My Tea Party and Book Exchange - At Last

Yesterday was a wonderful day and just perfect for a warm and cozy tea party.

My special guests were:

My mom, the Sewing Bee, my friend, the More Creative Bee, and my friend, the Fabulous Phyllis, plus Betty from She's Sew Pretty and her sweet daughter.  My daughter, Baby Bee, was our server and also fellow partaker of tea and treats.

The menu:

We started with homemade scones, lemon curd, and a version of clotted cream.  I found a recipe for clotted cream that used mascarpone cheese, whipping cream, a little sugar, and a little vanilla.  

I made two teas - English Tea and a Wild Berry Plum green tea from the Republic of Tea.  We (okay, mainly me) enjoyed the Wild Berry Plum tea so much that it's all gone!  I'll have to buy some more.  It was just delicious.  We also had ice water and pink lemonade.

After scones, Baby Bee served us some savories.  I made mini quiches, cucumber sandwiches, and - what I thought was the most delicious - a chicken salad with dry roasted almonds on oatnut bread spread with basil butter.  Those were yummy!  We also a had a salad of spring greens with a pomegranate dressing.  

The book exchange:

The guests brought 3-4 books each and then we drew numbers for who got to choose first.  The first time we went in number order, then reverse order, and then we went by everyone's first initial.  The book exchange sparked lots of conversations about what we had read, wanted to read, and our favorite authors. I think everyone went home happy with some new books to enjoy.  There was lots of Nora Roberts, Nicholas Sparks, and Jodi Picoult.  

The table:

I finally decided to kind of have a garden/spring/literary theme.  Alyssa from Boston Bee had a great idea to include literary quotes but I had such a hard time picking out the "perfect" quotes that I ended up running out of time to get those made.

I used a burlap tablecloth for that garden look.  

The plates were Nantucket Basket from Wedgwood - my wedding china.

On top of the white plates I put my green depression glass in the dogwood pattern.  

Our teacups were the blue glass (depression glass???) and our stemware was from Tag.  

The flatware was my grandmother's silverplate - Spring Garden by Holmes and Edwards.

I used my Nantucket Basket teapot and my Song Bird teapot from Rosie B. Farmer.  I used this set's creamer and sugar too.

The napkins are some I've had for a long time.  I think they might be Martha Stewart from Kmart, but I'm not 100% sure.  The napkin rings were just some mini wreaths I picked up several years ago at Beverly Crafts.

My centerpiece was a vintage looking blue pot filled with pansies.  (some left from the 1/2 flat my friend gave me)  I stacked some books with blue and green covers around the flowers to continue the color scheme.

The lovely surprise:

When things go wrong, they always seem to happen at the most inopportune time.  Well, Sweet Bee Cottage has old pipes and an old main line.  And.......you might already know where this is going......but about and hour and a half before the party our main line clogged.  Lovely, right?  I don't even want to think about what would have happened if someone had to go to the bathroom as soon as they arrived.  Luckily we found a plumber to come out and clear the clog.  So as we enjoyed our tea treats, right outside the windows in our sunroom, our main line was being cleared.  More loveliness, right?  Oh well.  At least it was cleared quickly and by the end of the party I could allow my guests to use the bathroom.

I also gave each of my guests a S-P-R-I-N-G garland I made and some other sweet little feminine treats.  And I got to use my milk glass taco again to display them.  

Well, now I'm in the mood for another cup of tea.  Baby Bee has agreed to join me in a cup.  She found she enjoyed the tea.  Won't you join us too?  Or,  I could still make a latte for you.

I'm so happy to be sharing this table at Between Naps on the Porch.  

Thank you so much for coming by!    

Thoughts on a Tea Party

Well, I'm getting ready for my little tea party this Saturday.

Invitations have been mailed out (well better late than never with those).

Now I need to plan the menu.

I have a plethora of tea party books to choose from.

Maybe an Orange Sour Cream Tea Bread from this book?  Doesn't that sound yummy?  

This book is full of all sorts of sweet treats.  The recipe for Strawberry Tiny Tarts looks delicious.  

 I'll need to have some savories too.  Mary's book doesn't exactly have recipes, but it has wonderful ideas for tea sandwiches.  Maybe pecan studded cream cheese with chive butter?  Or how about almond chicken salad with basil butter?  

 Taking Time for Tea is divided into seasonal teas.  Well, technically it's spring, but the weather is supposed to be rainy and cool on Saturday.  A recipe for Warmed Brie on Toast Points with chopped dried apricots sounds yummy.  A little bit of comfort food sounds good, doesn't it?

This is one of my favorite tea books.  This one has such intriguing recipes.  Some are a little too ambitious for the amount of time I'll have to prepare.  Lots of savory treats - Ham & Tomato Scones, Chive & Potato Scones, Roquefort & Pear Brioche Slices........

Now we come to my favorite tea party book.  It makes me want to have a tea party every month.  (That might be because it has a theme tea party with plans and menus for each month!  LOL)  Some of the themes are The Queen's Tea, a Hiker's Tea, Tea & Roses, and my favorite - Mother's Day Tea.  It is so beautifully illustrated by Carolyn Bucha.  There are tips on how to have a large tea party, how to make tea sandwiches, how to make a tea cozy, and tons of recipes.  

Shhhh.....don't tell Baby Bee.  I snuck into her room and "borrowed" this book for some ideas.  Hmmmm...it also has a special tea for Mom.  Do you think I should bookmark that page for her?  That wouldn't be too strong a hint, now would it?

Did I ever tell you that Baby Bee dressed up as Fancy Nancy for Halloween?  She was in second grade and my mom - the Sewing Bee - made the costume from a just a picture in the book.  I found the perfect fabric - lilac silky stuff (clearly I don't know my fancy fabric names) and a lilac sequin dotted tulle (hey - I knew that one) and it was FABULOUS!  MARVELOUS! AND GLAMOUROUS!  (Oh and yes, I "borrowed" this one from Baby Bee too.)

But, then again, I digress.  I certainly do have a tendency to do that.  Miss Fancy Nancy does have some great ideas for a tea party.  We could play Fancy Freeze Tag or have a doll tea party.  

Well, I'm going to have to make some decisions and soon!  I sure wish you could come to my party.  

But I know you'll be there in spirit.  

Thank you so much for taking the time to come by.  It's such a treat to see you!

Oh, and if you happen to head on over to my ebay auctions, I am donating a portion of the proceeds for the next few weeks to the American Red Cross.  It is such a worthwhile charity and I know some of what we raise here will go to help those in Japan.

Blessings to you!

Tea Party and Book Exchange Invitations

Look what I made!  

Thank you Karen from the Graphics Fairy!

Thank you Shabby Blogs for the tutorial on FotoFlexer.com.

Thank you Picnik.com for the final invitation.

And a final thank you to Chris at Red Gate Farm for the inspiration to use Picnik and print them off at my local photo developer (i.e. Walgreens).

So how did I make this you ask?

Well, I wish I was a graphics expert, but I'll tell you what I did

********disclaimer here - I've probably done this all wrong, but maybe if I can do it, you can too *********

1.  First I found the perfect vintage graphic from Karen's (the teacup) and uploaded it to Foto Flexer.

2.  Then I really wanted a gingham in a springy color to serve as the backdrop - I found an image from an old JC Penney catalog and uploaded that as the background (also to Foto Flexer).

3.  Then I played on Foto Flexer with the layers, cropping, etc.  And honestly, I just messed around with it until I liked the way it looked.  Of course, I saved it.  Don't forget to do that!

4.  Now I took the newly created file of the two layered/merged images (gingham and teacup) and uploaded it to Picnik. Then I just used the free text editing and added the details for the invitation.

5.  Saved that invitation and then uploaded it to Walgreens where they were ready in about 45 minutes. 

If I do say so myself, I am pretty pleased with how these turned out.  

*********

So, 

will YOU come?  

What books would you bring?

Gardening?  Fiction?  Magazines?

I'll keep you posted on the details of this little shindig!  

And thank you so much for buzzin' in today!  

Oh and I'm showing this off over at My Romantic Home.  Thank you Cindy for hostessing this fun little (well - not so little anymore) party! 

Do You Have the January Blues?

I've got the blues.......

But aren't they the prettiest blues?

Even my tablecloth has the blues!

 I picked this tablecloth up in a miscellaneous box of linens at an estate sale for $1!  

 Someone worked long and hard on this.

Look at the sweet edging.  Do you think someone did that by hand?  By machine?  

I love the little knots every inch or so ALL the way around.

I think I need to have a spring tea party!

Would you come?

 Decisions, decisions!  Which teapot should I use?

I have had these sweet cups for about 10 years.  I don't think they are vintage, but if you think otherwise, won't you let me know?

The white teapot matches my wedding china - Wedgwood Nantucket Basket.

The green teapot is one I picked up at Home Goods a few years ago.  I like its celadon green color and strawberry motif.  

I'm thinking some kind of angel food cake on this plate......or do you have a better idea?

This IS a vintage cake plate.  My MIL, the Quilting Bee, had a friend that had children that didn't appreciate their mother's OLD things and my MIL knew I would treasure it so her friend sent it to me.  Isn't it beautiful?  I don't know the pattern.  Do you?

So, shall we set a date for our tea?  Does late March work for you?

I am so delighted to see you!

And

I'll bet

you'll be delighted

with all the delights

you can see over at

My Romantic Home

for

Thank you Cindy for hosting Show and Tell Friday.

You might also like to enter my giveaway.

It ends on Jan. 29 which is right around the corner!

Click here to leave a comment and be entered!

(You've got to leave your comment there or it won't count.)

Thank you so much for buzzin' in!

A LIttle Pink Tea...

Here's a little pink love for you today.

Sweet little pink tea cup and some inspiring tea books -  

Pink, of course!

(This is not Depression Glass, I'm pretty sure  it is a reproduction. My sister-in-law's sister gave these to me.  I have three of them.)

How about a Bridal Shower tea?

I love the Country Tea Parties book because it has a different tea party idea for each month.

Doesn't a winter tea sound fun?  

Maybe this will be the year I pull it off.  

I think I could dream of hostessing tea parties all day long....

Have you seen this Mary Engelbreit book on tea parties?  It was published several years ago, but it is such a sweet little book to visit.

Won't you join in a cup of tea today dear friend?

I'm so glad you came by today for Pink Saturday.

Thank you Beverly for hostessing this sweet little blog party.

Oh and while you're here, please feel free to enter my first blogthday giveaway!

Just a Little Sweet Silver for Sunday

And I do mean just a little.  Have to save some for another post, doncha' know.

Say hello to my little silver teapot lamp!

This little cutie took a long, long, long time to win on ebay.  Why?  Well I didn't win the first one I bid on.  I didn't win the second or third or fourth and to be honest I don't know how many I bid on before I finally "won."  It had to be at least 10 silver teapot lamps.  Who knew there were so many out there to bid on?  

Why did I want one?  Who knows?  I just knew I had to have one and I would not rest until one lived at Sweet Bee Cottage.

Well she now lives in our sunroom/dining room on top of my china cabinet and I'm pretty sure she likes it here.  She did come all the way from India (at one time) but I don't think she's very old.

Enjoy all the sparkly or tarnished silver lovelies brought to you by Gypsy Fish Journal and her hostessing of Silver Sunday.

Thank you for stopping by!  I'll make a little pot of tea for us the next time and we can sit and chat by the light of my silver teapot lamp!  

Christmas Tea for Five

Yesterday the Sewing Bee (my mom), the Reader Bee (my niece), the Cutter Bee (my other niece), Baby Bee (my daughter), and I went for a Christmas tea at Victoria Rose Cottage in Old Town Clovis.  We had such a wonderful time.

The girls all had the Young Royal Tea,

The Sewing Bee had Cornish Pasties,

And I had the Cottage Tea.

The food was delicious but the atmosphere and decor made it a truly wonderful time.  We always feel so pampered when we visit Victoria Rose Cottage.

It is very dark and cozy in there so many of my pictures did not turn out well.

After eating and drinking our tea, we did a little browsing in their gift shop.

Unfortunately Counting Bee (my sister-in-law) wasn't able to come with us for our Christmas Tea, so we vowed to come back in the early summer for another tea.  We are also talking about having our own Mother/Daughter Tea at my house near Mother's Day.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Maybe we can convince Worker Bee and Wood Bee to wait tables for us?

Have you ever planned a tea party?

How did it turn out?

Do you have any suggestions?

I'd love to hear them!

Thank you for stopping by during this busy time of year.  I appreciate you taking a little time for a quick visit.  Maybe I'll have a pot of tea on for the next time you drop in.  Do you prefer one lump or two?

Merry Christmas!