[By Katie Kornreich]
As a little girl, I loved tea parties. My Grandma and I would have tea parties all the time, and my dolls would join us. We would raid her dress up trunk full of wild hats, her closet and lipstick drawer. We would sit at a table, eat sugar cookies, hold out our pinky fingers and discuss how the dolls were doing and how school was going. These are some of the fondest memories I have as a little girl.
When it was time to plan my bridal shower nothing else but a tea party seemed to interest me. My fiancé, Kolton, and I were the typical young, broke and soon-to-married couple. He was finishing up school and about to start an internship, and I was completing an internship required for my bachelor’s degree. Basically, we had no money. However, a beautiful tea party bridal shower was not impossible.
My then soon-to-be mother-in-law, Karen, and I would shop at different Goodwills every chance we could. We very quickly began to accumulate beautiful teacups and saucers, floral dishes, teapots, creamers and everything in between, for very little money. This bridal shower tea party was possible on a budget. Hardly any of the pieces matched, but the flowers, colors and designs came together perfectly. Even if I could not find the pieces I wanted, such as tiers for food or decor, enough of a selection was offered to create my own designs.
In addition to items found at Goodwill, my family saved glass jars to reuse for decor. This also incorporated another passion of mine, reducing waste. By using what normally would have been recycled, we were able to create unique pieces and give something a new life. With paint, glitter, Mod Podge, a lot of crafting space, more time on crafting websites and blogs, and even more hot glue, decor for a beautiful bridal shower was created.
Then, as all of us can say, “Covid-19 happened.” Everything, including my bridal shower, our wedding ceremony and beach honeymoon came to a screeching halt. Decor was packed up, outfits were safe in garment bags in the closet, and invitations were canceled. Kolton and I still wanted to marry, regardless of a global pandemic, so we eloped in a very private and socially distanced ceremony and went on a small weekend honeymoon.
Now, with restrictions being lifted and the vaccine offered, Kolton and I decided to proceed with our wedding events! The bridal shower tea party of my dreams was set to happen. The hot glue guns were brought out and more teacups and saucers were used for tiers. Paint was touched up and glitter was reapplied.
The day of the long-awaited bridal shower arrived, and it was perfect. The decor Karen and I had worked on so hard and for so long was perfect. Some roses, a little food, and crafting pearls brought everything together. It was a tea party my Grandma would have loved.
Katie’s Crafts!
Painted Teapots
Super Easy!
I found the teapots at Goodwill, but they were not as pretty as I wanted them! I washed and dried them. (Paint will not stick if it is wet.) The spray paint I purchased was not expensive and the colors were perfect. Put some newspaper down outside and wear some gloves. If not, you will have paint on your hands for days. Trust me. Each teapot took several coats and had to dry completely before the next coat. They are not suitable for storing tea, since paint gets on the inside, and it is toxic if ingested. This was a super easy project and very budget friendly!
Tiers
Easy
For the dish tiers, find two or more plates or bowls of varying sizes. Traditional tiers for tea parties have three, one for savory courses, scones or croissants with jams and then one for dessert. Teacups can be used between the dishes. For my shower, I reused painted glass yogurt jars. (Yay for upcycling!) Wash and completely dry them. Using hot glue or E600 glue, place glue around the bottom edge of the teacup or jar and place firmly in the center of the plate or bowl. Make sure the glue is completely dry before adding another layer. Keep doing this until desired height is reached.
Glitter Anything
Easy
Glitter makes everything better! Before you plan on using glitter for decor for an event, check with your venue to see if is allowed. Many places do not allow it and/or will charge an extra cleaning fee if there is glitter. Make sure your items (jars, vases, cups, teapots, ANYTHING) is clean and completely dry. I found it was easiest to dump glitter in a mixing bowl or plate with higher edges. Apply Mod Podge to items then roll it around in glitter. Let it completely dry before adding more layers or applying your final seal coat of Mod Podge.
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