on saturday, i hosted a tea party for the K-2nd grade girls in our church. i thought this would be a great opportunity for me to get my feet wet in planning outreach events, and as an added bonus, the group is small enough in numbers that i could host it in my own home.
tons of planning, thought and energy went into pulling it off - but only because i'm incapable of planning a "small" event. but all the hard work paid off, and we had so much fun together.
three little girls, and two other "teachers" (as we're called), joined me for tea. i finally had the opportunity to use the china my mother-in-law gave me (though i bet she'd panic a bit if she knew it was being handled by 5 year olds). i dolled up the table with linens and cloth napkins (all wedding gifts) and doilies (made by matt's grandmother). it's obvious that sentimentality runs thick in my veins.
planning the food was a little bit of a challenge. i wanted to be as "authentic" as is realistic for someone who has virtually no experience with the culture of proper english tea, but i also had to cater to my guests - and i knew that 5 year old tastebuds wouldn't be interested in smoked salmon, asparagus and goat cheese quiche. so, i made a very basic cucumber sandwich (cucs and "garden vegetable" cream cheese), and then used a cookie cutter to cut bread into flower shapes which i used for pb&j "tea sandwiches". they were easily the hot item of the event. i made scones - my first attempt - and they were well received, especially when served with clotted cream (so easy to make!!). and the tea!! what is it about tea that it tastes SO much better brewed in a teapot??
our theme was "friendship", so i capitalized on the recent passing of Valentine's Day: cookies frosted with pink sprinkles; $1-aisle glittery decorations from Target; felt hearts and pink buttons for crafts. i told the story of Abraham and how "he believed God... and he was called God's friend" (James 2:23) and we talked about how we can be God's friend too.
my love of buttons lent itself nicely to the english/victorian tea theme. we played a game that involved finding buttons in a bowl of rice while blindfolded, as well as another game that required dropping a teabag into a teapot (ok, a pitcher) behind your back. the girls couldn't get enough of them, so everyone had multiple opportunities to play.
and the crafts. how could i not do crafts?? buttons save the day, again! i planned two crafts - a button bracelet (thank you, martha), and a door-hanging ornament made from a silver doilie, a red felt heart, the Bible verse from our story, and - you guessed it - buttons!
parents came to pick up their girls, and as the last guest left, we realized we couldn't wipe the grins off our faces! it was the perfect amount of time, perfect amount of activity, perfect amount of fun! i'm so glad i had my camera out and was taking pictures. it might've been alot of work to prepare, but i'd do it all again in a heartbeat!
1 comment:
You should be a party planner! Your ideas and execution are so great.
Post a Comment