On friday I shared a snapshot of the tea station in our PMQ kitchen. If you liked the flower arrangement, you should check out my post about how to create the perfect arrangement each time.
I’m going to start by saying that I love tea parties, and that I usually throw them just so that I can use all my plates, china cups and serving platters. There’s only one or two other occasions that would let me bust out all the fun and fancy pieces that I’ve accumulated over the years – Half of our kitchen island holds cake stands, little crystal bowls and beautiful white china serving trays.
This year I was looking for an excuse to eat a whole bunch of valentine’s day candy without having to eat it all on my own. What better way to get a great sampling of cookies and treats than by inviting your friends to bring their own and share?! Valentine’s day tea party- you were meant for me!
I asked my guests to bring their favourite candy or chocolate of choice, as well as little valentine’s day cards for everyone. You know how in grade school you used to come home with a bag full of sugar and little cards with hand-written notes? That’s what I was aiming for.
I chose the Rifle paper Co. postcards and was not disappointed.
The format and menu for the event was fairly simple: tea party with orange pekoe, herbal tea, crustless sandwiches, home-madered velvet and cream cheese frosting joe-louis, various candies, red velvet cupcakes and pink candy popcorn.
I had slowly been accumulating bits and bobs for a girly-themed event from various stores and liquidations (ahem* Target) so putting them all together was great fun. I wanted to create several spaces within the main floor where we could gather for tea, treats and conversation without bottle-necking in the dining room or doorways.
By putting the tea station and the biggest flower arrangement in the kitchen at a high table, I was able to stage the table accordingly and leave the dining room table for the food. The hanging disks were from Target’s party collection and I’ll be sure to fold them back and stash them for our next party! I found the gallery wall provided the best background from them because of the contrast in the shapes and colours (blue vs. pink / circular vs. rectangle). The light streaming-in from the large kitchen window was perfect.
Some tiny humans were present, and I have to say they some of the best dressed at the party! This little guy was wearing a bow tie, and enjoyed a sip or two of the herbal tea.
I pulled my favourite tea cups from the cupboard and dusted them off. When I was 15 an antique shop down the street from my parents’ home was having a closing sale, and I stumbled-upon a hoard of unique tea-cups and saucers. I only managed to snag a couple of them, and I’m left with 4 sets all these years later, so when hosting for 15 people and then some, I used our plain china sets as well.
In all we had about 15 ladies come by for tea, way more sugar and red velvet than we needed, about 6 giant tea-pots worth of orange pekoe were served. It was a great success and many are looking forward to next year’s edition.
How did you celebrate your february 14th?
