Afternoon Tea 4yr - Tea Party Crafts

For my daughter's 4th birthday we had planned an afternoon tea party.  Her birthday is in May, so we had planned to have it outdoors, and I had planted lots of flowers in flower beds.  Unfortunately, there were hurricane like conditions with lots of wind and rain, so we had to move the party indoors and do our best.

Invitations:  Bright pink 5"x7" stock paper with a 4"x6" picture of the birthday girl serving tea to her teddy bears glued to the stock paper.  5"x7" vellum paper on top with the essential information written in pink ink, inviting the girls to Afternoon Tea at Hanna's Garden Cafe.  I lined up the vellum and the stock paper and hole punched together, stringing a bright pink ribbon through and tied a bow on top. The invitations looked professionally done.  When parents called to RSVP, I suggested that the girls dress up in party dresses.

Crafts:  We had 12 girls, ranging in age from 4-6.  We set up three stations, with an adult supervising each station and split the girls into groups of 4.  

Station 1 was the hat making station.  I bought hats (bonnets)after Easter at 90% off original price at Target.  I also bought silk flowers at the dollar store, as well as various ribbons.  The girls picked out their ribbon and flowers and the adult supervising the station hot glued the flower and ribbon to the hat.  We put a sticker on the inside of each hat with the girl's name on it. (Total price of hat $1)

Station 2 was the purse making station.  I ordered 6"x6" canvas handbags with satin lining in assorted colors from orientaltrading.com ($5.95 per dozen).  I also ordered small silk flowers with pearl centers from the same site.  After I knew who was coming to the party, I wrote each girl's name on each handbag in pearl white glitter fabric paint.  I thought this would eliminate girls fighting over a particular color of the handbag, since there were six different colors.  The girls picked out their flowers, as many as they wanted, and handed them to the adult supervising the station to hotglue onto the purse.  At that same station, after the purse was ready, the girls got to choose a ring pop and candy necklaces to put in their purse.  (Total price of purse and candy $1)

Station 3 was the necklace making craft.  I had 4 bowls full of assorted beads and cord and each girl got to string a necklace and/or bracelet to wear. The adult supervising the craft tied a strong knot once the girls were done. Pony beads were bought at Walmart.(Total price of jewelry making $.50) Once the girls were outfitted, they went to the family room.  While we were waiting for everyone to finish, the girls posed for the camera, all dressed up in their hats and jewelry, holding their purses. 

Then we played games. Game 1 was called Hot Tea (played like hot potato except with a tea cup)  I bought a huge ceramic tea cup with pink flowers and we made a tape of all of my daugter's favorite music.  The girls sat in a circle and passed the tea cup around.  When the music stopped, whoever was holding the cup, was out.  The one girl left got to keep the cup. (cost of large ceramic cup $1)

Game 2 was musical hats.  That is the reason we wrote the names on the hats.  We put the hats that the girls had just made in a circle.  We had one less hat than there were girls, and we played this like musical chairs, eliminating one hat with each time the music stopped.  The winner got to keep a very elaborate hat that I had made before hand, with lots of flowers on it and with pretty ribbon.  (cost of hat $1)

After the games. it was time for tea.  The kitchen was decorated with tissue flowers which we made last minute because we were having the party indoors.  Take 10 pieces of tissue paper, any color (we used pink and white, alternating the two) and with a glass trace circles.  Cut out the circles.  Bend the circle in half and holepunch once.  When  you open it up, you have two holes.  Put half a pipe cleaner through and twist.  Then separate the tissue and one piece at a time crumple the paper.  The end result is a flower that looks like a carnation.  My sons (ages 8 and 7, made 100 of these the morning of the party when we decided to have it indoors)  We hung green streamers around the kitchen and attached the tissue flowers to the streamers.  The kitchen was truly transformed into a garden. The table was set with a pink tablecloth.  I had bought a roll of white tulle ($1) and tied it in bows on the corners of the tablecloth.  The plates and utensils were pink. 

For teacups, I bought white ceramic expresso cups and saucers, because they were the perfect size.  (3/$1) I bought a permanent marker that writes on ceramic at an art supply store and wrote each girls name on a cup.  I ordered ceramic 1/2" pastel flowers from orientaltrading.com and superglued them to the cup and saucer.  This was also the girls place card, so no one would fight over who gets to sit next to the birthday girl. 

We made three kinds of sandwiches and cut them out in differenct shapes with a cookie cutter (heart, flower and star).  The sndwiches were PB&J, cheese and turkey.  Hanna's older brothers were dressed as waiters and carried silver trays with doillies, serving the sandwiches.  My husband poured tea from a tea pot (actually pink lemonade). 

We then served the birthday cake.  The cake was the best part.  I made it in the shape of a tea pot.   Cake.  Bake two cakes in two bowls and one cupcake.  After the cake cools, level the tops and put the cakes together, holding them together with frosting. Level the cupcake- this will be the lid of the teapot. Shape a handle and spout and a round lid top out of marzapan(almond paste) and with food coloring, tint to desired color.  Once the cake is frosted with desired color, attach handle and spout and lid top with toothpicks.  Decorate the cake with candy.  (We used pink, red and white M&M's to make flowers and green fruit roll ups to cut out stems and leaves)  (the total price of the cake was $10) The girls sang Happy Birthday, ate the cake.  Then we opened presents, sand "I'm a little teapot", and everyone left very happy.  My daughter was overjoyed!!!!