Inspiration from Hearts for Hope Tea + Delicious Tea Recipes for Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 5 2014 - 4:24pm by Jessi Meehan

Having just wrapped up the Hearts for Hope Tea, we not only want to thank our Tea Committee, but everyone that attended to help us raise money for Club Christ and the families who’s lives are forever changed by CCM! Thank you so much, we could not have done with without your incredible support!

Also, for all of you Hearts for Hope Tea Attendees: you can access ALL of your COMPLIMENTARY photos from the tea HERE! We had an unforgettable day celebrating with you, and a good Tea-Time was had by all!

Tea for Thought…our table was only ONE of MANY magnificent creations.  All of our tea hostesses used their own unique spin on the Jewels and Gems theme to create tables for 10 with their own personal china and individual style. As you strolled around it was like walking through a gallery of true works of art. Each table showed each hostess’ personality as well as their passion for tea! A Special Salute to all of our Tea Hostesses, your tables were absolutely beautiful!

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We went for an AUDREY HEPBURN look…classy, elegant…you know…the “little black dress and pearls” style. Did you know it was actually Audrey’s birthday on Sunday? Here’s Brenda with our beautiful table just before we lit up our lights that really tied into our GEMS AND JEWELS theme. 🙂

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And our shimmering table once the tea was just about underway:

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Our whole table looked stunning! This gorgeous group of women were the Practically Perfect accessory to a Practically Perfect table:

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So, you might be wondering how we achieved this “signature” look…well, with a few tried and true 3P Event Basics: it was easy!

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1. We utilized everything we possibly could that we already had on hand. All of our dishes, cups, tea-ware, serving platters, candle holders, napkins, and photo frames. It saves so much time, stress, and money when you can choose a theme and roundup what you’ve already got! We even printed photos of Audrey at home for a timeless (and totally free) touch.

2. Buy what you need on sale! We picked up a strand of LED lights on sale at Pier 1 for under $15 that worked on a few batteries and lit up our table perfectly…as well as those classic looking pearl napkin rings for under $3 a piece that we get to re-use for Christmas. Double score! We came in under budget and can use these pieces for upcoming tablescapes and holidays.

3. Our centerpiece set the tone for the theme, and even though it was a really “out of the box” idea…it was simple to create and really got everyone talking. How did we do it? We hung one of my Mom’s little black dresses (on a chopstick no less!) from the wreath-stand we keep on our dining room table! No kidding! Just added a string of pearls and an Audrey-esque hat…VOILA! Instantly Classy!

4. We fashioned our napkins like bows to keep with our theme, grounded everything with a shiny black sash of netting from Joann’s that also dressed up the plain white linens that were provided, and we pulled a few more gold and glittery items from our Academy Award box. Repurposing versatile items is key to simple yet stunning tablescapes!

5. We kept our favors simple by filling little satchels we bought from the Dollar Tree (6 for $1) with lovely lavender bath salts that we got from Target. The WHOLE bag was under $5…we’ll be featuring more on those bath salts in an upcoming Mother’s Day post.We got our money’s worth on those for sure! We brought in our pearls and gems theme with a few strands of gold and pearl beads from Michaels, using them to tie our bath salt satchels. They worked perfectly and we were able to get 14 of them for under $10!

So, all in all…we had a lovely time! Setting the table, enjoying everyone’s company, bidding on silent auction and raffle, sipping tea, and trying out delicious snacks!  The desserts were so good!

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We also wanted to share an AWESOME scone recipe from Kendra Dyson of our tea committee, as well as a recipe for Cucumber Dill tea sandwiches! We got this Cucumber Dill Sandwich recipe from a tiny little book that I bought my Mom for Mother’s Day when I was about 10 years old. She loved the book so much that it’s been carefully kept in our kitchen for years, and we can still reference it to this day!

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Kendra’s Awesome Scones!

Ingredients for scones:

1 cup sour cream
1 tspn (teaspoon) baking soda
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn cream of tartar
1 tspn salt
3/4 cup butter (softened)
1 egg – or the equivalent of an egg from an egg whites carton
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tspn vanilla
3 tbsp of plain lowfat yogurt

Directions for scones: Preheat Oven to 350

1. Combine baking soda (1 tsp) and sour cream (1 cup) in a bowl and set aside.

2. Mix butter (3/4 cup) with sugar (1 cup).  Add vanilla (1 tsp) and egg (1 egg or 1/3 cup of egg whites) in another bowl.

3. In a 3rd bowl, mix dry ingredients together (4 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp tartar, 1 tsp salt) …and combine everything together and don’t over mix.  Add yogurt slowly.  Should take between 2-3 tbsp.

4. Add dried cranberries and mix.

5. Put teaspoon size balls on lightly greased cookie sheets. DO NOT touch with hands and store bowl in freezer between batches.  Bake for 15 min at 350 degrees.

cucumber dill tea sandwich

Delicious Cucumber Dill Sandwiches

4 ounces butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices good-quality white bread
1/2 large English seedless cucumber (about 4 inches), thinly sliced

In a small bowl, combine the butter, fresh dill, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Lay the slices of bread on your work service and distribute the cream cheese evenly among each slice, spreading into a thin layer. Arrange the cucumber slices in rows over 3 slices of the bread. Top with the remaining bread, and cut into quarters so there are 4 pieces from each sandwich. Serve immediately.

Just a few tea-licious ideas for a Tea Moment with Mom! Do you have any Tea Recipes that you love? Have you ever had a Tea party for your family or friends? if not…would you like to? Could we help? Let us know in a comment below or on our Facebook page HERE!