring out the best way to use the space – where to put shelves and hooks and where your favorite things look best.

  • Reply Amanda March 3, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    Love Kaufmann Mercantile! The last couple of places I lived, the first thing I did was slap a fresh coat of white paint on the walls. Made me feel so happy to cover up the gross colors from the previous tenants…

  • Reply Molly Reese-Lerner March 3, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    What a perfect assortment! I love it.
    Molly
    [email protected]

  • Reply Majken March 3, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    Hi Erin, what a lovely giveaway! My favorite housewarming ritual is making up the bed first thing. Everything else can wait (read: eating take out on the floor and pulling clothes from boxes for days) but crawling into a freshly made bed after a hard day of moving is heaven… [email protected]

  • Reply Anna//Gone Banannas March 3, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    Whenever we move (and we have moved a lot in the past two years!) I have to get the bathroom situated asap and food in the fridge. Knowing I can complete my morning routine without too much fuss while also having food to eat makes me feel instantly more at home!

  • Reply Kate March 3, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    What a fantastic giveaway! Making the bed with clean white sheets and filling a vase of fresh flowers is the perfect way to wake up on your first morning in a new home. When visiting others in their new homes, I am a bit traditional and like to bring a homemade cake. Contact: kmcletchie at gmail dot com

  • Reply Alice March 3, 2014 at 4:26 pm

    Scrubbing the new place down and then doing all the laundry is my go to. Nothing beats waking up the next day to a clean new place and fresh clothes!

  • Reply Erin K March 3, 2014 at 4:26 pm

    I'm anticipating a move in June – these tools would certainly warm up any space.

  • Reply mayamaya March 3, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    The only time I've ever moved has been in the thick of a New England winter so I've always gathering with close friends and family over mulled wine in a newly arranged apartment. The smell of warm spices is the first of many delicious smells to come to the new apartment.

    Contact information: Maya, [email protected]

  • Reply Kim P March 3, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    What a beautiful kit! I hope I win 🙂 My favorite ritual is to order pizza from the new neighborhood pizza place. I rarely order in so it feels like a special treat to welcome myself to the neighborhood.
    kapickeringathotmail

  • Reply Megan March 3, 2014 at 4:29 pm

    My favorite cleaning ritual is to pull out all of my wooden spoons, cutting boards and utensils and give them a good oiling with coconut oil. I do this every couple of months. Thanks for the awesome giveaway 🙂

  • Reply little olive March 3, 2014 at 4:29 pm

    The products sounds so great! I love them all! One thing that I do for others and myself quite often is lavender sachets. I love them for drawers and closets. Sprinkle lavender on the carpet and vacuum it up and then the whole apartment smells nice!

  • Reply JennaJoy March 3, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    Fantastic giveaway! When we move, the first thing I do is make the bed. A little familiarity and a place to put things as you unpack. To give to friends for their housewarming, I bring a small, usually easy to care for, houseplant or a bouquet of fresh seasonal flowers. Brightens up even the dankest of small spaces! Contact: [email protected]

  • Reply Karen - Quilts...etc. March 3, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    what a fun give away – I would love all these neat tools for my own set in the house and not have to constantly look through my husbands messy workshop for tools – love you blog and will love to see photos of your new place when you are settled in

  • Reply tculover March 3, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    I love sending flowers to friends in their new places. A few blooms can really make a house feel like home.

  • Reply Jess Salter March 3, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    I love making beds. Strange, I know. But I love the calm when the bed is orderly.

  • Reply scgrits March 3, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    I had someone bring over some nice liquid soap once. What a thoughtful, practical gift.

  • Reply Kassie Eberle March 3, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    I love sewing new cotton or linen napkins for people in colors that I know they are wanting to incorporate intheir home!

  • Reply Rennae March 3, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    Such a lovely giveaway. After a good clean of a new place my ritual is to burn some sage throughout and then open all the windows to move on past energies and bring in the new. [email protected]

  • Reply ariana March 3, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    My two favorite must-dos are making the bed (after doing the preliminary dirty work of preparing/thoroughly cleaning the bedroom) and finding everything a place in the kitchen. If I haven't cooked in an apartment, I haven't lived in it yet :). This post is wonderfully relevant for me, as I'm looking to move in the next month or two! Eek. But what a beautiful basket you and Kaufmann Mercantile have put together.
    [email protected]

  • Reply Julie G March 3, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    There are a few housewarming rituals that I adore: rearranging furniture (sometimes several times), deciding which plants to choose for each room, & of course giving everything a good scrub until it looks happy. It's all a blast!

  • Reply Meg S March 3, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    So many good ideas! Our housewarming tradition is to get Chinese food takeout the night before we move the furniture in and eat it on the floor in an empty place.

  • Reply Krista March 3, 2014 at 4:37 pm

    Oh! I love setting up a new kitchen and putting flowers on the counters. Welcome home!

  • Reply Hannah March 3, 2014 at 4:38 pm

    Hanging curtains is one of the things I like to do right away. Always makes a new place feel like a home!

  • Reply Erin McDonough March 3, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    Love it! My favorite housewarming ritual is probably either putting away / organizing the dishes for some reason – or the first dinner party! My contact info is: [email protected]

  • Reply Jessie March 3, 2014 at 4:41 pm

    My house warming ritual is bottle of wine and ordering pizza!

  • Reply Anita March 3, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    I like to give the place a good scrubbing and then lay in an empty room (before I put my things into their new places) to think about the possibilities that come with moving into a new space.

  • Reply katie o March 3, 2014 at 4:44 pm

    We moved in November. The first thing we did was burn a little sage for good measure and then drank some champagne sitting on the floor!

  • Reply mmkelly12 March 3, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    These are beautiful! My favorite housewarming rituals are getting fresh flowers and doing a deep cleaning accompanied by a bottle of wine.

  • Reply funfunsun2 March 3, 2014 at 4:46 pm

    What a lovely giveaway! My favorite housewarming ritual is putting an orange rind through the dispose-all, it gives the whole place a pleasant citrus scent.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Vanessa Marie March 3, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    Oh I love Kaufmann! Already on their newsletter list 🙂

    My favorite, and call me crazy, housewarming ritual is to paint rooms and figure out colors that brighten up the space. I find painting to be so relaxing, much like baking!

  • Reply Sarah Spitz March 3, 2014 at 4:48 pm

    This looks so pretty!

    Greetings from Germany and thanks for sharing!

    http://lasagnolove.blogspot.de/2014/03/bambi-meets-bambi.html

    Birdy and Bambi

  • Reply Caitlin Jennings March 3, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    How relevant, my husband and I just packed up our apartment in Brooklyn last night. My favorite housewarming ritual is fresh sheets on the bed and some intense cleaning followed by a bottle of wine and take-out from somewhere in the new neighborhood.

  • Reply Drew Frohn March 3, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    Treating helpful friends to pizza and beer and unwinding at the end of a long move day is always incredibly satisfying. I'm also a sucker for minor wall ornamentation and some fresh flowers (despite the general chaos of piles and boxes) to give the place a sense of the familiar.

    drewfrohn at gmail dot com

  • Reply Mae Chevrette March 3, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    This is so perfect! In two weeks, I am moving from a sweet little loft in South Boston to a sort of cavernous artist work/live studio downtown. My favorite housewarming ritual over the last few moves has been to thank our friends for their heavy lifting by having drinks and pizza as soon as the last box is moved in, even if it means sitting on the floor to do it – we want them to know they're appreciated, and it brings a cheery feeling to the new home.

  • Reply chris March 3, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    My favorite homewarming ritual is to burn some sage, wash the windows, and bring home a vase of fresh flowers.

  • Reply miekemakes March 3, 2014 at 4:59 pm

    This is so great! I clean the bathroom and make the bed. There are the two things that need to happen before a good nights sleep in a new home! [email protected]

  • Reply Lucie March 3, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    Just entered! Love the pieces you selected… I'm especially keen on the wooden dustpan 🙂 [email protected]

  • Reply Elizabeth Gray March 3, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    After getting everything moved to the new place, I like to just sit and relax, take everything in, and try not to get overwhelmed by unpacking!

  • Reply Bean March 3, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    I would love to win this! We just painted our place and it's been like moving to a new one! Thanks for the opportunity to win.
    [email protected]

  • Reply The Procrastinator March 3, 2014 at 5:09 pm

    This is such a lovely, unusual giveaway! Well-timed as I'm about to move into my first house — thank you!

    [email protected]

  • Reply Alex Hubbard March 3, 2014 at 5:09 pm

    Very fun! I hope I win! Craig + I make it a ritual to eat pizza on our new apartment floor the first night we move in. We try to put away as much as possible, but having a quick meal together makes it immediately feel like home!
    [email protected]

  • Reply Alison Pearldiver March 3, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    Oh what a wonderful store, thanks for tuning me into to this one. Since I'm a graphic designer and have some fun computer programs handy I always measure my new space, some what meticulously, photograph it empty, and then essentially lay out my entire floor plan on the computer. That may not be my favorite tradition, but what is my favorite is coming into a new space and putting everything away into it's location and not dealing moving the bed 5 times before deciding it looks best where is was first. That way we can enjoy some take-out and good bottle of wine at the end of the day and not feel crazy-frazzled. [email protected]

  • Reply Sophie March 3, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    This is ingenious. You've made hardware look pretty.

    Sophie x

    http://your-girl-is-lovely.blogspot.co.uk

  • Reply Renaissance Women March 3, 2014 at 5:14 pm

    Thanks for the opportunity to win this housekeeping basket. It will coming in handy around my 1920's bungalow. My contact info is cmaxstewart2012(at)gmail.com.

    My favorite housewarming ritual is to go through the whole place and give it a good scrub before I move a thing in. Even if it's been 'cleaned', I still like to do it myself with my cleaning products so then it smells like home.

  • Reply Martha March 3, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    We just moved this weekend too and it is exactly as you describe! I told someone today that we are playing a giant game of dollhouse right now, moving furniture around to suit us. We are renting a furnished farmhouse that was previously occupied by an 80 year old woman, and it is a fun challenge to use her furniture and goods to suit our little family of four (two adults and two children under five). My favorite ritual is the first meal in the new kitchen! We made shepherd's pie and it was delicious.

  • Reply mstrex March 3, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    We just moved in October and although we're all settled and unpacked the place still needs some love. I like to clean and unpack right away but then take time to add finishing touches to warm the home. contact info: tarurana(at)gmail.com

  • Reply Alissa March 3, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    Wonderful giveaway! We moved in to a small 1920s place 6 months ago and are still fixing it up. Every single room was a different bright color, so I've enjoyed painting them white and gray to make our place feel more calming.
    [email protected]

  • Reply Ceci Bean March 3, 2014 at 5:29 pm

    That is one beautiful housewarming basket! I think making the bed is really the trick. Everything else can be chaos, as long as the bed feels like home.

  • Reply Mandi March 3, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    What a wonderful giveaway! I like to make the bed and then get the kitchen in order.

  • Reply Weezie March 3, 2014 at 5:32 pm

    My favorite ritual is scrubbing down the bathroom and taking my first bubble bath! Thanks for this giveaway, what a great assortment of products. I am most excited about the beautiful hammer! I can be reached at raecharles13 at gmail dot com.

  • Reply elizabeth b. March 3, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    what an awesome giveaway.
    We sold our house last year (which my now husband bought while we were dating), are currently renting and have been looking for our next home together. So I haven't really had the chance for any housewarming rituals but I can't WAIT to figure them out! We thought this rental was temporary but it's taken longer than we thought to find a house (down here buying is almost the same as renting cost-wise) so we are so ready to be settled! With my family, we always remembered what we ate the first night in our house surrounded by boxes but happy to have a new home. So simple, but so important to us food lovers! 🙂 I have a feeling I'll want to unpack fast and organize, grab take out and then dream about what I'll cook first!

  • Reply emilie nicole March 3, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    Fun giveaway! My husband and I also live in a tiny space together. It's fun and sometimes even considered an adventure – but it sure gets messy fast. I actually find comfort in sweeping and doing the dishes (there's almost nothing that makes an open studio seem smaller and more dirty than a pile of dirty dishes. We're always looks from cute cleaning supplies that can be stored in plain site! We have a small garden and i love the outdoor swing. makes me dream of longer and warmer summer days.

  • Reply Anonymous March 3, 2014 at 5:34 pm

    Something practical & a gift card to a pizza place.

    H
    couponhg at gmail dot com

  • Reply Sara Clarke March 3, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    The first thing I do in a new place is hang my hamsa, which was a gift from a dear friend, and then eat a picnic dinner on the floor surrounded by boxes.

  • Reply Anna March 3, 2014 at 5:37 pm

    Last time we moved, my favourite part was feeding the people who helped us. We'll be moving again sometime in the next year or so, and while I'm not looking forward to the process of packing up and then putting stuff away, I do kind of enjoy moving and starting life in a new place. This time we'll get the added fun of a toddler underfoot–can't wait to see what that looks like. charis_channah17 at hotmail dot com

  • Reply Alison March 3, 2014 at 5:39 pm

    What lovely choices! I always feel that the first bottle of wine we open in a new place is a bit of a ritual…a chance to relax after all of the work involved in moving. helloalisonj (at) gmail.com

  • Reply Sasha March 3, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    Ok, I think you've officially convinced me that cleaning supplies shouldn't have to ugly. Also, my usual housewarming gift is a bottle of wine. Because moving is awful and stressful, and wine makes it a little less so. 🙂

  • Reply Nicole March 3, 2014 at 5:42 pm

    This is so lovely. My favorite housewarming tradition is toasting to the new place – break open a bottle of your favorite beverage and celebrate the monumental effort that got you there.

  • Reply KayJS March 3, 2014 at 5:42 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is to send a baguette of French bread, assortment of cheese, and a bottle of champagne so the new occupants can take a break from the unpacking, cleaning, etc.

  • Reply jordyn March 3, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    What a lovely giveaway! That first evening in a new place it's always so nice to find yourself sitting on the floor with some new local take out with those wonderful friends willing to help be a part of this new venture. But my favorite housewarming ritual is unloading all the kitchen boxes. There's something so rewarding about finding the best use of each nook in cranny in that room.

  • Reply LydiaHarris March 3, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    Have a moving in picnic with a blanket on the floor of an empty room! [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 3, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    The first thing I do when moving into a new place is setting up the bed with freshly laundered sheets and bedding, and laying out toiletries by the bathroom sink and in the shower. And if you're moving during the summer, putting in a window A/C unit at least in the bedroom. Contact info: Gina at [email protected]

  • Reply Josie March 3, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    What a lovely giveaway! Making the bed and then ordering some kind of high-calorie takeway usually does it for me… josiedelap at gmail dot com

  • Reply Shelby Mae March 3, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    My favorite housewarming tradition is ordering takeout from the closest restaurant nearby and lighting candles around to freshen up the place from the inevitable moth ball smell. My best friend just downsized into his first teeny tiny apartment and could use these beauties! I've lived in a tiny apartment for years so I understand the need for usual household items to be aesthetically pleasing (with help from your blog!) Info: [email protected]

  • Reply Maren Ellingboe March 3, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    I love Kaufmann Mercantile! For me, housewarming with takeout Chinese and a bottle of wine on the floor is always pretty great.

  • Reply Simone March 3, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    i generally try to avoid moving at all costs. i am a creature of habit and a proud homebody. but when i do move, one of my traditions is to sauté some kale and play my favorite record. the record i call my favorite (as well as the type of kale) will change, but the motivation is the same. feeling comfortable and and comforted even if the space you're in doesn't feel that way quite yet. [email protected]

  • Reply Haley March 3, 2014 at 5:59 pm

    I just moved into a new tiny house and I only unpacked the very most essential things on moving day (bed, toiletries, 1 specific bag that I had packed with a week's worth of outfits). I pushed everything into closets and corners and just lived in my house for a few days to get a feel for it before unpacking and setting everything up. It let me be super thoughtful about where everything went and what stuff I didn't need to keep. It also made moving day a lot less stressful, not worrying about getting done in time to set things up.
    haleyw at gmail dot com

  • Reply Hannah March 3, 2014 at 6:00 pm

    This would be perfect because I am moving from CT to San Francisco in June and could sure use all of those lovely things. My favorite housewarming ritual is buying a bouquet of flowers and hanging up at least a few pieces of art even if everything else is still a mess because then at least it feels like home. [email protected]

  • Reply T March 3, 2014 at 6:11 pm

    My favorite part of moving is the stage where we purge all unnecessary items from our lives so that our next home will be simpler

  • Reply Amy March 3, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    I love having a garage sale every time I move!

  • Reply slip4 March 3, 2014 at 6:16 pm

    For some reason, the first thing I do is to put my silverware in it's divided tray in a drawer. Then we make all the beds 🙂 Count me in, please. What a great giveaway! I look forward to the newsletter.

  • Reply Anonymous March 3, 2014 at 6:18 pm

    I love arranging my houseplants on the new windowsill. Everything else might be chaos, but that window looks pretty. lydia.foresti at gmail dot com.

  • Reply Suzan Katzir March 3, 2014 at 6:21 pm

    I paint, as I hate plain white/beige walls. And this is incredibly timely, as I'm in the process of a move-in myself, after 4 months of couch-surfing accompanied by my dog. The new digs are in an incredibly convenient location, but are also drab & shabby, so I have a lot of work ahead of me.

  • Reply Melanie Yarbrough March 3, 2014 at 6:23 pm

    Once the bed is set up and the bed is made, I can begin to feel at home in a place. After a long day of scrubbing, arranging, unpacking and breaking down boxes, the last thing I want to do is make a bed. So I do it first thing and thank myself later.

  • Reply Sofia March 3, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    Great giveaway! I moved into a new apartment a month ago, and the first night we had a great dinner with friends to celebrate the new home!
    Sofia [email protected]

  • Reply Haley Reeves March 3, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    My favorite house warming ritual after moving has got to be organization! I love finding homes for my dishes, my books, and the little things that contain memories. I'm also known to love a good purge of things I don't need anymore! It always feels so good! Happy Homecoming!
    (haleyjean1229 at live dot com)

  • Reply Jessica Hadden March 3, 2014 at 6:25 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is unpacking and organizing my books. Finding the perfect places for my favorite books always makes a new place feel like home. [email protected]

  • Reply Samantha Cabrera March 3, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    My husband and I and our 3 small children (ages 5, 2, and 7 months) just made the move from Washington state to Los Angeles, CA. We are still deep in the process of making our southern California townhouse feel like home. Actually, everything you said you were still doing to finish the house-warming process is still happening over here as well. I don't know if it is my favorite but certainly the most essential (especially with babies and children) part of house-warming is giving the place a deep and thorough clean. As my mother would say, "we don't want to live in someone else's dirt." 🙂

  • Reply Jessica March 3, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    I agree with Jessica Hadden above; organizing books definitely makes me feel at home, as does hanging art on the walls. Without art, a home feels like a house (and my last apartment actually echoed until I hung art on the walls!)

    In more practical terms…cleaning out the fridge. Gross, but totally required.

    jesshaile (at) gmail (dot) com

  • Reply lauren s. March 3, 2014 at 6:44 pm

    I like to unpack as much as possible in one fell swoop so I don't wake p feeling overwhelmed. I also like to light candles so it smells familiar and home-y.

  • Reply Kaylin N March 3, 2014 at 6:44 pm

    I hang up paintings and pictures as soon as possible. It instantly makes the place much more inviting and homey. Thanks for the great give-away! [email protected]

  • Reply Anna Kristina Scherling March 3, 2014 at 6:53 pm

    Whether we're moving ourselves or pitching in for someone else, we always make sure the bed is assembled and made, and the bathroom is clean and ready for a shower. After a long day of moving, it's so nice to be able to feel clean and get a good night's rest.

    annakristina28 (at) gmail (dot) com.

  • Reply Maria March 3, 2014 at 7:02 pm

    Painting 🙂 a fresh coat of white paint makes even the most lackluster rental look good.

  • Reply MPLSkb March 3, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    For my girlfriends, I gift them either homemade jalapeño or bacon jam when they move. Both are savory and home-y tasting to make them feel comfortable in strange surroundings 🙂

    bergquistkf (at) gmail (dot) com

  • Reply andwontonmakesthree March 3, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    The first thing we do when moving into a new home is put the beds together, hang curtains in the bedroom and I have to clean the bathrooms. I want to be able to feel clean and cozy and in my own bed. Pizza and beer is also a must on moving day.
    hmshoberg(at)gmail(dot)com.

  • Reply Christina Johnston March 3, 2014 at 7:06 pm

    I love to set up the bedroom in its entirety on the first day. Make the bed, put clothes away and set out a candle. That way at the end of the day I have a peaceful place to rest my head. And I wake up to an organized space that inspires me to organize the rest of the home. [email protected]

  • Reply julia christine March 3, 2014 at 7:08 pm

    My fiance and I just signed the lease for our very first apartment. He will move in in April, and I will move in in July, post wedding. Because he gets to move into the place first, I am especially motivated to "house warm", so it becomes OUR place. I plan on moving in slowly while he is living there, adding sweet touches like candles, flowers, and artwork. I will contribute to cleaning the space top to bottom as well. I find once you clean a space, it really becomes yours; you get to know it from lots of angles. And finally the introduction of food, friends and a couple of fun evenings in where we both host, should do the trick 🙂

  • Reply Deborah Castellano March 3, 2014 at 7:09 pm

    Hanging pictures means I'm really home!

  • Reply CW March 3, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    "If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris.
    This giveaway hits the nail on the head.
    In a new space, I have a blank page on which to compose a new poetry of objects, new patterns of movement, and ways of being. Familiar things and familiar actions take on a new character in different arrangements and in different space. I love the process of letting things crystallize around me, and taking time to dwell in and observe the newness and familiarity of it, while the notion, "This is Home" sinks into my consciousness. It is something to be relished, and I hope you are enjoying your process of settling in to your new place. Best Wishes! – Caitlin
    cwichlacz at gmail dot com

  • Reply Scott Ballum March 3, 2014 at 7:11 pm

    Typically I use a move as an excuse to peruse the Brooklyn Flea for new furniture or details. Don't know what I'll do when my next move takes me away from the city! sballum-gmail-com

  • Reply Pearl March 3, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    My husband and I celebrated our one year anniversary in our new home yesterday. But even with so much time passed, a basket full of goodies would come in really handy! Thanks for sharing Erin and Kaufmann Mercantile!

  • Reply Hello. My name is Allison. March 3, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    This sounds so unromantic, but I've always replaced the toilet seat in every apartment I've lived in. And the kitchen faucet, if it wasn't high enough to put the pasta pot under. When we bought our first house last year, I did the same things. But it's not really home for me until the tea kettle is boiling…

  • Reply Laura March 3, 2014 at 7:15 pm

    As a frequent apartment mover in these post-grad days, I first find peace in a deep clean of the apartment and then joy in setting up a few favorite pieces of art. Those two actions physically and mentally prepare me for the rest of the apartment set-up.
    [email protected]

  • Reply lupinelydia March 3, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    I signed up! I like to burn a few candles and immediately wash bedsheets before putting them on the bed.

  • Reply Anonymous March 3, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    My favorite house warming ritual is cooking a nice dinner with my husband. Thank you for the giveaway! ([email protected])

  • Reply Anne March 3, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    Thoughtful housewarming gifts are great, even better was when our friends brought cheap grocery store cleaning supplies (so we could just toss or leave at old place) and a six pack of beer for after we were done cleaning our old apartment to get our deposit back! This package is great! We just moved and what we were looking forward to the most was putting that coaster down on the coffee table and putting our feet up right next to it!

  • Reply sara gaines March 3, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual involves a bundle of sage. I burn the sage and put out a sweet blessing for the space, intending that all moments under the roof are filled with love and gratitude. The perfect way to make the energy of a home feel…well, homey. {[email protected]}

  • Reply Sarah March 3, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    I'd take some of the fire cider! And a million other things while we're at it…love this shop. xo

  • Reply melina March 3, 2014 at 7:35 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is the actual housewarming party!

  • Reply Rebecca March 3, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    I love unpacking and finding homes for everything…hope you're enjoying yourself.

  • Reply nat March 3, 2014 at 7:46 pm

    Fresh white sheets and a thorough cleaning of the new space are two essentials for any proper housewarming. What timing for this giveaway; I am moving to a newer (smaller) apartment in two weeks time and a few of these items are already on my 'let's move now' shopping list. Cheers!!
    [email protected]

  • Reply Jasmine Chorley March 3, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    This is so exciting! My fiance and I have been sharing our tiny apartment with his brother for the past TWO years! We are preparing for a long-wanted separation and I am practically drooling over potentially welcoming these goodies into our home.
    My favouring housewarming ritual is unpacking only the essentials (bed, toiletries, dishes, and clothes) and enjoying the peaceful emptiness of a new space.
    Thanks for the opportunity Erin and Kaufmann Mercantile!
    [[email protected]]

  • Reply Kelly March 3, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    I always dust all the baseboards~

  • Reply Christine Norton March 3, 2014 at 8:00 pm

    Beautiful tools! If and when we buy a new house soon,t hose would make fixing it up much more pleasurable.

    I subscribed to the newsletter.

    nortoncc at gmail dot com

  • Reply infusionfibers March 3, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    such a thoughtful collection of things. My favorite housewarming ritual is to scrub down and set up – even if super simply – the kitchen. There is a real comfort and satisfaction with a kitchen that feels like home, complete with a couple favorite linens and useful objects of beauty.

  • Reply A.J. March 3, 2014 at 8:04 pm

    what a sweet idea for a housewarming gift!

  • Reply lauren michele March 3, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    That tiny broom would be perfect for my almost one-year-old!

    I absolutely love getting all my books back onto their shelves first thing after moving.

    laurenbeuckman at gmail dot com

  • Reply Anonymous March 3, 2014 at 8:07 pm

    On the apartment search now, and just found the most bright and happy, but tiny, new studio. Waiting to find out if it's mine, and meanwhile have been dreaming of and reading about solutions for how I'll fit all my things from my two bedroom apartment into this tiny new space. My favorite house warming ritual is most definitely hanging the curtains. There's something about the softness of curtains that makes a space really feel like home. After that, it'll be time for champagne with friends to test out the new Ikea wine glasses that I've decided are a must for the new apartment! Would love these great goodies from Kaufmann to help with the transition. [email protected]

  • Reply ALo March 3, 2014 at 8:13 pm

    Gorgeous stuff! I usually spend a lot of time lying down on the floor of a new place and daydreaming about what it might look like when completed.

  • Reply Claudia March 3, 2014 at 8:13 pm

    Washing the windows is a must!
    Great giveaway…thank you 🙂
    [email protected]

  • Reply Courtney Lewis March 3, 2014 at 8:15 pm

    Love this giveaway! With my husband and I both working, and having a local shop on the side, we have very little time to spend in our home, so the last thing we want to do is be cleaning it. We've started a little ritual after breakfast on Sundays to turning on some music while our two-year-old dances around and we pick one big chore to do — whether it's dusting, folding laundry, or reorganizing the fridge — we work for about to hours, and then we stop. And that's enough for us, because otherwise we would go insane. 🙂

    lewiscourtney10 at gmail dot com

  • Reply melissa March 3, 2014 at 8:17 pm

    I'm partial to a house blessing…sort of clearing the air. Btw, love the give-away. Lovely stuff. And happy for you in your new place. Beginnings are a refreshment. 🙂

  • Reply Anni Krueger March 3, 2014 at 8:28 pm

    Love this collection of goodies! My favorite part of housewarming is inviting your friends and family into your new home for a celebration of a new chapter.

  • Reply Anonymous March 3, 2014 at 8:30 pm

    that is a very nice gift indeed. perhaps my favourite house warming ritual is opening up all the windows and freshening up the house, then enjoying a drink on the on the front porch or back deck and enjoying the new scenery. gotams at gmail dot com
    thanks

  • Reply Lisa Crissey March 3, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    Home isn't home until the kitchen cupboards have been throughly cleaned and all the dishes, pots & pans have been unpacked, freshly washed and put in their new homes. Once the kitchen is in order, I'm at peace with the rest of the process!
    [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 3, 2014 at 8:50 pm

    I love these items!! Happy housewarming! megan.miel at gmail dot come

  • Reply Heather March 3, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    Absolutely fantastic and just what my little adobe home needs!
    My favorite house warming ritual is watching my cat settle in and explore every nook and cranny.
    When she is comfortable so am I.

  • Reply Louisa March 3, 2014 at 8:57 pm

    Such a lovely set of tools to make a house a home. Having lived in New York for 5 years, I've moved quite a few times. My most treasured housewarming ritual putting clean sheets on the bed in a new room. It makes me feel like no matter how long it takes me to unpack all of the boxes, I have a place to be cozy, snuggle and nest.

  • Reply L Schelvan March 3, 2014 at 9:02 pm

    I love the screwdriver set! Everything is just lovely. I always love to give and receive baked treats as a housewarming gift.

  • Reply Shivani Bhatia March 3, 2014 at 9:30 pm

    I have yet to move into a place of my own – so perhaps my favorite ritual is the excitement of creating a new ritual. Thank you so much for your tips and the chance at this giveaway, fingers crossed!

  • Reply Kat March 3, 2014 at 9:33 pm

    Wonderful, beautiful tools, ready to inspire in a drafty old farmhouse like ours! I really like purchasing fruit bushes/trees for friends who have just closed on a house, or, for us! Thanks for this.

  • Reply Nicki Marshek March 3, 2014 at 9:36 pm

    My favorite part of housewarming is stocking the kitchen!
    Nicki
    [email protected]

  • Reply angie March 3, 2014 at 9:38 pm

    I love a little easy to care for house plant.

  • Reply The woman behind the desk... March 3, 2014 at 9:41 pm

    My go-to housewarming ritual is a good sage smudge stick cleansing, followed by making my bed.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 3, 2014 at 9:45 pm

    housewarming ritual, good smells. [email protected]

  • Reply Matilda Hankinson March 3, 2014 at 9:52 pm

    What perfect timing, I'm moving in two weeks. My favorite ritual by far is cooking the first meal in a new place. I'm all about food, and that's when it really feels like "my" space. [email protected]

  • Reply cassidy russell March 3, 2014 at 9:55 pm

    once my books are unpacked, i feel mostly moved in. i like to get everything inside & then move it to the edges of the room & have some friends over for drinks on the floor – then it really feels like my space. [email protected]

  • Reply Sarah M March 3, 2014 at 9:55 pm

    I think my favorite things to make a house feel homey are scent related. So, candles and baked goods. [email protected]

  • Reply Kristen Buell March 3, 2014 at 9:55 pm

    I always paint my walls and arrange my bed first. It's like I'm putting my little stamp on the space. Unpacking, arranging and rearranging is so exciting, and my favorite part of moving into a new place. It really doesn't become a home though until my pups, beau, and little bean sprout are in the mix! [email protected]

  • Reply Kate Todd March 3, 2014 at 9:56 pm

    my favorite housewarming ritual is organizing the kitchen and all the closets. nothing like a fresh new start 🙂

    [email protected]

  • Reply SeaEyes March 3, 2014 at 10:00 pm

    A favorite that will never get old is eating take-out dinner on the floor of a newly scrubbed down house before starting to unpack the boxes

  • Reply Kendall March 3, 2014 at 10:02 pm

    These tools would be a definite step up from my incomplete Ikea set. Thanks for the chance to win some awesome stuff!

  • Reply aeonium March 3, 2014 at 10:15 pm

    Thanks! I was already on the mailing list. Karinaes at hotmail dot com. I like to get a new beeswax candle and burn it while eating takeout on the floor. Enjoy your new home.

  • Reply KW March 3, 2014 at 10:21 pm

    I always move all my plants first, so for a while the place feels like a strange sort of jungle. Its the worst part of the move, so everything else is downhill from there.

    Thanks for the giveaway! I love Kaufman Mercantile. walter.katy at gmail.com

  • Reply Joyful March 3, 2014 at 10:26 pm

    What an awesome giveaway 🙂

    My favourite moving ritual is to make sure all my bedding is in an easily identifiable box. I have my bed set up first and make it. That way I can have a good first night's sleep. I also make sure to order some scrumptious takeaway for the first night's dinner as thinking about unpacking and cooking on the first day after a long day's move is just too much!

    I've signed up for the KM newsletter. May the best "mover" win, lol. Enjoy your new abode.

  • Reply Viv March 3, 2014 at 10:33 pm

    My (new) husband and I are finally moving next week and feel like we've travelled through the very same disappointments and joys in apartment hunting (I'm NOT a fan of paperwork). I haven't left my family home to date so am yet to set up a 'housewarming ritual'. But I suspect it will have something to do with lots of tea drinking with friends, and pretty stationary invites (with baker twine, brown paper and washi tape!). I've signed up for the newsletter and my contact details are [email protected].

  • Reply stephschneider March 3, 2014 at 10:33 pm

    Yay for pretty cleaning supplies.
    My favorite ritual are the first few meals in a new place, ordering pizza and eating a 'picnic' on the floor

  • Reply J March 3, 2014 at 10:33 pm

    My housewarming ritual is dryer-fresh crisp sheets on a clean bed for my first night. Signed up for the newsletter, thank you for this lovely giveaway and the new website to browse! missiontoeatatgmail

  • Reply taylor. March 3, 2014 at 10:48 pm

    My favorite "housewarming ritual" is the inaugural dinner. Before the furniture is in place, before the boxes are unpacked, candles all around, a blanket on the floor, and take out. There's nothing better to christen a new home.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Kathy March 3, 2014 at 10:53 pm

    Getting my kitchen squared away is always firs on my list. Complete with a favorite candle to make it smell like him. [email protected]

  • Reply Natalie Feldsine March 3, 2014 at 10:54 pm

    What a lovely giveaway! My favorite housewarming ritual is setting up our bed. That way, no matter what tasks still have to be done, we have a comfortable place to relax and take in our new surroundings.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Lauren March 3, 2014 at 11:06 pm

    To me, a new house becomes a home when you cook your first meal in it. I always unpack the kitchen first!

  • Reply Mary March 3, 2014 at 11:09 pm

    One of my favorite blogs… one of my favorite stores, happy Monday to us!
    Hope you're enjoying this settling time!
    ps: mcdaniel.maryl(at)gmail.com

  • Reply Jamie March 3, 2014 at 11:18 pm

    How wonderful! The perfect housewarming gift. Practical and meaningful! I know our space needs some livening. Now that we're digging out from winter, it's time for fixing little projects pushed aside as the snow settled in.

  • Reply Jennifer March 3, 2014 at 11:24 pm

    This sure would come in handy while we are renovating our 1920's home!

  • Reply Le Dub March 3, 2014 at 11:40 pm

    This giveaway comes at a perfect time!! I am moving in 2 months. My moving ritual seems to be takeout and beer, haha. Sometimes that's all you need to feel like you're home.

    Leah
    [email protected]

  • Reply Valerie V March 3, 2014 at 11:41 pm

    This would be amazing! We're moving to Brooklyn in April, and I've been carefully poring over your moving tips. The best moving day ritual I have it to make the bed first before tiring out with all the boxes. Thank you for Bin It, by the way. We're seriously considering using them for the move.

  • Reply Emma March 3, 2014 at 11:51 pm

    pizza and charades! [email protected]

  • Reply Rose March 3, 2014 at 11:52 pm

    Wow, this is a fantastic site! So well curated! I am looking to create a housewarming ritual, as I'll be moving into my first apartment in the fall, so I'm loving reading these comments!
    [email protected]

  • Reply Jenny Stalker March 4, 2014 at 12:03 am

    I always feel truly settled in a new place when I have hung pictures on the walls. I am expecting a baby in a few weeks, so I'm deep into nesting mode…including hanging pictures in the nursery! [email protected]

  • Reply Alexa F. March 4, 2014 at 12:08 am

    How awesome! (fasdian at gmail)

    My favorite ritual for housewarming is the first cooked meal or first shower.

  • Reply Deborah Gragg March 4, 2014 at 12:14 am

    What a lovely, thoughtfully-curated collection. So much more inspiring than a bunch of plastic bags full of supplies from the nearest big box store! My favorite ritual during a move-in is figuring out where the kitchen stuff goes. Where will we soon be reaching sleepy-eyed for a coffee cup? It's like drawing a new map for the little rituals that turn your place into a real home. Have fun nesting!
    [email protected]

  • Reply Tracey March 4, 2014 at 12:16 am

    Simply wonderful!
    I always bring a little rosemary plant in a clay pot or else a blueberry bush for the new home owners to plant in their yard.

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 12:32 am

    I love those items! We moved last July and it was so.much.work! My favorite ritual for housewarming is a plant – either indoor or a perennial for outdoors, depending on whether it's a house or apartment. [email protected]

  • Reply edenmarket March 4, 2014 at 12:33 am

    Love your unique one-of-a-kind products! I will be sharing this link and give-away with my readers!

  • Reply us March 4, 2014 at 12:34 am

    I go for the base boards.. And door frames. Scrubadub. [email protected]

  • Reply lizzie dekraai March 4, 2014 at 1:03 am

    oh my gosh i need all of this stuff. moving into a new apartment is so frustrating!

  • Reply Sneeze March 4, 2014 at 1:11 am

    My favorite ritual is to set up my bed (including sheets) and my bedside table, and then put my journal there. It's just a little way to know that, even if the rest of the apartment still needs to be unpacked, I'll be able to curl up in bed that night and start sleeping in my new home.

  • Reply Megan March 4, 2014 at 1:32 am

    Hm, we are knee-deep in the middle of a move right now so the settling-in rituals are all right around the corner. We've been slowly plotting where things will go, how we'll use each space, and what the flow will look like, and I think giving everything a home ("a place for everything and everything in its place") is what I'm most looking forward to. That intimacy is what makes a new space feel like home.

  • Reply Elizabeth March 4, 2014 at 1:42 am

    Wow! I'm a little bit in love with the entire store! I haven't moved in almost four years, but when last I did move, it was after I married my husband. I loved combining all of our items, seeing our towels hung side by side in the bathroom. Gardening is also when I start feeling as though a home is really a home!

  • Reply Adrienne Marshall March 4, 2014 at 1:58 am

    My favourite housewarming ritual is setting out supplies for morning coffee even while everything else is still in boxes. It makes the unpacking and reorganizing a little less daunting. Cheers!
    [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 2:13 am

    I love when we get new neighbors – pizza, beer from a local brewery, a bottle of wine and some flowers are always a welcome gift after a day of moving in.
    Enpsmom At Yahoo Dot Com

  • Reply Lilian Parkison-Edelman March 4, 2014 at 2:20 am

    My favorite housewarming ritual is completely setting up the bathroom with a candle, a plant, your toothbrushes in the holder- so no matter how chaotic the unpacking gets or when you just can't find that one thing- you have one place to escape to, sit in the bathtub, close the curtain, and breathe; that's put together, and feels like home. In all 3 of my moves I've also bought the same candle, it helps me feel like there's a constant despite the changing scenery. Just close your eyes and it smells like home!

    [email protected]

  • Reply adimpleate March 4, 2014 at 2:30 am

    Love the leather wrapped hammer and the red tool box. My favorite housewarming ritual is baking a banana bread. The whole house smells delicious. So come over new neighbor.

    jariahdahlan at yahoo dot com

  • Reply Becca - Rebecca Atwood Designs March 4, 2014 at 2:32 am

    My favorite housewarming ritual is washing the floors several times. It's not the most fun activity, but it really gets you to know your home and is so satisfying to get things that clean!

  • Reply Erin March 4, 2014 at 2:33 am

    My go-to housewarming tradition is Indian takeout eaten on the floor the first night in. With as many moves as I've had now, it's a nice little comfort, and feels an eentsy bit more fancy than pizza.

  • Reply kate March 4, 2014 at 2:46 am

    I always try to set up and make our bed as soon as I can. There may be boxes and piles all around, but as long as we have a clean, familiar place to crash after a long day of unpacking, a new place feels more like home to me. Scented candles help too. 🙂

    Thanks for the charming giveaway!
    nakwang{at}gmail.com

  • Reply Emilie March 4, 2014 at 2:52 am

    I make a big pot of soup 🙂
    bo_boui at hotmail dot com

  • Reply catie March 4, 2014 at 3:33 am

    waking up to pastries & coffee on that first morning.
    catiegrace at q dot com

  • Reply Margaret March 4, 2014 at 3:33 am

    Make the bed, turn on the music, make sure the coffee things will be ready the next morning. [email protected]

  • Reply Julia G. March 4, 2014 at 3:42 am

    I make a big dinner and we enjoy it over a bottle of wine at our little kitchen table. Then it feels like home.

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 3:53 am

    I am all signed up for their newsletter. My favorite house warming ritual is a warm fire in the fireplace, lots of candles and fresh cut flowers.
    heather [email protected]

  • Reply Jackie March 4, 2014 at 4:02 am

    This is a beautiful collection of functional items. My favorite house warming ritual is to break bread (or maybe chopsticks) with the people I love.

  • Reply LIN March 4, 2014 at 4:06 am

    These make me think I should have purchased beautiful along with functional a long time ago! Thanks for the giveaway.

  • Reply SLG March 4, 2014 at 4:23 am

    My favorite housewarming ritual: unpacking books. My house never feels furnished until my favorite books are on the shelves.

  • Reply I heart Vancouver March 4, 2014 at 5:29 am

    My mom and aunties have told me "Rice comes first" (for good luck, I guess)
    So that has always been a part of my housewarming ritual.
    But my personal favourite is unpacking the kitchen boxes and finding a home for them in the drawers and cupboards
    ericamateo(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply dina March 4, 2014 at 5:41 am

    I used to first set up my kitchen in a new home. Now that I have a little boy, I set up his room first. Home is wherever he is, so his space is special.

    My favorite housewarming gift to give others is a lavender plant to start their own garden. They will enjoy it for years to come.

  • Reply AnnaH March 4, 2014 at 5:46 am

    Setting up the bed, making the bed. Then take out on the floor 🙂

  • Reply emma summer March 4, 2014 at 6:26 am

    I adore your blog, I love your cleaning supply posts and I want to win this HELLA bad.

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 6:52 am

    this is very cool. looks like useful tools that also look nice.
    akira
    email2akira(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 7:11 am

    A full bookshelf, a bottle of wine, and pizza makes a new home for me. 🙂
    [email protected]

  • Reply The Collector March 4, 2014 at 8:05 am

    Oh man, this would be amaz to win!

  • Reply The Collector March 4, 2014 at 8:06 am

    Oh man, this would be amaz to win!

  • Reply Verena March 4, 2014 at 9:28 am

    Making coffee, filling the house with its warm, cosy and reviving smell.

  • Reply Wild Flowers March 4, 2014 at 10:52 am

    I am about to move so this would be perfect for me and help soften the blow. Moving in New York, feels like the Olympics of moving. My favorite hostess gift is actually something I'm still fine tuning. Back when I was in college/early 20's my friends and I didn't do this but now since moving here I've learned that it's rude to not bring your host a gift. I like bringing my favorite cupcakes to share, a good bottle of wine never hurts but I've always wanted to try bringing jam and a good crusty bread wrapped up cute for the host to eat the next morning.

  • Reply Katarina Koscova March 4, 2014 at 11:39 am

    wonderful giveaway. for me, the most important thing is to have a place to sleep and a kitchen to eat. the rest may wait 🙂

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 12:10 pm

    I love the opportunity to rearrange what you already have, seeing your lived and loved furniture and art in an entirely new way.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    I don't move much but when I do I like to first clean the kitchen thoroughly and then move my own dish, glass and silverware (in part to save them from any accidents on the mover's truck) and put it all away before the move. Then I know I won't need to starve past my sanity point looking for all it at the end of a long moving day

  • Reply Emily Lowrie March 4, 2014 at 12:44 pm

    I remember when we'd move how much my mom would make our mattresses on the floor (until the beds arrived) feel like cozy little spots full of love with trinket lights and comforting blankets. As we approach our 3rd move in 4 years with three kids under 4 into a tiny, tiny place I'm going to make our move-in magical. My favorite gift for others is to fill a basket from local merchants that are unique to that area so they can get a feel for what's there. I'd love to win this. I'd love it and my hubby would go bonkers for this stuff. I love finding everyday items that are beautiful. Since there is such a small amount of space we take the every little thing should look good approach. [email protected]

  • Reply Unknown March 4, 2014 at 12:44 pm

    OOh, i love that little crumb brush!

  • Reply KJW March 4, 2014 at 12:51 pm

    I moved across the state about 6 months ago and I'm still treating to figure out my new place. The best housewarming ritual is moving furniture around A LOT. it's always been cathartic to me to rearrAnge furniture to gain a new perspective on a place. Even if you've been in a home for a while, it can offer a renewal!

  • Reply Ginna March 4, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    One go my favorite housewarming activities is organizing the kitchen and then baking cookies so it smells like home!

  • Reply Leah March 4, 2014 at 1:17 pm

    kaufmann mercantile is a special little place. i am always drawn to their unique collections. i will be moving into a new home in june and received as a gift flower seeds and thought what special gift it was…i will continue that tradition for others. best of luck with getting settled in to your new home.
    leah
    collierl(at)outlook(dot)com

  • Reply Patricia March 4, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    What a beautiful housewarming gift – so useful, but so lovely. My favorite ritual when I move to a new home, is to bring some of the old home with me ! Don't worry – I'm not taking fixtures or anything like that ! By this I mean some of the stones or pebbles from the garden, a small plant that I have planted in the past, something of nature that will come and thrive at the 'new place'. I have a collection of smooth stones that I add to when we move, and it's very pretty in a beautiful dish or glass vase……

  • Reply marissa (stylebook) March 4, 2014 at 1:49 pm

    this is such a lovely giveaway and would come in handy as we fix up our current home to sell it soon! as for my favorite housewarming ritual, i'm an advocate of helping friends stock the bar in their new home. 🙂 (i can be reached directly through my username link!) xo

  • Reply BridgetHagan March 4, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    I moved last year into a very tiny Brooklyn apartment. We weren't sure how long we'd last, but are now about to resign our lease and have come to love, love, love small apartment living. Would love this gorgeous basket of goodies!
    [email protected]

  • Reply Amanda March 4, 2014 at 2:18 pm

    My boyfriend and I just moved in to our first house together. It is twice the size of what I am used to so cleaning has become quite the chore! My favorite part of getting cozy in this new nest has got to be snuggling on the couch with a glass of wine. Cleaning can always wait!

    Amanda Violarostrata at gmail dot com

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 2:20 pm

    I would love this!!
    sarah
    [email protected]

  • Reply Melissa W. March 4, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    My favorite ritual is giving away items I don't need or use and finding my stuff good homes. I like to keep things simple and love the simplicity of the giveaway set! [email protected]

  • Reply Susan March 4, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    I love to wash the sheets and have them all fresh and clean for the first night in a new place! I also like to get things on the wall as soon as possible – it just makes it feel more like home.

  • Reply Elizabeth Bishop March 4, 2014 at 2:28 pm

    well, definitely the kitchen gets unpacked first. but honestly, i've never really given moving in much of a ritual. it's always been more of a panicky, stressed out time. hopefully future moves will afford more space for comfort.

  • Reply Sol del Sur March 4, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    I need that broom so badly! Perfect size for my workbench.
    First thing when moving to a new place: make the bed, hang the shower curtain. Make tea and enjoy sipping it while just chatting about what we're going to put where.
    sol_edad [at] yahoo com

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    I really enjoy your blog! Thanks for the opportunity to win such beautiful, useful things. Our ritual is plants. The first thing I do is take all the plants over to the new place and find the right spot for each one. Thanks again! [email protected]

  • Reply Christine Amorose March 4, 2014 at 2:42 pm

    As soon as I'm in a new place: I have to clean out all the shelves and lay down beautiful shelf liners. Once my cupboards are clean and set, I'm ready! Love Kaufmann Mercantile products and would love to upgrade my current Ikea setup 🙂

  • Reply Alexa March 4, 2014 at 2:46 pm

    We just moved in December from a tiny space to a bigger one. We are still very much in the process of settling in due to having a little one with us…I think my beloved ritual is finding a way to give old belongings a fresh look in a new space. Youandmeandwalliemakethree.com and lexym23 at yahoo.

  • Reply Deborah Lease March 4, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    We stick to the classics–takeout pizza on an empty box!

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 2:59 pm

    i think everything is great. would be great to win. it's nice to make someone feel happy in their home

  • Reply Molly March 4, 2014 at 3:05 pm

    This is so lovely! Like you, we will be starting our search for a new apartment in Manhattan in the next month or so. Nerve wracking!

  • Reply Megan Alba March 4, 2014 at 3:06 pm

    That is the most darling package I've ever seen.
    I'm a big fan of the standard meal / wine gift. I still remember moving into a new home (with my family) when I was 14, and sitting down to a wonderful fried chicken dinner courtesy of the neighbor after a full day of unpacking. Nothing beats a good meal and a kind welcome.
    alba.megan(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply måsh måsh March 4, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    All signed up!

    My favourite is definitely ordering pizza on the first night and eating it straight from the box. Obviously the wine is drank straight from the bottle too!

    maria.a.bogdanova(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 3:19 pm

    I want to keep it as open and airy as I find it. So I open all the windows to let in all the air and light and put fresh linens in the kitchen for the first breakfast. Then life begins… [email protected]

  • Reply heykay March 4, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    What beautiful products. My favorite ritual is having a painting party! When I moved into the apartment I am currently in, I had all of my closest friends over to help paint the walls, and in return I fed them pizza and beer! It got everyone excited about a new place to hang in town and chilling in an empty apartment is almost a nice calm before the storm of unpacking. Everyone had a blast. 🙂

  • Reply SarahR March 4, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    This is such a lovely prize! I would love to win. A fancy dish towel with an interesting print is always my favorite housewarming gift- something you wouldn't usually buy for yourself.

  • Reply Christina March 4, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is cleaning! I love making everything my own 🙂
    Also, this website is the best. Thank you!
    [email protected]

  • Reply alice March 4, 2014 at 3:36 pm

    Signed up- I always set up the speakers first, that way theres some music to make all of the unpacking more fun!

  • Reply becomingbianca March 4, 2014 at 3:45 pm

    Hands down my ritual is to CLEAN the place top to bottom, before all our stuff arrives. I realized early on that my standard of clean and other people's standards of clean are usually not in line. Or even in the same ballpark for that matter! So I arm myself with cleaners and take to the pace with fervor until it's sparkling and smells fresh. Now, more than ever, after receiving the diagnosis that our son has asthma – starting fresh in a home that is dust-free and pet-hair-free is a must so we can all start out well in our new place.

  • Reply Cinder March 4, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    This gift basket is a perfect housewarming present.
    I always want to clean before things are organized and find their places.
    The right tools are also essential in a new place.
    Wonderful give away. Good to know about Kaufman Mercantile, too.
    cw33stone at aol dot com

  • Reply ashlyc March 4, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    I would love this!! Make myself (or order in) a fancy first night meal complete with champagne and use a moving box for the table. [email protected]

  • Reply Katherine March 4, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    Throwing salt over my shoulder into a sink. Setting out a homemade quilt. Cooking for the first time.

    waleckak -at-gmail

  • Reply Eve March 4, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    what a beautiful and useful set of gifts! i have been looking at that dustpan and brush for a while too! although i've been in the same spot for a few years, I used to move about once a year. the first thing i would do to feel settled, is to arrange things nicely for my cat so she feels settled… for some reason having her look comfortable and happy always makes a place immediately feel like home. [email protected]

  • Reply Robyn March 4, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    A friend gave me a simple prism to hang in my window as a housewarming gift is so sweet, simple, and helps make the space immediately feel like home. And skidmore's wax is made down the street where I grew up–Vince is a great guy and the wax is absolute top quality. robyn.paulekas(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Vanessa March 4, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    Ooo, I just moved this weekend as well and I could use some pretty new supplies. My favorite ritual is making a picnic on the floor with a bottle of champagne and a pizza.

  • Reply Sarah March 4, 2014 at 4:26 pm

    Living in Montreal comes with a set moving date of July 1st (I'd say about 80% of renters move on this day). Moving on July 1st calls for a very early morning, coffee, chips, and beers. My housewarming ritual so opening up all of the windows, turning on the radio, and unpacking my clothes. I can't live comfortably without all of my clothing being organized and put away.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Susannah March 4, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    Ahhh, objects of use + beauty! Though I'm a bit loathe to admit it, when I made a big move into an old house, my dear friend showed up with a bottle of wine and a bundle of dried sage. Once we made up the beds, we lit the sage and blessed the house and then drank the wine and all felt just right at at home in the world (even though there were boxes everywhere still). At the risk of sounding like a total hippie crackpot, the sage has become a ritual. sbhornsby at gmail dot com.

  • Reply Sarah Los March 4, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    We always try to cook dinner the first night in a new place, even if it's spaghetti with jarred marinara at 1 in the morning 🙂

  • Reply Cruz March 4, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    Love this! My favorite housewarming gift was a home cooked meal delivered to my doorstep.

  • Reply The Gastronomic Goddess March 4, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    Thank you for the giveaway! One of my favorite housewarming gifts is a freshly baked loaf of brioche bread and some homemade jam and a bag of local coffee beans. When people are first moving in, you spend so much energy unloading and unpacking, that you don't have much energy for cooking and so many get junky takeout. Therefore, I christen new homes of friends and family with bread (there's some superstition/wives tale about it being good to gift new homes with bread) so they can enjoy a quick snack or breakfast the next morning and have the place feel a little bit homier. Email is dlh0613 (at) gmail (dot) com

  • Reply eleanor jane March 4, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    My favourite housewarming ritual is the well deserved beer (got to be a good interesting one from a crafty source, something like The Kernel) at the end of the day inyour new place, even whilst surrounded by boxes, that can definitely wait till tomorrow, just as a 'cheers, we did it' *pat on the back*

    email: eleanorjane_[at]live.co.uk

  • Reply mollyt March 4, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    I love cooking my first meal in the new kitchen. Thank you for the great giveaway!

  • Reply bobby March 4, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    My husband and I always make sure the first song we play in the home is Dee-Lite"s Say ahh… from the Dewdrops in the Garden album. We usually play the whole album, we think it fills the home with joy and happiness. It's also an upbeat album to get you moving and unpacking!

    Catapillers, Mushrooms, dewdrops in the Garden

    [email protected]

  • Reply may, samantha e. March 4, 2014 at 5:49 pm

    this is so great and so true. i hate moving into a new place and having to buy every single cleaning product over that sometimes new homes need. I'm not sure if it's my favorite ritual but it's my most memorable moving ritual… when i start packing boxes, i start out strong… super organized…. then around my last 3 boxes, i find stuff that should have gone in other boxes… so i throw all these random things in a box and mark with a sharpie very aggressively… box of crap… or i hate this f-ing box…(i overreact a bit ) When I finally get moved… i get the REALLY organized boxes finished without problem… then i end up dumping the last 3 boxes in the middle of an open space and wallow at how upset I am that i didn't organize these boxes ahead of time… ugh.

    🙂

    I'm moving again soon, I'm hoping that I will finally have learned my lesson after 5 times.

    Good luck with making your house a home this time around.

    All the best,

    Sam

    [email protected]

  • Reply Swanky Seahorse March 4, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    What a fantastic bundle and everything is so perfect for a housewarming. I love giving practical gifts that are both unique and useful.

  • Reply Amanda Parrish March 4, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    Thanks for the chance to win such a great gift. Your blog never fails to brighten my day!

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 6:00 pm

    What lovely products! We just moved, too! Thank you for this timely–and gorgeous–post!
    Marnie
    [email protected]

  • Reply Amara Roberts March 4, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is being able to have my first cup of tea and arranging my plants. Both of those things help me feel much more 'grounded' in a new place than I would otherwise.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Ms. Hegeman March 4, 2014 at 6:10 pm

    I love the brush as a gift of for me!

  • Reply Amanda Parrish March 4, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    Thanks so much for the chance to win such a great gift. Your blog never fails to brighten my day!

  • Reply Kristen March 4, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    The entire basket is just lovely!

    Scrubbing the bathroom and kitchen is ALWAYS first.

    email:[email protected]

  • Reply lucytennessee March 4, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    Clean as you go!
    redwhiteblue.jeans(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Kate March 4, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    Well, it feels as though I just moved in to my place considering I've torn the place apart cleaning in a bed-bug scare. These supplies would make me feel comforted and less grossed out in my tiny home!

  • Reply Nicole K March 4, 2014 at 6:52 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is baking the first batch of cookies in the house and eating warm cookies with the friends and family that helped me lug all of my stuff from the old house to the new one.

  • Reply Aja Lake March 4, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    My family and I are knee-deep in restoring a 100-year-old farmhouse (and we love Kaufmann Mercantile). We could put this stuff to work! Contact: ajalake at gmail

  • Reply L.H. Brumfield March 4, 2014 at 7:12 pm

    My mother had those EXACT screwdrivers! I think she may have gotten rid of them during one of our many moves, but I remember the darkened, notched wood, well-loved and well-used.

    We moved many times in the military, and the first thing we always did was to set up and make up the bed. We were always careful to pack the sheets separately, as well, in a special "necessaries" box with a coffeemaker, coffee, just enough plates and flatware for everyone in the family, clothes for a week, toiletries, and the cleaning supplies. There's nothing like being exhausted after unpacking until midnight and then realizing you have to find the sheets at the bottom of a box still in the back of the car.

  • Reply LetMeSing March 4, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    I love getting a new plant for a space (house, apartment, shack, what have you). I think a live plant just brings good moving-in energy! kristilynn85(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Sasame March 4, 2014 at 7:25 pm

    Kaufmann Mercantile is the best. What a great giveaway! The best part of moving is that moment of peace you have waking up in fresh, clean sheets the first morning before remembering the tons of boxes everywhere, at which point you leave and check out the new coffee shop in your new neighborhood!

  • Reply Brisaquita March 4, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    Love all the products
    Best house warming gifts in the past
    Candles, gift certificates for nearby restaurants and plants.

  • Reply Anonymous March 4, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    i love to organize the kitchen, not simply put things away, but find the best place for everything! zaya bi joux at mail {dot} com, love the whiskey set

  • Reply JenniferSH March 4, 2014 at 8:22 pm

    What a great giveaway, beautiful and useful all at once. When we move I like to take the opportunity to discover a new take-out place on our very first night. Right now we are renting but I am obsessing with buying a '30s house in need of lots of love right across the street from the park where we take our three year old son. This post really gives me the itch! Thank you! sunshine3080 at gmail dot com

  • Reply Bellezza March 4, 2014 at 9:08 pm

    Have signed up for the newsletter which I'm glad you brought to my attention under any circumstances. Ever since I read one of your posts about the All-Purpose soap, which I so happily discovered at Standard Market, I've been re-energized about…cleaning.(Go figure! 🙂

    My favorite ritual is non-tangible. When I moved to Germany with my husband many years ago, a group of friends came and prayed a blessing in each room of our apartment. It was so beautiful to think that every room had a purpose that could be used for ourselves or others all for good. Now that I'm back in the states, I often remember that lovely day.

    However, one must never neglect the effect of a wonderful hammer. I used a hammer an entire summer to help my parents build a four board horse fence on their farm. Anyway…

    Happy Moving In, and thanks for sharing it with us.
    [email protected]

  • Reply Emma March 4, 2014 at 9:40 pm

    This would be so perfect, my boyfriend and I just moved into an attic apartment too! P.s. Love that hammer…
    [email protected]

  • Reply Unknown March 4, 2014 at 9:43 pm

    The types of tools I love *and* I love Kaufmann Mercantile

  • Reply Millie Wamsted March 4, 2014 at 9:59 pm

    I've only moved once as an "adult" and I've been here for 9 years now. So I don't know what my favorite ritual would be now, but 9 years ago it was to sleep on a mattress on the floor next to my relatively new husband and bask in the glory of our biggest purchase ever.

  • Reply Emily March 4, 2014 at 10:11 pm

    love this giveaway! we usually bring over dinner — breaking bread in a new house is our favorite housewarming tradition.

  • Reply martieinstein March 4, 2014 at 10:14 pm

    I like to light a fresh smelling candle in every room as I unpack to remind myself that soon I'll be enjoying this room.

  • Reply Yelle March 4, 2014 at 10:48 pm

    my favorite house warming ritual is the house warming party! i love inviting ppl over and hosting dinner parties so when the house is 90% complete, it's time to plan a party for me and enjoy a cozy home with good friends! my email address is tenderrootsblog(@)gmail.com

  • Reply Caroline | Wild Folk Studio March 4, 2014 at 11:01 pm

    i love this giveaway! not only is it good for our home, but my studio too. whenever i move into a new place i clean the space first – from top to bottom, then i sage the home. once those two things are done i feel like i can settle in and transform the space into our home. thanks, Erin and Kaufmann Mercantile!

  • Reply Lisa March 4, 2014 at 11:09 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is hanging a Chinese fish amulet. A colleague gave it to me to bring me luck when I moved. She had just returned from a year in China. Since then I've hung it in every apartment, and it's never failed.

  • Reply Lisa March 4, 2014 at 11:13 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is hanging a Chinese fish amulet. A colleague gave it to me to bring me luck when I moved. She had just returned from a year in China. Since then I've hung it in every apartment, and it's never failed.

  • Reply sophie jaillet March 4, 2014 at 11:26 pm

    I just got accepted into a graduate program in a city far from home. We will be hunting for the perfect apartment soon enough. Can't wait to find that perfect place!

    My favorite housewarming ritual is to unpack my art supplies. I carefully place and arrange everything so I can make myself believe that I'm not a messy painter and there might be a slight chance that my studio will always be clean and organized!

  • Reply Hannah March 4, 2014 at 11:35 pm

    we just moved into a new apartment, an old lovely creaky floor board type of place. but it needs a lot of help! so this would go a long way, i'm sure.

    my ritual: sitting on the floor surrounded by boxes with wine (we'll drink out of the bottle if necessary) and some chinese takeaway.

  • Reply mary March 4, 2014 at 11:41 pm

    I like to burn sage, even I like the idea of smudging more than actually believe in the benefits…

    mary
    m holubasch @ sbc global . net

  • Reply devs March 4, 2014 at 11:43 pm

    My first step was to get down on my hands & knees to scrub all of the original wood floors. It was a great way to get to know my home & the floors were shiny & clean when I finally brought in the furniture.
    ~ [email protected]

  • Reply Sonya W. March 4, 2014 at 11:51 pm

    It's not the most glamorous but my future mother-in-law told me a new place never truly feels like your home until the first time you get sick in it, like bedridden sick, and I've realized it's kinda true! This giveaway looks absolutely lovely. So excited.

  • Reply Kelsey Erin Photography March 4, 2014 at 11:59 pm

    [email protected]

    a good cleaning is always first in order for me. When I am able I like to get there before the boxes with just my cleaning supplies. Everything gets a good wipe down and vacuum. I like a nice fresh start. Then I like to get all the big pieces in place first and take my time decorating and organizing. So hoping to win to prepare for our next PCS!!!

  • Reply Kathryn March 5, 2014 at 12:33 am

    Like others, I have to get the bathroom clean and make up the bed! feastings at gmail dot com

  • Reply steve wood March 5, 2014 at 12:47 am

    for me there is nothing like popping some bubble wrap and stomping on a few boxes to relieve the stress after a big move!
    steven.d.wood85 at gmail dot com

  • Reply arielle March 5, 2014 at 1:24 am

    Awesome stuff..
    Moving means some local dark beers and pizza on the floors in whatever empty living room we're moving into.

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 1:29 am

    I've moved a lot since graduating from college a few years ago, often with only what stuff fits in car. My housewarming ritual tends to be on the "pizza and beer" side of things–often eaten while sitting cross-legged on the floor and by candlelight, due to lack of furniture and/or appropriate lighting. I'd love to have this basket of great stuff to tote along with my on my moves across the country and back!

    — Bailey
    contact: [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 1:31 am

    Ordering pizza and watching a movie all snuggled up in a blanket with my kids and husband.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 2:02 am

    My favourite part of moving is eating take out in the middle of the floor with all my friends who have helped me move. Next is jumping into a fresh made bed (surrounded by boxes) and all the unpacking can wait till the next day.
    elizabethelliott(at)outlook(dot)com(dot)au

  • Reply Ashes and Milk March 5, 2014 at 3:06 am

    A fresh coat of paint creates the perfect canvas

  • Reply Jill March 5, 2014 at 3:59 am

    Flowers and fresh plants always bring new life to an empty space. My favorite to give are herbs for the kitchen!
    [email protected]

  • Reply Faith March 5, 2014 at 4:17 am

    I'm a grad student and I've moved in and out of my fair share of apartments in the past 5 years! The first thing I do in every new space is set up my record player to spin Ella Fitzgerald or Fleetwood Mac while I start unpacking.
    [email protected]

  • Reply t. March 5, 2014 at 5:24 am

    What beautiful and hand selected products! A house warming ritual.. a deep and thorough clean and fresh flowers. tina_kl(at)hotmail(dot)com

  • Reply rosalinda monroy March 5, 2014 at 5:25 am

    just putting my place back together is the best ritual ever. [email protected]

  • Reply rosalinda monroy March 5, 2014 at 5:26 am

    i find putting my place back together as the best house warming ever.
    [email protected]

  • Reply sar sar March 5, 2014 at 6:13 am

    i just moved into a new place this week, this prize would be much-loved for future improvements!
    plants always give a new place a sense of living and growing…

  • Reply Sanna March 5, 2014 at 6:21 am

    In Finland it is an old tradition to bring salt and rye bread to a new home, so that the home will always have plenty of food.

  • Reply Diana March 5, 2014 at 6:44 am

    We are moving to a new apartment (again) this weekend. I think my favorite housewarming ritual is being able to sit on my couch in the new place and let it sink in that this is our new home now. Thanks for this awesome giveaway!

    joleystar{at}gmail{dot}com

  • Reply K C Kaplanis March 5, 2014 at 8:00 am

    Ah the smell of unboxing and the hustle-and-bustle of moving!
    Wishing you and James a happy and comfortable move into your new apartment!

    [email protected]

  • Reply Kirstin March 5, 2014 at 8:37 am

    this looks like a great giveaway! I'm not even sure I have a favorite housewarming ritual, even though I've moved… maybe six or seven times in the past four years. Making the bed is always one of the first tasks for me.

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 9:07 am

    Great give away, loved exploring the site. Those pans were amazing. kberkh0426 at gmail dot com Wishing you the best in your new space.
    Kathy

  • Reply Amy March 5, 2014 at 11:49 am

    I think my favorite settling in rituals are lighting some good smelling candles or simmering some cider and spices on the stove to make the new place smell homey, and making sure the beds are all made up with clean, cool sheets. Having those things done makes anyplace "home."

  • Reply Amy March 5, 2014 at 11:52 am

    I think my favorite settling in rituals are lighting some good smelling candles or simmering some cider and spices on the stove to make the new place smell homey, and making sure the beds are all made up with clean, cool sheets. Having those things done makes anyplace "home."

  • Reply Gabrielle Lizette DuBois March 5, 2014 at 12:52 pm

    Beautiful kit. When moving the first thing I always do is scrub and clean nearly every inch of the new place. Going over everything gives me such a sense of peace and ownership (especially when renting).

  • Reply Dawn Graichen March 5, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    Lovely! We tend to unpack everything at once so it helps to have house supplies and know where to find screwdrivers!

  • Reply hayden March 5, 2014 at 1:40 pm

    My first impulses are a reading (& knitting) corner and the kitchen table. Reality is…somewhere to sleep. 🙂

  • Reply juliana March 5, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    Without a doubt, my single most important housewarming ritual (day of move) is to make my bed. The last thing I want to do after a looooong day of moving is to wrestle sheets onto a bed among towers of boxes. This also helps me feel like I have some semblance of a quiet place to sit or lie down during the following days when unpacking is all consuming.

  • Reply Fey March 5, 2014 at 2:27 pm

    Unpacking the kitchen is my favorite especially if the new place has a ton of space to store things. My husband on the other hand says his favorite is setting up the TV, computer and internet. 🙂

    Thank you for the chance of winning this giveaway! fequs-shop at yahoo dot com

  • Reply Jill March 5, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    deep scrub of the bathroom and lighting candles to get the place smelling like your home.

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 2:47 pm

    My ritual is to set out a few of my absolute favorite things (such as objects I would grab quickly if there were a fire, hypothetically of course). Prop a painting/photo up on a dresser, put out a cozy throw blanket and always, fresh white sheets on the bed for a first night of cozy sleep in the new place. I signed up for the newsletter, and would absolutely LOVE some nice looking tools and cleaning supplies!! [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    Awesome giveaway! And congrats on your new place, i'm sure it will be lovely… I recommend setting up the bed first thing, giving you something to look forward to at the end of a long work day of moving!! [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is finally getting to open up my "open first" box at the end of the night with the scissors that I have taped to the top! There I've packed clean sheets, toilet paper, bowls and forks for me and my boyfriend, and 2 packets of delicious/so bad for you instant ramen.
    nadia(dot)nguyen(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Francesca Kelley March 5, 2014 at 3:11 pm

    Pizza and champagne with close family the night we moved in. A great excuse for me to take a break and stop obsessively cleaning. And I tend to get anxious in disorder.

  • Reply Liane March 5, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    i can't wait to see what the new place looks like with your stuff, erin! i've moved a few times in the past few years. honestly, i don't have many rituals surrounding moving aside form inviting friends over to help and paying them in beer and pizza after. x liane ([email protected])

  • Reply Vina March 5, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    What a great giveaway! I've just moved too and slowly unpacking, trying to find spots where things will live and fit. I really love making the bed, lighting candles and buying flowers. Amidst all the crazy of moving/unpacking, it's nice to calm yourself and feel warmth in your new home (even if things are still in boxes).

    My email is wherenocarsgo(at)yahoo(dot)com

  • Reply cc March 5, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    This is perfect as I will be moving soon myself! I would say starting with the bed, then the kitchen, then getting takeout..

  • Reply Shira March 5, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is to make the bed, and put books on the shelves. Once that's done I start to feel like I actually live somewhere.

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    Best housewarming ritual is a picnic lunch after the kitchen and bedroom are up and running.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 3:40 pm

    beautiful and practical! the wire basket makes it! love your blog & style!
    email-> cwash(at)vt(dot)edu

  • Reply BostonGemmie March 5, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    my friends come over and sage smudge my home before I move in! 🙂 They also will leave me charming little gifts to find throughout the house! 🙂 Love it. Really missed them doing this on the last move but receive a cute little box with charming little gifts and a sage stick! 🙂

    [email protected]

  • Reply Diana Brito March 5, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    Every time someone moves to a new place – my gift to them is to perform a house clearing ritual. We burn sage as we move into each room/closet and recite empowering words. I bring a little gift of a crystal, some sage, something found like a beautiful feather or leaf, a poem or something lovely to make a small sacred space in their home.
    Diana from San Francisco

  • Reply Becky March 5, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    I'm like you. Unpacking the kitchen is a must. Cos you can have coffee while you work on the rest. Boom! Also making the bed. You don't want to make the bed at the end of a day of unpacking.

  • Reply Hannah March 5, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    What beautiful cleaning supplies! I always set up my bedroom first, so I have a relaxing corner to retreat to.

  • Reply Cyndi March 5, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    What an amazing giveaway! And blog post. I love your dedication to really making a house yours — without waiting even a second. I think because I don't have the tools on hand, I wait… and wait some more… and suddenly a year into my lease I realize – oh! I never hung those pictures. Or got the print framed, etc etc. I'll be moving in the next month, and this is my promise to change that! I want home to feel homey in a few weeks, definitely not a year this time around 🙂 ([email protected])

  • Reply Sarabeth March 5, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    We moved every couple of years and my parents would always make sure the beds were set up for the first night & that the kitchen was unpacked quickly. It's something I now do out of habit whenever we move, but I think it really does make everything feel more like home.

  • Reply kmj. March 5, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    :: my husband and i started a new ritual with our most recent move: after signing our lease, we had a picnic in our empty, new place. it was so sweet. wine, cheese, crackers, and floor pillows. thanks for the giveaway, erin!

  • Reply Laine March 5, 2014 at 4:14 pm

    Kaufmann Mercantile is fantastic. The best quality and variety of tools ans supplies you could ask for!

  • Reply Katie Riddle March 5, 2014 at 4:15 pm

    Our last move was completed while I was pregnant, so this ritual had to be adapted, but one of my favorite housewarming practices comes at the end of the move, when you're just about settled in. Hanging the art is the hardest thing for me, so I've adopted my mother's practice of inviting friends over, opening bottle(s) of wine, and letting the group guide the haphazard process. It takes the stress out of the process (via several means at once).

  • Reply kmj. March 5, 2014 at 4:15 pm

    :: my husband and i started a new ritual with our most recent move back in december: a picnic in our new, empty place after signing our lease. complete with wine, cheese, crackers, and floor pillows. just perfect.

  • Reply Laine March 5, 2014 at 4:23 pm

    Kaufmann Mercantile is the best! The best quality products to get any job done!

  • Reply Harponit March 5, 2014 at 4:26 pm

    Love this basket! I'm moving on Saturday from NYC to Irvington in Westchester and am looking forward to finally have more space (though still considered a tiny apartment). Before i move, being the type A that I am, I like to do a powerpoint of all my current furniture and where it should go, some of the pieces I'd like to buy to decorate, etc. Makes the move a bit easier when I have an idea of where things are going (to direct the movers). Anyway, thanks for the post!

    Erika
    [email protected]
    http://www.harponlife.com

  • Reply Ladybird Johnson March 5, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    Lovely giveaway! As for moving tips, my moves are often extremely planned but not so super in execution. I love lists, but then I can't find my silverware. Oh well, I know next time I'll totally nail it.

  • Reply Anne Williamson March 5, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    What a great selection of products! My favorite housewarming is to clean every inch. I think I bond with my apartment in that process.

  • Reply Mari March 5, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    I have this little seashell candle my mom gave me when I was 12. It goes on my nightstand of every place I have ever lived. marietzel(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Sarah March 5, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    Those are beautiful items!! I also like to unpack the kitchen first. Makes the rest of the unpacking seem like a breeze! 🙂
    Email address: [email protected]

  • Reply Heather March 5, 2014 at 5:06 pm

    hpoff(at)gmail(dot)com

    I am in the process of moving and it is so hard. Is it ever really easy? I long for the day (which is getting closer) to unpacking and setting up my son's room. This is the first time we have moved with a child and it pains me to see his belongings in boxes. They deserve to be free and enjoyed by little hands.

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    I make up a box of items i will need right away so i won't have to search through multiple boxes for the things i need. [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 5:57 pm

    Dear tea leaves: I discovered you this past weekend and you have steadily calmed my growing feeling of being eaten ALIVE by my tiny apartment. I've launched a serious minimalist movement after spending time here and I am evaluating all the ways I'm wasteful when I don't need to be. It's a work in progress, but I'll get there. So thank you! My housewarming ritual will always involve a made bed and brewed tea, as well as the toasting of a few wild rue seeds to welcome a brand new start. That's to say nothing of the manic cleaning that will commence immediately after!
    SH
    shrngeneric(at)gmail

  • Reply lina March 5, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    i guess my favorite housewarming ritual would be setting my room up. my room is probably my favorite place in my home & getting it to look just how i want is probably my favorite part.
    : )
    dandelion.lina(at)yahoo.com

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    Lighting some candles, playing some music, and opening up a bottle of wine:)

  • Reply Bri March 5, 2014 at 6:16 pm

    I have this fantastic memory of being 4 years old, sitting on a mattress with my brother, eating PB&J for dinner on the first night we moved into a new home. Then we played kickball in the empty living room! For my parents it must have been a tough day, but for me it was magical.

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 6:18 pm

    My favorite house-warming ritual is to burn sage to clear away the energy of whoever occupied the space prior, hanging my favorite art and cooking a good meal to claim the kitchen.
    [email protected]

  • Reply Aja March 5, 2014 at 6:23 pm

    I LOVE LOVE this stuff. I showed my boyfriend who is starting a furniture business and he really liked it too. Some things on our wishlist are camping lantern, scented candles, and maine wool blanket! thanks readingmytealeaves!! xo

  • Reply sk March 5, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    We've lived in our house a loooooong time and have no plans to move, but if and when we do move, I love the idea of smudging the house before unpacking, and I will definitely get fruit trees planted as soon as possible!

  • Reply Haley Freedlund March 5, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    Such a lovely collection! Aaaah.

    I moved into my first apartment last summer, and the first thing I wanted to do was make a homemade meal to get the soapy carpet-cleaner smell out. Mind you, my roommate thought that move-in day was the best day to have her wisdom teeth removed. Moved everything by myself, completely exhausted myself. Ergo, takeout udon eaten on top of a yet-to-be-unpacked box of kitchenware.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Sarah Roth March 5, 2014 at 7:06 pm

    baking bread to give the new place that homey smell! selizabethroth[at]gmail.com

  • Reply Heidi March 5, 2014 at 7:11 pm

    Setting up the bed, then tackling the kitchen. This is what I always help friends with, too, especially the ones who are too overwhelmed to know where to start. 🙂

  • Reply Dylann Stubblefield March 5, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    I love opening up the windows (hoping it's warm) and going outside to explore the plant life around, picking some flowers and leaves and bringing them in to welcome us to the neighborhood.
    [email protected]

  • Reply Allison March 5, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    I could use a pretty brush to clean up all the messes my almost one-year-old (!) makes at every meal.

    I love unpacking handmade items. They make a new place feel instantly cozier.

  • Reply Caitlin March 5, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    We're moving to our first new place soon, and since many people before have said it, it must be a good idea: take out and a toast to the new house.

  • Reply JennieLynn March 5, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    Such a beautiful housewarming set!! I have moved many many many times in my 27 years. In the moves since getting married 4 years ago, my favorite tradition has been to christen the home with a bottle of wine and Chinese takeout after a long day of unpacking 🙂 I also love to take photos of the empty rooms and then again when filled with our things 🙂

  • Reply JennieLynn March 5, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    Oh! My first comment doesn't seem to have posted 😛 I have moved many many times in my 27 years of life! Since getting married 4 years ago, my tradition has become to buy a bottle of wine and Chinese takeout after a long day of unpacking. I also like to take photos of the empty rooms and then again when they have been filled with our belongings. I love this housewarming set!

  • Reply Mags March 5, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    What a beautiful set! My favorite housewarming ritual is just organizing the kitchen, which is also my favorite room in the house.

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    We're moving in May. This would be so handy! joesephine(at)outlook(dot) com

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 8:56 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual is baking cookies from scratch for the first time in a new home. There's nothing more homey than the ritual of putting the ingidients together and the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking. [email protected]

  • Reply Charity Klicka March 5, 2014 at 9:21 pm

    My favorite housewarming ritual: making the bed, and unpacking at least a box of books. Nothing says homey like well-worn sheets and a stack of good books.

    charity(dot)klicka(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Amanda DR March 5, 2014 at 9:35 pm

    In the midst of a move, its easy to get so task oriented that it takes all the fun out of the process. Housewarming reframes it instantly. Today is my unpacking day, and its nice to be reminded that this is a gentle weaving process, that culminates in a home, a little nest, to find respite and to recharge. Thanks for that.

  • Reply Anonymous March 5, 2014 at 9:48 pm

    When I moved from CA to PA two years ago, I implemented this great tip from my mom: pack a box of "first night" things like towels, sheets, pillows, toiletries, shower curtain, coffee/pot/snacks, soap, toilet paper, etc. Label it WELL, and put it in the truck or in your car last, so you know where it is and can get to it easily, first thing upon arrival. It made my first day or two in my totally chaotic new place so, so much easier. I could shower! I could caffeinate! I could pee! 🙂

    Moving back to the west coast this summer, and some version of this box will be happening again, no doubt. Probably with some candy and a flashlight/lamp thrown in for safety and good measure. 😉

    Sarah B.
    lovesunday at gmail dot com

  • Reply Mallory March 5, 2014 at 10:14 pm

    My favorite new apartment ritual is to sage the whole place down, and then bake some cookies on the move-in day so it smells immediately awesome – and then after moving you have cookies!

  • Reply Alexa March 5, 2014 at 10:22 pm

    what a lovely package! i'm four years deep into life in my own little nyc attic home and this would be a welcome addition.

    my own ritual: first things first, sheets on the bed. then, unpacking the kitchen. those two things make a place start to feel like home.

  • Reply katherine woods March 5, 2014 at 10:31 pm

    Beautiful tools!

  • Reply wanda March 5, 2014 at 11:44 pm

    What a wonderful basket–so needed for taking on and providing some TLC to our 100+ home.
    I love the first meal in a home–usually comes in a box (pizza) or several boxes (Chinese, perhaps : )–light candles, open a bottle of wine and at this beginning, at this first meal all things seem possible in this new space.

  • Reply Heather March 6, 2014 at 12:40 am

    kitchen first. then the bed. absolutely!

  • Reply Anonymous March 6, 2014 at 1:02 am

    This would have been an awesome house warming gift! I think making a bed up is one of my first goals–one haven of comfort in a sea of chaos.
    katie
    kcrismali(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Anonymous March 6, 2014 at 1:06 am

    My favorite housewarming ritual is getting the rugs down and places blankets and pillows on the couches and chairs. I love that the space becomes softer. Then you have a nice place to rest after scrubbing.
    email: [email protected]
    -Melissa

  • Reply Sarah March 6, 2014 at 1:57 am

    This is a beautiful giveaway! I've spent the past half-hour scouring their website! I'm in love! 🙂 I agree – always put the kitchen together first. Everything else will come together afterwards!
    [email protected]

  • Reply nancy March 6, 2014 at 3:25 am

    My partner and I have just moved across Australia, and could certainly do with a little house warming. Our ritual usually involves glasses of wine and a floor picnic in our empty space – that goes for moving out, as well!

  • Reply Paige March 6, 2014 at 3:56 am

    My husband and I just bought our first house and would love this!!

  • Reply Rachel March 6, 2014 at 4:10 am

    I love the basket you put together. The one thing I do consistently when I move into a new place is lay in bed at night thinking about where I am going to put everything. I nearly obsess about decorating a new space and what goes where. I love the idea of burning sage but i've only actually gotten around to doing that once. Thanks!

  • Reply Anonymous March 6, 2014 at 5:12 am

    Getting the last box in the door, setting up the T.V. and ordering pizza to eat while we unpack the living room.

    davidcjames23(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Amanda DR March 6, 2014 at 5:30 am

    My favorite housewarming activity is lighting something that smells good, like a candle or incense and imbuing my new home with good smells.
    [email protected]

  • Reply Heather March 6, 2014 at 5:42 am

    Oh I love everything in this basket! I just bought a co-op and am looking forward to moving into bigger space. I think my housewarming ritual will be baking cookies in my new kitchen 🙂

  • Reply Anonymous March 6, 2014 at 9:21 am

    Allong with all the great tips these would be useful for sure,as we're moving in 3 weeks time.
    Contact: [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 6, 2014 at 9:50 am

    Allong with your tips these would be helpful for sure for our move in 3 weeks time.
    Contact: [email protected]

  • Reply Kristin Schwierking March 6, 2014 at 12:25 pm

    I am drooling over these useful goodies from Kaufman Mercantile! A big batch of soup and the smell of homemade bread in the oven 🙂 [email protected]

  • Reply Kristin Schwierking March 6, 2014 at 12:31 pm

    What a treat to win these wonderful goodies from Kaufmann Mercantile! A big batch of soup and the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven 🙂 [email protected]

  • Reply The Fam March 6, 2014 at 2:06 pm

    Beautiful. Sending this along to my mother who's a Realtor and is always looking for housewarming gifts for her clients. I always appreciate giving a new book to homeowners.

  • Reply Anonymous March 6, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    My favorite housewarming gift to give and receive is a lovely basket filled with great bath and shower items. The basket is ideally filled with lovely scented items that soothe the aching backs and weary minds that happen when moving. A great soak in a warmly scented bath or an invigorating, great smelling shower are just what the doctor ordered for the tired out movers. The great scents fill the air of the new residence and somehow you just know that you are home!

  • Reply Erick Steinberg March 6, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    My favorite homemaking ritual is making the bed. It doesn't matter how sleep deprived I am or how chaotic the rest of the room is, once the bed is made I feel like I'm making a home. (Plus, I can fold all my clothes on it !) [email protected]

  • Reply Belinda March 6, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    What a lovely giveaway…gosh I hope it is open to Canadians…I find that really nothing much beats the ritual of a first cozy dinner with friends in a new space! belinda(at)littlewoolmaus.com

  • Reply Anonymous March 6, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    Wonderful giveaway idea. My favorite housewarming ritual is cleaning from TOP to bottom. There's nothing better than knowing every surface in your new place has been wiped and scrubbed to perfection by your own hands to start your new beginning. Until this is done, I can't officially relax and settle into my new environment.

    bri.smith4(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Bethany March 6, 2014 at 5:04 pm

    Always make the bed first and put away a few things in the kitchen. Then pizza and a good beer or takeout. woods.bethany(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Shannon Abbott March 6, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    A little tradition my husband and I started while dating is to pop a bottle of champagne after a long day of moving and sit on the floor amongst the boxes, taking in the joy of a new space to call home. We now always bring a bottle to share our tradition when helping friends move 🙂
    Shannon
    [email protected]

  • Reply Anonymous March 6, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    I like packing a bag (before I leave the old house) that contains everything we will need that night and the next morning (freshly cleaned sheets, towels and pjs, toiletries, and a radio (music for moving and unpacking is definitely essential. I like having the place cleaned then to have the bed set up so the end of the day doesn't feel so hectic
    Anne
    mexicansapo at gmx dot de

  • Reply Shelly Hardage-Wilkerson March 6, 2014 at 7:21 pm

    A housewarming ritual we do, we've moved three times so far, is crack open a bottle of wine and order take out (mainly Chinese food). There's just something relieving about finally getting everything moved in and eating your dinner on top of a few boxes still stacked up.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Katrina March 6, 2014 at 8:23 pm

    going to the new neighborhood pizza place!
    katrina(dot)m(dot)ellis(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Danielle Alexander March 6, 2014 at 9:32 pm

    Favorite housewarming ritual: opening a bottle of nice wine and unpacking and re-organizing all my books. For me, nothing is better than waking up in my new place and knowing exactly where to find my complete works of Emily Dickinson or my vintage copy of Wuthering Heights.

    Danielle
    thislittlespaceblog[at]gmail[dot]com
    http://www.thislittlespace.com

  • Reply Buffy Zwirner March 6, 2014 at 10:01 pm

    I agree with the take-out comments. I have done that for my last two moves and we're looking to move again. Chinese take-out eaten on the floor, usually the day before the movers arrive and spend the night on an air mattress envisioning how to set up our new space. And if there's a fireplace, even better!

  • Reply Melanie Yarbrough March 6, 2014 at 10:51 pm

    I never would have thought of tools as a housewarming gift, but it is a genius idea! These are so beautiful as well!

    [email protected]

  • Reply suddenvolcano March 6, 2014 at 11:18 pm

    Putting the bed together and making it up with clean linens. Even if you're using a packing crate for a bedside table it is wonderful to have a cozy and comfy place to crash after a long day of moving and unpacking. suddenvolcano(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply KJ March 6, 2014 at 11:33 pm

    Lovely! Our neighborhood housewarming gift is usually food – so you can focus on unpacking instead of cooking!

  • Reply George March 7, 2014 at 1:51 am

    We're moving soon! I haven't done many moves of my own, since I'm only newly moved out of the family home, but as a family, we've moved plenty, all around the world, and dragged our little kiwi moving ritual with us. After a long day moving in, everyone who's helped gets to sit down on the floor and share a great big pile of fish and chips as a thank you, nowhere feels like home without it!

  • Reply Mary Ellen March 7, 2014 at 2:59 am

    For a long time we moved at least once a year, and so making the new place feel like a home became kind of a challenge for us. My favorite ritual is definitely having a picnic on the first night. Then, walking hand in hand into each room we say things like, "This is OUR woooonderful living room" or "This is OUR bedroom, the best one in town." It's ridiculous but we call it "breaking in the apartment," as if it were a new pair of shoes.

    [email protected]

  • Reply Mary Ellen March 7, 2014 at 3:01 am

    For a long time we moved at least once a year, and so making the new place feel like a home became kind of a challenge for us. My favorite ritual is definitely having a picnic on the first night. Then, walking hand in hand into each room we say things like, "This is OUR woooonderful living room" or "This is OUR bedroom, the best one in town." It's ridiculous but we call it "breaking in the apartment," as if it were a new pair of shoes.

    [email protected]

  • Reply SarahJ March 7, 2014 at 4:56 am

    I will be moving into my first ever apartment next week, so i cannot comment on my unpacking rituql, ut i have just invented my first packing ritual, which serves as sucj good medicine in overcomingyour pre-packing anxiety for the overwhelming task of packing lives into boxes: pack your treasures first. And wrap them in pretty paper too. It makes all the difference, because it allows you to sort through what you may or may not want to carry onwards. Much love, Sarah j ( [email protected])

  • Reply Johanna March 7, 2014 at 7:49 am

    Congrats on finishing your move! Hooray!
    We are moving in June and I cannot wait! I haven't really thought about housewarming rituals (we haven't moved that often…), but I guess sharing pizza with all the helping hands after the work is done is pretty great!
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    Jo_84(at)gmx(dot)net

  • Reply Kristina March 7, 2014 at 2:15 pm

    Eating pizza with friends amidst boxes!

  • Reply emily parrish March 7, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    I love unpacking my kitchen, but my favorite housewarming ritual might be when I make the bed for the first time in a new place. It makes everything feel just-so.

  • Reply jennie1lynn March 7, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    Soooooooooooooooo beautiful! The perfect housewarming gift. I have moved oodles of times in my 27 years on this planet, but my newest tradition (since getting married 4 years ago), is to enjoy a bottle of red wine along with Chinese takeout after a long day of unpacking. I also love to take before and after photos of each room.

  • Reply Nadine March 7, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    Fresh paint and fresh flowers after the boxes get unpacked always help a space feel more like home.

  • Reply sheepystitious March 7, 2014 at 4:46 pm

    Thanks for the giveaway! The first thing I did when my husband and I purchased our first home was purchase a cheaper used dining table and arrange some flowers on the table. Made it feel like home right away. My favorite housewarming activity though – was bringing our dog over for the first time and watch her investigate her new surroundings!

  • Reply karenpin March 7, 2014 at 6:25 pm

    My favorite ritual is cleaning everything then lighting up some stage. Makes everything smell… peaceful almost. [email protected]

  • Reply karenpin March 7, 2014 at 6:26 pm

    My favorite ritual is cleaning everything then lighting up some stage. Makes everything smell… peaceful almost. [email protected]

  • Reply ann ladson March 7, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    i adore everything in their curation and would be elated with this incredible package of goodies…
    [email protected]

  • Reply Unknown March 7, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    I have always broken in a new house with a simple spaghetti dinner and bottle of wine on the first night. Baking cookies after unpacking is also a nice ritual!

    Patti
    pattibugge(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Reply Alexandra March 7, 2014 at 7:16 pm

    I love the smell of freshly-baked bread wafting from my kitchen and filling up my home. So one of the first things I like to do to give my home that extra warmth is get home-made bread dough baking in the oven. email: aneesa824 at gmail dot com

  • Reply Kristin Schwierking March 7, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    This is an amazing gift!! The smell of warm bread baking in the oven and a big batch of soup;) [email protected]

  • Reply Bridget March 7, 2014 at 9:10 pm

    What a lovely basket! After I clean a new place really well, I love to clean every layer of the bed and make it up. Nothing like spending a first night in a clean place with a perfectly made-up fresh bed. –Bridget email: bridgetstachowski(at)mac(dot)com

  • Reply Erin March 8, 2014 at 12:02 am

    Thanks so much to everyone who entered! A winner will be announced on Monday!

  • Reply meridith moore March 10, 2014 at 12:51 am

    A new kitchen enamel trash can filled with sustainable Cleaning Products

  • Reply miss_angie March 10, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    My favorite home ritual is watering my plants and dusting around them, usually done at the same time. I love seeing the growth (or not) of the myriad I have around the house. I even have some that can only drink distilled water because they're carnivorous.

    I signed up with [email protected] and that's where I can be reached!

  • Reply Anonymous March 13, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    I love house warming parties with tons of food! No better way to break into a new place with good food and company.

    [email protected]

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