Saturday, December 01, 2007

Notes from the Baby Shower Tea Party Brunch....

A few invitees brought along their favorite special tea cups to share!
These beauties belong to Rose. Aren't they lovely? (Thanks, Rose!)
Table covering is a selection of papers from Paper Source ( www.paper-source.com). The flower and polka-dot napkins (in the background) are from iparty (www.iparty.com).


A few weeks ago, I told you about the baby shower tea party brunch I was organizing for my friend Steph. The party went off on November 18, and it was so much fun! We put a lot of thought into the decor and into the theme, and we delivered a few small details that really made a difference. It's the first anything I've ever thrown, so I am very happy that it went so well. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves, and most importantly the Guest of Honor was so happy with the way everything turned out! :) I don't think I'll be going into event planning any time soon, but I can say that this was very fun and I got to indulge my Inner Martha a bit, which I don't make the time to do very often, so that was very refreshing. Enjoy the pics and story...


On our first baby shower shopping trip and brainstorming, we visited Paper Source.for inspiration, ideas and a few purchases! These invites caught Steph's eye. Instead of printing the information on the invites (...like any normal person would do), I took on the task of hand-writing the information. Okay, so I wasn't thinking about the quantity of invites at the time - 30. But, it was a good call. I was so glad I did! The hand-writing lent a special touch we would not have gotten had we printed them, helping to set the tone for an intimate, personable ladies-only tea party! :)



At Paper Source, we saw some paper flower kits. They were so unique, we thought they would add a nice touch to the buffet table. I made them the night before the shower.The next time I take on such a project, I will make sure to give myself more time. (They were pretty intense to make!)

We wanted to have some special teas for the brunch, so we splurged on a selection from the Tea Forte (www.teaforte.com) line of teas. It was not a mistake. The teas were fabulous, and oh-so-cute! (I would buy again!)

They are expensive, so to save money, I shopped around online. I was lucky to find this
great online store (www.candlesandsuch.com) where I got a good deal on them, and I also got excellent customer service as well!!



The spread: Bagels with many different cream cheese varieties, smoked
salmon, tomatoes and capers. Different varieties of jams, butter.
We also got breakfast pastries from Flour Bakery & Cafe (the covered platter).


Steph made this beautiful flourless chocolate tart. She is a master! This is just as good as the best chocolate pie, tart or cake I've ever had. With this one though, I think I could eat this whole thing in one sitting, if given the chance. ;) (Not kidding!)


The Guest of Honor opens her gifts! Steph is going to make a GREAT mom!!

3 comments:

onesmallstar said...

the invites were *gorgeous* -- saved mine, it's on the fridge... i wish i could have made it!!! thanks so much for the virtual tea party and all your work organizing! :)

cheer,
jen

Kathleen Rietz said...

This is wonderful Kathy. Thanks for sharing it. I organized a bridal shower for my best friend a few years ago...it is a lot of hard work, but a labor of love for sure! I actually LOVE doing this sort of thing.....it is my whole performance/over-achiever thingy. ; ) Anyway, I really enjoyed your photos.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful gathering, Kathy! So wonderful, I will have to check out some of the links, as I love tea too! My 'rent are from England, and my baby shower was an English tea, with clotted cream and finger sandwiches...Too presh, looks like a fantastic time was had by all!!