You don’t need a special occasion to have a princess tea party, it can just be a fun get together or sleep over for your little one and a few of her friends, or it can be a huge blow out for her birthday. Whichever you choose, there are some easy ways to do it yourself and do it on a budget while having a great time.

Make planning the party as much fun as having it. Work together with your little one to plan the invitations, decorations, food, etc.  It’ll be a bonding experience for both of you and a memory that will last her lifetime.  It’s more important to have fun planning than it is to have the perfect party.  As a mom of adult kids, trust me on this one.  They’ll remember your time together, especially if it’s fun, more so than a huge party.

To get you started, brainstorm some themes. Go crazy and don’t limit the possibilities just yet.  Brainstorming is a great way to have your little one use her imagination.  Set a time limit for the brainstorming – say 10 minutes and write down all of the ideas mentioned.  Next, use the list to narrow down the possibilities of what you can actually accomplish.  Once you’ve agreed on a theme, write the theme in the middle of a large sheet of paper and brainstorm again about what that theme might look like brought to life as a party.  Again, limit the time to say 10 minutes.

This becomes your idea board and will get you headed in the direction of what your party will look like. It could be a simple tea party on the lawn on a cute blanket or something more elaborate like a White Rabbit & Alice tea party.  You may also end up with a princess tea party, which just happens to be our favorite.  Having a princess theme doesn’t automatically mean Disney.  Using colors in the princess realm – purple, gold, pink, blue, silver, etc., can lend themselves beautifully if you’d prefer a non-corporate identity party.

Once you’ve decided on the theme the rest is easy. Go back to your idea board and pull information for the invitations – use the colors mentioned on the idea board.  Simple handmade invitations are easy.  Find coloring pages online, print them, have your little one color them and then mount them on folded card stock.  Or, make them more elaborate like old fashioned scrolls and use parchment paper (easily found at scrapbooking stores or office supply stores).  Use an old-fashioned font and wet the edges of the paper with a damp sponge and have your little one pull at the wet edges to make them look torn and old.  Roll the scrolls and tie them with a pretty ribbon.  Be sure to include hints to your party’s theme and instructions on how to dress.  For example, you may want to tell your guests to dress in their finest princess attire, or if you’re having a picnic party, their favorite party dress.

Using your idea board again, start working on the decorations. Did you choose an elegant princess theme?  Dress the table with your most elegant damask table cloth or purchase a length of fabric in a princess pattern – diamond shapes work well.  Plan on making tea cakes and sandwiches and staking them on pretty plates in the center.  Use pretty bowl turned upside down to lift a plate higher or use cake plates stacked on top of each other.  The food becomes your centerpiece and tablescape.

Use simple finger foods like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crusts cut off and then cut in triangles. Make an inexpensive box cake and bake it in a 11×9 pan.  When cooled, cut it into triangles, squares, and use a donut cutter for some round shapes.  Heat a tub of prepared frosting in the microwave for 30 seconds and then stir it until it’s of pouring consistency.  Put the cut cake on cooling racks above a sheet pan or paper towels (to catch the drips) and poor the frosting over the cakes.  Finish them with a dollop of unheated frosting and a small piece of candy or fresh fruit like raspberry.  The food doesn’t have to be elaborate, just the presentation of it.

If it’s a birthday celebration, rather than doing the traditional cake, do individual cupcakes. They’re easier to serve and they make the table special.  There’s less mess to clean up and no waiting for the cutting of the cake.  Cupcakes have really become an art and even grocery store bakeries are offering adorable cupcakes.  You can also make your own – our sister site has several links to Sprinkles Cupcakes recipes including their frosting – they’re amazing!  Wilton offers amazing ideas on how to decorate as well as fun princess wrappers

Skip the tea and offer a cold drink like punch in the summer and hot chocolate in the winter. Most kids don’t drink tea and it’s the ceremony that makes the party fun, not the actual drink.  For hot chocolate replace the sugar bowl with a marshmallow bowl and a stick of chocolate for the stirrer.  For the punch, use real fruit in the punch to make it special.  Add it to the cups or put in in place of the sugar bowl since it wouldn’t make it through the tea pot.

Another special touch for your princess tea party is to include a pair of gloves at each place setting. These will have the girls feeling like a princess in no time.  Feather boas (kid size) are also fun props for the back of the chair or placed amongst the table scape for more drama and sparkle.  Each of these becomes their party swag and instead of getting a bag of inexpensive junk items that will just be dumped into the toy box at home, your little princesses will have a wand, boa, and gloves to add to her dress up trunk.

For an extra-special touch at a Princess-themed party, consider hiring a local high school student (check the High School Drama Department) to play the part of your child’s favorite princess. Purchasing a costume and having the teen entertain at your party is less expensive than hiring a “professional’ princess.  Have the princess serve “tea” and tell her story as well as start the games.  The High School student we hired a few years ago now plays Alice on the Disney Cruise!

We’ll be adding some game ideas in the next few days as well as other party ideas. Please let us know if you have any specific questions or would like to write a guest post on how you handled your party issues.

Using the idea board and planning ahead means both you and the girls will be able to have a great time.

Enjoy!

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Tags: Baking and Confections, Cake, Cooking, diy tea party, Home, Hot chocolate, inexpensive tea parties for kids, Parchment, Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Tea

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 11:25 pm and is filed under Children. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.