Posts Tagged ‘white elephant gift’

White elephant gift giving retro style

The tradition of giving a white elephant gift dates back centuries in the Far-east. Vintage white elephant giving was a royal event and is much different than how we view the process today.

The white elephant exchange is the perfect venue for sharing gifts in a social activity and is why it so popular. The smartest hosts know that memorable parties use great themes that give guests something unique to remember.

There is a huge craze for all things vintage at the moment. Vintage shops are popping up left, right and center and vintage items are flooding online sites like eBay. With so much vintage love going on it is not surprising that it has become a popular party theme. Whether it’s a wedding reception, bridal shower, birthday party or anniversary the vintage theme works really well and the décor that you choose should tie everything together.

Bunting All The Way!

No vintage party would be complete without streams of bunting flying from the rafters. There are two main types of bunting; fabric and paper. Fabric bunting is made to last whereas paper bunting is normally only made for one or two applications. Choose bunting that has flags in pastel shades such as pinks, blues and greens for a real vintage feel. You could event go for floral patterned flags if you wanted to too. If you are at all crafty then you could have a go at making your own paper bunting as it is very simple.

Tea Cups Galore!

In the run up to your party scour your local charity and second hand shops for crockery. For a white elephant gift party, find elephant-styled cups. You will find that many of them will have sets of tea services being sold really cheaply. I recently did this to find crockery for an afternoon tea themed wedding and I managed to pick up 6 cups and 6 saucers for 1.50 in one shop.  They were white, had pink flowers with green leaves and a beautiful gold rim. The great thing about a vintage theme is that all of your crockery doesn’t need to match. In fact, it looks cuter if you have many different designs.

The Cherry on Top!

No vintage party would be complete without stacks of classic cakes piled high on beautiful cake stands. Cake stands can be quite expensive to buy but there are some beautiful vintage themed cardboard stands available to buy. You could buy some doilies and pretty cupcake wrappers in colors that match your bunting as a real finishing touch. Choose cakes like Cherry Bakewells, French Fancies and Fairy Cakes.

Asking people to come in their best vintage dresses and suits will make it feel extra special. These are just some ideas for your party invitation there are many other things you could consider such as pick ‘n’ mix jars, chalkboard messages, and homemade pink lemonade and lace table cloths!

Vicky works alongside Maia Gifts who sell vintage, retro and modern gift ware.

Thanks to Fanta for the image of the white elephant gift tea server

 

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PartyWeDo
We are passionate about white elephant gifts and white elephant gift exchange parties. We will do all that we can to make your experience with AlbinoPhant better than you can imagine.

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Amazon runs huge product warehouses. In fact, there are now 24 of these massive distribution centers world-wide, stocking everything from CDs to bicycle tires.

The online retailer moves 3-times as much product through these warehouses than it’s next closes competitor.

Over 40% of the products that move through the supply system are sold by merchants other than Amazon itself. There are over 1.3 million suppliers who provide the products that are for sale on Amazon.com and through these other merchants.

When consumers  rank the trusted technology companies for privacy, they usually put Amazon in the top 5.

In 2009 PartyWeDo was looking for an e-commerce partner for the gift party application, AlbinoPhant. The natural choice was Amazon.

Amazon works great for a gift merchandising application because of their massive selection and top-notch customer service.

The gift exchange system uses a level pricing system for each custom AlbinoPhant marketplace. Each host selects the level at which their invitees will spend for the gift and the AlbinoPhant software sorts through the Amazon Warehouse to display products in that pricing category.

PartyWeDo hired the Utah based e-commerce software firm Gyrofly, to build the special interface that would allow each party guest to pay one price and cover the cost of the gift, the shipping and the fun.

The resulting markets are filled with thousands of gifts that can be used to share in the fun of a Yankee Swap or White Elephant Gift Exchange.

When any gift is selected from one of the AlinoPhant markets, it is identified by a unique number. This number allows us to use the image of the gift during the game play period and also ship the correct item from the Amazon warehouse to the correct players doorstep.

This system allows the virtual world of the internet to marry seamlessly with the real world of gift shopping and delivery.

All of these marvelous technologies and efficient shipping systems allow family and friends to purchase gifts, share them online and then receive a present at their home.

Thank you Amazon, for joining the party!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Today marks the start of Hanukkah, a symbolic religious tradition for Jewish families around the world. A candle is lit each night for eight days; A present is shared every day, and they play traditional games.

Other faiths are preparing for the tradition of sharing gifts on each of the 12 days leading up to December. 25th.

Still more are shopping and wrapping presents in preparation for one of the largest single gift opening days of the year; Christmas day.

Gift giving in the holiday season has become a tradition for those with or without religious connection. It seems that retailers start this seasonal “rush to buy”,  earlier every year.  Many  use traditional party activities to distribute these gifts.

All based upon a Tradition of giving…

Even with the recent popularity of virtual gifts, the traditional gift is still a REAL one. The gift card, which has become extremely popular, even carries the promise of something real, rather than a silly image on a computer screen.

Gifts have become an important part of the traditions which support our family and friends during various life milestones or seasons. We take the gift selection, presentation and delivery very serious, because it is part of our traditions.

“Giving gifts to family and friends is a way to show our love for them. Our gifts don’t have to be lavish or expensive. In fact, the best gifts are often simple and inexpensive.” Suggests Writer and Editor Lillie Ammann.

Billions of dollars churn through the world economy as we both give and receive these real expressions of support. We are also aware that this spending is not limited to the final quarter of the year, as the gifting tradition includes many holidays, birthdays, weddings, baby births and more.

The tradition of opening, touching and experiencing a real gift can never be replaced by a virtual item from any social game. Nor will the virtual gift ever find its place within any popular traditions.

PartyWeDo is leading the movement to help social networks facilitate the tradition of sharing real gifts with family and friends. The online party blends a virtual connection for dispersed families, with the convenience of eCommerce and efficient shipping.

This fun gift sharing system will never completely replace the warmth and reward of presenting a gift in person, but it will allow some of the tradition to extend to those who can’t be home for the holidays.

May your season be bright and your hearts full of the tradition of giving…

Thanks to Refinery 29 for the image

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists