Six Possible Party Themes for your Autumn Event

Every party needs a theme. I’m not a Southern girl (thank you, Miss Janice for your great list!), but I know it’s true. In fact, my job this year to earn points with my children’s home-school co-op is to plan 8-10 “Mom’s Nights Out” and I’m already planning out the “themes”.

If you came to Tea Party Girl because you are planning a tea party and need more info, I recommend you start with the question I answer in this article: Is it a Party with Tea or a Tea Party? . For this article, I offer up some ideas for Parties with Tea.

Autumn is notoriously a busy time. Maybe we feel we need to make up for summer slothfulness, or something. We prep for the holidays, plan retreats and seminars, play sports (soccer moms, anyone?), try to tackle house projects before the winter comes, and teach our children well. So, my criteria for a fall (so sorry, doodah, I mean AUTUMN) event is that everyone can help and we need to keep it simple.

I modified this list with some help from the following list from some of my favorite party planning books, including:

1. Bless This Food:Four Seasons of Menus, Recipes, and Table Graces
2. Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions:Reviving Victorian Family Celebrations of Comfort and Joy
3. The Family Manager Takes Charge: Getting on the Fast Track to a Happy, Organized Home

• Parisian Art Night-I learned November 14th is Claude Monet’s birthday. Thanks to the Internet, anyone can learn about French Impressionism and share a favorite painting. I would ask everyone to bring a French-related food (everyone’s at least heard of Brie, right?), download music from composers of the era, and buy a few bottles of Champagne from my favorite discount store, Trader Joe’s
• Everyone’s Birthday-Instead of another gift exchange and dessert at the holidays, I would choose a night for “us” (whomever your group might be) for an Everyone’s Birthday night. Everyone brings a decent gift (set a price limit) wrapped. Depending on the size of the group, look for bakers or purchase a few fancy cakes. Serve coffee, tea, and maybe even port (yum!) and celebrate everyone at once.
• Advent-Do the holidays stress you out? Does Christmas mean a lot of responsibility? How about an Advent party to prepare? I will host mine on November 30th. For my social group, we do a project together that helps us feel more prepared (i.e. address Christmas cards, make an Advent wreath, etc.) and watch a holiday movie to help get us in the mood.
• Harvest-A common Autumn theme, I like to plan mine outside when the weather is first changing. Invite everyone to wear their favorite sweater and find a patio with a fire-pit. Light lanterns or another adult version of jack-0-lanterns and celebrate life’s fullness. If you can get everyone organized, this is a great theme for a book, clothing, or other exchange where you can share your abundance in some way with others.
• Friendly Competition-This is a theme that women might wrinkle their noses at, but enjoy once the ball gets rolling (no pun intended). We’re great at sitting, gabbing, and eating, but consider a night of friendly competition over ping-pong, pool, fooz-ball, etc., with a tournament tree and all. Only finger-food eaten out of a napkin allowed.
• Pasta Potluck-Carb-lovers, unite! Make a ton of pasta and ask people to bring their favorite sauce. Serve garlic bread, wine, and maybe a salad. Enjoy the insulin rush together.

Of course, all of the above parties need to include tea, if for no other reason than to invite this wonderful beverage who has been often discriminated against in the past.

What autumn event will you plan or attend?

I will rest from my blog labor on Monday, for America’s Labor Day. See you all Tuesday.

5 comments August 31st, 2007

The Sea-Spa Tea Party~A Complete Success

Sea-Spa Tea Table #1

As mentioned before, I do not take great photographs. Nor do I live with anyone who does. But we did snap a few.

Sea-Spa Tea Table #2

We used one three-tiered server for five women. This ended up crowding the plates too much. I wish I had used two. Hence, the sandwiches filled the bottom two layers and the scones the third. We never captured the desserts on film, unfortunately. When one tier was empty, we would swap it out and replace it with another filled plate.

My kitchen help placing the edible flowers on top of the open-faced cucumber sandwiches.

My darling servers who kept the iced tea flowing and cleared plates in a timely fashion.

In case you are new to Tea Party Girl, here’s a list of the articles that explain planning this tea from beginning to end:

So what stands out to you from these pictures? Positive and negative comments welcomed!

11 comments August 6th, 2007

Now You Can Host a Tea Party and Delegate it, Too!

Let’s face it. Many of us already work really hard. And for some of us, hosting any kind of event sounds like a lot of work.

Even more of us, especially independent Americans, rarely delegate for a number of reasons. I struggle to delegate because frankly, it’s often “easier” to take care of the responsibilities myself than try to communicate with others what I really want them to do.

However, my mother, Anne Evans of Teaching Tea recently participated as ONE of the hostesses of a progressive tea, where the participants visited four homes in an afternoon for each of tea courses. What a great idea!! She graciously offered to share her experience with us.

Be sure to notice: The guests received a gift to take home at each stop! Wouldn’t you enjoy attending a tea like this?!

“Let’s put on a progressive tea,” a friend suggested to me recently. I liked the idea and soon found two other ladies willing to open their homes, set the table, and prepare one part of an afternoon tea. Only one of us had done anything like this previously, though we each really enjoy hosting.

First the four of us met together to plan. Our homes are only 15 minutes apart, so we allowed 45 minutes for each stop and 15 minutes travel time. We provided a map at each place giving directions to the next. One lady planned to seat guests in her shady yard. Two ladies had enough tables to seat the guests. One hostess used chairs and end tables through the main part of her home to augment the limited space at her dining table.

The tea day dawned. At the first house, the participants enjoyed a strawberry and greens salad, a simple pasta salad, and iced tea. The hostess had a guest book for signing and gave each lady a little nylon bag filled with dried lavender and rose petals as she departed.

At house two, the savories graced the kitchen counter. There were egg salad sandwiches on sprouted grain bread, broccoli spears dipped in seasoned mayonnaise and toasted, chopped walnuts. Also included were ham and chutney roll ups, open-faced cucumber sandwiches, and tiny pastry shells filled with artichoke spread and topped with shredded carrots. A caffeine-free herbal rooibos tea refreshed everyone and directions for making
tea along with some tea samples provided the parting favor.

House three served scones with jam, lemon curd, and clotted cream along with mango blackberry hot tea. White Jordon almonds in a handkerchief were tied with a pretty ribbon and given to each guest.

The fourth house hosted the sweets which were lemon squares, fresh fruit, and chocolates along with a creme brule` hot tea. The favor here was a little, cloth hat purchased at the Dollar Store. We each donned our hats as the hostess had arranged for her neighbor to pop over and take a group picture.

Everyone talked and laughed their way through the entire tea, learning new things about the whole wonderful affair of making friends with tea.

The four of us met a week later to savor our success and ponder any improvements for next time. We decided our only misstep was in not writing our phone numbers on the maps. One lady did need some intervention on directions and a number would have simplified that frustration for her.

So, if you’re not wanting to tackle a tea all alone, how about getting together with a couple of friends for a progressive tea? Start small and simple. You’ll be amazed how delighted your guests will be.

6 comments August 3rd, 2007

The Guide to the August Tea Party Event-Continued

In case you’re tuning in late, we’ve been talking at Tea Party Girl about the Sea-Spa Birthday Tea, the theme for the August Tea Party-themed event. Invitations were sent, the budget set and the theme chosen. Be sure to see previous posts for details.

The details are for your benefit. Some people really want the “how-tos” outlined step-by-step, which is why it is written like it is. Feel free to skip down to the disclaimer if you’re a big-picture kind of person.

Completed This Weekend…

Made menu and place cards~I bought some card-stock in the aqua-green family and white vellum paper at the dollar store. I used a fancy font and Microsoft Publisher’s postcard template to make the menu. The text looked like this: (I apologize if it’s difficult to read.)

Carleen’s and Jamie’s

Sea-Spa Birthday Tea

August 4, 2007

Menu

Open-faced Cucumber Tea Sandwich

Turkey Salad Sandwich with Dried Blueberries

Dijon Pesto Pinwheels

Traditional English Scones

Blackberry Scones

Lemon Curd

Crème Fraiche’

Champagne Cake-Square

Mini Fruit Tart

Fudge Brownie

Sorbet

Served with Peach Iced and Darjeeling Hot Tea

I am not versed in the paper arts like so many of my talented readers. I just rubber-cemented the vellum paper which I had cut slightly smaller than the card-stock in the center. I punched two holes~one above the ‘C’ in Carleen and one above Jamie’s apostrophe. I threaded a piece of sheer ribbon through the holes and double-knotted it to look like a little bow.

Made the napkin rings~hot gluing shells to dollar-store hair scrunchies. I wanted to use sand dollars because I love them, but Michael’s, the local craft store sold two/$2.49. Didn’t fit in the budget. Between the shells and the scrunchies, the home-made themed napkin rings cost .35cents/each.

Washed all dishes, teacups, etc. after taking them out of storage~I placed them on a spare table and covered them with a clean sheet so they’re ready for table setting later this week.

Delegated the favors, sort-of~One of the guests is starting a spa-related products business. I called her and asked if she had sample-sizes she could sell me. I told her I wanted to only spend $20 maximum, so she won’t make any money, but it gives her a chance to promote her business. She was thrilled I asked.

Decided on the centerpieces~I bought three bags of sea-glass at the dollar store I will use with a few miscellaneous shells like confetti down the center-run of the table. No candles because of the time of day. Will fill two teapots I own (because they’re low and the right theme color) with either hydrangeas or sweet peas because they’re both blooming like crazy where I currently live. I found a lady who will let me walk her acres-large flower garden and fill a large coffee can for seven dollars. Do you know anyone who loves to garden and willingly shares their wealth? Be on the look-out.

Found Jim Galway’s music~otherwise known as Mr. Woodwinds of the Shire and decided his music set the tone I wanted. I imagine the shores of Ireland when I listen to him but aren’t tempted to fall asleep as if I’m receiving a massage.

Found a bakery~It took a half dozen phone calls, but I finally found a bakery I approve of that makes items I can buy large and cut small, a very economical way to make a beautiful and diverse dessert tray. It’s amazing the sizes of the desserts/pastries Americans eat. It’s embarrassing. I found scones as large as my head. Found tons of cupcakes, but no one who would make minis for me. “We don’t have the tins” the baker at Safeway told me.

Asked my husband to make the scones~He said yes ;-)!
Made this week’s to do list

Disclaimer

All the above were completed with children needing attention, clean-up from meals, etc. If this is also your life situation, you probably already know how much can get accomplished in short spurts between other responsibilities. Normally, I avoid long to-do lists as much as possible so I have energy to do what I really want to. Like plan a tea party!

I procrastinated on:

• ironing the linens (my mother’s SO surprised ).

The tea goes live in six days. Before Thursday night I plan to:

1. grocery shop.
2. iron the linens (really!).
3. make the sandwich fillings.
4. clean the half-bath.
5. set the tables.
6. find some edible flowers for garnish.
7. pick some grapes at a neighbors for garnish.
8. buy the pedicure gift certificates and flip-flops and wrap them for the gifts.

The tea party event is a detail-heavy responsibility. And it’s such a joy to see the touches come together and the beauty begin to unfold. It takes time to learn to know what you can handle, let go of perfectionism, and not procrastinate. The older I get, the more I understand how much time things take, and that anything worth doing takes practice, practice, practice. May you be inspired, motivated, AND trained so you feel comfortable practicing hospitality. It is such a gift to be on the receiving end and it blesses your loved ones and strangers alike.

7 comments July 30th, 2007

Need a Theme for a Children’s Tea Party?

My friend, Lady Dawnya, over at Tea Business Dreams posted this week about the Faerie Tea Party. If you need an idea for a Children’s Tea Party she has great ideas for activities, decorations, and invitations. She is also a respecter of the Tea Party’s Most Important Ingredient as well, and has continued the theme to the ‘tea’. Be sure to stop by and check it out. Let her know, too, with a comment if you find the information helpful. I know she’d love to hear from you!

Tea and Faeries- Creating Tea Party Magic

There is also a book, How to Host a Flower Fairy Tea Party, I came across the other day that would be helpful. My six-year old daughter absolutely loves the Flower Fairies. I love the classic illustrations and poetry, as well as the way it teaches my daughter the names of the different flowers.

May you have some time this weekend to lose yourself in the bounty of summer flowers over a cup of tea. Be sure to spend a few minutes imagining the flower fairies dancing and skipping amongst their beauty. When I do, I thank our Creator for the gift of the imagination and the children He gave me to help me remember…

1 comment July 20th, 2007