Vintage Inspired Paper Doll Tea Party {Party Contest Winners Photo Shoot}

Oh what JOY! I am thrilled to share with you, at long last, the Vintage-Inspired Children's Party Design Contest Winners Photo Shoot!!!!

Several months ago, I held a "vintage-inspired children's party design contest".  The winning entry would be one that I would bring to life, photograph, and feature right here on Kate Landers Events, LLC! It was absolutely wonderful to see so many people participate, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading EACH and EVERY entry.

So much talent, creativity, thoughtfullness....truly, outstanding. I felt blessed that anyone would take the time to enter, and was blown away by the ideas that readers came up with.

With so many amazing entries, I selected the stand-out winner, as well as 4 extraordinary runners-up. This party design is based on the OUTSTANDING winning entry by the most incredibly talented Cari Moretz of Socially Circled. Oh my, her ideas were perfection. Her theme: a 1930s tea party with baby dolls for young girls.

In addition to Cari's beautiful party design which served as the base for the entire party, are several creative contributions from brilliant ideas of the runners up--each stunning and fabulous in their own right.


These wonderful women are: Julie Gallagher of In Good Company with a "1930s Sewing Class" Girl's Party Theme; Leoni Jena of Just Call Me Martha with a "1950's Tea Party" Girl's Party Theme; Elizabeth of Kentucky Mama with a "Silhouette" Girl's Party Theme; Lisa of Joy and Me  with a "Girls and Dolls" Girl's Party Theme.

It was wonderful to bring a party to life, that was a combination of so many beautiful ideas!!! There were many brilliant things from each party I wanted to include, however I did my very best to pull together ideas from each party design to create a very dainty, sweet, simple, beautiful and cohesive party for the shoot.
 
 
Everything I created to bring these lovely ladies' party design to life is very handmade, approachable, and many elements easy to replicate yourself for your party!
 

 
 
I want to point out that Cari had this most spectacular idea of having old fashioned high chairs at the table next to each guest, for them to put their baby dolls. She envisioned stunning peonies, and vintage hat boxes each with a tea set for the guest, tied with a stunning bow. Each guest would also receive a pair of gloves, and crocheted booties and outfits for their dolls {*love*}. I was drooling over these ideas--lovely! Because finding enough coordinating vintage baby doll high chairs & dolls turned out to be an incredibly daunting task {after MUCH research and deliberation!!!}, I opted to go with one of the runner's up ideas of doing mostly paper dolls instead of baby dolls....which turned out *beyond charming*. I just wanted to be sure I mentioned what a spectacular idea Cari had, and say that I would have adored bringing that vision of hers to life!
 

 
Party Design By: *Cari Moretz, Julie, Leoni, Elizabeth and Lisa
 
Styling & Photography: Kate
 
Theme: 1950's-inspired Paper Doll Tea Party for Girls {Cari, Lisa, Elizabeth and Leoni}
 
Color-Scheme:  Cream, light pink, dark pink & sage green {Cari}
 

 
Invitation: Printed on ecru 4X6 cardstock with rounded edges. Image would look like a watercolor of a little girl with blonde ringlet hair with a pink bow headband, dressed in a white cap-sleeve, knee-length dress with ankle socks edged in lace and black maryjane shoes. She would be sitting at a small, square 4 seat brown wood table, set with child sized tea service and her porcelain babydoll would be in the seat next to her. The table is on grass with a small garden of flowers on either side.  The envelope is ecru with a rounded flap and lined in a soft pale pink. The return address is printed onto the back flap in the same pale pink. {Cari}

 Cake Design:  The cake is triple layer (all one size) {Leoni}
 

 
 It's a white cake, with raspberry filling, iced in thick whipped buttercream frosting in white. The appearance of the frosting is not smooth, it looks thick and creamy, but light…like a back and forth motion was used to apply the frosting. {Cari}
 

 
The candles are white and tall, about 6 inches. It’s an overall very simple, but very elegant look. {Cari}
 

Note: Cari also mentioned light pink rose candle holders...instead I used fresh spray roses in pink in a ring around the top of the cake to give a similar effect. I absolutely loved how the entire look came out...
 

 
 
...just as Cari said: "Simple, but very elegant."
 
 

[This is a personal cakestand. For something perfect for your vintage tea party, I highly recommend the pink one from Rosanna Inc's collection, available at Layla Grayce]
 
 
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Decorations: 
 
-Balloons {note: I chose to tie pink and white twine from The Twinery to the balloons, for a fun and different look}
 
 

 
"Decorations include large white and pale pink balloons..." [Cari meant for them to be on long white sticks with streaming vintage ribbons on display in a white vase] {Cari}
 
 

 
 
"There will be lots of pink helium balloons in the main party area where the festivities will happen. When I say lots I don’t mean 15, 20, 25 or 30. I mean, enough to cover the entire ceiling." {Elizabeth}
 

 
"Pink balloons..." {Lisa}
 
 
-Doily Bunting
 

 
"...Use paper doilies; they can be bought in various sizes and colours and can be [attached] onto twine..." {Leoni} [check out The Twinery for gorgeous twine...I used blossom for this shoot]
 

 
Table & Chairs: "The table is a dark wood rectangle table...Dark wooden chairs have beautiful cream colored cushions with a ruffle that falls a few inches down and ties that tie to the back of the chair." {Cari}
 

 
Table Design & Floral Arrangements: "The table that will hold the cake...will be covered in a pale pink hemstitch tablecloth. The cake will be the focal point of the table. On each side of the cake will be a bouquet of pink peonies. These will be in clear vases." {Elizabeth}
 

 
 
[Note: I did a floor-length vintage-inspired white with pale pink flocked dot fabric I purchased for the table covering, with a pink pom-pom trim at the hem, custom created for me by Sweet Tea & Linen. I also did make the cake the focal point of the table, and on each side of the cake were pink roses, as peonies were not yet available here in Boston. I put each arrangement in a clear crystal sugar bowl and creamer to mimic the look Elizabeth described.]
 

 
 

 
Place Settings: "Each place setting is set with scaled to size children’s china tea set with cups and saucers, tea pot and dessert plate." {Cari}
 
"The eating utensils are silver..." {Cari}
 

 
 
"On top of the table will be...tea trios (consisting of a fine bone china tea cup, saucer and cake plate)..." {Leoni} [for similar tea sets, I highly recommend the tea sets, perfectly packaged in a hat-box-fashion, by Rosanna, Inc, available at Layla Grayce]
 
 
 

 
 
 
"For the napkins, linen ones are compulsory...tie each one with pretty ribbon vintage bows" {Julie}
 
[Napkins by Pom Pom Linen At Home available at Layla Grayce]
 

 
Activities, Crafts & Games: {Of course you need only select 2 or 3 of your favorites! I always know there is a desire for FABULOUS ACTIVITIES to do at a party, and these lovely talented ladies have given you many spectacular options!}
 
1. Guess how many buttons are in the jar {Julie}
 
 
2. Play Ring Around The Roses {Elizabeth & Cari}
 

3. A silhouette artist that will be on hand, creating a custom silhouette portrait of each child who wishes to have one done {Elizabeth}

4. "Clothes Pin Drop. The girls gather around in a circle and are given 5 wooden clothes pins and they try and see how many they can drop into a glass milk bottle that is sitting on the ground." {Cari} 

5. "Doll Dress Up" 

"...Doll dress up. The party will have an area with a trunk of vintage {baby} doll clothes they can use. {Cari}

"The girls have been asked to bring their favourite doll to the party so the main activity will be dressing and styling their dolls." {Lisa}

6. Play Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Donkey, or Hopscotch {Elizabeth}

7. Ring Toss: "Place some wooden dowels with shabby chic fabric flags in the ground, place some rope a small distance away, and ask each child behind the rope with a hoola hoop and ask them to "toss" the hoop around the flag. See who can toss the most rings around the flags." {Leoni}

8. "Decorate a hat":

 "Each child will be given a straw hat with various ribbons in different widths and colours . Have a small selection of flowers to choose from. The children then get to decorate and wear their own hats during the tea party. Perhaps provide a board with some photo examples of what they can make. {Leoni}

"The craft will be decorating their rattan ‘party hat’ with flowers. The flowers can be tissue, paper, silk or real flowers. They can also use ribbon. Mom’s would help glue the flowers on the hats. This activity would take place early at the party, so that the hats would be ready to wear for the cake cutting." {Cari}


9. "Cupcake Tea Cups": "Buy some cheap tea cups from the dollar shop, pop an undecorated cupcake in each cup for each child, give them various icing/frosting + toppings and ask them to decorate their cup-cake. Pop in a cupcake box and take home." {Leoni}


 Party Favors {Also Activity}: PAPER DOLLS!
 

 

"Guests will be able to cut, design, and decorate their own paper dolls to their liking. Adult supervision as needed." {Elizabeth}

 

                     {supplies to decorate paper dolls dresses with}

 
The girls can take home their tea sets & paper dolls. If you opt to have them decorate hats {Darling white ruffle-edged bonnets available at Target right now!}, or have a silhouette artist come and create their portrait, those would make perfect take-home favors as well.
 
 
A *TREMENDOUS* thank you to everyone who entered the contest, to each of the winners for allowing me the opportunity to personally create and photograph YOUR fabulous party designs, and the privilege of sharing with you all!
 
 
  Stay tuned for a special post tomorrow.