Birthday Tea at Sea and Free Designs

I’m sorry it has been sooo long since a new blog has been posted. Hip replacement, shingles and husband’s shoulder surgery has kept me too busy. Now, at last, I can share this bit of Nana fun with you.~~~~

Grandchildren are just sooo much fun! Fun is what we had recently on a cruise to Cozumel with our daughter and her family, including 10 yo Alastair and Vivian Rose. The occasion was to celebrate Vivi’s 7th birthday.

There, on board and overlooking the aqua blue Caribbean, she was the guest of honor at a genuine Fancy Nancy afternoon tea. It was pure delight!

Vivian Rose, wearing her smocked Ode to Joy dress (Maggie B pattern) and flaunting a purple boa, looks on the tea table set for the celebration. Note the lollipop centerpiece.

The birthday tea was a huge success. Refreshments included pastries and dessert treats from the ship’s buffet accompanied with Fancy Nancy Tea. Feather boas and a chest of costume jewelry added to the elegance of the fete.

We had a fine time, or, as was often said so many years ago in the Glenwood News column of our tiny local newspaper, “a good time was had by all.” Several other ship passengers as well as servers stopped by to ask about the gala affair and offer Vivi birthday congratulations.

The tea also offered several opportunities to teach proper, ladylike behavior.

Vivian delicately wipes her mouth with her napkin–with no reminder!

She learned that it is impolite to discuss politics, religion or her health at a tea party or in any “polite” company.

“What’s politics?” she asked. “Don’t worry about that now. Just don’t talk about it when you find out.” “Okay,” she obediently replied. What a good girl!

She listened attentively as her mother read Vivi’s new Fancy Nancy’s Tea Party book. Little did we know she was already planning to soon host her own little tea party.

As her mother read, Vivian listened raptly to her new Fancy Nancy Tea Party book.

The idea for this event came about during her latest visit to our home. We had been rummaging through boxes of my treasures in the garage when she came across a few doll size tea sets. She was enchanted and asked if she could keep one. We promptly had an impromptu tea party with her mother’s old Cabbage Patch doll (wearing a smocked dress) and a teddy. Of course, she went home with the doll set, but I had this another in mind for her.

Having put aside this little porcelain set for her years ago, I presented it to her for her birthday at sea. At the tea party she saw it for the first time. To me it has a distinctive Mary Engelbreit look.

Several years ago, Cousin Laurel was presented with the identical set and put it to use for several tea parties. At her Second Annual Tea Party, guests were invited to bring their dolls. It added a whole new dimension to the festivities.

To accompany Vivian’s service for 6, I made coordinating tea linens with monogrammed napkins. The centerpiece is a painted flower pot loaded with jelly beans and lollipops. Card stock leaves were added to the sticks to create a sugar illusion of a pot of sugary flowers..

Even before I was blessed with the grandchildren of my dreams, this tea set was the inspiration for a class I taught many times around the country. Detailed instructions and the recipe for the Kindergarten Tea (now renamed Fancy Nancy Tea) are included in this post http://www.janicefergusonsews.com/blog/2009/08/30/tea-party-time/

The perfect machine applique’d bow design was ever so kindly digitized by Mary Alice Smith of Alabama.The hand-look embroidered napkin corners are part of a set digitized by my dear friend, Suzanne Sawko. If you would like the free tea linen designs (available only in .pes), please leave your request as a comment below.

Just hours after returning home from the port, Vivian insisted on hosting an impromptu tea party in her yard under the Florida sunshine. I asked my daughter if she had reminded Vivi about forbidden conversation topics.

She replied, “I didn’t have to. Vivi firmly instructed her guests what not to talk about.”Her previously informed too cool brother, attending only for the Oreos and banana slices, just rolled his eyes.