how to :: throw together a princess tea party
Rayne's birthday parties have always been the exact same thing :: donuts, coffee, and friends. The first two years were just those few elements (there may or may not have been tiny [kid] friends even at the party...). The third year we threw in a little Road Rally (this is where you race on your bike/car/scooter/wagon down the street) to entertain the kids (it actually entertained the adults WAY more than the kids). The fourth year we threw in a "kids, wear your pajamas and watch a movie!" part. But the donuts, coffee, and friends never changed.
This year, Rayne had plans of her own. She is turning five (HOW do I have a FIVE year old?!?) and she wanted her own birthday party. It worked out well since Ben and I don't have friends here in Alaska yet (ok ok we have a couple, but we miss Atlanta!). She changed her mind about five million times about what kind of party she wanted - so a week and a half before her birthday party, she finally landed on Princess Tea Party.
Here's how we threw together a budget-friendly, super-sweet Princess Tea Party that pleased the almost-five-year-old Princess ::
Step One - The Tea :: Rayne and I went on a little Mommy/Daughter date to Goodwill and picked out five tea cups and five saucers. These were $0.79 each. Every girl got to take her tea set home with her as a souvenir gift.
Step Two - The Decorations :: We set up a little table of Rayne's favorite stuffed animals having their own tea party (using a tea set that her Nana and Papa gifted to her for her birthday) and hung a couple of streamers. A pink rose at Rayne's table setting made her SO happy.
Step Three - The Food :: I made Rayne a four-layer cake. This year really deviated from our annual donut party, as Rayne insisted she wanted a vanilla cake. So I bought cake pans (I'm not much of a cake maker usually, so we didn't even own a cake pan) and some mix and made her a cake. We also got little scones/muffins and fruit to serve with the tea. The "tea", by the way, was apple cider.
Step Four - The Entertainment :: I pulled out our kid-friendly nail polishes and a set of face paint and we painted nails and cheeks as the girls arrived. Ben was put in charge of face paint and painted one rainbow on each cheek - luckily, the girls were all four or five year olds and thought these rainbows looked fantastic. The "main event" was costume changing - we surprised Rayne with a set of dresses/hair bows/shoes that we bought used, and this was her birthday gift from us. The dollar store helped out with rings/necklaces/tiaras/wands and the girls spent most of the time changing outfits and taking photos.
Rayne was allowed to invite five friends, and four were able to come. She insisted that no boys were allowed (except her Papa and her Dad - she requested her Dad wear a suit and obviously he obliged). It was the sweetest little tea party!
Happy birthday rayne!
