Before I even knew we were hosting a tea party this summer, my 4 year old had already invited half the neighborhood! Haha! We must be related, that little stinker. So when one of the moms asked me when the tea party was going to be, I figured I didn’t have a choice. Yes, there would be a tea party! Turns out, planning this tea party was the smartest thing we could have done. I decided to hold it at the end of the summer, and let my kids “earn” it with good behavior, doing chores, etc. Another bonus was that when big sister began all-day school, little sister was bored! So we spent the entire first week of school staying home and making all the decorations (click
here for the tutorials). And we had a blast together.
Here is what we did:
1. Guests arrived in their fanciest attire, with their favorite doll as their special guest.
2. The ladies sat in a social circle and introduced their dolls, including what they loved best about their doll. Each girl was rewarded with a round of applause.
3. We ate our supper and indulged ourselves with dessert. Guests were reminded to use their best of manners. The girls held out their pinky and sipped their lemonade very politely.
4. We gathered again in our social circle, and commenced with a gift exchange. Each guest politely thanked their giftee.
5. A bit of free time remained, so the girls played on the swingset and tramopline, ever so lady-like, of course.
Le Menu:
Sparkling Lemonade
Lavendar Lemonade
Croissant Sandwiches
Melon Balls
White Chocolate Raspberry Scones
Mini Chocolate Eclairs
Teapot Shaped Sugar Cookies
The Decor:
-Beside the food, I didn’t purchase one thing for this tea party! I used what I had around our house!
-All of my fancy white dishes were less than $10 each at TJ Maxx. I use them all the time!
-The gorgeous fabrics are from the
Riley Blake Verona line. I am currently making a
quilt (which you see draped as a backdrop), and the fabric on the table is actually for the borders and backing of my quilt. (Yes I was a little nervous using it, but since I served the girls their food, they weren’t ever around the food table). The centerpiece on the food table and the fabric banner were also made using scraps from my quilt.
-Paisley and I made 3 things: fancy paper fans, a scrapbook circle table runner, and a scrap fabric banner. All the tutorials will be on the blog tomorrow!
-The tea cups are very special to me– they were my great grandmother’s. Not one cup got broken!
Please fancy your eyes on these pictures!
Throwing a “just because” party is really fun! I’m glad our kids birthdays are all in Jan/Feb, so hosting a party for the heck of it doesn’t seem too out of place.
It seems that every time we host a party, I learn something new. After I gave my mom a synopsis of our party, she shared a tip that she learned when she threw parties for all us kids. As a rule of thumb, you should invite as many kids as the ago your child is turning. For example, if your son/daughter is turning 5, then invite 5 friends. Makes sense, right? I might try that next time we have a party. She says that’s just the right amount of kids to still keep under control, to focus on, and to really be able to enjoy what’s going on. The hard part would be deciding who to invite and not leaving anyone out!
Thanks for coming to see our party!
See our end of summer party
Princess Party (starring me as Cinderella) from last year.
