Oh how fun, I love tea. Thrift shops are a great idea to find a service. The new ones are pretty expensive.


Here are a few that I found that don't seem too expensive:

http://www.englishteastore.com/summertime-tea-set.html

tea set

victorian-english-porcelain-tea-set
summertime-deluxe-tea-set

Just make sure they can be used for tea. Many, many are strickly for show.

ESP? Just today I was thinking back to when we showed our tea pots and cookie jars. A tea set will include how ever many cups you want to have. It will also include a tea pot, creamer, sugar bowl and lemon dish, and of course saucers. I think at her age one pot of hot tea would be better than offering a choice. Of course there will be plates of small cookies, etc. You mentioned thrift shops. I think that would be a good place to start, and I would look for adult size, not child size. Sounds like a good thing for your young lady.
Sue

Sounds like a fun thing to shop for.

Also look in second-hand shops.

Sounds like a great gift idea, and I like avoiding the toy sets for her age. She may just keep them in good condition for using when she sets up her own place some day.

If you can't find something locally, there's always eBay.

Thanks! I started looking again. I realized if I added the word "vintage" I had better results. It gave me some ideas.

She is past the kiddie sets. She really enjoys this type of thing.

Have you ever taken her to a tea room? High tea can be a lot of fun!

Have a tea room I frequent. They have a special room for little girls to dress up and have tea in the afternoons. So special for the little girls!

We used to have a couple of neat little tea rooms where we used to live. All three of my kids loved them... even the boys. I had forgotten about that. I went to one with a neighbor last year. Dd would love it. I'll have to see if she can schedule it in. Her and her friends are having sleepovers every weekend.

I would consider one of the original Brown Betty pots, the blue one is very pretty. Then she can collect all colors of flowered cups and saucers. I see those all the time at goodwill and salvation army. I like the idea of mix and match. And she has a good quality pot with a reasonable price. She can collect more pieces as she has money.

http://www.englishteastore.com/brbete.html

rosesandteacups.com

It's a wonderful Idea to get her started with a set and then you can add to it later. My MIL had a beautiful collection of tea pots and many different cups, a brand new cut was always a treasure to her.

I have a really nice set I found in an antique shop while on vacation one year. (I always looked for such places for souvenirs instead of Made in China junk) It had four cups, four saucers, a tea pot, a sugar bowl with a spoon that fits into the lid, a creamer, and a tray to serve it on. I still love it to this day and have it displayed in my china cabinet. Probably cost me less than $20 way back when.....