Fancy Nancy Tea Party

Nancy is a vivacious young girl who loves all things FANCY. What is fancier than a tea party? Dress up in your most extraordinary ensemble for a posh afternoon tea.

One of the most popular series of picture books at my library is Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor. I knew I wanted to have a tea party for all my fancy little girls and what better way to encourage literacy than incorporating the littlest diva of all?

We advertised this event through our newsletter with the first lines of this post. It filled up within two weeks of publication. I decided to limit this event to 20 girls. I knew I'd be working by myself and also wanted to be able to make everything very fancy.

The Invitation

I sent invitations to each girl a couple of weeks ago. I wrote their names in the bottom banner and dotted each "i" with glitter. I threw in some confetti for fun, sorry moms! "You're invited to high tea, which starts at 3. Remember to dress fancy, just like Nancy!"

Party Favors

Decorating for the tea party was a breeze. I just ordered everything in pink. I knew the centerpieces would be these fabulous pens sent in a Pinkalicious media kit. The Dollar Store had the pots, which I covered with a stylish ribbon and added a button embellishment. I filled the pots with beads.

I wanted to use real teacups and teapots, but that just wasn't feasible on my budget. So, I took an idea (or five) from Fancy Nancy Tea Parties with a little help. Kristi, my fabulous volunteer, decorated plastic cups with sequins. I used doilies to add a little pizzazz as the plates were on the buffet table.

Each table also had personalized place settings decorated with sequence. Having assigned seating worked well for this event. I hadn't done it before, but it was great to mix it up. I definitely had more parent participation this way.

Each table also had a copy of the Itinerary (that's a fancy word for schedule). I greeted everyone at the door and showed them to their tables. Then, we learned fabulous French words like Etiquette (French for polite manners) and even sang a song.

Tulle Photo Op with Tissue Paper Flowers

When I came in that morning, I found a wonderful surprise from my co-worker, Robin. She left tons of tulle for me to use to decorate. I knew the tables would get messy with food and crafts, so I couldn't use it there. But, I thought they would make a great spot to end our Paparazzi Parade. I had the girls all line up at the other end of the room and take turns coming down the runway, while the moms lined up by the tulle to snap photos.

Then, we had refreshments (that's a fancy word for snacks).

I didn't get a good picture of the table, so I'll have to describe it. I had teapot centerpieces with tissue paper flowers coming out of them. I used heart shaped baskets with pink, glitter paper confetti for the plasticware. The super pink lemonade was served in our glass punch bowl. I used Nancy's recipe and added a splash of cranberry juice to make it fuchsia. I served fresh fruit and veggies.

Glorious games. I always plan much more than we could ever accomplish, because you just never know what to expect. I changed this game to simplify it. I wanted to have a relay race, but I didn't want anyone to get hurt. So, we had two teams with eight beaded necklaces each. The girls had to help each other put on the amount of necklaces for her age (5-year-olds wore 5) before racing to the other side of the room. Then, they had to help the next girl with the necklaces. They also couldn't run very fast because the necklaces would bounce everywhere. Everyone got a mini star wand as a prize.

Our chapeau contest (French for hat) used a paper bowl and plate with accessories. Everyone was so creative and had fun designing a hat, which they wore home of course.

Planning the Fancy Nancy tea party was so much fun. I seldom get to do anything so girly, as I'm currently outnumbered by boys. I spent about a month preparing for the event and spent less than $100 for 40 guests.  I can envision this becoming an annual event!

My favorite moment. Spontaneous dance party.

Farewell (that's fancy for bye-bye)!