Tea Parties & a New Venture

Hello again!  This spring has been busy for us.  Has it been that way for you?  I just wanted to share some fun updates with you that may inspire you to invest in those you care about.  A few Saturdays ago, I hosted a Ladies Tea Party at our church.  It was just a time for us all to have fun, relax, feel pampered, to dress up (only if desired), and to play a few games and win prizes!  I wanted to share with you that while planning a tea party can be very detailed and more involved, or simple and casual, that the dishes don't have to match.  Linens don't have to match.  Fresh-flower containers don't have to match.  I had been collecting different teacups and saucers over time, as well as fabric napkins.  I also used different teapots, some being ceramic pots and some being silver pots.  For this tea party, I chose to have a self-serve tea, where I offered three different kinds of teas in teabag form.  Sugar and cream were on the table, as well as lemon slices and most importantly, hot water in the teapots.  To heat the water efficiently, my friend had the idea to use percolators  to heat the water and to make dispensing the water into the pots easy.  I was concerned about using percolators that had perked coffee in them previously, as I didn't want the water tainted with a coffee flavor.  Thankfully, I had access to two different percolators that had been used for other beverages besides coffee, that would not lend an odd taste to the water.  I had purchased fresh flowers at a big-box store, which were then added to various containers along the tables (thank you, Donna!).  I used a separate table for the treats that was also self serve.  The guests took a tea-trivia quiz, played Bingo, and played the Purse Game.  We had prizes for the winners of each.  We also decided to invite little girls, and had smaller teacups/saucers just for them, as well as gift bags.  So, whether you are thinking about entertaining a larger group of ladies, or having a smaller, more intimate gathering, take some time to plan to pamper the special women in your life!