Tea Anyone?

I thought I'd share some pics of the Tea Party my sister and I put together for my
mother's 60th birthday.  We wanted to do something special for her and a party was just the thing.  But over-the-top is not really my mom's style.  We settled on a tea party for her and her friends/family.
We had about 15 guests in my dining/living room!
I think it turned out quite well though.  Everyone was very relaxed and had a great time.

My sister and I split the duties.  She was on food (totally her thing) and I was on invites/decor/overall planning (more my thing) and it worked out beautifully.

The decor: Creams, Cranberry, Gold, and Silver  (this was a fall tea party)

What does every classy tea party need?  Flowers!  So I used maroon-tipped cream carnations, cranberry mini carnations, and nuts and berries to dress up some silver tea set pieces I found at a garage sale long ago. 

I embelished the flowers with my own beaded pearl details....hmm...may have to add these to my Etsy shop!

Tip for cleaning silver - line a glass baking dish with foil (shiny side up).  Lay item in dish, sprinkle liberally with baking soda, and pour boiling water over top.  Let sit a few moments then buff with a clean cloth.

The fireplace/bookcase my husband built served as our buffet.  God it's great to have a handy husband - he really did a great job!


The food: Decadent creations from my sister who has a real talent for making fairly simple items into delicious gourmet!

Tea Sandwiches: Chicken Salad, Cucumber, and Smoked Salmon

Poached Pears in wine sauce with gingerbread

Scones with clotted cream and jam


We also had lemon bars and pumpkin spice cupcakes which my sister garnished with edible crystals.   
And of course, there was the tea - 
English Breakfast and Earl Grey were in abundance.  
We used my sister and mother's china tea cups and saucers and felt quite ladylike when sipping from them!


It was really an enjoyable day and I hope my Mother felt all the love that went into it!
Lord knows she deserved it!