Party favorites: A perfect present for their new nest

The days of living in McMansions are over for a lot of people. And even though many of my own friends live in lovely homes, many of them are opting to live in much smaller (and less expensive) spaces than we dreamed of when we began this millennium. Let's be honest, our downsized homes don't usually have massive kitchens and sometimes have to sacrifice ample pantries or enough drawers to hold all of our confusing gadgets and disposable containers and unopened cookbooks.

Knowing where and how we live, I just can't bring myself to buy gifts for my friends who are getting married, moving, or buying their first home that will inevitably end up in storage, on a garage sale table, or shoved in the back of those awkward Lazy Susan cabinets.

This is why I love to give nesting bowls for showers and housewarming parties.

I know. Nesting bowls don't exactly sound exciting. Just trust me, they are a great gift. Especially when they come in bright and beautiful colors. And when they include two graduated bowls perfectly sized for baking or making a good spread of summer salads, plus a strainer to make sure the cherries or Brussels sprouts are squeaky clean. Even better, nesting bowls are a perfect present when they include 4 measuring cups and all of fits nicely into one small space. This all-in-one is from MoMA online and is $60.

Are you buying it now? If not, know that one of my mom's favorite gifts that I've given her were pink melamine nesting bowls from Williams-Sonoma and one of the things I was most sad to hand over in my divorce was a set of bright red nesting bowls passed down to my ex from his grandmother. I've given them many times and have almost always gotten a thank you note, which I think is rather convincing.


More shopping to do:

• One great little bridal shower gift
• 3 baby shower gifts for parents who have everything
• A housewarming gift for city dwellers