A Gracious Welcome: Etiquette and Ideas for Entertaining Houseguests

By Amy M. Nebens and Sang An (Photographer)

Book Overview

They're coming for how long? This utterly charming guide brings together inspiration and advice for planning a visit that's relaxing and enjoyable for guest and host alike. From invitations no one could refuse to advice on furnishing a cozy guest bedroom and stocking a well-appointed bath, A Gracious Welcome is a refreshing approach to sharing the home turf with family and friends. Ranging from luxurious craft projects such as handmade bath salts to simple additions like a bedside bouquet of sweet-smelling flowers, here are pages of ways to make every guest feel welcome. Whether home is a bungalow in the 'burbs, an uptown pied-a-terre, or a roomy weekend cabin, hosts will find plenty of useful inpiration, plus ideas for easy meals. Chockful of tips for clever outdoor activities and day trips to please all ages, and adorned with delightful photographs throughout, A Gracious Welcome is an invaluable helper when loved ones come to stay.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811840832
• ISBN13: 9780811840835
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Great Coffee Table Book

Loved thumbing thru this book at a friends and decided I needed my own copy. Lots of helpful tips and great pictures.

A Few Useful Tips

I'd suggest borrowing this from your local library. It's a nicely packaged book with pastel pages, high quality photos and a sampling of hostess tips. The text probably equals 2 or 3 magazine articles, so I'd hate to pay $19 for it. It gives guidelines for preparing the guest room (add hangers to the closet, flowers on the bedside table, etc.) and a sampling of recipes for impressing your guests. They are lovely sounding (cranberry scones, strawberry iced tea, peanut butter s'mores)and the photos look good enough to eat. Note the Martha Stewart touches like the chocolate chip cookie photo showing a well-loved teddy bear with the cookies and milk. Along with these are some craft ideas like stamping your initial on your cocktail napkins or layering colored bath salts in a jar for the guest bath. It even includes a couple of pages with instructions for playing charades and twenty questions. All the ideas are pleasant enough, but overall it seems skimpy at 120 small sized pages.

Beautiful Book!

A wonderful book from a former Martha Stewart editor with many ideas for entertaining guests in your home. The pictures are beautiful and the recipes and ideas are creative and easy to implement.