Favorite Things Tea Party for 5th Birthday

Can I tell you something?  This party was HOT ... hot pink that is, accented with a little lime green and sapphire blue! 

Last weekend, we hosted a birthday party for my daughter, Amanda.  You may recall from a previous entry that Amanda wanted a Strawberry Shortcake - My Little Pony - Hello Kitty party.  It eventually evolved into a Favorite Things Tea Party for approximately 15 children and it was super fun!  I'll walk you through the festivities.

First, the girls had to get ready for the tea party.  They decorated purses with foamie stickers and crayons, and then, decorated cardboard vases, which we filled with pretty pink carnations (inexpensive and they last longer). 

Then, Miss Emily of Emily's Teas showed the girls how to set the table - plates, napkins, cups and demitasse spoons ... and vases.   Along the way, she shared etiquette tips, too, like how to shake hands and use a napkin.  With the table set, the girls enjoyed butterfly-shaped sandwiches, strawberries, sugar cookies and organic, caffeine-free pink tea.  It was a very girlie affair!

To bring this party to life, I relied on bright colors - initiated in the invitation and then, incorporated into my home with bright balloon bouquets (from Festive Effects), wrapping paper "table cloth" with faux grass and pink flowers, and little embellishments like a Happy Birthday banner on the fireplace (where we collect gifts); pink carnations and glitter paper cut-out flowers on the adult food buffet; pink, green and blue glitter containers ($1 each at Target) filled with matching jelly beans.

After tea, everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' and enjoyed dessert.  For simplicity and convenience, I ordered vanilla cupcakes for the kids and strawberry shortcake for the adults, both from Patisserie Lille.  The cupcakes were embellished with paper toppers made of cardstock and lollipop sticks and featured Amanda's favorite characters.  The cake incorporated the flowers from invitation and even had a non-edible gemstone!

One last detail - goodie bags!  In addition to the purse and vase of flowers, each guest received a good bag of Amanda's favorite things - Hello Kitty mirror, Strawberry Shortcake stickers, feather pen and My Little Pony fruit snacks!  Each bag had a "Thank you for coming to my party" tag with one of the characters on it.

I hope that I've inspired your next little girl party.  Please let me know by leaving a comment, sharing your ideas ...