Monday, February 18, 2013

Valentine's Tea Party

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Today I am posting a little interlude to my lovely time with Jennifer and Laura.  I wanted to share some photos from my first attempt at hosting a bonafide afternoon ladies' tea.  Around Christmas time I was blessed to have a chance to spend part of a day with two of my great friends, Maureen and Michelle.


We went to our favorite little tea room in Benicia for lunch to celebrate Maureen's birthday.  We all had such a wonderful time just chatting and sipping herb teas and an idea was born that we should do a tea for some of our favorite people around Valentine's Day.  I volunteered to have it at my house although I hadn't the faintest idea how to do it.  So I started reading and pinning all about teas on Pinterest.  Maureen had done one before and so we just decided to go for it.  It was a lot of work but so much fun to pamper our friends for a few hours.  Here are some of the photos:


This tea was such a group effort
Maureen made the sweet garland of  
sparkly red, pink and white hearts.
Laura helped me design the tablescape.
Doesn't that sound official? ...
OK, we set the table together. 
With Barbara's glass dishes and teapots
 and Lanette's napkins.
 she also brought lemon tarts for the party.

Is it beginning to sound like you 

were the only guest, dear reader,
and everyone else was helping? 


These are the actual Valentines Jim and I exchanged.
Not the first time we have chosen similar themes
for our cards. 45 years of practice! 
( Not including 4 years of dating.)
I guess he is keeping me!


Laura brought me the candles from
 the shop where she works in RI


Jim set up the tables for us and moved 
a bunch of furniture to make room! 
He did a ton of work to make this
 all happen behind the scenes,
 including making a fabulous frittata.






 The menu you see on the plate above
would be right here if I hadn't
accidentally erased it!
Whoops...too late to fix it now...almost midnight!



Laura and I wrapped all these little boxes of chocolates
 and she made the tiny hearts with the sweet sentiment on them.


I made these tiny little fruit kabobs.  
Took forever like knitting a sweater or something!  
Sheesh!


Stuffed the celery with pineapple cream cheese
 and another plate of pimento cream cheese celery bites.
Gotta get those veggies in somewhere, right?


Mini cornbread muffins with jam 
and a 'simulation' of clotted cream


A little open faced sliced baguette with cheese, onions
 and mayonnaise that Jennifer once had at a
 tea in the UK!


I attempted Scones!  Moi!  I know,
 I can hardly believe it myself!


I dipped some strawberries!
We had some fun little cookies also 
and chocolate of course. 


Maureen made these darling little bits of cupcakes.
  She made them from a wedding cake batter. 
 Scrumptious I tell you!


Maureen also made some chopped 
egg tiny finger sandwiches
 and some olive walnut and cream cheese
 ones and Michelle
 made a delicious bunch of cucumber
 sandwiches. She also washed
all the teapots and filled them all with
 hot water 
and did the major part
 of the clean up.


Everyone participated in this part!
We had a great time laughing and talking.  
There is just nothing like friends 
you have known forever and loved.  
I'd love having any one of them
 for a sister any day of the week.

In fact, that is exactly how I feel about all of them
they truly are my sisters!



Barbara gave me this beautiful Cake Plate/Cloche 
with a double piece of cake
(Marketplace size equaling 
 enough cake for six people!)  She is
most assuredly a Sweetheart!
It is disappearing slowly but 
staying 100% fresh under glass!
Photo taken five days after the tea!


Maureen made one of these gorgeous 
Victorian paper cones called tussy mussies for each of us
 and stuffed them with little treats to take home.
We hung them on our hall tree so all 
the treats would stay inside them. 
We missed those who were unable to make it! 
We'll have to do it again sometime.

I think with a little practice we could give
 The Camillia Tea Room a run for their money!
What do you think?
 
I wish all of YOU could have joined us!

2 comments:

sistersusiesays said...

I love to go to the ladies Spring Tea at church. There are so many different tables where each table sponser has her own decorations and dishware! What beautiful displays of their love! I am so glad GOD gave ladies the daintiness of tableplace setting (can you imagine if men were to do this, ha!) What a time in the LORD we have!

I love to see Nellie's table displays! She has so many different ways to display!

What a wonderful expression of friendship on the heart shaped card attached to the red bow!

My favorite snack is the cucumber sandwiches. I need to make me some! My, your pictures are making me hungry, ha! (I haven't eaten breakfast yet!)

I know what you mean about sharing and eating with friends! Every Wednesday after our ladies Bible study we (9-10 of us) go out and eat (as well as after church on Sunday!) What a joy in the fellowship! The ladies refer to me aa "the baby" of our group, ha!

What a joy of memories you bring with you blogs, Bonnie!
Love to you and yours, Susan.

laura.elizabeth said...

Looks like it was perfect! I love how everything came together. What a fun thing to do with friends. Wish I could have been there too!