Birthday Tea Party-She turned Five

Birthday Girl

So she is officially 5 years old and loving it.  The party was a success and not as stressful as birthday parties in the past.  This was a first for me.  When I asked her what type of party she wanted, there was no hesitation. An English Tea Party was the first and only idea she had.










So that was it, the next part was to see how many kids we would invite.  We decided that a sit down tea party would be best and to use my vintage china (my past thrift store finds).  At that point, I decided we could have a total of eight girls, my daughter and seven friends.

Waiting for the guests

Are they here yet?

We started our party preparations with the invitations.  I found a large selection of free printable birthday party invitations online.  She picked out her favorite and we printed them out.  The next day she handed them out to her friends.  You can find free invitations by googling, free printable birthday invitations.  This is a great way to save money!

My daughter and I had fun making the party gifts for her friends.  She wanted to have a coloring book based on the tea theme.  So I went and searched google for free printable coloring pages and made a coloring book.  We also made crayons to go with.  For me this was so much fun to do with her and she was proud of the gifts she made for her friends.   She also handed out thank you pictures to her friends.

For her guests

Her beautiful flowers

I then chose to host the party at home and use my vintage china and ribbons for the table.  This was to keep costs down and gave the party a more personalized feel.  The only thing we bought were flowers for the table, and with great luck they were on sale.  She kept them later and smelled them daily.

Vintage style

The menu was kept simple and kid friendly.  I made mini fruit kabobs (berries on a toothpick), for a healthy treat and to add color to the table.  I then made mini open faced turkey and cheese sandwiches and closed egg salad sandwiches.  Individual dried cherry and cranberry fruit cups were next to each place setting.  Then for sweets we served mini lemon poppy seed scones.

Finally, instead of a cake, I made a tower of birthday cupcakes with piped pastel frosting flowers.

When we asked her what she wanted for her birthday from mom and dad, she decided on an "experience," instead of a present.  Wow, how grown up.  So my husband suggested a face painter come to the party as the "experience".  The neighborhood had hired a lady to do face painting for the 4th of July event.  My daughter had loved it and we were impressed at the quality of work.  The hardest part was keeping it a surprise.

When my husband told her she was sooooo happy.  The face painter was a big hit at the party.  My daughter loved it and so did her friends. (I will write a blog about the wonderful face painter.)

The table was beautiful and the party was fantastic.  My daughter said she felt so elegant, like a princess.  This is when she melted our heart.  There is simply nothing sweeter.  This was such a fun party to plan and we are already thinking of next years!

Having a Cup of Tea

   I have always liked having a cup of tea in a pretty teacup.  However, it wasn't until my daughter started asking for tea parties and tea lunches that I really learned how fun and elegant having tea can be.  She loves to get dressed up and set the table "pretty".  I found out quickly that the children's sets are too small, even for her.

                                                Whitepelicanboutique at Etsy

   This is when I started to look at thrift stores and inexpensive antique shops for teacups, sugar and creamers and a teapot.  The wonderful thing about this collection I have started, is that not much of it matches.  If she breaks something, its not the end of the world and she feels so big using the "real thing."

Simplychi at Etsy

My son even likes the tea lunches and helps to set the table.  He has started to ask for a cup of tea when he see me with a cup.  My daughter is always ready for tea and insists on a pretty tea cup.

NutmegnSassafras at Etsy

   I have found that when I have tea, I grab the pretty tea cups instead of the big mug.  To me tea tastes so much better in a tea cup.  We even have more "manly" cups for my husband and son.

TheTeaCupboard at Etsy

   Having a cup of tea is relaxing and enjoyable.  With so many types of tea and tea cups to choose from, it becomes a personal cup of tea, made just for you.  There is a large price range to fit any budget and the best place to go is ETSY.  So get you special tea cup and sit and relax for a few minutes.  You will feel so much more relaxed afterward, enjoy!