I'm here....I just have to serve tea to the appropriate kid who has a camera :^) Wonderful idea Judith!!!!
Hi Juicy Fruit, and welcome!!!!
Glad to see all these faces at the table!

Mary760, that is great, the more the merrier!

juicyfruitkid, Welcome, that is great your want to participate too! I hope more newbies will check in too.

Mary Ruth, I know you can do it, you can do a little romantic tea party for you and your hubby!

Luvs, I am so glad you are going to participate, and that would be such a fun excuse to have your neighbors to join you in "tea party fun".
Ok, I will moderate, I have never moderated something before like this but, like I had mentioned we'll keep it simple as far as rules goes. LOL

How does April 5th sound, that is a Saturday, I will post a new message on April 5th (if that is agreeable) and everyone just start adding their pictures and any other helpful info they might think or want to add, like recipies, where they got their dishes, a little fun history maybe.

Diningdelight, I am praying for nice outdoor weather for my tea party, because I have something special that I would really like to do if it is warm enough, or at least SUNNY! But if not, it will be "inside".

Now Jim if you are lurking, we want you to join in too, you can have a tea party with your kitties and us "virtual ladies".

So glad you remembered to include "our" Jim in this Judith--otherwise we know he would just hang out and "watch". LOL Come on and join in, Jim--I'll bet you have some pretty teapots and accessories.

Hey Jim, got any teaparty pics to give us ideas? You are always so good with the inspiration pics. ;o)

Luvs

No way could I forget "our" Jim! In fact here is an inspiration photo for Jim, just to show it has been "done" before. :)

{{gwi:1416082}}

OH isn't that a cute kitty picture! That will inspire Jim to do a tea party for his beloved kitties!

Judith, Sat. April 5th for the posting date is fine with me. Cute kittens and tea picture!
DD

Ok, Sat, April 5th will be the date, unless anyone has any objections.

I am hopeing more people will join in, there are a few regulars that have not popped in yet, so hopefully they will see this message and join in.

Still no camera yet. But I will sure enjoy all of the pics that everyone will post and will get lots of ideas for when I do have a tea party. I have been slowly collecting things for it. I've even found the cutest invitations that are shaped like teapots and teacups.
Can't wait 'till April 5th!!
Betty

I have been lurking here for years. I don't feel very qualified to share but I would love to participate in a virtual tea. I am recovering from a surgery that did not go well so I am just now getting back to walking and going out to the activities I love to do. I love to craft and am in love with anything Victorian. I love the pictures I see and will look forward to doing some very basic efforts to take pictures of. I have lots of stuff but I don't even know where all of it is. I'm sure my grandaughters will help me get organized. Thanks for reading my post. Looking forward to being a part of the group!
Hurry Spring! Kentucky is too cold!
Gale

Hi Gale, Glad you came out of "lurkdom" and will be joining us. We're a pretty casual group here and enjoy each others attempts at doing pretty tables and vignettes. We love to see pictures of pretty dishes, accessories, holiday craft ideas, etc. so please share some of your pretties with us when you can. Luvs

Jumping over from Home Decoration on Judith's wonderfully appreciated invitation. To think that I thought that only Judith and I were the only "dishy" ones out there. Count me in!

I want to participate too. I know I have some teapots but I don't think I have any matching cups. Hmmm...I have to look, I forget what I have. This sounds like fun. Are food items in the pictures a requirement? I think my homemade cupcakes would ruin the picture...lol

Judith....gorgeous vintage kitten painting you showed.
And if that will work to drag our Jim out to play with some dishes, GREAT idea.
Look who's talking. I know, I know. I'm with Luvs, don't own a tea pot and never had a tea party. Oh wait, I did find some little tea pots at GW to make a Teapot Totem for our Garden Junk Forum. Quit laughing Luvs.
If, big big IF, I can get brave enough to try this, it would definitely be a "Tea for One". My DH and Dad don't drink tea and would probably laugh themselves silly over me doing this. I love tea myself.
Betty, find a friend with a camera...we've got to get you posting pix!!!

Glad to see Lurkers coming out to play, that is great.
hugs, Karen

Betty, I do hope you will be able to do something with all of us, but of course, if you can't we are all happy to have you looking and sharing your fun personality thru your postings.

kgal2008, Yea! you have you came out of lurkdom to join us, you will have a good time I promise! I hope you will be feeling better soon, this Forum is just the place to take your mind away from worries, it works wonders for me! :)

lynn, yes, there are lots of us "dishy" people here, we are either dishaholics or on the way to it LOL

tam, so glad you are joining in too. Don't worry too much about matching, I have seen lots of tea setups with all different patterns in it, you can even use a plain white or creme tea pot with your patterned dishes,(very inexpensive ones are often at Marshalls, Homegoods etc) just pick the white or creme, which ever one will match the background of your dishes that you already have. Oh, to answer your other question, food is not required, that is up to you. This is a real relaxed Virtual Tea Party, this hopefully will give everyone a chance to "spread their wings", either simple or elaborate, it is totally up to each persons desires. It doesn't even have to be Victorian...., it can be modern, traditional, tropical, well just anything that will look "tea- ish" (don't think that is a word, but I just don't want people to feel too restricted to a tiny niche of the "tea world").

Karen, of course you will be brave, LOL, we are all supportive folks here, and you have lovely things you have nothing to be scared about!.We want you to join in! And definetly do a Tea for One, if that works best for you. I do that all the time, as you may have seen from my earlier posting.

Well, everybody this is shaping up just wonderfully.
If anyone has anymore questions, please just post and ask.

Lynn, you would be surprised how many are afflicted with the disease. On another forum we have separate threads just about dishes, pics, what we bought etc. When the posts get to 100 we start over, I think we are on number 3. Some very beautiful things being shown...Here's one thread but there are at least 4 more all with the word dish in them..fun to look at if you are into dishes..

kgal, welcome! Hope you feel better soon..

Here is a link that might be useful: Dish Talk

Karen, Why would I be laughing??? I'm envious that at least you have a teapot, regardless of what you bought it for! LOL Come on gal, it doesn't have to be elaborate, and it will be even more fun if we have variety, right?

And I just realized that I DO have a couple of teapots, just not the Victorian looking ones. I had not even thought about them until Judith commented that it could be any style. I will have to see if I can work with one of them for this tea.

Welcome Lynn, glad you came over to join us. If you haven't been here before, you might enjoy looking at some of the older posts to see everyone's pretty dishes and tables. We love pics here, so please post some of yours too.

Luvs

Luvs, I figured you might remember last year and when I bought that tea pot. I posted a photo here, can't remember why now, and several of the ladies really liked the teapot. I kind of felt guilty about gluing it on a totem and sticking it in the yard, LOL. so its still in garage on a shelf. But Judith jogged my stinkin' memory and I remember showing y'all a pix of a tiny tea set from one of my grandmothers. Its stored and I flat forgot I had it.
Now to figure out WHAT to do with it for this Tea Party!

hugs, Karen

I am going to say - count me in - not sure what I can come up with but I will do my best. Just entered my mother who lives with me into Hospice so this would be a nice diversion. I loved posting with you gals during the holidays but then things got pretty hectic here and I have been MIA for about a month. You gals are such an inspiration it will be good to get back into the posting groove again ......

Lynne

Hi Lynne, nice to see you back with us. I always wonder when someone has been posting and then just disappears--but it does seem to happen quite often--so I've learned to just accept it.

So sorry to hear about your Mom, it is always so sad when we realize there is very little hope left and we can't make a loved one better. Glad you are getting some help from Hospice, and you need to do nice things for yourself to help lift your spirits. So come on and join in here every chance you get, okay?

Luvs

Hi Lynne, so glad you are back. I hope we can be a fun diversion for you, sounds like you're going thru a rough time. My BF going thru same with her Dad and what an emotional rollercoaster the last few months.

Take care of yourself.
hugs, Karen

Hmmmm!.....Virtual Tea Partay!

With these two cats the only "tea party" theme I can think of to help me cope would be a Long Island Iced Tea! LOL
So it may just be a pic of an empty glass!

Not even sure I own a teapot...

Not making any promises.
Jim

Jim, I'm sure Panda would co-operate in re-creating that lovely painting Judith showed you. I might be lucky, as I doubt a tea setting would interest the Brat Cat. Think he's saving his energy for Easter decor tho, since he's pretty well ignored St Pat's this year.
Long Island Iced Tea, sigh, now you're talking!

hugs, Karen

Gale - As a long-time fellow lurker, I also want to extend my welcome to you even though I just joined in as well. I know you will find, like me that it is great to be a participant in this friendly forum. I hope you are soon feeling better and are up to doing the Tea Party. (I also love anything Victorian and have to restrain myself from having Battenburg doilies/lace, etc all over the house!)

Glad to hear there are more people joining in for the Tea Party. Judith, your idea of doing this event seems to be bringing MIA's (Lynn - yeah!) and others out to get involved - way to go! Hope everyone has fun doing it.
D.D.

Wow, glad to see so many enthuastic folks joining in.

Come on now Jim I know you must at least have 1 tea cup, put a few cookies on a plate, fill your tea cup up with some tea, treat yourself to a small bunch of flowers from Walmart, put them in one of your vases, add in a cloth napkin (if not cloth there are some very pretty paper napkins out there) pull yourself up to a comfy table and before you know it, you have a tea party for one...with your lovely kitty looking on. Easy!

Lynn, I am sorry to hear about your mom, but you are right, the diversion here will help you, beleive me I know! Happy to have you here.

Karen, it sounds like you are all set for a tea party!

Luvs, yes, definately use the tea pots you have, nothing wrong with a contemporary style of tea party!

Here is another inspiration photo for Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Cat tea party

Just for some ideas for folks that want to do this on a small scale.

Here is a link that might be useful: tea for one

Showing mixed designs

Here is a link that might be useful: Another example

LOL Judith, the cat tea party definitely would be right up Panda's alley I bet. I have a feeling Jim might just come up with some very good photos for us! I am probably on my own however, as I have a feeling that Ty "doesn't do tea".
LOL
Karen

Karen, I bet if you snuck a bit of Cat-nip, somewhere in your design, you would get some kitty "company" LOL

Here is a lovely example of a teaparty table done with different designed teacups, but paired with simple plain white dishes, I think it is quite nice.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tea party example with different cups and simple plates

Judithva Thats a cute table setting idea.

Judith, the plain white dishes coordinate so well with all the different teacup patterns. I would love to be sitting down for tea there!
DD

Judith, I LOVE all those different little tea cups. They look just like my grandmother's collection way back when I was a child. Tho her's were only for display in her china cabinet. These are just so very pretty. I think it's a great idea myself.

hugs, Karen

Oh, just want everyone to understand that those links are from other peoples flickr pages, not my work, I am just putting them up for inspiration to show the many ways of doing a tea party with things you may already have, and just to show that you don't have to follow a strict order of matchy-matchy. I will keep looking for more inspiration photos for you all.

Dining delight, I agree, white dishes are always a plus in so many ways, I have several sets of white dishes, they are just in slightly diffent "mould shapes" so to speak, still white, but have a different moulding design "punched" into them.

Karen, yes, having differnt tea cups can keep a table setting interesting.

juciyfruitkid, I am glad you liked it.

Judith, this is a beautifully simple table but that darn big pot in the middle would have me feeling like I was eating facing the wall. Love the teacups - I only have a few matching ones, I love the look of china that work well together but don't actually match.
B

Heya, gals! It sounds so cute (and LOVE those kittens). I will try to pop by for this. I'm on dial-up at home so things take pretty long to load for me, which is why I don't stop by more on weekends. :(

It's a lovely idea!
-Jenn

Just a couple of more pic of me playing around with pink and white table. I think I like the first pic better with the pink teapot, the second one has too much white, but I could fix that with a pink table cloth.

That is what is good about taking pictures you can study it more objectively, and when you are doing a "2 tone" setup, the "fixes" are pretty easy. Hmmm, and I don't think the clear beaded bowl works either, best to keep in the matching pink bowl.

How is everyone coming with their creations

Judith, what a treat to get another sneak peek and it is looking beautiful as usual! I agree with your observations about the pink teapot and the clear bowl but both set-ups look lovely. I haven't had a chance to do much "practicing" yet as we are going away tomorrow. Hopefully, I can play as soon as we get back....and maybe with some new purchases! Looking forward to seeing your final result on Apr. 5th.
DD

Well I was thinking maybe I could do this... but I don't think I can measure up!!! I have been checking in on you all regularly but haven't posted much since CHRISTmas. It's really the main holiday I decorate for. But maybe I will play a little. My husband and teen daughter will think I'm crazy. Does it have to be a Silver tea set?? I could come up with a blue and white setting maybe.....

dining delight, Thank you, yes, still playing, Sigh...can't decide, story of my life LOL

Bright, definately join us, everyone measures up! Just the fact that you try, gives you great experience and insight into doing a table design, it truely is the Practicing, that does make "perfect", I Practice ALOT, as you can see from the pic's above. LOL

No, it doesn't have to be silver at all, anything goes, you can definatley do a blue and white, I use my blue and white all the time, it is definately "tea-able". If you have enough pieces do a table for 3 (you, your hubby and teenager) who knows you may just turn her into a "tablesetting addict" along with most of us here. LOL I think alot of people are doing tea for one, that is fine too (I have to do that for myself alot, no reason for me to miss out just because it is just "me".

This is another "look".
Here is one with a nest in the middle as a "hostess gift".

OH MY Judith! I just LOVE the linen and nest! All of it actually! What EYE CANDY this is! WOW! LOVE IT!

Judith, I have a nest that looks almost exactly like that and had been thinking about using it as a center-piece
....LOL.

hugs, Karen

Mary Ruth, thanks.

Karen, that is cool, I love nests I must have at least 10 different styles, and yes your nest would make a nice centerpiece, that is the great thing about them, you can place them almost anywhere.

Judith, wish you'd take a photo of all your nests! I'd love to see them. I have just two (and a couple of REAL birdnests that are hidden from the cats, LOL) I am not too sure the fake ones will go unnoticed for that matter!

I hope you are feeling well enough to enjoy the Easter weekend. I so appreciate all the gorgeous photos and settings you share. I can't get over how they look like professional magazine pictures.

{{gwi:1416086}}

hugs, Karen

Karen, thank you. Well, I just posted an Easter/spring pic that had a nest in it on the "Easter" thread. I don't have any real nests, just the ones you can get from a store. I love to add things to the nests especially if they were plain, I add tiny feathers that you can get from Michaels in little bags, it makes them look really

Well, this April 5th date for posting pictures is right around the corner! Judith are you starting a new thread for these pictures?

Hi everyone,

Just wanted you to know that we've seen some of your lovely tablescapes and just love the idea of the virtual tea party. We can't wait to see how it all turns out and would like to pull what you've done into a slideshow so that everyone can appreciate it.

Looking forward to April 5th!

Warmly,

Tamara
GardenWeb Community Manager

Mary Ruth, Yes, I will post a new Topic for April 5th, something like Tea Party Time, April 5th, please post your creations here. I am looking forward to seeing everyones parties.

Tamara, I am sure you will see alot of heartfelt and fun creations of all these creative ladies that have decided to join in on the "Virtual Tea Party", and if there are any lurkers out there, and you have been reading along, please join in, the more the merrier, and the more we learn.

I just spoke with Judith (on the phone) this afternoon. Her computer has crashed!!! You can imagine how frustrated she is, especially NOW!

I told her I would post this here so everyone would know what happened and why she was not posting.

I will start the 'TEA PARTY TIME' thread for her now so that posters can begin their uploading of Virtual tea party settings.

Judith is sure that her computer will be up and running soon and she can always post from work on break in a pinch.

Thanks for letting us know Mary Ruth. We've all had those computer problems at one time or another it seems. Hope hers will be an easy fix. Luvs