A Mad Hatter Tea Party, Part 1

Me, as the Mad Hatter

Pic by Lita

"We're all mad here" ~Cheshire Cat
My Mad Hatter Tea Party Bunco party was a success! For 16 months I had gathered bits and pieces of things that I could possibly use to decorate my theme. For the last three weeks leading up to the party, I worked on those decorations from dusk to dawn, putting together tables, testing teas, baking goods, even making my own sugar cubes! I'll include some "how to's" in these posts and to recoup some of the costs, I'll have a few of the items you see here in my Etsy store for sale next month. I hope you enjoy my take on the Mad Hatter Tea Party and perhaps it will give you all some ideas to throw your very own Mad Hatter themed party! I have a lot to share from this party! Be forewarned...it's quite long! I had no time to pull out the big camera and take pro shots so hope the iPhone images will suffice!

The overall look for my tea party was a mix of bright colors and vintage items. The menu was based on a British High Tea experience with champagne, high quality loose teas, delicious tea sandwiches, scones and bite-sized desserts. Of course, since the Mad Hatter was hosting it, there would be a bit of madness here and there such as vintage mismatched teacups and a variety of interesting teapots.

A variety of vintage teacups

Wedgewood and a delicate teacup make a perfect combo

The tea table featured seven different loose teas, each in a different pot. Each teapot sat on a lace doily and had a delicate silver tea strainer. Vintage teacups for the guests usage were placed on and around the table. This gave everyone an opportunity to pick a cup that suited their aesthetic and a tea that suited their palate, which helped to give each party goer a unique experience. To add a little whimsy and history to the table setting, small clippings from the chapter on the Mad Hatter tea party from the Alice in Wonderland book were placed under the clear table covering, along with a vintage instruction sheet on brewing the perfect cup of tea. 

 After pouring their teas, the guests could then move to the side tea table which was filled with additions for a perfect cup of tea such as honey and lemon flavoring spoons, fresh sliced lemon, organic mint leaves and even decorative sugar cubes I made myself!

To easily decorate sugar cubes, place a handful of white melting candies in a Ziploc bag and melt in microwave for 10secs at a time, kneading to smooth out after each time until just melted. Snip a 1/8" corner from the bag and put a small dab on top of a sugar cube. Press a edible Royal Icing flower on top and let set before serving. Voila! Pretty cubes that are super easy to create! Use natural rock cubes to give a whimsical look to them.

The table with the tea additions was decorated with a variety of items related to the book...a white rabbit, a top hat made out of a $3.00 foam hat picked up from Michaels, book clippings, a dormouse in a teacup, large brass key, pocket watches and finally, a vintage looking glass highlighting a page in the Alice in Wonderland book. It's the small details that make the party interesting and fun!

Next up I'll share how the big food table was decorated and what was on the menu so stay tuned...