Vintage tea party!

(photos Sharon unless otherwise specified)

I love the whole idea of AFTERNOON TEA, the ceremonial feel of it all, the preparation, the dusting off of that valuable antique TEA SET you have which you hardly use for fear of breaking it, the polishing of those tiny cake forks and tea spoons.... the ironing of that oh so pretty tablecloth, which is so old fashioned you hardly use it any more....

(photo vintageteasets.co.uk)

So if you don't own Granny's valuable tea set, what then?

Well is all not lost.... second hand shops are full of sometimes lovely one off pieces from unusual tea sets, and mixing it all up so that you have different designs is very in vogue at the moment..and you'll find that these little beauties are really quite reasonably priced!  Try to find delicate cups and saucers in similar sizes but in different designs and colours that compliment each other, you'll usually find the matching side plates as well.

You can't have a tea party without the master of ceremony,The TEA POT and once again you can look in second hand shops or even a car boot sale for a silver plated tea pot or just a beautiful looking china or porcelain tea pot to add to your growing vintage tea set!  Give it all a good clean and polish when you get home and you'll find it will work perfectly with your newly acquired tea cups and saucers.

Do you have any silk roses - you don't use anymore - now don't be shy!!! dig them out, clip them off at the stem and decorate your cake stand with these roses, it finishes off the vintage look a treat!  Or if you're lucky enough to have a garden full of blooming flowers then of course feel free to use them.

Antique markets are a great place for finding uneven sets of damask or linen napkins, look out for similar colours and designs

Cake forks are another easy find at market, sometimes sold loosely, they can be found without breaking the budget...

Now for some CHOCOLATE CAKE.....see you later...