Hospitality is something I grew up with. When I was an infant, my mother ran a bakery, and I went with her. She would nurse me and I would sleep soundly in my bassinet while she helped customers prep and plan for their special events. Eventually, she sold the Caramel Bakery and dedicated her time to her family, and especially her children. She would throw us fantastic parties and bake the most elaborate cakes! Someday I can share some of those family photos with you, because she did an incredible job creating experiences for us. That's what hospitality is about: creating experiences and memories for the ones you love most. After all, what can you keep but memories? As my own children have grown into toddlers and preschoolers, I find it all the more fun and fulfilling to throw parties to celebrate them.
These absolutely beautiful cupcakes were a part of my daughter's 5th birthday party. We decided to do a princess tea party, and we had so much fun. All the little girls dressed up in their fanciest princess dresses and came to a formal high tea, complete with cucumber sandwiches and all.
Creating these special memories for my daughter was so much fun. She talked about it for months afterwards, and still remembers the special friends she was able to share that time with very fondly. The girls loved being treated to a fancy tea party. They fully embraced their beauty and their identity as lovely princesses, and it was so sweet to see them celebrate together.
The girls loved being treated to a fancy tea party.
Letting girls go fancy brings out something absolutely adorable in them!
Our party was pink, white and gold, with turquoise accents in our tea set. Even though most of the girls were five and under, they were all allowed to drink from real china cups, and they did a wonderful job.
Go All Out
Sometimes it's hard to know whether you should go overboard when decorating for a kids' birthday party. If you ask me, the answer is a resounding yes! Why not make the day as magical as possible? Kids have such wonderful imaginations as it is, and to transform their ordinary world into a wonderland makes them feel so special.
I grew up with tea time as a regular part of our day
Not everyone is used to having high tea, but with my heritage, I grew up with tea time as a regular part of our day. We also had high tea periodically on special occasions. We learned all about scones and tea sandwiches and petits fours. That's the kind of tea party I set about to create for my daughter's fifth birthday.
Tea Party Tips
1. Tea time is between 3 and 4pm,
2. Offer light refreshments, of both sweet and savory varieties,
3. You will need cups with saucers, tea spoons, sugar and milk to serve traditional tea,
4. Popular tea time teas include Earl Grey, Ceylon or English Breakfast.