It is hard to choose a favorite part of creating a tea party however coming up with the menu and making the food is right at the top. This particular menu was especially fun because of the library theme and trying to match all the food to familiar books. There are also menu items from our own family story which made our theme even more personal.
Several weeks before the tea party I began jotting down food possibilities and I found there was no shortage on ideas. As the menu progressed and the party day got closer I started to think about how I wanted it to look. My thought was to try and make it similar to a restaurant menu. All I could think of was was a flat, front and back, menu on card stock or a single fold however neither one sounded very exciting. Then, three days before the tea party it came to me. It would be a colored three fold program/menu with photos. I spent that afternoon working on graphics and putting it all together and it was finished and printed that evening. I would have preferred to have an editor {miss E} go over it however time was running short so I took a chance and it worked out surprisingly well with only a few minor Uff~da's.
The size was just right for the table and there was plenty of room for my exhaustive menu, which was practically a book in itself. There was also enough space to include the book and/or family references. And that, of course, is what made it so much fun.
So to start, the place settings were basically the same as years past and I used assorted tea cups and saucers as I usually do.
The napkins were actually sweet little hankies in assorted pastels which I have used at previous tea parties.
Each place setting had two goblets in addition to the tea cups.
That was to accommodate additional beverage choices this year which were added due to our literary theme.
We began our tea party with a blessing which was a Father Tim quote from one of my At Home in Mitford books and then miss E read the poem Why Libraians Wear Cardigans by Julia McConnell.
Next we brought out the tea and also offered Iced~Tea and homemade Anne of Green Gables ~ Raspberry Cordials. The Raspberry Cordials were very refreshing and a big hit.
Early the morning of the party I prepared the scones so that they would be as fresh as possible. Once the lemon scones were out of the oven I began making the gluten & dairy free Blueberry Scones and it was at that point Miss E convinced me that we did not need anymore food. As much as I wanted to serve them I knew she was right so I set the it aside for the time being. I did, however, end up making them the next morning since I had already mixed up the dry ingredients the day before. They turned out great but by this time I was not thinking about taking photos so that means I will definitely be posting them at some point, along with my recipe, once I get around to making them again.
We did serve the Lemon Scones, as planned, along with homemade Lemon Curd and homemade Devonshire cream. They are always a favorite.
Our beginnings included several delicious bite sized treats.
The dainty sized Adventurous Beginnings provided a lite but tasty start to our tea party as there were plenty more delightful chapters ahead in our story. I will be back tomorrow to share the last three chapters in our tea party chronicles so be sure to check it out!
Have a wonderful Memorial Day!
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