Valentine Tea Party
With Valentine’s Day approaching, I have been thinking about how to decorate for the season of love. Scout has a birthday near Valentine’s Day, so several of her parties have taken on a bit of the theme. Here is a throwback to her seventh birthday when she completely identified with Fancy Nancy. This ended up being one of the easiest parties to throw because I didn't have to make much. Instead, I could find decor at the party store or Target Dollar Spot really affordably. Additionally, my daughter, inspired by her fav book character, was determined to plan this party herself. I was fairly pregnant with our youngest and willing to give her the opportunity to flex her own party planning skills.
Scout really wanted to use our “fancy” china. While I would totally understand this idea might be a big NO for some groups of six and seven-year-old girls, for my daughter and her mellow friends, it added a special touch that elevated how they felt about the party. She selected her own heart-shaped cake at the grocery store and asked for lots of yummy treats.
To create a lot of color on the table, I found some inexpensive valentine fabric and cut it into placemat size pieces with pinking shears. I reused the red polka dot banner and table runner from the Minnie Mouse party. Clara wanted fancy napkins so we used the Silhouette Cameo electronic cutting machine to cut out a very simple heart napkin ring that Clara was able to make herself. We layered the napkin over a red paper doily and love how festive it all makes the table look.
I picked up the fun felt envelopes at the Target Dollar Spot that year and then used the iron on fabric interfacing on white muslin to personalize each one with the guests’ name using my Silhouette Cameo. I attached them to the chairs with ribbon. Adding these touches of personalization goes a long way with the guests and they love being able to take home and reuse the items after the party. A few years later I was able to find a similar envelope for my son, so now they still come out each year with the Valentine’s Day decor.
Helpful Links:
Hanging heart decor - These hanging decorations were a great way to make a big impact. We made them in long strips and hung them in front of white curtains.
Fabric options for table runners or banners. Did you know Amazon even carries fabric? Check out the polka dots or adorable pink hearts.
Wreath - I repurposed a holly berry Christmas wreath that I already owned by wrapping it with a white ribbon with hearts and it looked just like it was always intended to be valentine decor.
I typically try and make a personalized banner for most parties, but there are so many cute ones you can buy with this theme, like this heart one, or be mine, or even this sweet conversation heart banner!
Sweet Treats - vanilla meringues, tea scones and raspberry filled cookies from Trader Joe’s, mini cupcakes from the grocery store, and Little Debbie brand Heart Cakes all look so cute on the cake plates and tea stand.
