This American Girl Tea Party is where my 5 year old’s dream came true! I’m not going to lie, I love having a daughter. And this party was so much fun! We made lots of fun pink treats and pulled out the tea cups from my Grandmother. The girls (and boys) loved pouring their own tea and eating treats at a fancy table. And everyone was invited to bring a doll to the party. My daughter just received a new Samantha Doll for her birthday from our dear friend. We are big fans of the American Girl Historical books in our house. So far we have read Kirsten and Molly. We are currently reading about Felicity and I just cannot say enough good things about these books.
Each book has a 9 year old girl from a different historical period. It’s an amazing way to teach girls about history and how it impacted the lives of young girls. I love that these stories give my daughter a different perspective in a more personal way than just learning history. The messages aren’t sugar coated. Hard things happen. Their lives have sickness, loss, and heartache, but they also have hope. And they are centered on families. It’s so refreshing to have these morals and messages about what really matters.
And I love the diversity of the characters. Although my girlfriend and I were talking about how cool it would be to have a World War II book about a Japanese American girl and her perspective during the war. I loved Molly’s story, , but I think my daughter would benefit from a perspective of a Japanese young girl. When we can expose our children to different perspectives it helps them to become more compassionate and understanding. And they can learn and relate to others in a better way.
I just love the historical American Girl stories! It’s not uncommon for me to cry while reading them. I know we started reading these books when she was young (4 years old), but I’m impressed with how much she understands and the discussions we have as we read together. Her favorite present ever was when she got her Kirsten doll last Christmas. Because she’s retired my friend found a knock off doll and I was able to make her a Kirsten outfit. She’s loving her new Samantha doll and we already plan to read her story next.
For her party we pickup out some fun tea party treats. Someday we would love to visit the American Girl store with her cousin! We might visit the Scottsdale or Los Angels location. Hosting our own tea party and inviting 20 girls fit our time frame better. Our treats included mini cupcakes (I tried to make smaller portions for their little tummies), French Macaroons, Sweet Cream Scones, shortbread jam cookies, donut holes, and dipped rice krispie treats. It was so fun to have so many pink treats!
We set up a treat table but I made sure to have some extra treats on the table. They added some color and the kids loved serving themselves. Another fun thing I made were pink party hats. It was a simple thing to dress up the party. Plus the girls looked darling in the pictures! And it was so fun to make a donut tree for the table. It was pretty and pretty delicious. Perfect size for snacking.
I was able to use the tea cups I received from my Grandma. I knew when she gave them to me years ago they would be perfect for a someday tea party. My daughter loved using a fancy cup and pouring her own tea. I probably should have had at least two more tea pots. I think that was the favorite part: serving your own tea.
To keep things simple we didn’t even serve tea. No need to worry about keeping the tea warm or someone burning their tongue. I used water in the tea pot, lemon juice for the creamer, and sugar cubes so the girls could make their own lemonade. Some of the girls, who share our same faith, were concerned because we don’t drink tea. They were happy they could still participate in the party since we served lemonade. Be advised that some kids were really adding a lot of sugar cubes. Although I can’t blame them.
Thanks to the amazing Jen Bosen, from Real life, on purpose for teaching me how to make French Macaroons for the Welcome Bebe shower I hosted earlier this month. These colorful cookies were perfect for her party. Wanna know a secret? I used leftover frosting from the shower to assemble these cookies. I love saving time and money.
That morning I ran to Walmart to grab some last minute items for our tea party and picked up these lovely flowers. They have lasted for over a week. Couldn’t believe it! Flowers are my favorite way to add color to a table. They make me happy. And I just put them in extra Kerr canning jars.
For decorations I used pink wrapping paper and created a poster for the dessert table. White cake plates are a staple in my home along with white table clothes. I use them all the time. I loved this tiered stand I got from Sam’s Club. You can stack them for height or use them separately. I also found these wooden blocks, perfect for cake pops or my rice krispie treats, at my local Goodwill. I just painted them pink to match. Totally worth the .50 cents I paid.
I really loved this matching game I made from the books we have. I snapped a picture of each book and printed off the pictures. It was a fun activity that introduced the girls to the historical characters. And some of our guests had dolls to match. A simple way to encourage reading.
I tried to decorate with stars to go with the American Girl logo. And these star Tea Shortbread cookies were perfect. My husband wants me to be more generous with the jam next time but they were perfect for me. I’m sure this will become a Christmas cookies we make. They are so pretty! I was able to make this giant doll box for $5 plus the cost of the print. $4 on wrapping paper and $1 for white duct tape from the dollar store. I got the box from my SIL who recently moved. The girls loved posing in it and pretending they were an American Doll. And I was able to use leftover wrapping paper for a table runner.
It was an amazing party that I hope she doesn’t forget. It’s just so much fun to have a girl! You can click over to see the other parties we’ve thrown. And be sure to check out our other American Girl post. We love to create an experiences with each book. I cherish the one on one time we have reading and talking together. I never read these books when I was a girl but I am sure loving them as an adult. I would love to hear about YOUR favorite character. Share it in the comments below. And pin this post to share the love!
Happy Birthday Molly and Wartime Chocolate Cake
Kirsten’s Surprise and DIY St. Lucia Day crown
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