Valentine's Tea Party

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Today I am posting a little interlude to my lovely time with Jennifer and Laura.  I wanted to share some photos from my first attempt at hosting a bonafide afternoon ladies' tea.  Around Christmas time I was blessed to have a chance to spend part of a day with two of my great friends, Maureen and Michelle.

We went to our favorite little tea room in Benicia for lunch to celebrate Maureen's birthday.  We all had such a wonderful time just chatting and sipping herb teas and an idea was born that we should do a tea for some of our favorite people around Valentine's Day.  I volunteered to have it at my house although I hadn't the faintest idea how to do it.  So I started reading and pinning all about teas on Pinterest.  Maureen had done one before and so we just decided to go for it.  It was a lot of work but so much fun to pamper our friends for a few hours.  Here are some of the photos:

This tea was such a group effort
Maureen made the sweet garland of  
sparkly red, pink and white hearts.
Laura helped me design the tablescape.
Doesn't that sound official? ...
OK, we set the table together. 
With Barbara's glass dishes and teapots
 and Lanette's napkins.
 she also brought lemon tarts for the party.

Is it beginning to sound like you 
were the only guest, dear reader,
and everyone else was helping? 

 

These are the actual Valentines Jim and I exchanged.

Not the first time we have chosen similar themes

for our cards. 45 years of practice! 

( Not including 4 years of dating.)

I guess he is keeping me!

Laura brought me the candles from

 the shop where she works in RI

 

Jim set up the tables for us and moved 

a bunch of furniture to make room! 

He did a ton of work to make this

 all happen behind the scenes,

 including making a fabulous frittata.

 The menu you see on the plate above

would be right here if I hadn't

accidentally erased it!

Whoops...too late to fix it now...almost midnight!

Laura and I wrapped all these little boxes of chocolates

 and she made the tiny hearts with the sweet sentiment on them.

I made these tiny little fruit kabobs.  

Took forever like knitting a sweater or something!  

Sheesh!

Stuffed the celery with pineapple cream cheese

 and another plate of pimento cream cheese celery bites.
Gotta get those veggies in somewhere, right?

Mini cornbread muffins with jam 

and a 'simulation' of clotted cream

A little open faced sliced baguette with cheese, onions

 and mayonnaise that Jennifer once had at a

 tea in the UK!

I attempted Scones!  Moi!  I know,
 I can hardly believe it myself!

I dipped some strawberries!
We had some fun little cookies also 
and chocolate of course. 

Maureen made these darling little bits of cupcakes.

  She made them from a wedding cake batter. 

 Scrumptious I tell you!

Maureen also made some chopped 
egg tiny finger sandwiches

 and some olive walnut and cream cheese
 ones and Michelle

 made a delicious bunch of cucumber
 sandwiches. She also washed

all the teapots and filled them all with
 hot water 

and did the major part
 of the clean up.

Everyone participated in this part!

We had a great time laughing and talking.  

There is just nothing like friends 

you have known forever and loved.  

I'd love having any one of them

 for a sister any day of the week.

In fact, that is exactly how I feel about all of them

they truly are my sisters!

Barbara gave me this beautiful Cake Plate/Cloche 

with a double piece of cake

(Marketplace size equaling 

 enough cake for six people!)  She is

most assuredly a Sweetheart!

It is disappearing slowly but 

staying 100% fresh under glass!

Photo taken five days after the tea!

Maureen made one of these gorgeous 
Victorian paper cones called tussy mussies for each of us
 and stuffed them with little treats to take home.
We hung them on our hall tree so all 
the treats would stay inside them. 
We missed those who were unable to make it! 
We'll have to do it again sometime.

I think with a little practice we could give
 The Camillia Tea Room a run for their money!
What do you think?
 
I wish all of YOU could have joined us!