Alice In Wonderland
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!" He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought. And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came! One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. "And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy. 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!" He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought. And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came! One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. "And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy. 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
- I love this theme for a baby shower, bridal shower, birthday party...or even a wedding. It is fun, whimsical and it stretches the limits of your imagination. Here are a few ideas...enjoy :)
The Invite
Don't have a white rabbit? You'll have to settle for the perfect invitation...I love the idea of a playing card or the mad hatter's top hat. I've included a few samples from other websites below:
http://www.inacard.com/ are the creators of this invitation. With these bright colors you can use them for more than invitations, as seen here, they also make a very cute save the date card.
These adorable mad hatter favor boxes are from favor-makers (www.favor-makers.com), and I think they would also be great as an invitation. Fill them with goodies and a small card with the details of your event...and, as you can see they come in different colors to coordinate with your party's colors.
The Cake
While I am completely loyal to Baker Wee (www.baker-wee.com); I had to show off this amazing cake as the muse when planning your Alice inspired soiree. This particular baker hails from Conneticut so if you live or have an event happening out that way you can email her at: [email protected], or you can visit her equally creative daughter's blog to see other unique cake ideas at: (http://laurinapastina.blogspot.com
The Decorations
An alternative to a table centerpiece are these adorable dahlia pom-poms which come from the mind of my favorite domestic goddess...Martha Stewart. Easy to make yourself (how-to: marthastewart.com) or you can purchase the kit at Michael's Arts & Crafts.
The great thing about decorating for this party is the colors you can utilize. As seen above (courtesy of http://www.projectwedding.com/wedding-ideas/diy-decor-alice-in-wonderland) a fun use of patterns and colors in linens, and serving ware can make a table pop. Smarty Had A Party has a huge selection of disposable dinnerware...everything from the silverware to the cakestand. Or you can rent a lovely tea service and dishes for a day.
An ideal setting for an Alice In Wonderland themed event would be somewhere lush and green...like a garden! We have several spots that would fit the bill here in Phoenix, but one of my favorites is a small bed and breakfast in the heart of our fair city. Maricopa Manor is built in the style of a Spanish hacienda, it is a hop, skip and jump from Central and Camelback, near the Biltmore Corridor and downtown Phoenix. They're garden courtyard would make a lovely backdrop for an intimate afternoon tea party.(http://www.maricopamanor.com/)
An ideal setting for an Alice In Wonderland themed event would be somewhere lush and green...like a garden! We have several spots that would fit the bill here in Phoenix, but one of my favorites is a small bed and breakfast in the heart of our fair city. Maricopa Manor is built in the style of a Spanish hacienda, it is a hop, skip and jump from Central and Camelback, near the Biltmore Corridor and downtown Phoenix. They're garden courtyard would make a lovely backdrop for an intimate afternoon tea party.(http://www.maricopamanor.com/)
The Menu
The menu really depends on the time of year, after all hot tea is not really appropriate in the 105 degree heat we have here in Phoenix! Lemonade, iced tea, seasonal fruits, cupcakes, and something light like cucumber sandwiches fit the bill. However, once the thermostat cools off, dust off your tea service and heat up your oven. October is the perfect time to serve tea, hot cider, freshed baked scones and pumpkin tarts to your guests.
'Eat Me'
What is a tea party without delicate finger sandwiches and hors d'ouvres. Depending on the age of your guests you can do PB & J or more traditional fare as seen left; your guests are sure to enjoy them. Serve on a tiered dessert stand like above...it is not only pretty to look at it's good to eat as well!
An original way to serve up your crudites is buy putting them in "rustic looking crates to give it more of a garden feel." ala http://mybabyfaves.blogspot.com/2010/04/more-garden-party-goodness-giveaways.html. You could even add little labels just like a real garden denoting which veggie is which.
Sweet T reats
What says "Eat Me" more than these adorable cupcakes with whimsical bread and butterflies decorating their tops Compliments of Flickr user hello_naomi.
The Queen Of Hearts
She Made Some Tarts...
What would an Alice In Wonderland tea party be without the Queen's Tarts??? AJ's Fine Foods is a great place to stock up on them so hopefully no one will lose their head!
A Candy Bar!
In case your sweet tooth wasn't satisfied with cupcakes another fun and simple idea is to create a candy bar; or buffet. You can purchase containers anywhere, from Wal-Mart and Target to the Dollar Tree. in case you can't find containers with a serving spoon, Party City has a silver scoop favor kit just use what you need and save the unused portions for another time. They also have the cutest favor bags to match any color scheme.
'Drink Me'
It's always good to have an array of drinks for your guests and I happen to love Lorina's sparkling juices. And, unless you're a cactus; water is always good to have at hand. To personallize your bottles like those above all you need is your printer and some patterned cardstock. If juice or soda isn't your thing you can always serve a selection of iced teas! I love the new beverage containers with their handy spigots; they're no longer just functional but decorative as well!
I found this nifty DIY project while cruising the internet one day. A very easy do-it-yourself sticker (for the photos on this how to, visit this blogspot site. You simply print out your image (it has to be a laser printer) attach packing tape (for larger images like above simple overlap the tape) and soak it in water. Et Voila!! Rub off the paper and your image remains and now you have a fun, personalized sticker that is pretty adhesive on it's own, but you can always add a little glue to the back just to make sure.
Before...
And After!
Through The Looking Glass...
A lovely way to say goodbye is with a party favor for your guests. These Alice In Wonderland Pocket Mirrors available at Eclectic Elements with different illustrations from "Through The Looking Glass, are a great way to remember your party...but, any hand mirror (easily picked up at a dollar store) can tie in well with this theme. Wrap it in tissue and tie it with ribbon and all you need to add is a tag...there's lots of great vintage clip art depicting Alice going through the looking glass (like the one I've included below) which can be printed out at home along with a thank you. I really believe that it's the special touches that really makes a gift be it big or small.
