TEA PARTY!

the ingredients to a simple tea party.

1. food | dessert | tea
2. decor
3. favors
4. entertainment | games

I hosted a tea party this past Saturday for the ladies of KCM UR staff 2010 (Korean-American Campus Mission-University Retreat Staff). It was the first one I've hosted--but it was super fun. I definitely want to do this every year. (i hope)

let's break it down with some pictures...

1. FOOD, DESSERT & TEA

appetizers: cheese - salami kabob | sun dried tomato cucumber veggie cup
tea sandwiches: cucumber-cream cheese | apple-turkey-brie
main entrees: stuffed mushrooms | bacon wrapped asparagus | quiches
desserts: red velvet cupcakes | chocolate covered strawberries | Madeline's | fruit medley stick
refreshments: wild raspberry ice tea | blueberry & pomegranate tea | island mango & peach tea

TIP: if you are cooking till the last minute and have no time to clean up, stuff all your dirty dishes/pans/pots into the dishwasher and organize it later. Hide it from sight until the guests are gone :)

2. DECOR

menus for food/dessert/drinks: A simple way to decorate the table! Just print out the menu and tape it on colored paper that fits your theme. Frame it and set it next to some flowers.
flowers: I got a bouquet of roses for $4.99 at Ralph's - they mark down their prices once the flowers start wilting. What a steal!!!
tissue and tulle flowers: I made tissue paper flowers for the dessert stands. Found the tutorial here.
I revised the instructions a bit and made some tulle flowers for the centerpiece hanging from the ceiling lights.
coasters/cup markers/cup cake picks: Super simple coaster tip--use a craft punch of your liking that fits and paper that matches your event and start punching! It's a one-time use coaster, but you can use ANY color, ANY paper--making it a very flexible for any sort of party or event. I used craft punches for the cup markers and cupcake toothpicks as well. I had to print out the names for the cup markers before punching.
sign: "tea time" | I used simple craft punches and sticker letters. I strung string around two giant push pins and clipped each letter up with mini clothespins. 
table covering: I bought white table clothes from the dollar store, and then got some vinyl coverings from Michael's. Due to the weight of the paper, I didn't even have to take the backing off. After the party, I just wiped it clean and rolled it up to be reused for another day. Just in case though, I used double sided tape and taped down everything to everything!

3. FAVORS

I made hair ties for everyone! I will definitely try to post a tutorial later.
I used two different fabrics, and personalized the backing.

4. ENTERTAINMENT

A super fun and easy game I found online:
Have your guest fill out an interesting fact about themselves that no one at the party knows. (the juicier the better!). Place them all in a basket and as the hostess take one out at a time (number them as you take them out) and read it out loud. You can allow them to discuss who they think it is, but each guest must write their own answer of who they think it is. Whoever guess the most correctly wins! Have prizes for the winner!! Visit Michael's for some cute gift ideas! They have baskets of goodies that you can mix and match~

ALL DONE!

And that's it! I think it took me about a week to get everything prepped. It was super crazy the morning of since I didn't do a good enough job estimating how long it would take me to make certain things, but overall, it was super fun and a huge blessing to serve and host for the girls that came since I love them all so much :)

beautiful girls all over the world~

If you have questions about recipes or want a picture tutorial on something here, please ask and I'll be happy to post a more detailed account of something. Thanks for reading! <3