Host an Easter-Themed Party

Set the scene for springtime merriment with fresh air, first blooms, and lots of lively color. Host an outdoor party for guests of every age. Choose decorations that are fun to create, then plan a table you can set quickly with brightly patterned paper plates, thus freeing up plenty of time for play, too.

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Place a table on the porch or lawn and brighten the seating with cushions in vibrant prints. Capture spring breezes with banners cut from coordinating fabrics and embellished with aviary motifs. The feather tree centerpiece is adorned with cookies that guests will be given to take home.

Tree: Seasons of Cannon Falls. Banner fabric: Digs. Pillows: Elizabeth Allen Atelier.

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Hosting outdoors sets a breezy tone and makes it easy for guests to mingle and play. Set a table for lunch and decorate in your own backyard, or invite friends to meet at a local park with plenty of picnic tables. The key is to keep things comfortable and easy. Hold cleanup to a minimum with paper plates in playful colors.

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And make time for activities that lighten the heart and allow everyone to enjoy the first warm days of the year. Do keep in mind that egg hunts, hide-and-seek, and sweet take-home treats needn't be just for children; both adults and kids will enjoy a day of play beneath blue skies. After all, come springtime, everything -- and everyone -- is young again.

Video: Outdoor decorating with kids >

Let the fresh palette of springtime inspire your party's theme and decor. Coordinate your table colors with flowers in the garden. The white feather tree makes an elegant holder for edible cookie ornaments.

Join in the play. It's as much fun to hide eggs and candy as it is to later help guests seek the sweet treasures you've nestled in the lawn and at the bases of tree trunks. For an alternative to baskets, fill pretty buckets with colorful paper grass and personalize each one with a gift tag. The buckets, once filled with collected treats, can double as favors to be given to guests to take home.

Paper plates and napkins in polka dots and florals brighten the brunch table and minimize cleanup. Plain white paper cups are rubber-stamped to coordinate with the banner's bird motif. A length of pretty wallpaper remnant is used as a table runner, and tiny foiled baskets filled with candy make sweet party favors.

Paper Goods, Forks: Cath Kidston. Baskets: Seasons of Cannon Falls.

Confections in shapes that signal the season set the tone for springtime games and outings.

Chocolate Bunnies, Eggs: Hammond's Candies

"Greet spring with an eye to what's new, embrace play as a way of seeing."

"Hunting for eggs is a perfect occasion for guests of all ages to stretch their legs and play."