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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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August 16, 2011

Tea Party Birthday

Now, I have to be honest here.
My girly girl heart was more than just a little bit thrilled to throw my daughter a good old-fashioned
Tea Party
for her 4th Birthday.
After years of “Boy” parties, having the chance to buy flowers and pretty paper plates that don’t have Lightsabers on them was a dream come true. Don’t get me wrong, those boy parties can be pretty exciting too, but there is just nothing like little girls in darling dresses sipping tea from tiny teacups and giggling away!
We welcomed our guests this year, as we did the previous one, with the age of the Birthday girl outlined in roses and hanging on the front door. I will share how I did this, along with some other tutorials, next time!
I used a quilt my grandmother made for me when I graduated from High School as a tablecloth and it was the perfect backdrop for all of the goodies.
Instead of a traditional Birthday cake, each little girl had her own teacup…

…filled with a cupcake and covered in frosting!
Doesn’t it look like whipped cream? My mother-in-law loaned me the darling little teapot spoons.
A simple arrangement of a teapot filled with flowers.
These edible teacups were without a doubt the hit of the day!
Auntie Heather spotted them on the Disney Family website and of course I had to try my hand at making them myself. The girls thought it was so fun to be actually “eating” their teacups!
The beverage cart out on the deck was dressed up with my silver tea set and a homemade doily banner. This was about the easiest thing to possibly make.
Just simply fold a paper doily over your string and staple or glue in place!

And, what could that be off in the distance?

Why, it seems to be the perfect spot for a spot of tea!

The tissue pom-poms were on Clearance at JoAnn’s and created a fairy-like effect for the girls as they sat under the branches having their tea.

I think the Birthday girl approved of all of this, don’t you?
Another quilt (this one a wedding gift) became a tablecloth, and then the layering of their tea table began.
I found these darling paper plates and napkins at Tuesday Morning last year on Clearance (of course!) and saved them knowing there would be the perfect occasion for them.
They are sitting on top of these beautiful paper placemats that my grandmother gave me years ago.

I found these gorgeous lacy white pots at IKEA ($2 each!) and they were perfect filled with my
Lacecap Hydrangeas.

Lauren was very curious about the Meringues and wasn’t sure she actually wanted to eat them.
She quickly realized just how sweet they were though and was found later sneaking around the table eating up all of the leftover ones!

And, we couldn’t send our guests home empty-handed now, could we?
Each girl received her very own oversized Tea Bag filled with goodies.
These were so easy to make even though the moms “got it” more than the girls did!
Simply load a white paper bag with your party favors, fold the corners in then fold the top down and staple.
A piece of twine with a tag and the guests name attached completes the Tea Bag!
All in all, I think we can call this Tea Party Birthday a success!
 Thanks so much for letting me share it with you today at the Fence,
This post will be partying here this week:
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia: Tuesday’s Treasures
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesday
DIY By Design: Sizzle into Summer
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party
Common Ground: Vintage Inspiration Friday
Stuff and Nonsense: Friday’s Unfolded
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday

34 Comments Filed Under: Children's Parties Ideas, Good Ideas, Parties

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Comments

  1. Courtenay@Creek Line House says

    August 16, 2011 at 2:37 PM

    That looks like a completely magical birthday party. Not sure if my daughter would go for it since she’s turning 7, but I want a tea theme for my own birthday I think! I love the quilts you used as tablecloths. So smart!

    Reply
  2. Katie says

    August 16, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    Oh my–every detail is gorgeous and simple to achieve. Love it all, but especially like the cupcake and frosting in the teacup. Totally adorable!

    Reply
  3. Ange says

    August 16, 2011 at 2:50 PM

    Beautiful and fun! I’m sure all the little tea party people loved it! Love all the details you incorporated.

    Reply
  4. Judy says

    August 16, 2011 at 2:51 PM

    Okay…that has to be the most adorable, perfect tea party birthday party I have ever seen. I love each and every detail. Can’t wait to see how you made the #4 out of roses. Each and every item looks so special. GORGEOUS! What a lucky birthday girl.

    Reply
  5. Bunny Jean says

    August 16, 2011 at 2:54 PM

    Your daughter must have been delighted to have such a charming setting for her birthday party.

    All the details are so well thought out and you did a fantistic job in pulling it together.

    xoxo Bunny Jean
    Bunny Jean’s Decor and More! (my main blog)

    Reply
  6. sweetpea53 says

    August 16, 2011 at 2:57 PM

    I am planning a garden/tea party for my future daughter in law’s bridal shower. You have given me some great ideas.. thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
  7. Christina says

    August 16, 2011 at 3:06 PM

    Beautiful party! I have never seen the ice cream cone tea cups, that has got to be one of my favorite details but I also adore the pink and green plates and napkins and the teacup cupcakes. Nice job!
    Thanks for the inspiration,
    Christina
    http://www.inspirationforcelebration.com

    Reply
  8. Marianne says

    August 16, 2011 at 3:16 PM

    This is such an adorable fairytale birthday party. What a dream come true for a little girl. All of the details are just perfect. I’m sure your daughter just loved this.
    Marianne 🙂

    Reply
  9. Kristin says

    August 16, 2011 at 3:25 PM

    How sweet is this!?
    Too cute, Vanessa!
    You are such a sweet and thoughtful mama!
    Your daughter is such a cutie and lucky to have you!
    Love, Kristin

    Reply
  10. Wunkie's Mommy says

    August 16, 2011 at 3:25 PM

    🙂 Gorgeous! Love the details! The fact that you got to have it outside makes it so much better! I’m giving my daughter a “Vintage Cupcake and Tea” party this weekend for her 5th birthday party! I, too, welcome the chance to veer away from lightsabers and nintendo characters! The whole process has been so much fun! Happy 4th to your gorgeous girl!

    https://sweetsongbirdofmine.blogspot.com/2011/08/cupcake-and-tea-party-sneak-peek.html

    Reply
  11. Traci says

    August 16, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    Vanessa, this is so great!! What a fabulous idea! I would’ve loved to be invited to the tea party!!

    Reply
  12. Catie says

    August 16, 2011 at 4:20 PM

    Ahh, soo sweet Vanessa! I’m loving the eatable tea cups. I think I’ll be doing a copy-cat of those in a post someday. ; ) I’m sure the girls had a fabulous day. Oh, and the goodie bags are too cute!! Well done. : )

    Reply
  13. Jessica @ O. Alouette says

    August 16, 2011 at 4:24 PM

    This looks like such a fun birthday party!! I love how much thought you put into the details. So special!

    Reply
  14. Ginger Zuck says

    August 16, 2011 at 4:32 PM

    WOW, everything is beautiful! What a very lucky 4 year old. I love the “4” wreath on the front door and the IKEA Lace white pots! How fun.

    Reply
  15. Ido says

    August 16, 2011 at 4:46 PM

    A fairy tale party, love the table setting! and those edible tea cups are awesome!
    XXX Ido

    Reply
  16. Bethany @ 3SonsPlus1...and... says

    August 16, 2011 at 5:10 PM

    Awwww, this is so sweet and lovely! What a wonderful birthday party!

    Reply
  17. Kathryn Ferguson Griffin says

    August 16, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    What a pretty tea party! Love the quilt and the tea pot spoon…too cute. Tootles, Kathryn
    TheDedicatedHouse

    Reply
  18. Maury says

    August 16, 2011 at 5:29 PM

    Oh my… those edible teacups are ADORABLE! What a fun birthday party!

    Reply
  19. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    August 16, 2011 at 5:53 PM

    Very sweet, Vanessa! Love the edible “teacups”! Very Alice in Wonderland-like.

    Reply
  20. michelle says

    August 16, 2011 at 6:12 PM

    What a beautiful and oh so sweet little party for your daughter. I love all your decorations and the quilts are beautiful as table cloths. What a lucky little girl to have such an amazing momma. 🙂
    xoxoox

    Reply
  21. CAS says

    August 16, 2011 at 8:14 PM

    Just darling, Vanessa! Everything looked so charming and perfectly fit for your adorable little princess. Cute, cute dress, too!
    🙂 CAS

    Reply
  22. Brandi says

    August 16, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    Omg! this is so cute, Vanessa!

    Reply
  23. Stuff and Nonsense says

    August 16, 2011 at 9:24 PM

    how very very sweet…your little one looked as though she was quite thrilled with all the dainty tea partyness!

    alison

    Reply
  24. Debbie--https://refreshrestyle.com/ says

    August 17, 2011 at 1:29 AM

    How sweet! I kept scrolling down and saying cute, cute and then when I got to the tea bag…oh my goodness! What a wonderful party, everything looked perfect!

    Reply
  25. Ivy and Elephants says

    August 17, 2011 at 2:55 AM

    Okay that was the sweetest ever! She is adorable. And that tea cup cupcake and tea bag favor??? You are SO creative!Love it!
    Hugs,
    Patti

    Reply
  26. Val says

    August 17, 2011 at 12:01 PM

    Breathtakingly beautiful…..what amazing images to have for a lifetime!

    Reply
  27. Sue says

    August 17, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    What a fun b-day party! I’m sure those little girls felt very grown up and special. 🙂 You did it up right, Vanessa! Everything was so cute. Including the birthday girl. hugs, Sue

    Reply
  28. Honey at 2805 says

    August 17, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    How sweet! What a beautiful teaparty birthday for your little one….a memory she will treasure!

    Reply
  29. Sheila says

    August 17, 2011 at 9:46 PM

    So cute. I like the edible teacups best. Ymm. I saw online where you can use ice cream cones to bake cake in. That would make a cute edible teacup as well and then you just ice the cake to make it look like whipped cream on top. It’s too bad my little girl is almost grown now. I don’t get to do these sweet, cute little girly parties anymore. Looks like you had lots of fun.

    Reply
  30. Sue says

    August 17, 2011 at 9:50 PM

    What a darling party Vanessa. I love all of your special touches. I think my favorite might be your beautiful rose 4. Charming idea.

    Reply
  31. Christie says

    August 17, 2011 at 9:11 PM

    Vanessa, I am tagging this post for all the great ideas! It turned out lovely and I just wish I could have been right there with you! My little Brookie has that same sweet dress as your daughter! See? We are kindred spirits! We buy the same clothes! I have missed you girls this summer! I just know your daughter was in heaven…so special! christie

    Reply
  32. Rosemary@villabarnes says

    August 19, 2011 at 1:47 AM

    What a lucky girl, and sooooo cute. Those roses are absolutely gorgeous.

    Reply
  33. Tanya Anurag says

    August 19, 2011 at 1:37 PM

    Very nice theme and very well executed. Pinning the idea.

    We have a link-up party going on – Tea Time Thursdays @ Kreative Korner. I would really appreciate if you’d link up some of your awesome posts there. Hope to see you at the party.

    https://tanyaanurag.blogspot.com/2011/08/tea-time-thursdays-2-and-features.html

    Reply
  34. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    August 21, 2011 at 3:00 PM

    Vanessa, This is such an adorable party…very creative! Your daughter is so precious and she looks like she loved her party. Thanks for sharing at Open House this week.
    xo,
    Sherry

    Reply

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The month of June is coming to a close and it has The month of June is coming to a close and it has been JAM packed! The highlight by far though was my son's graduation from high school. When I started blogging, he was only 6 years old and some of you have been apart of my community here for that entire time. Now, he's 19 and there is a reason parents are told not to blink because the years truly do go faster than I ever could have imagined. He has become such an incredible young man we are so excited to see how God is going to unfold the next chapter of his life. We celebrated with parties galore (SO many open houses to attend!) and made memories we'll forever cherish. My mama heart was filled to bursting with the joy of it all! Now we're taking some time to just enjoy these warm, summer days making even more memories because, when you’re at this stage of parenting, you know all too well how much you need to grasp every opportunity to spend time together.

I hope your summer is off to a great start too dear friends! 🪴
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts o “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Happy first day of summer dear friends!! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted something new here but life has been crazy. I’ll have some new photos of house projects and life events to share with you soon but, got now, I’m just going to enjoy this gorgeous first day of summer after our ridiculously long, wet spring. ☀️
“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. Th “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” (Maud Hart Lovelace) 

Welcome June!
“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
General Douglas MacArthur

Grateful today and every day for those who were vigilant to the point of death in the preservation of our freedom. May we honor their sacrifice by being vigilant too. #memorialday
“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
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I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

Once you’ve made this lilac scented room spray you will be very tempted to spray it in every room in your house. And someone may want to use it in the bathroom to cover up other less…ummmm….pleasing aromas.

But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

You’ve captured the fragrance of heaven in a bottle and you wouldn’t want to go and tarnish it now would you? 😉
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What are your favorite plants that you look forward to seeing in the summer?
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Two of our bathrooms are also in need of major makeovers. And we’ve saved up enough money over the years to tackle those projects. But, for the most part, we made the decision to use the bulk of that money in another way. While we knew that it was financially wise to invest in our house, we also knew that the greatest investment we could make was in our children. 

I’ll admit, there are times where I see other people doing massive overhauls of their entire home in a matter of months and I feel a prick of envy. But, we decided that if our choice was between waiting a bit longer to enjoy a renovated bathroom or going on adventures as a family, we would choose adventures every time. And we don’t regret that decision for a single second. It’s not that we haven’t tackled home projects (we’ve done a lot!). It’s just that it’s been a slow and steady process. 

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Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and h Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and hail and snow) we are finally getting some sunshine and warmer temperatures. I’ll be honest, it’s really affected my spirits having one gloomy day after the next. So this is a much needed reprieve. Our cherry trees are showing off outside my kitchen window and we plan to get outside and make the most of these days while we have them.

What’s the weather like where you are?
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