Princess Birthday Tea Crafts

Perfect props for your tea party guests are lacy paper fans. They are a breeze to make. Little princesses will love fanning themselves with these pretty homemade fans at your party.


For this project you will need:

• 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheets of colored construction paper, one for each guest with a few extras
• paper doilies of the right size to cover each sheet of construction paper
• small binder clips, one for each guest
• one 14-inch piece of 1/4-inch ribbon for each guest
• glue, tape and stapler with adequate supply of staples
  

Step One: Before the party use spray photo adhesive to affix a paper doily to each sheet of colored paper. Be sure to do this in a well ventilated room and cover your work surface so the spray adhesive will not damage your work area.

Step Two: When the sheets are dry, help the girls fold the decorated paper, beginning from the short end, into an accordion pleat. Make one fold of about 1/2 inch, then fold back in the opposite direction, repeating over and under about 15 times in even increments. Hold the folds together at one end and secure them with a small binder clip.

Step Three: Fold a ribbon in half to make a wrist loop. Make a knot, tying the two loose ends together and leaving about 1 to 1 1/2 inches hanging at the end. Glue one loose end of the ribbon to the outside of the paper-clipped fan base and the other end to the other side. Then tape the fan end together, attaching the ribbon as a wrist loop as you form the handle. Each princess will be able to hang the fan on her wrist when it is not in use.

Princess Birthday Tea Foods

There are no pizza, hot dogs or hamburgers at a tea party! Make your Princess Birthday Tea an intimate affair, where your guests will really feel like grown-ups! The classic teatime treat is a tea sandwich. Traditional tea sandwiches are dainty, about two or three bites each. Make your sandwiches in a variety of different flavors, such as cucumber and cream cheese, ham and cheese, peanut butter and jelly and tuna salad. Cut the crusts off the sandwich and then use cookie cutters to cut the sandwich into shapes.

Transfer the sandwiches to a prepared tray. Place a damp paper towel on top to prevent the sandwiches from drying out. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time.

Princess Birthday Tea Treats

Finger treats are best at a Princess Birthday Tea. Make everything on the menu small and dainty.

Fairy cakes are always welcome at a tea table. Buy or make mini cupcakes and decorate them with a creamy frosting. Decorate with a mix of pastel nonpareils and white sprinkles. Remember to light a candle in the birthday girl's cupcake, so she can make a wish.

If strawberries are in season, serve chocolate covered strawberries. In 20 minutes with just three ingredients, this luxurious treat can grace your tea table. Click here for the recipe.

In lieu of chocolate covered strawberries, serve magical pixie-dusted brownies. Sprinkle confectioners' sugar on top of your favorite batch of brownies when you remove them from the oven to get the pixie dust effect. Before serving, cut into squares and dust once more with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

And lastly, with a delicious raspberry filling, fabulous linzer cookies will add extra flair to your Princess Birthday Tea. Click here for the recipe.

Princess Birthday Tea Beverages

Because it is usually best not to give children caffeinated teas, choose an herbal tea or steaming cider for your Princess Birthday Tea. Lemon verbena or lavender are two for you to consider. Lemon verbena is commercially available in several brands. But your princesses also will be delighted with the aromatic, subtle taste of lavender tea. Be sure to buy dried culinary lavender buds to make this tea. Do not use lavender from florists or garden centers, since it may have been treated with pesticides.

To make lavender tea you will need one quart cold water, five to six teaspoons dried culinary lavender buds and honey or sugar to taste.

Step One: Bring the water to a boil and remove from the heat. Pour a splash of hot water into the teapot, swirl it around to warm the teapot, and then dump it out.

Step Two: Spoon the lavender buds into the pot; pour hot water over the buds, cover, and steep for at least five minutes or to taste.

Step Three: Serve using a tea strainer with honey or sugar to taste.

No need to stick with just warm beverages at your tea party! Try serving a fruit punch, pink lemonade or sparking cider as well.

Princess Birthday Tea Favors

Send each princess home with the treasures she collected during the party: her tiara, wand, lollipop flower place card, paper doll princess, faux jewel from hopscotch and lacy paper fan. If you want to add a special favor consider a costume jewelry bracelet or a small jewelry making kit packaged in a giant tea bag. (After all no princess ever has enough jewelry.) Turn small white paper bags (sold at most party stores) into giant tea bag goody bags. Fold the upper corners of each bag toward the center, then fold down the top and staple a piece of string to it. Staple a paper name tag to the end of the string.

Princess Birthday Tea

My blog post for the How to Throw a Princess Birthday Tea party plan will be published on Monday, August 9, 2010. Please accept my apologies for the delay. To get a sneak preview of some Princess Tea sweet treats and beverages, check out this week's posts between Sunday, August 1 and Thursday, August 5, 2010.

Pink Lemonade

This refreshing recipe for pink lemonade is the perfect drink to serve at a summertime Princess Birthday Tea.
Ingredients:
2 quarts of your favorite lemonade
2 cups cranberry juice
Maraschino cherries, if desired
Step One: Add half of the lemonade and half of the cranberry juice to each of two appropriately-sized serving containers. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to one day.
Step Two: To serve, add ice cubes to fill and garnish with maraschino cherries on a cocktail pick, if desired.
Servings: 12 8-ounce cups