It’s about time to plan our annual Emilie Loring Tea Party!
Dainty mice, dainty cups
Do you remember your first “tea party?” Mine was in a sandbox in my back yard. My best friend, Patty Hall, and I mixed water and sand to make a brownish liquid, and we pretended to sip it, feeling very fancy. I had never tasted tea then and don’t remember having watched any of the adults in my life drink it, either. No, my introduction to tea and tea parties came from my Snug and Serena books, stories about cute, little mice in hats and tidy, English outfits, who nibbled dainty goodies and sipped from little cups.
“Let’s play tea party!”
My next “tea parties” were underwater at the city pool. We kids would hold our breath and submerge ourselves to the bottom at the shallow end of the pool. With our eyes open, we sat cross-legged, pretending to sip tea from imaginary cups. I still hadn’t tasted actual tea.
My grandmother, at Mt. Rainier
From our earliest days, tea and imagination seem to go together. My mom’s mother died when my mom was only three, but she remembers that her mother would gather old cups and saucers that could go outdoors and set up a tea party for her on a little table under a tree. Her cups didn’t have tea in them, either. It was enough to set up the table and dishes and pretend.
Emilie Loring’s books were the first to teach me about grown-up tea: tea with the man of the moment in Lighted Windows or with the lady of the manor in Uncharted Seas; tea on the veranda of Karrisbrooke or in the drawing room of The Manor. Hilltops Clear convinced me that loose tea would be my choice, if I ever had tea, because then you can have your fortune told:
My best friend’s tea cup and saucer
“Any grounds?” He held out the cup of egg-shell china. She peered into it and nodded.
“Those will do. Now take it by the handle, swing it in a circle three times, turn it over on the saucer quick, and wish. Be sure you wish. That’s right. Give me the cup…”
“I see a journey,” Jane Mack announced… “It is to be unexpected and will have far-reaching consequences.”
Hilltops Clear
Last year, we had a multi-national Emilie Loring Tea Party. So many of you participated, and it was amazing to see everyone’s creative ideas. While I look for an open date (My daughter’s wedding is in July; things are crazy around here!!!), set your imaginations to work on how you might join in this year. Click on the links below for inspiration!
Aloha. Fun theme. I remember my first tea set. white porcelain with blue floral Japanese teapot with four little cups nestled in its own basket. Have not thought about it in years. Thanks for the good memory. Enjoy your next cuppa. Aloha
I was just thinking about a tea party. My younger sister was so sad last year when she couldn’t be here for the tea. I was thinking of planning one for her this spring. She likes tea. So I would probably serve it this time! But I need to find a tea pot…….
I just read The Solitary Horseman for the first time! Lots of tea in there! Wheeled in by the beloved servants or taken by the river…..
Hi, Patti! I adore petit fours. It’s cake! I grew up with sweet tea and at an early age, determined I didn’t like it. I went to a fancy tea party and they served a delicious lemon one but I can’t remember the name. Otherwise, no, not a tea drinker. LOL
Hi, Vicki! I love petit fours, too! I made five dozen one time, put them on decorated plates, and delivered them to my neighbors on Christmas Eve. They were pretty and delicious, and not so hard to make, as it turned out. I’ve been thinking of making some more for a wine group I’m in; we’re doing French wines next!
The Emilie Loring Collection 
Aloha. Fun theme. I remember my first tea set. white porcelain with blue floral Japanese teapot with four little cups nestled in its own basket. Have not thought about it in years. Thanks for the good memory. Enjoy your next cuppa. Aloha
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I hope you’ll share a Hawaii-based tea with us this year!
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I was just thinking about a tea party. My younger sister was so sad last year when she couldn’t be here for the tea. I was thinking of planning one for her this spring. She likes tea. So I would probably serve it this time! But I need to find a tea pot…….
I just read The Solitary Horseman for the first time! Lots of tea in there! Wheeled in by the beloved servants or taken by the river…..
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Hi, Patti! I adore petit fours. It’s cake! I grew up with sweet tea and at an early age, determined I didn’t like it. I went to a fancy tea party and they served a delicious lemon one but I can’t remember the name. Otherwise, no, not a tea drinker. LOL
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Hi, Vicki! I love petit fours, too! I made five dozen one time, put them on decorated plates, and delivered them to my neighbors on Christmas Eve. They were pretty and delicious, and not so hard to make, as it turned out. I’ve been thinking of making some more for a wine group I’m in; we’re doing French wines next!
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