Friday, September 18, 2015

Afternoon Tea


Sometimes it's fun to pull out all the stops when the occasion is as joyous as welcoming your first grandchild. When I began to think of what I should do to celebrate the birth of my granddaughter, a tea party immediately came to mind. Afternoon tea is my idea of heaven. Little did I know how much fun it would be to prepare for one. Taking out family china as well as tea sets I have been collecting over the years was like a trip down memory lane.


I loved setting the table with so many items from family and friends. The china is a family heirloom, the linens were from my daughter's company Heather Taylor Home and the flowers from our friends Holly and Rebecca at Hollyflora.


I sent photos of the china to the girls at Hollyflora and they came up with the color scheme for the flowers.


This is the Peter Rabbit tea set I collected for my daughters many years ago. Tea parties have always been a fun tradition in our family.


The menu included these luscious lemon bars


We had three different kinds of scones


And shortbread cookies to remind me of our trip to Scotland over the summer


There were cucumber, smoked salmon, and chicken salad tea sandwiches


And pink champagne


The moment before the guests arrived


And the cake by Annie Campbell which tasted as good as it looked! 

I found out that the tradition of having a tea to celebrate your grandchild is popular in the south and even has a name: "Sip and See." I can understand why. The charms of afternoon tea match the delight of celebrating the newest member of your family.

"The mere chink of cups and saucers tunes the mind to happy repose."
-- George Gissing

Wishing you a happy weekend. Fall begins on Monday!
Go here for an easy recipe for Sugared Lemon-Rosemary Scones. They are delicious!

14 comments:

  1. What a fitting way to celebrate! So beautiful.

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  2. This looks like the most charming tea ever!! What a special way to celebrate your granddaughter. I loved getting a look at all your beautiful china. I myself have amassed several tea sets already - starting from when I collected the Royal Doulton Brambly Hedge set as a child! Your spread looks utterly delicious - the perfect tea party! And all the flowers are gorgeous. I love the idea of 'sip and see' too!

    Miranda xxx http://mirandasnotebook.com/

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  3. Everything looks absolutely splendid. So wonderful to have family heirloom china. I find it brings back so many memories. So...Sip and See. Great name!

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  4. Any houses for sale in the neighbourhood Sunday? I would love to be your neighbour! What a treat...just gorgeous! Lucky granddaughter! xxx

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  5. Sunday...it was such a beautiful tea and I smiled with memory when I read your blog. Your granddaughter is even more beautiful than the tea. Thank you

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  6. Dear Sunday, I feel like I just flipped the pages of my one of my favorite magazines! Absolutely lovely. I love how you are celebrating as we do in the south, and one of life's greatest gifts, a grandchild. The china, flowers, linens and food is spot on, looking elegant and delicious. What a joyous celebration this must have been. Congratulations on your granddaughter........

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  7. I can see the love Sunday. Congratulations to you all!

    Ciao

    R

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  8. What an absolutely beautiful way to celebrate. And everything looked just perfect.

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  9. Sunday! This looks perfect! What a wonderful way to celebrate your granddaughter and to incorporate all of your family traditions and heirlooms at the same time!

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  10. What a treat viewing your tea party photos! I love giving tea parties too. I have piano recital teas every February just to have an excuse to take out the tea cups and tiered trays. I also inherited silver platters from my Mother-In-Law that I adore. I love the way you put flowers on your trays and the cake. And I would have never thought to coordinate the flowers with the china pieces. Brava! You are an inspiration!

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  11. I've never seen more tempting things all in one place in my life!
    xo

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  12. Absolutely gorgeous and very heartwarming. Happy October to you and warm greetings from Montreal, Canada. :)

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