Come sit with me for awhile . . .
and see what I’m bringing to the table

Coming face to face with selecting  ‘the’ hostess with the mostest gift this Labor Day weekend .   .   . not only can it be daunting for most of us but .   .   . a breath away from a brain freeze. I equate the terrifying task of gift selection for she/he/they to being cast into a ring with a raging bull .   .   . and .   .   . without so much as a wrinkled tissue, or a red cape to wave ! Now we have all faced, or will face one, two, or maybe even three of these judgmental,”has everything” know it all in our life time. Come on really ??? .   .   . you haven’t !!! How lucky are you? .   .   . quick .   .   . buy a lottery ticket !!! For those of you barely treading water in this sea of uncertainty, read on .   .   .

RELAX … I come bearing gifts .   .   . I’ve got you covered. The photo above is one of several ideas that I’m offering up to the hungry gods of gift giving .   .   . serving dishes .   .   . yes, yes, Yeess… serving dishes! Are you feeling it yet? Ahhhhh .   .   . can’t you just feel the tension giving way to that wonderful euphoric feeling of confident calm. Go ahead, take another deep breath, and… relax. Serving dishes come in a zillion different sizes, styles, finishes, and prices, and can hold appetizers, veggies, entrees, even powder room soaps.  What to do, what to do?  First of all, take steady even breaths! Oh please .   .   . the need for panic has well passed. SOLUTIONS are at hand, and viable ones at that .   .   . so let’s move on. The next part of this selection is pretty simple, as long as you can answer one question. Does your host lean toward modern, vintage, perhaps art deco, or maybe more of a fancy schmancy style, to name a few home decor styles. Once you choose your host’s decor style, go forth, and by all means nail your gift pick of the day. For those of you saying… I’ve never been to their house, or I’ve never met them .   .   . slowly inhale, now exhale, and then .   .   . think simple clean lines such as glass, or even simpler, a box of interesting candy, or a recommended bottle of wine.

Whether store wrapped, or home gifted .   .   . remember .   .   . presentation, presentation, presentation. How a gift is wrapped says so, so much more than just the gift itself. I say this with first hand knowledge, as a former boutique retailer, who was known for our gift wrap. During high volume gift giving season, customers would gladly, and patiently wait for our very distinctive signature wrapped gifts. If for some reason your store wrapped gift falls a smidgen short of the wow factor .   .   . before you do anything .   .   . keep breathing !!! Embellish on your own with .   .   . ribbon, feathers, silk flower strategically added, or put the box into a nifty shopping bag, and add contrasting tissue ( all these embellishments can be found in discount stores, craft stores, as well as fabric/notion stores).

.   .   . and my Labor Day weekend gift to you, is helping you feed the ‘hungry gift gods’.

Til next time .   .   .

MORE CANDLE TIPS NEXT TIME

Sharon Insul is the former owner of the popular Beverly Hills boutique Candle light and…

I WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS and QUESTIONS  .   .   . sharons3@me.com

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