Dianne Creates: tea party

What a treat it was for me to host a tea-time themed party for my good friend, Tabby! Definitely my cup of tea (pun intended haha)! It has somehow become a tradition that our send-off parties should always have a theme - the last time was actually Chinese New Year so we did the whole Chinese Lanterns and greasy Chinese Food thing and everyone had to wear red. For Tabby, we wanted something a little more girly, dainty, sweet, lovely, fun, Springy (kind of like her)! We only invited her close friends... and besides, living in downtown Chicago means we only have so much space. It worked out though, because these themed parties are more manageable for small groups. Here are some photos:

My friends (Ela, Emmy), and I did some prep work the night before, so here's our peg.

Colors: Pink, teal, lime green, orange (i.e. happy Spring colors)

Props: Doilies, colorful daisies, tiered servers, anything floral and (elegantly) fun and cute

So on to the following day...

It was actually pot luck, so we instructed people to bring something appropriate for the theme (screening was done via e-mail hahaha)! I still made small labels, because I noticed in parties, people always asked, "ano to?" to every single dish and I'd have to answer them all throughout the party... so, with the help of scrapbook printed paper and my trusty old printer (no questions asked, just recipes):

Tabby & her Tea... Love the hanging flower pompoms? Instructions can be found here.

What's a tea party without tea? Good thing I have so many teacups - the biggest hit was the heart shaped teacups and saucers (hubby's valentines' gift last year). We also served brewed coffee and cold cider.

Props, props, props! And cool macro shots, why not?

I have not yet taken down the lanterns -- looking at them makes me happy especially when I'm getting too stressed at work! They're like happy clouds you want to live in.