How to Throw a Valentea Party

I’m not one of those people who likes to take their holiday decorations right when the holiday ends and set up for the next one. I also celebrate Valentine’s Day until February, but last year I threw a Valentea party in two weeks and wanted to share it with you all. However, I know people need more time than that and wanted to share it with you all.

Christmas 2021 my friend was given a book that had ideas to hold a tea party every month. She held the first party on January 29th and no one wanted to do the next one, the Valentine’s Day party. I agreed and of course had to change the direction to Valentea and Jane Austen.

Invitations:

So the first thing you need for a party is invitations. I like to make my own cards and sent everyone a Valentine. I used romantic and love quotes from my favorite books.

Decorations:

After planning that came decorations. I’m lucky that I still have the ones from my bridal shower. I have reused those so many times! Yep, I used my pink floral table runners, framed Jane Austen quotes (which can be purchased from this shop); along with pink and white flowers.

Menu:

I was able to figure out my menu pretty quickly as I have a Tea Time magazine subscription, a Betty Crocker holiday cookbook, a Nancy Drew Cookbook, etc. I had a lot of recipes to choose from.

Tea Choices:

I wanted everything to be pink and red as it was a Valentea party so I had MadsenCreations make a Red Chai and Pink Moon Tea. I also picked Tiesta Tea Nutty Almond Cream Tea (which turns the water pink).

Food Menu:

We made Teatime Magazine Orange Cream Scones, Tea Time Magazine Lavender White Chocolate & Cranberry-Raspberry Scones, Tea Time Magazine’s Triple Stack Red Bell Pepper and Cream Cheese Sandwiches, Tea Time Magazine’s Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Eating Well’s Radish Tea Sandwiches, French Onion Soup, Tomato Soup, a tart, and Heart Shaped Rice Krispy Treats.

Tea Time Magazine Orange Cream Scones

Ingredients

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cold heavy whipping cream, divided
  • 2 large eggs, divided
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest until combined. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in cold butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup cold cream, 1 egg, and vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture, stirring until a dough begins to form. Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms.
  4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently 4 to 5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a 1-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch fluted round cutter dipped in flour, cut 13 scones from dough, rerolling scraps as needed. Place scones 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon cold cream and remaining egg until combined. Brush egg mixture over tops of scones.
  6. Bake until edges of scones are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 18 to 21 minutes. Serve warm.
  7. Optional: Add a glaze.

Tea Time Magazine Lavender White Chocolate & Cranberry-Raspberry Scones

Ingredients

  1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  2. ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
  3. 2 teaspoons baking powder
  4. ½ teaspoon dried culinary lavender
  5. ½ teaspoon salt
  6. 4 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces
  7. 1 cup chopped dried Cranberries and Raspberries
  8. 1 (4-ounce) bar white baking chocolate, such as Ghirardelli, chopped
  9. 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
  10. ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl, combine flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, lavender, and salt, whisking well.
  4. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add cranberries, strawberries, and chocolate; stirring until combined.
  5. In a liquid-measuring cup, combine cream and vanilla extract, stirring to blend. Add to flour mixture, stirring until mixture is evenly moist. (If dough seems dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms.
  6. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 4 to 5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a ½-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter, cut 12 scones from dough. Place scones 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle tops with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
  7. Bake scones until edges are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Games:

Game 1: Who Said It?

For this game I took all the romance quotes I had used on the Valentines and people had to match up the quote with who said it.

Game 2: Who Can Name the Most Romance Movies?

For this game I had everyone turn their sheet of paper over and write down as many romance films they could think of in a minute. This was a ton of fun as afterwards we all talked about which ones we liked and what films were our favorites to watch.

I had a lot of fun with our tea parties, and I hope this helps if you want to plan a Valentea party.

Valentea food also doesn’t count.

For more party posts, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party Music & Party Review

For more Valentine’s Day posts go to, Jane in Love

For more tea posts, go to Spill the Tea: Alley Cat Cafe

For more recipes, go to Dragon Cheddar and Tomato Scones

Jane Austen Birthday Party: Guess How Many Sugar Cubes

So as you know if you have been following my page, I just celebrated my 29th birthday with a Jane Austen Garden Tea Party.

In my earlier posts, I have shared invitations, decorations, the menu, piñata, prizes, paper fan making, croquet, and more.

But you can’t have a party without games! The first game was Jane Austen trivia and the second game was a tea tray memory game. I went back to my earlier ideas of creating a Jane Austen Guess Who Game, but decided against it as it seemed too hard for my group of friends that were attending. Unfortunately all my friends who actually Jane Austen fans were unable to attend. So I thought for a while and decided to go with an old wedding shower/baby shower favorite: Guess How Many Sugar Cubes.

So with this game you usually have a jar, or other clear/see-through containers with a lid and fill it with some type of candy, or objects, and have people guess how many are in the container. As this was a tea related party, I used my glass teapot (and I covered the openings with tape to make sure no bugs came in). I fit 125 sugar cubes in my teapot.

People had a lot of fun with this, and my Tia actually guessed the exact number of how many sugar cubes were in the teapot. She chose prize one.

I know I’m sure you all wondering what else could I possibly share but I’m not done! I still have one more game, my music choices, my hair, my regency dress, and what kind of favors I gave out to to share. Stay tuned!

For more of my Jane Austen Birthday plans, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party: Tea Tray Memory Game

For more Jane Austen party ideas, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party: Game I, Jane Austen Trivia

For more Jane Austen games, go to Marrying Mr. Darcy: The Pride and Prejudice Card Game

Jane Austen Birthday Party: Tea Tray Memory Game

Party time!

So as you know if you have been following my page, I just celebrated my 29th birthday with a Jane Austen Garden Tea Party.

In my earlier posts, I have shared invitations, decorations, the menu, piñata, prizes, paper fan making, croquet, and more.

But you can’t have a party without games! In my last post, I shared about the first game, Jane Austen trivia. For the second game I was looking online and I spotted a post by Plum Deluxe about ideas for Tea Party games. One of which was to have a tea tray memory game.

I have played versions of this game in the past at many bridal or baby showers, and a few years ago I did this exact game for a friend’s Spring Tea Party Bridal Shower. This is so easy to do, all you have to do is collect tea themed (or in my case Jane Austen and Tea themed objects). I used the following items:

I wish I had taken a better picture, but I wanted to snap one quick before we played the game.

Oh well…

We had a lot of fun playing this game and people thought it was easier than the trivia game. My friend won this one by getting 17/23, and they chose prize two.

For more of my Jane Austen Birthday plans, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party: Game I, Jane Austen Trivia

For more Jane Austen party ideas, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party Menu, Plus How to Dip Cookies in Chocolate, and a Sugar Cookie Recipe

For more Jane Austen games, go to Marrying Mr. Darcy: The Pride and Prejudice Card Game

A Real Non-Party Animal

Who likes big parties?

Not me.

I hate large parties. I always feel uncomfortable as I am not good with small talk.

Especially if it is mostly people I don’t know:

Or people I don’t know well.

I’m an introvert so the whole big party thing, I find completely overwhelming. Usually I do one of two things: Hang out at the snack table/buffet:

Or unsure

It is one of the best places to be as you don’t have to talk (food in mouth) and you don’t feel awkward as you have something to do. But sadly, you can’t spend the whole party eating.

So the other place I wind up with is children.

They are just easier for me to connect with and feel more comfortable. But even that doesn’t always work out, as what about parties that don’t have any kids?

In those situations, I usually find myself sitting alone and wishing I had a book to read.

Small parties made up of a bigger ratio of people I know, I am great with. I can turn my introverted nature into be an extrovert and have a good time.

But any other situation, and I am ready to go as soon as I can.

I’m out!

I guess I’m just a real no-party animal, and that’s okay with me.

For more on my lack of partying, go toWhen You Shockingly Relate to Mr. Woodhouse 

For more Jane Austen Quotes, go to A Visit to Highbury: Another View of Emma

When You Shockingly Relate to Mr. Woodhouse

So I never thought I was like Mr. Woodhouse.

I don't think this really added to the story.

I mean he is a hypochondriac who never eats anything rich as it is bad for the digustion. So not me.

Whatever.jpg cheese fries

He won’t go out and pick strawberries, he is always nagging and worrying, freaks out over the littlest storm, just not me.

I don't think so

But then I reread the book…

LeavehertoHeavenReading

And something jumped out at me:

What! Mark Wahlberg that's weird

“Mr. Woodhouse was fond of society in his own way. He liked very much to have his friends come to see him…his horror of late hours, and large dinner-parties, made him unfit for any acquaintance but such as would visit him on his own terms.”

OMG gasp

Mr. Woodhouse is an introvert, just like me. And some of the stuff he does, I do too.

StoryOfMyLifeSomeLikeItHotMarilynMonroe

First of all I don’t really care for big parties.

lateidn'twanttocomemrdarcy

I always feel awkward and unsure of what to do. Either I end up at the food table:

Or unsure

Or unsure

Or with children…

bishops wife pointing look over there

They just seem easier to relate to I guess.

I'm still a kid on the inside.

I’m still a kid on the inside.

I mean if I don’t have a close friend there or if they have left or are too busy talking to someone else I feel awkward and uncomfortable.

BookinPurse

Usually I stay as long as I feel is polite and then get out of there.

Getting out of here

Getting out of here

If it is a small group or people I know well, I feel much more secure.

Emmatableeating

Like Mr. Woodhouse I like my group of friends that I know well, not a large group. Plans must be made ahead of time as well. I hate when someone just pops over. Usually I am a mess or I am in the middle of something and find it hard to leave.

Darcy P&P OMG Can't Even

Yes, the life of an introvert:

introvert

It’s not that I don’t like people, it is just that sometimes I need my time and space.

talonePartyMeBySelf

And other days I want to hang, but I just need time to prepare myself for a party.

I-got-this-reaction-gif

heading-banner11970857801243195263Andy_heading_flourish.svg.hi

For more on Mr. Woodhouse, go to Waiter, There’s Some Disney in My Jane Austen

For more on Emma, go to The Austen Series: Amanda