A Very Merry Unbirthday Tea Party (Alice in Wonderland Themed Tea Party)

December is a busy month. There's Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and not to mention a ton of random made up “Holidays” ( I am not judging,just making an observation). Anyone who has a December birthday knows how easy it is to get lost in the holiday sauce. The December birthday struggle is real. (well, not really a struggle.)

Photo by www.nathaningramphotography.com
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So I came up with a brilliant idea inspired by Alice in Wonderland! Why not have an unbirthday party? Just in case you haven't watched the movie or read the book; an unbirthday is the 364 (365 if it's a leap year) days in the year other than your birthday. 

I wanted to incorporate details from Alice in Wonderland without coming across as being kiddy" (did I mention I like to make up words?)  I thought the clock was a fun classy idea to add to the table.  The   "It's always tea time" sign also was a fun addition.

I thought skeleton keys would give it a nice vintagey (sorry, I made up a word again) feel, and would also go Along with the Alice in Wonderland theme.




The red rose represented the Queen of Hearts. (Do you remember the playing cards painting the white roses red?)

I started off by sending my girlfriends an Evite.  I originally planned mailing out handwritten cards but I decided that I could get away with it since it was my "unbirthday".  Above is the poem that was included in the Evite. 

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I used these wacky  Alice in Wonderland themed signs to welcome my guest.

My unbirthday party gave me an excuse to show off the teacups I have collected over the years.  The Lenox butterfly collection is one of my favorites. 

Mismatched teapots, teacups, and saucers were a great addition to the decor.  

Cream and sugar set is from Crate and Barrel and the small plates are from Macys.

Eddie Rose sugar and cream set that I purchased on clearance at Macys. 

Who has a tea party without sugar cubes? Not me. 

The Menu:

Curry Chicken Tea Sandwiches

Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

Salmon  Cream  Cheese and Cucumber Tea Sandwiches 

Savory and Sweet Scones

Lemon Tarts

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Shortbread Cookies

Black and White Cookies

Assortment of Herbal and Black Tea

Ice Cold Sweet Tea

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I used glass milk bottles that I purchased at TJ Maxx and filled them with ice cold tea.  

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 Nothing says spring like lemon.  These lemon tarts were cute and yummy.

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My colleague's wife  made these delicious  shortbread cookies for me.  The cookies were so beautiful I didn't want to eat them. 

The Egg salad sandwiches  are on the top tier and curry chicken sandwiches are on the bottom.

I made all of the sandwiches for the party, but I decided to give myself a break and order scones from a local cafe.

Another salute to the Queen of Hearts with my rose shaped bowls and rose tablecloth.

Photo Credit: craftsy.com

What’s an unbirthday without presents?  I thought it would be a fun idea to have a White Rabbit (White elephant) gift exchange.  Everyone brought a  small wrapped gift.  Then we picked numbers from a hat.  The  numbers determined  the order in which we selected gifts. The best part of the game was that  we had chance to steal a gift from someone if we like someone's gift  better. My guest were such ladies that they didn't steal gifts from one another.  Here are the instructions for   http://www.whiteelephantrules.com/. 

"Grab a Prop! Say Cheese! And Smile Like the Cheshire Cat!"

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So much fun!

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We loved our Photo booth props!

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Who knew that a tea party could be so much fun?