Tea Party for Little Girls

We're delighted to introduce Shanee Duke, the creative mom who planned a birthday party, sent us the details, and won the $250 gift certificate prize for our first-ever party-planning contest!

The tea party planned by Shanee, of White Bluff, Tennessee, was created several years ago for her then-8-year-old daughter, Hope.

Hope is now 11. But the tea party her mom created still brings back happy memories for Hope and for all the girls who attended.

The party was so successful, in fact, that it propelled Shanee, who owns a gift-basket business, The Goodie Basket Company, in Dickson,Tennesee, into the event planning business, as well.

Here's how Shanee (pronounced Shuh-NEE) created her sensational award-winning party.

Décor: "We set up the party area in our living room, using an outdoor deck table and chairs. We used yard sale china that I had bought, plus assorted crystal candlesticks, platters, and serving dishes. We cut fresh flowers from our garden. We used tulle to make a frothy table runner and bows for the candlesticks. On the fireplace mantle and hearth was my collection of china dolls.

My daughter wrote her guests' names on simple store-bought place cards. We also used the flower pens in pots that the girls decorated at the beginning of the party, and put the pots at their place settings.

A chocolate cake with chocolate icing served as the centerpiece. We decorated it with feminine ribbon, silk flowers, and strands of pearls and lace. We also had a tiered display of cupcakes decorated with silk flowers on a side table that was also decorated with china dolls, hats, and doilies. And Hope and I baked sugar cookies, iced them with pink icing, and added sprinkles. They were on the dining table, as well.

The girls, with help from Hope's mom and grandmothers, decorate the hats they will wear to the birthday-party tea.

Activities: Shanee, her mother and her mother-in-law served as party helpers for Hope's 8th birthday party. "When the girls arrived, wearing play clothes, they went to the eating area of our kitchen. Each guest was given a tiny flower pot pre-filled with floral foam, plus some moss, silk flowers, a paint brush and a selection of paints. The girls painted designs on the flower pots, and later glued flowers in place. These were the pots that were to hold the flower pens at each place setting.

"The next craft was a lady's fan. The embellishments included feathers, pearl strings, fabric, lace, and buttons. My mother and mother-in-law served as assistants and helped the girls by operating the glue guns.

"The highlight of the creative activities was hat decorating. I purchased woven hats from a craft supply store and offered flowers, lace, bows, feathers, and tulle. The girls had help with the gluing, but otherwise designed their hats to match the dress-up outfits they had brought to wear to 'tea.' After the crafts part of the party was over, the girls dressed up in their finery and sat down at their beautiful table."

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