Hello beautiful Friends!
Happy mid-week to you. We are hurtling towards the weekend and August with such speed, aren't we? This summer has just flown. Between wet weather, muggy weather, and lots of smoke from the wildfires in Canada affecting our days...I feel we haven't nearly gotten enough checked off of our bucket list.
I feel we're making the most of the lovely days we do get, and hopefully we'll have a lovely long warmer Fall to do more golfing, pontoon time, and outdoor activities. :)
I'm planning to have some relatives/friends over for a brunch on the deck in the near future. And it got me thinking about tea parties. I've always thought it would be lovey to have a true tea party out amongst the flowers, birdsong, and shining bay. I have always loved the romance of the idea of a tea party. I've read and watched a lot of Jane Austen - maybe that's part of my fascination. Lol On the Queen Mary ship last year, one of my favorite things was the sort of high tea they did each day. A lovely hall, teapots of tea flowing, scones, cream & jam...and of course dainty sandwiches and treats all served. Break out your favorite set of pearls and you're in business! 😉
I don't think I'll go full tea party for my brunch. Probably more like a quiche, a fruit salad, and scones. But I may try to decorate a bit with tea cups and little bouquets of flowers from the garden. Maybe even use some books & lace to add to the centerpiece for fun as well.
But it got me thinking it would be fun to share some tea party ideas, as well as some pics from my garden lately and I've added little garden rhymes I've created....to fully immerse in garden party vibes. 🌸💚🍰☕️
(*all pics besides my own are photos & ideas from pinterest)
The lilies have been thriving this year!
Hands in the dirt, heart full of grace,
the garden becomes a sacred place.
For a garden tea party a tiered tray often works well and this is the rule of thumb for how the food would be served:
But first let's talk centerpiece ideas. Here are some lovely examples I found on pinterest. I love the idea of using teapots & teacups, lace, books, lots of flowers, photo frames, and pearls.
More from my garden moments: I think even this sweet angel statue could be used as decoration. 💗
Petals whisper, soft & shy,
a secret language to the sky.
Now to talk food. Of course tea sandwiches reign at a tea party. The obvious ones like cucumber with herbed cream cheese. Salad ones like chicken and egg salad area always a hit too. And I love little radish sandwiches with butter. I thought the little round BLT's below looked cute. And how sweet is the teddy bear sandwich cut from a cookie cutter? It said the filling was peanut butter and honey. With chocolate chip eyes. If you had little ones at your party wouldn't they love that?
And I thought the little charcuterie in a teacup was sure clever! 
And scones are always a classic. They're often served with clotted cream - but I think butter is fine in a pinch too. Lemon curd would be fun! And don't forget a lovely jam as well. 😋 You can make scones from scratch - there are so many yummy recipes out there. Or you could get a boxed mix and make it easier on yourself. I love King Arthur company for mixes. I have this scone pan which makes it even easier to do homemade or boxed. I use this pan often and love it! I think I may have found it in a King Arthur catalog, but I don't remember?
It makes sweet little triangle scones so easy to do.
A seed so small, a hope so bright,
It dreams in soil, then reaches light.
And last, but not least, the best part. Dessert! There are SO many wonderful ideas for tiny little tea cakes and bite sized sweets on pinterest and other places. Shortbread is also a nice classic. I shared about the lilac shortbread (& the lilac sugar I made it with) that you can find if you click here.
How cute are these little chocolate covered teapot strawberries? And macarons are always SO good too!
I think if you served any dessert in little teacups it would be a home run as well.
A final idea I had for a sweet treat relates to these little meringues I picked up at Trader Joes. I think pavlovas are so lovely as a dessert. You could make a sort of easy cheat on that idea and put some of these meringues at the base of a tea cup. Top with some stawberry sauce and fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream on top. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
I also think fairies added in could make your decor more of a magical tea ...especially an evening tea party would be perfect with fairies mixed in and decorate with pots of flowers with fairies in them. And pretty strings of lights up everywhere and candles glowing.
I think you should let your imagination run wild with dreaming up lots of fun!
Blessings and love always dear Friends
xoxo
