Elfster Blog - Page 4 of 39 - Birthday & Holiday Party and Gift Exchange Ideas

A Freilichen Purim! Gift Basket Ideas to Celebrate Spring, Community, and Life’s Joys

April 27, 2017 Brian B

Late winter and early spring are, for everyone, imbued with a sense of rebirth and excitement. It’s a time to escape the long winter—and look forward to the light. For the Jewish people, though, it means something more. It is the time for Purim, to celebrate when they were saved from annihilation at the hands of the Persians. It’s more than a party for the rebirth of spring; it is celebrating the miracle of existence. And what a celebration it…

Read More Read More

Patriotic Party Ideas for Your Memorial Day BBQs and Backyard Block Parties

April 25, 2017 Bay E

Memorial Day signifies the unofficial start of summer when light sweaters are replaced with swim suits and backpacks are replaced with beach bags. Growing up, this often meant holidays spent around a beach bonfire with roasted s’mores, grilled hot dogs, and homemade flag cakes. Some years, the holiday was spent at large backyard gatherings of close friends, with music, swimming, barbecues, and water balloon fights to fill the day. However you celebrate on May 29th, in honor of those who…

Read More Read More

Mother’s Day Party Game Ideas and Family Activities That Are as Unique as Mom

April 21, 2017 Bay E

“Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.” —Stevie Wonder On Sunday May 14th, we celebrate mothers, motherhood, and all motherly bonds. This year, as a way to pay tribute to Mom and all the holidays she’s planned, prepared, and beautifully hosted, we’ve rounded up some ideas on how to throw a Mother’s Day party complete with game ideas and…

Read More Read More

Last Minute DIY Mother’s Day Gifts: Elegant Breakfast in Bed Ideas for Mom

April 19, 2017 Bay E

The smell of coffee, morning sun streaming in through the window, the tang of freshly squeezed orange juice—there’s nothing quite as special as a thoughtfully prepared breakfast in bed to fill a soul up with happy content. The older I get, the more I can comprehend why moms enjoy—and very much deserve—a luxurious sleep-in every so often. They get to stretch out, ignore the alarm clock, and not have to think twice about cracking an egg, flipping a pancake, or…

Read More Read More

DIY Mother’s Day Flower Arrangements Picked Fresh to Surprise Mom with a Classic

April 14, 2017 Bay E

“A mother is one who fills your heart in the first place.” Amy Tan Flowers are so naturally and intrinsically linked to Mother’s Day gifts. When I was a kid, I can recall using every last piece of pink and red colored tissue paper in the house to create a special faux flower bouquet for my mom, Nini. One year I tried to perfect the art of piping frosting in the shape of her favorite flower, plumerias, on top of…

Read More Read More

A Friends-Themed Party and Coffee Lovers Gift Swap to Brew up Some 90s Fun

April 11, 2017 Justina H

In the small New England town where I grew up, “great” coffee came from the local convenience store or Dunkin’ Donuts. I didn’t taste my first latte until I was in college, although I definitely pretended I knew what the mysterious milky espresso beverage was in front of my new friends. Until then, I had been convinced that the freeze-dried instant coffee granules my Papa drank were the epitome of chic. The only thing that clued me into a world…

Read More Read More

Artful Just-In-Case Gifts to Keep around the House for Creative Birthday Gift Ideas

April 7, 2017 Justina H

I’m in elementary school and opening the hallway closet in my childhood home, which can mean only one thing—it’s time for a birthday party! The hallway closet is a magical place, stuffed to the brim with colorful wrapping paper, bows of all colors, gift bags, and the most glorious bounty of them all: a neatly stacked pile of white boxes, each holding a miniature porcelain doll. The dolls are presents waiting to be selected, wrapped, and given as a gift…

Read More Read More

Whimsical English High Tea Party Ideas for a Non-Traditional Spring Birthday Celebration

April 5, 2017 Bay E

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves — slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” – Thich Nat Hahn I love everything that tea parties stand for—the warmth, the conversation, the feel-good nature of them. I have similar feelings about birthday parties, so once I came up with the idea to combine the two, I was one happy gal. I threw an all-ages high tea gathering for my sister’s…

Read More Read More

Wondrously Woodsy Birthday Party Favor Gift Bag Ideas for Nature Obsessed Kids

April 3, 2017 Justina H

My sister and I never loved the hot weather that comes with summer, so making tree forts in the cool shade of the forest was always our first project over long school vacations. But once we had each claimed our trees and made them feel like home (you can accomplish a surprising amount of interior design with leaves, sticks, twine, and a little imagination), we’d start exploring. We discovered that when you peeled back the bark from a fallen log…

Read More Read More

Spring Fresh Picnic Party Food Ideas and Inspirations for Your First Outdoor Gathering

March 31, 2017 Bay E

“The Earth Laughs in Flowers.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson When spring comes, promising sunshine in the skies and the budding of fresh flowers in the garden, I am exuberant. There’s a magical aura surrounding the first season that comes after the chill of winter. Warm soups are replaced with salads. Fresh fruit and vibrant vegetables flourish at the farmers’ market. And folks gather together to eat outdoors and celebrate the invigoratingly magical spell of the equinox with spring parties of…

Read More Read More