I recently hosted a surprise birthday brunch for my daddy's older sister, Dale. She turned 90 in March! Everyone needs an Aunt Dale. She is so much fun! I wanted to do something special for her, so I planned an elegant brunch.
I recently bought this beautiful set of vintage dishes. I knew this was the perfect time to use them. The pattern is called "Royal Rose" and is marked "Fine China Japan". I have a full 12 place settings plus several extras. Nothing says "tea party" like rose-patterned china!
I started with a white tablecloth and then added the gold baroque chargers that I bought several years ago at Dollar Tree. I am really in my gold era right now! Next I pulled out my gold flatware. The pattern is "Gold American Chippendale" by FB Rogers. I always handwash this...just in case.
I chose to use my amber Fostoria "Jamestown" stemware. I think I use these more than any of my other colored glasses. The amber goes so well with just about everything! The juice glasses are vintage Anchor Hocking Milano Crinkle" in gold amber. I bought them years ago on eBay for a tea I hosted during Jewell's senior year in high school. I always serve iced water when I offer hot tea, and this day, we also had a white grape and peach juice blend.
I found this beautiful table runner on Amazon, along with the napkins. I thought they both had an elegant tapestry look to them. Not going to lie - I was a little disappointed when I opened the napkins. They aren't finished on the edges...just cut with pinking shears. They are very square, though. I did really like the look, so I plan to finish them myself. I will look a little more closely at the description next time!
I have invested in a number of pieces of smaller gold flatware that is just perfect for spreading lemon curd, stirring tea, or enjoying a dainty pudding. Some came from Temu and some from Amazon. They make great hostess gifts, too.
I've explained before that our indoor kitty, Possum, eats cut flowers. I just can't have leave them unattended! Because of that, I have been investing in really high quality faux flowers over the last few years. Good ones aren't cheap, but neither are real ones. And trips to the vet emergency room are REALLY not affordable. Ask me how I know. Anyway - I found these beautiful faux peonies on Amazon.
I did stop at Publix and get a bouquet of baby's breath and some alstroemerias. I added in the artificial peonies and, Voila! A beautifully convincing arrangement. Once the party was over, and I let Possum out of my bedroom, I threw the alstroemerias out. But I did let the baby's breath dry, and now I'm using it in little creamers and mini vases around the house. He doesn't bother it for some reason.
I set two basically identical tables - one in the dining room for the "older ladies": the birthday girl, her daughter-in-law, my mother, my two aunts, and me! I always like to sit closest to the kitchen as I am up and down throughout the tea.
I put the "younger ladies" in the kitchen: my cousins, their daughters, and Jewell. Jewell served as the hostess for that group of ladies. We came together at the end to visit and let Aunt Dale open her cards and gifts.
I completely forgot to photograph the meal, but I did remember to photograph our first course - raspberry lemon and almond scones with lemon curd. I served Paris tea by Harney and Sons. The scones were a definite hit! Our meal was a delicious homemade quiche, smoky grits casserole, and a fruit salad.
Here is our group! The youngest was eleven years old and, of course, the guest of honor was a distinguished 90! It was a wonderful day of food and family. We all enjoyed catching up and even talked about a girls' trip to Nashville this summer!
One last special touch...We recently had tea at a sweet little place in Mentone, Alabama. More on that soon. We were each given a tiara to wear while we were there, and I thought, "who doesn't want to be queen for the day"?! So I purchased a few to have for birthdays, bridal teas, etc. Aunt Dale got the first one, and she loved it! I sent it home with her. I'll bet she wears it often!
Here's the birthday girl sporting her crown. We had such a wonderful day celebrating her! I hope you enjoyed a little peek. I'm glad to be back blogging. Stick around. I have LOTS to catch you up on!
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