American Girl Tea Party

My youngest baby recently had her 8th birthday (sheesh -- how is it possible that time moves so quickly?).  To celebrate, she wanted an American Girl-themed tea and crafts party.  Since this is probably the 10th tea and crafts (of some description) type party that I've had for my girls, I feel like we've got the basic idea pretty well down.

For this party, we decorated the dining room with bright pink and lime green, to coordinate with the American Girl paper goods and cupcake stand.  I used lime green tulle to put bows on each chair and dress up the chandelier.  We had a small group, so I kept the food pretty simple.  We had cupcakes (girl-sized and doll-sized) for the girls to decorate, as well as gingerbread cookies.  We made tea sandwiches (pb&j and cheese) and cut them into hearts and flower shapes with cookie cutters.  We served juice for most of the girls, but a few brave little souls tried hot tea (with lots of sugar!).

Before we ate, the girls used an American Girl craft kit to make and decorate a crown for their dolls.

After crafts and tea, the girls played a few games and then opened presents.  Each girl took home a goodie bag of American Girl craft goodies and candy.  A fun time was had by all, but mostly by the birthday girl, who was thrilled!

Now that the party is done, it's full speed ahead on Christmas!  My goal is to be finished decorating by Dec. 1 -- hopefully I'll meet that goal and have a few pics to share soon.

Hope you are having a wonderful start to the holiday season!