Ever since I saw Lily & Thistle's Mini Me Paper Dolls, I have been *dreaming* about throwing a Paper Dolls Tea Party. I absolutely love that you can personalize the dolls to look like your daughter and her friends. Plus, there's just something charming and timeless about paper dolls that goes perfectly with a tea party. Well, this grown-up little girl got her wish thanks to some help from my good friend Sarah Brewer at Click Photo Designs, Bonnie Blue Boutique, Madison Living magazine, and of course, the very talented Hannah Stevenson at Mini Me Paper Dolls.
I had so much fun cutting out these paper dolls! I went with Mini Me's printable option, which super affordable and allows you to print off as many copies as you want. For example, you could have a paper doll designed to look like your daughter for $14.50 and give a copy to all of the guests at her party for one flat price. If you're having a small party, it's super special to have a doll designed to look like each of your guests (discounted party packages are available), and you can print off copies of all of these friends for your daughter to play with long after the party. As guests arrive, I highly recommend having scissors, so they can start cutting out outfits for their paper dolls. Have fun bling like rhinestones, glitter, mini flowers, ribbon, and other accessories for them to add extra flair, too.
Tulle is one of my go-to crafting supplies because its so easy to work with and makes a big impact. It was perfect for adding a little flair to this tea tray I found at Home Goods. (By the way, I'm so excited to finally be getting a Home Good in my town...YAY!) I found some adorable punch cups at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store, which were perfect of a little girl's tea party. Thanks to my Facebook fan, Shannon Belew, for tipping me off to all the great finds there.
Even though it's a tea party, I think pink lemonade is a little more fun and girly, so I served that up decanted in these inexpensive bottles from IKEA. I kept the menu super simple: pink lemonade, teddy grahams, iced sugar cookies, and gumballs.
Aren't these tea cookies cute?! I just stacked up mini frosted cookies from the Target bakery and poked a ribbon-topped sandwich pick through the center. I love to bake, but as full-time working girl, its nice just to take something store bought and make it fab.
One of the biggest hits at the tea party were these Teddy Grahams. Who would have thought?! I'll definitely be adding these to more of my kids party menus. If you haven't seen my trick for making candy jars look fuller with less contents, you have to check it out. I definitely used that in all my jars at this party, including the gumball jar below.
Paper dolls aren't just for play. They make wonderful decorations in this shadow box and peeking out of the flower arrangement.
Love the coincidence of how close their outfits a match in this shot. You can get a better look at some of the glitter sparkle I added to the paper doll's cotton candy, too...I had so fun blinging up my paper dolls.
Sarah Brewer did such a fantastic job of capturing the personality of all the little girls at the party. Love this precious smile! Bubbles are my favorite party favor for little ones, too. You'll get lots of smiles with these at a party for sure.
All of the adorable outfits at the party were provided by Bonnie Blue Boutique in Meridianville, AL. The two outfits above from Persnickety Clothing are my favs...so frilly.
All of the little girls wanted to take the lid off of the tea pot to see what was inside. If you don't serve tea out of your tea pot, I highly recommend hiding some little surprises for the curious ones at your event.
As I mentioned, mini bubbles are one of my favorite party favors for children's parties, and I love to "serve" them up on cake pedestals. It's a great way to give them a more prominence on your table and add height to your display.
This is my other favorite Persnickety Clothing outfit picked by Bonnie Blue Boutique....so precious!
I think details make a party. Even my little tea bags got a custom heart-shaped tea party tag. I also love the pop of color the blue gumballs provide in all the shots. Party City has a great selection of large and small gumballs by color, so it was easy to find the perfect shade of blue to match the paper doll tea party's decor.
If you'd like to see even more inspiration photos from this Paper Dolls Tea Party, check out the online version of Madison Living magazine on Facebook. I'm so thrilled that the party made the cover!
Sources & Credits
Photography: Click Photo Designs by Sarah Brewer
Wardrobe: Bonnie Blue Boutique featuring Persnickety Clothing
Printable Paper Dolls: Mini Me Paper Dolls
Publication: Madison Living Magazine
Cookies: Target
Candy: Party City
Serving Pieces: Salvation Army Thrift Store, IKEA, Home Goods
Styling and Design: Belly Feathers
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