For my daughter's 4th birthday, we decided to combine two of my her favorite things-- dolls and tea parties. I made the invitations on pink card stock with little flowers. I glued two paper heart-shaped doilies together on the card and left an opening at the top so the hearts made a pocket. Inside the pocket" I placed a packet containing a tea bag. The invitation said "Charlotte is having a tea party and you're her special guest! Bring your favorite doll and wear your prettiest dress!" We invited five little girls and their moms. I also had grandmas and aunts on hand to help out since the girls were young. When the girls arrived they were escorted to the backyard for our outdoor spring time tea party. Each guest was given a lovely victorian-style hatbox which I found at a local discount store for $3 each. In each hat box was a pink straw hat hot pink feather boa white elbow-length tea gloves and a necklace bracelet and earring set. I found all of these items at a dollar store. We had a hat decorating station set up with all kinds of fake flowers ribbons buttons butterflies jewels even little pink birds. Some of the items such as the buttons and jewels were old "junk" my mother-in-law was happy to clean out of her closet! The adults helped each girl create her own magical tea party hat. Then the girls got dressed up in their new hats boas gloves and jewlery. My sister-in-law painted flowers and hearts on their faces. Then I took each girl's picture with her doll. The girls were invited to have a tea party with their dolls on the lawn where I had set up a tea picnic with a pretty quilt and mini tea items that belonged to my daughter. As they had pretend tea with their dolls I got the real tea table ready. It was already set with my grandmother's beautiful Spode china (it has a feminine rose pattern). I also used my collection of tea cups and teapots. I trusted the girls to be well-behaved and lady-like. They were! Nothing was broken. To add to the pretty table I had painted little flower pots and planted tiny violas in each one. Each place setting had a flower pot. I also used vintage napkins tied with pretty beaded hair bands that the girls could take home. The menu was tea sandwiches (cucumber and cream cheese egg salad turkey and peanut butter and jelly; fruit kabobs; chocolate covered strawberries; and pasta salad. I served tea and pink lemonade. All the girls wanted to try the tea because I had beautiful sugar cubes with little candied flowers on them to sweeten the tea. Dessert was fancy pink cupcakes. After lunch I played a CD of the "I'm a Little Teapot" song and had the girls do the dance movements: "here is my handle here is my spout etc." Then they played pass the tea cup (instead of hot potato). I instructed them to be very dainty when they passed it and hold their pinky finger up. Each time the music stopped (it was "I'm a Little Teapot" again) the girl holding the tea cup would get out and go claim her prize (a little bag of candy that I created with paper doiles and ribbon). It was a wonderful party. "