Jane Austen Birthday Party: Party Favors II

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 some of the earlier pieces in putting the party together and of course I had to go over the party favors.

But I realized after I posted it, I completely forgot to include what I put in the gift bags for the little girls who attended my party!

From Clueless

So like for the adults, all the girls were given a teacup of their choice. I had picked out a few small ones especially for the little girls Each cup cost no more than $4, varying from $2-$4.

I needed more bags than the ones I purchased at Hobby Lobby, so I ended up going to the dollar tree where I got three brown bags with pink sparkles for a $1.

The girls were also each given a reusable teabag from Madsen Creations and for the material I chose this beautiful flowered print in the shapes of different fruit. Strawberries and pineapples were a must have in regency times.

Each girl was also given a beautiful gold teaspoons from Best Starloop. A set of 16 for $15.99 ($0.99 each).

And each girl was also given a bag filled with loose leaf tea I already owned, giving each person a different tea. The tea I used was: Adagio Tea Scottish Breakfast, Caroline’s Coffee Roasters Princess Earl Grey, Crafted Leaf Golden Tip Lapsang Souchong, Good Earth Rosa de Jamaica, Harts of America Sleepynight Tea Extra Strength, Tiesta Tea Fruity Paradise, Tiesta Tea Nutty Almond Cream, Tiesta Tea Royal Breakfast, Tiesta Tea Victorian Earl Grey, and TWG Singapore Breakfast

I also gave them each Chocolate or Vanilla wafers, each one only costing $0.38 in the bulk section at Winco.

But while these were nice, I also wanted to make sure the girls had more fun in their party favors. They also were each given a rose pen and a slinky (the pens were $1 at the Dollar tree and the slinkys came in packs of 2 for $1. I also gave the girls the leftover balloons from the pack I used to make my teapot piñata.

They came out to be about $8 a party favor. The girls all liked it and used their bags to store their candy from the piñata.

We are almost done with my party plans. Can you believe it? Just a few more things to share.

For more of my Jane Austen Birthday plans, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party: Party Favors

For more Jane Austen party ideas, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party: What’s in Your Purse Game

And in other news, Happy 4th of July! I hope you all have a safe and fun holiday!

Jane Austen Birthday Party: Party Favors

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 some of the earlier pieces in putting the party together and of course I have to include the party favors.

So for the first thing I wanted to do was have teacups for everyone to drink out of, whether they wanted tea, lemonade, or water; and have enough for them to all be taken home. I found two at a local vintage shop, fourteen at Goodwill, and two more at a different vintage shop. I tried to have a real variety so there was sure to be enough for everyone to have one they would love. Each cup cost no more than $4, varying from $2-$4.

I was just going to buy plain brown bags for people to take their favors home in, but when I went to Hobby Lobby I found a beautiful printed set of 12 for 6.99 (making them about $0.58 each). You can see three of them that I used for the prizes.

To go with the teacups I ordered reusable teabags from Madsen Creations and chose this beautiful flowered print in the shapes of different fruit. Strawberries and pineapples were a must have in regency times.

I also ordered these beautiful gold teaspoons from Best Starloop. A set of 16 for $15.99 ($0.99 each) was a great deal, and they are so beautiful.

I also filled a bag with loose leaf tea I already owned, giving each person a different tea. The tea I used was: Adagio Tea Scottish Breakfast, Caroline’s Coffee Roasters Princess Earl Grey, Crafted Leaf Golden Tip Lapsang Souchong, Good Earth Rosa de Jamaica, Harts of America Sleepynight Tea Extra Strength, Tiesta Tea Fruity Paradise, Tiesta Tea Nutty Almond Cream, Tiesta Tea Royal Breakfast, Tiesta Tea Victorian Earl Grey, and TWG Singapore Breakfast

And to finish it off I decided on Biscoff Chocolate and Vanilla wafers, each one only costing $0.38 in the bulk section at Winco.

They came out to be about $6 a party favor. A great deal? I think so and a cute party favor.

We are almost done with my party plans. Can you believe it? Just a few more things to share.

For more of my Jane Austen Birthday plans, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party: What’s in Your Purse Game

For more Jane Austen party ideas, go to Jane Austen Birthday Party: Guess How Many Sugar Cubes

I Won the Two Sisters Tea Giveaway

So if you have been following me for a while, you know how I feel about free things.

As I always say:

“Free is always good unless it is diseases.”

So I just cannot resist a giveaway-anytime I see one I have to enter it.

I can’t stop myself.

So a while back I entered the Two Sisters Tea and Tea and Me giveaway. I received my tea at the beginning of October, but because I was in the midst of Horrorfest VIII I didn’t get a chance to review it.

I won one bag of tea and had my choices of Original Hibiscus Iced Tea, Hibiscus Iced Tea with Cardamom, Hibiscus Iced Tea with Cinnamon, and Hibiscus Iced Tea with Dried Pineapple. You know me and making decisions…

Which way…?

So I told them to send whichever, and I waited for it to arrive.

I received the Original Hibiscus Iced Tea which contains 3 family sized teabags of whole hibiscus flowers, each makes 80 fl oz./2.3 liters.

The Two Sisters of Two Sisters Tea are Jennifer Michelle and Claudia Maria. The sisters grew up drinking Rosa de Jamaica, or Jamaican Rose, tea in Guatemala. After moving to America, it was hard getting it, so the two created their own company to share the amazing health benefits of Jamaican Rose Iced Tea and bring it into every home.

So when I opened the iced tea, there were these giant tea bags. I felt a little unsure how much to do, but on the back of the package it gives clear directions on how much water and sugar are needed.

And then I made it and just had to wait…

It was pretty good, not what I usually drink, but I enjoyed it. It was extremely refreshing as well.

A friend of mine saw it and loves hibiscus tea so I sent some off with her and she loved it as well.

My friend is actually Elizabeth.

So if Hibiscus Iced Tea is your thing, you should definitely check them out!

For more giveaways, go to I Won the Regency Marketplace Giveaway

For more tea posts, go to Green Tea Frappuccino

For more on the Tea and Me blog, go to I Tried Tea & Me’s Tea Infused Facial Cubes

So a few years back I was given a collection of five teas, A World of Teas. As I was about to try them out, I started thinking, which books would best suit the teas? After all nothing goes better together than a good book and a delicious tea. I decided to repeat it with the teas I won in the Regency Marketplace Giveaway. Since that went so well, I think it will just be my new thing. After all:

 

Original Hibiscus Iced Tea

So something set in Latin America, involving sisters-the first book that popped in my head and stayed in it was:

In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

I first came upon on this book when I read How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Before We Were Free; both part of a recommended reading list. I enjoyed Alvarez’s style of writing and was intrigued by her account of living under the dictatorship Rafael Trujillo-something that she experienced along with having her father be a part of the resistance movement. At the time I was reading it I knew extremely little about this time in history-but her words hooked me and caused me to research about it.

I must find out more.

Out of all the books, the story In the Time of Butterflies was the one that really stuck with me. It tells a fictional account of the four Mirabal Sisters, known as Las Mariposas (Butterflies)-Patria, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Dedé- who take a stand against their dictator and fought to save their country and their people.

“We cannot allow our children to grow up in this corrupt and tyrannical regime. We have to fight against it, and I am willing to give up everything, even my life if necessary.” -Patria Mirabal

Alvarez took an already amazing story and brought the sisters and their bravery, freedom, and all they did and stood for back to life again.

I recommend reading it with a glass of Two Sisters Tea Rosa de Jamaica.