Sweet Tea Party

I get some of my best ideas from a look at a random item I might walk past or when I’m laying in bed, wide awake, after being woken up by one of my children. When the LollyJane girls and I collaborated on our Easter Lunch, they happened to bring this beautiful pink chandelier that we weren’t able to use, but it sent the wheels in my head spinning. How great would a party be that was created to celebrate girls and everything wonderful about them? No birthday, no holiday, no real purpose other than to get together with friends. It was at that moment that the Sweet Tea Party was born!

One of my dearest friends parents’ have this amazing willow tree in their backyard and I knew that this would be the absolute perfect location. We used fishing line to tie back the branches to resemble a living, green curtain. The chairs are my dining room chairs that are honestly not used nearly enough, but were a perfect fit for our party. We took the tissue poms that are seriously popular right now and attached them to each chair with white tulle, instead of hanging them in the typical fashion.

Kristi and Kelli can do some amazing things with vinyl and decided to create a menu board to display the day’s menu. If you don’t have a gorgeous easel at home like this one, our back-up option was to attach ribbon on the top and either hang it from a branch of the tree or from a nail in the tree. I love the candelabra graphic that coordinates with the chandelier.

A great tablescape can really set the tone of the party and enhance the overall experience. Our table was set with the shabby sweet ruffled tablecloth I whipped up, simple white plates, and clear glassware. We loved the look of the patterned straws that we’ve seen lately, but chose to make our own instead. The straws are made with clear plastic drinking straws and wrapped with thinly sliced vinyl. So easy, right? The food and decor are the main attraction, so the white and clear serving pieces were an obvious choice for us.

Our color inspiration came straight from the fabulous Garden Party printable set from the ever amazing TomKat Studio. Have I ever mentioned how much I adore Kim from The TomKat Studio? I have? Well in case you haven’t heard of her, she is a certifiable party genius and her design was our guide. And see those amazing cakes? Those are Citrus Poppyseed Cakes made by Joanna from Baked by Joanna. She was even sweet enough to help Kristi and I set up the morning of the party.

Finger foods and foods that are easy to consume are a brilliant idea for a party such as this one. They create less mess and more opportunity for fun moments. My friend, Bri, created Lavendar Vanilla cupcakes with a delicious Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting and the printable party circles embellished with sparkly rhinestones coordinated perfectly. Luscious cupcakes deserve an extra special touch.

Who doesn’t love cake pops? A lovely ball of cake and frosting and candy coating placed upon a stick to make eating them even that much easier. Sweet Laura from Pink Cake Plate made these and the choclate lollipops for the girls to nibble on. If you’re interested in tackling these on your own, Bakerella has an awesome site full of tutorials on how to create these cute confections.

What is more fun for girls than dressing up, sprucing up, and just being all-around girly? Our thought was to make these ideals the centerpoint of the activities for our party, but to also help the girls continue the fun when they return home. Pink Bow Bath Boutique has the perfect array of girly gifts for bath and body and these Moisturizing Body Spray that smell like yummy cupcakes are awesome that moms might just sneak for themselves.

Jewelry, headbands, and hair pieces are the perfect accessories to compliment beautiful little girls that can also double as wonderful parting gifts for your guests. Custom necklaces from CoCoMi’s Unnecessary Necesseties, adorable ruffled tanks, and super sweet head wraps from Vintage Rose Wraps made the guests look and feel like they were the belle of the ball. And who says you need the typical party decor to adorn your table? The Dress Form Jewelry Stands created by Lolly Jane Boutique matched the colors and feel of the party exactly.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know that my daughter has more than a little amount of sass running through her little body. This precious girl has a touch of that sass too which gives her a special part of my heart. A little spice only livens up a party, right? And her sass is totally rocking the amazing tutu.

Imaginations of little ones are running wild at this age, so what is better than pretty aprons, tailored to match the party precisely? Each one is unique, but they each coordinate with each other. And in case you didn’t notice, these amazing aprons also match the banner across the front of the table. Great, huh? I love thinking outside of the box when it comes to the decor. Banner on the table and not hung? Yep. Pitcher of strawberry lemonade on an empty cake stand? Of course. It’s those details that makes a party memorable.

There is something so magical about feeling like a princess and these floral head bands only enhance that feeling. It’s not the typical tiara, but better because the little girls can wear it time and again. The feathers, tulle, and gems add that extra touch of whimsy, too.

These little ladies had a chance to giggle, gab, and eat some yummy goodies. What an awesome way to celebrate all that is is frilly and fun and all that is being a girl. Until next time, eat, drink, and say thank you!