Friday, July 11, 2014

A Mad Tea Party


Just as Alice found herself tumbling into the rabbit hole, I recently serendipitously stumbled onto the most enchanting blog called A Fanciful Twist.
 I was delighted to read about an upcoming (and wonderfully mad) tea party. Being smitten with all things tea and also a fan of Lewis Carroll's classic story, I knew I'd want to take part. So with some whimsical DIY projects and tea time accents, I thought I'd add a little wonder to my afternoon.

Faux Box Cake
Of course every tea party needs cake, and although I'd never turn down the real thing, I thought it would be fun to make a surprise fool the eye "faux" version which could double as storage for stowing other sweet treats.
I had seen lifelike faux cakes and sweets in a kitchen in charity designer show house and although fabulous, the $60 price tag had me wondering if  I could whip up a similar version at home for pennies on the dollar.

You'll need 
Round cardboard box with lid
Joint compound I had this leftover from my DIY Kitty House
Assorted acrylics and puffy paints
Large round beads
red nail polish
Clear glitter
throwaway icing kit


With pencil trace around lid on box. This will insure the top will fit well and open easily after Compound is applied. "Frost" box with joint compound staying below pencil line. Frost top separately  and let dry.
I colored some compound pink using craft paint and with a dollar store icing kit piped around edge and added quick rosettes.
 I brushed cake with a quick coat of Madge lodge for added sheen. I then sprinkled with some clear glitter and also used puffy paint for some quick embellishments around the rim.
Unable to find faux cherries I gave some large plastic pearl beads a coat of red nail polish and let dry.
 After drizzling some more polish to simulate syrup, I hot glued them on.
Staying true to the story, I added an "Eat Me" sign 
A drink me" bottle with an elixir of water and food coloring

Croquet anyone?
Who can forget the fantastical croquet game from Alice in wonderland. While I have no flamingos on hand, I did have a dusty croquet set in our garage (they can often also be found at yard sales) which I decided to make over for the occasion.
To my surprise, an online search yielded dozens of fabulous flamingo croquet sets for sale as well as plenty of fun DIY ideas for making your own: from basic paint re-dos, to amazing creations using power tools and store bought birds. 
I chose to keep mine fairly simple with some spray paint, fun foam and feather accents.
Though perhaps not the most durable, for serious play, they are fine for an afternoon on the lawn and to add feathered fun to the theme.

You'll need
croquet set
Spray paint
Pink fun foam
Assorted craft paint
Feathers and accents 
Trim
Hot glue
Playing cards


I sprayed my mallets a soft pink color, taping off part of handle area to leave identifying colors.
I cut flamingo heads from fun foam and painted quick eyes and accents
Once dry, I hot glued onto mallet, adding a fringe of feathers and some sparkle
I glued cards back to back, added some flair and slid over wickets 
The croquet balls get a quick hedgehog makeover with multi-surface craft paint
I hope the Queen of hearts would be pleased!

vintage image from the Graphics Fairy

In the interest of thrift and repurposing, I "shopped" my house (and storage bins) for decor and tea time accents without spending a dime. 
My mismatched flea market tea cups are perfectly imperfect for a "mad" tea
A clock and mini teacup under glass marks tea time
An old yard sale moss teapot which I knew I'd use "for something someday" adds whimsy 
A moss bunny from my Easter decor perches on a  DIY "tea chest" fashioned from yard sale jewelry box and featured on my Downton Abbey Tea Post
A mini $5.00 chandelier from a previous party adds ambiance
And of course the all important Mad Hatter's topper
on loan courtesy of my mother's fabulous hat collection
 We had a surprise visit from the Cheshire cat, although he didn't' stay for tea


Thanks so much for stopping by.
 For a link to other bloggers participating in this wonderful event and for more tea time ideas and inspiration, pop over to



96 comments:

  1. I love the faux box cake! Thank you! I do hope you will come visit my little tea party and Giveaway! FairyTalePhotoArt.com
    ~Tricia (my tea party link below):
    http://castlesncrownsboutique.blogspot.com/2014/07/mad-tea-party-2014-and-giveaway.html

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    1. Thanks so much! I'd love to stop by for tea! :)

      Delete
  2. This is a magical fanciful post and party you have provided.
    My favorites are the hedgehog croquet balls!

    http://dogsmomvisits.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-fanciful-twists-7th-annual-mad-tea.html

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    1. Thanks so much- it was such fun to put together- I tried to make the hedgehog look surprised :)

      Delete
  3. Christina,
    What a fabulous idea - faux box cake! That's really good for the waistline...
    I'm adding you to my bloglist... Thank you!!!
    ~Carmen~

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    1. LOL! Thanks so much- yes the box cake is fat free- but of course I filled it with cookies!
      So glad you stopped by :)
      Cheers!

      Delete
  4. What great crafts, I especially like that cake box! Happy Mad Tea :)

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  5. I truly entered wonderland at your magical party, I love all your vintage finds and that faux cake box is a wonderful idea. It would be brilliant for giving presents in for all occasions and even un birthdays. :)

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    1. Thanks so much!
      I was thinking it might be fun to try to make a box cake with candles for (un)birthdays too!
      might be a future post - LOL
      Cheers!

      Delete
  6. Fantastic Mad Tea Pary! You did a great job with your projects, I love that cake and the flamingos.
    Congratulations!
    Besos from Argentina,
    Silvina

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    1. Ola Silvanina!
      Thanks so much for visiting and so glad you liked the post!
      This was lots of fun to put together
      Cheers!

      Delete
  7. Oh what cool ideas! I LOVED your faux cake idea. Perfect for a home staging supply! And your tea party was divine. I've followed you on G+ Thank you for such a delightful visit. My tea party is at KayeSwain.com in the link :)

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    1. Thanks Kaye!
      I'll pop over for a visit!
      It's funny I got the idea for the faux cake from one I saw at a designer show house - (although theirs wasn't also a box and was surprisingly expensive to buy lol)
      I'm still figuring out G+ but will follow you as well! :)
      Cheers!

      Delete
  8. These are excellent ideas! You totally fooled me in the first shot of the cake. Pinning for later! Hope you'll stop by our party, as well!
    Blessings,
    Sarah

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    1. Thanks so much Sarah!
      LOL from a distance the cake sort of does look real-
      so glad you enjoyed it- I'd love to pop by for a visit!

      Delete
  9. Love your mad tea party and the create tips...many thanks
    Happy unbirthday to you and a magical day
    Kerstin from germany
    Cobblestone Prims

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    1. Danke Kerstin!
      So glad you enjoyed the post!
      Happy unbirthday to you too!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  10. An amazing collection of items, and the cake box is so clever. Thank you for sharing the process :D XXX

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    1. Thanks so much Gina!
      The projects were actually pretty easy to put together!
      So glad you stopped by :)
      Cheers!

      Delete
  11. Pretty!! I love your smiling cat!! You're welcome to stop by for a spot of tea @ http://dandeliontwist.blogspot.com/2014/07/its-good-day-for-mad-tea-party.html

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    1. Thanks Kelly-
      The cat got a little computer magic haha
      I'd love to stop by for tea!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  12. This is my cup of tea, a great party with fabulous crafting ideas too! I love to hear such great repurposing ideas! Everything looks lovely! Thanks for sharing! Cheers! ;)

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed the post. I'm a big fan of repurposing :)
      Many thanks for your kind words!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  13. What fun ideas! I think I'll join you for your tea party and see all of these projects, too! Have a magical weekend! Hugs, Diane http://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com/2014/07/through-looking-glass-by-lewis-carroll.html

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    1. Thanks so much Diane!
      So glad you enjoyed it- I can't wait to pop over and visit yours!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  14. I had so much fun at your party, thank you for inviting me. Everything looks wonderfully mad. Please visit me;
    momentsinaneye.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Linda!
      I'd love to pop over for tea!
      Cheers

      Delete
  15. You are an enchanting Mad Tea Party creatrix. I LOVE the pretend cake and will try to make it with our Little Princess. She'll be delighted, especially if we put cookies in it. ;-D

    Drusilla made some pretend food at her Haunting Mad Tea Party, too!

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    1. Thanks so much for your kind words!
      The cake would be a great project for little ones and cookies make everything wonderful lol!
      I'll pop over to check out the Haunting Tea Party- fake food makes such fun decor- I'd love to do more!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  16. Thanks so much!
    Painting the hedgehog was a little tricky- I was going for that surprised/annoyed look I'd imagine he'd have lol
    Thanks for stopping by - I can't wait to pop over for a visit!

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  17. Thanks Nicole- this Mad tea Party has been such fun!

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  18. I'm so glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for your kind words -
    I will definitely pop over for a visit!
    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Happy Mad Tea Party! Absolutely delightful! wonderful cake and the flamingos!!! I LOVE THEM! :D truly fun!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks so much! This was such a fun theme to work with :)

      Delete
  20. You are sooo amazing!! I LOVE your creations, and that cake oh my!! You rock!!

    Thank you so much for joining in the Mad Tea magic!
    A very merry unbirthday to you!

    <3 Vanessa {A Fanciful Twist}

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    1. This was such fun!
      What a fabulous idea you came up with! I can't thank you enough for hosting-
      A merry unbirthday to you too!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  21. Christina,
    The Mad Hatter Tea Party cake is just incredible! I love that you can store real sweets inside which makes this much better than the expensive designer faux cakes.

    Gotta run....

    Judith

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    Replies
    1. Haha- :)
      Thanks so much Judith-
      I happened to have a round craft box sitting around and thought I'd give it a try
      Might try a birthday (unbirthday) version with candles
      Thanks for popping by
      Cheers!

      Delete
  22. I love love LOVE your tea party! That cake is fantastic and now I want to make one for myself. fun visit!

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    1. Thanks Bella!
      This was my first attempt at a faux cake but it was lots of fun to make- you should give it a try :)

      Delete
  23. Thank you so much for the tutorial on the box cake, that looks wonderful, I think I'll try that one.

    Great tea party!

    http://phoenixra.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/fairyland-goes-tea-party-crazy.html

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    1. Thanks Rachel!
      I hope you give the cake a try- It was lots of fun (but a little messy) to make!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  24. this was fantabulous! great creations, thanks for the tuts as well.
    I'm glad I came,
    Susan

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    1. Thanks so much Susan!
      This has been such fun- so glad you stopped by :)

      Delete
  25. I love your faux cake and all your other sweet decorations.

    I ordered pink flamingos for my party but my daughter borrowed them for another party and forget to bring them home. I think every party needs pink flamingos.

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    1. Oh How fun!
      I was looking for flamingos but couldn't find any so had to improvise lol-
      So glad you enjoyed the post!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  26. How amazing are these projects!!! What a wonderful party post, thank you so much for these tutorials!

    http://broomsticksandlace.blogspot.ca/2014/07/a-fanciful-twist-mad-tea-party-2014.html

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    1. Thanks so much Jennifer!
      This was so much of fun to put together!

      Delete
  27. how much fun! love the cake and the croquet mallet!

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    1. Thanks Deborah!
      This is my first time participating in the Mad Tea and it's been a blast!

      Delete
  28. Great ideas and thanks for sharing how to ideas! Gorgeous setting! Thanks for sharing.

    Moments Divine

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    1. Thanks so much for visiting Kirsten! I was worried we had a dry spell and my lawn was less than fabulous lol

      Delete
  29. I loved your DIY goodies. The cake was fantastic and maybe should have said 'Don't Eat Me!' Would have been a mouth full of cardboard! Fun, just the same!
    The flamingos were a hit too! Awesome!
    All of your vintage goodies for the party were just perfect!
    Nice meeting you!
    XO
    Teresa in California
    http://amagicalwhims.blogspot.com/

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    1. I Love it! For the next party I'm changing the sign- that's a riot!
      So glad you stopped by and many thanks for your kind comments!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  30. The photos are just wonderful. So pleased to see someone putting in the croquet. It was a wonderful party and well worth the walk over, thank you for the invitation! Cheers!

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    1. Thanks so much!
      I'm delighted you stopped by-
      The croquet set was in our garage for ages - so glad it finally got some use :)

      Delete
  31. Thanks or sharing your cake box "recipe" I love it!!

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  32. Loved the idea of making the faux cake into a usable storage box instead of a prop... so creative! Loved your party and thanks for the inspirations!

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    1. Thanks Beverly-
      I happened to have a round storage box and was going to use just the base turned upside down-
      then I thought I'd keep it as is and it would be functional too :)
      so glad you stopped by :)

      Delete
  33. What a fun tea post! Lots of inspiration here and I love the clock and teacup beneath the cloche. The 'cake' is very cute and I love the flamingoes! Thanks for joining me for tea. Happy Summer!

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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    1. Thanks so much Sandi-
      It's such fun to be included in your lovely link parties! :)

      Delete
  34. Very nice table for tea. I have always wanted a faux cake such as this.
    Loved having tea.

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  35. I love how imaginative this post is! The "faux" cake box with treats inside and the flamingo croquet set is terrific. I hope you have a great week :)

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    1. Thanks Carrie!
      I had such fun being part of this event! Not sure how often I'll be using the flamingo mallets but I enjoyed making them lol
      Cheers!

      Delete
  36. This is so cool! I thought it was a real cake! So pretty!

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  37. I also love the tea chest, the moss teapot, and those croquet mallets, what a great idea! I have often wondered how to make mallets that look like flamingos but still work!

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    1. Thanks Laura!
      There are some really fun ideas for flamingo mallets online but I couldn't find plastic flamingoes (out of season?) lol so I kept it simple - but they do work just fine
      So glad you stopped by - and thanks for your nice comments!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  38. So many wonderful treasures! I believe I need some flamingo mallets.

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    1. Thanks so much Bill!
      LOL- yes flamingoes are a must have!- don't know how I managed without them!
      Cheers

      Delete
    2. So much fun! A lot of work I could see but no doubt so worth it. I enjoyed your post so much.

      Delete
    3. Thanks so much Beth!
      I really had a lot of fun putting it together - (of course laundry and grocery shopping got put on hold haha)
      Cheers!

      Delete
  39. I am in love with everything you have here! Loving it all. Thinking about my ladies at church doing a Mad Hatters Tea Party and what great ideas I have now! Thanks again. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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    1. Thanks so much Cindy!
      So glad you enjoyed the post and what a fun idea for your ladies tea!
      You might enjoy my Easter bonnet hat making Tea party post- if you like crafting it's lots of fun!

      http://pennywiseblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/in-your-easter-bonnet-mini-spring-hat.html

      Cheers!

      Delete
  40. Oh, these are the best Mad Tea Party tutorials! The fake cake is a real show stopper and the flamingo mallets are sheer genius, not least because they can be used. I have a special smile for the hedgehog croquet balls, too. that face! I'm so sorry I'm late to this party. Just time to squeeze in on more cuppa and a last game of croquet. http://rhissanna.blogspot.com/2014/07/mad-tea-party-2014-white-rabbit-and.html

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    1. Thanks so much Rhissanna!
      This was lots of fun to put together- so glad you liked the hedgehog- that was my first attempt at painting one lol-
      I'm still checking out all the parties too- this event has been such fun!
      Cheers

      Delete
  41. Oh how lovely! I am so delighted by your cake box and flamingo croquet! I cant wait to have a Mad tea party again and create these things for it! Thank you so much for stopping by my party earlier, I am so glad that you enjoyed your stay! I have thoroughly enjoyed my visit here!

    xoxo
    Gigi

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    1. Thanks so much Gigi!
      So glad you enjoyed the post! The projects are really pretty easy to do!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  42. This is terrific. What a lovely vignette! Love the teacups especially, but all of your details are whimsical and delightful... :-)

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    1. Thanks so much Lory!
      I love all things tea so I'm slowly collecting yard sale tea cups! nothing matches but I think that makes it more fun!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  43. Wow! I'm impressed - you did an awesome job with the theme of this tea party! LOVED it! I appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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    1. Thanks Kathy!
      So glad you enjoyed it- it was lots of fun to put together
      Thanks again for hosting your Thursday parties! I always find something fun!
      Cheers!

      Delete
  44. I love Vanessa's Mad Tea Party. I have gone a few times but, too many children at my house this summer to pull it off this year. Love the croquet mallets! So creative!

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    1. Thanks so much!
      This is my first year participating and what fun!
      Hope to do it next year - schedule permitting :)
      sounds like you have your hands full this summer! doesn't it just fly by?
      Cheers

      Delete
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  46. I did NOT see the Cheshire cat grin coming! Now wiping coffee off my monitor screen.! Love the cake and all your whimsical touches - isn't it nice to have some stuff tucked away and be able to shop at home? Love the tea!

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    1. Thanks so much Susan!
      So glad you liked my Cheshire friend lol!
      This was lots of fun to put together- although it seems like my trove of thrifted treasures is getting a little too big :)

      Delete
  47. So cute! I have got to join this party next year!! Love your cake and your croquet set is fabulous! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  49. You are just a great party planner my friend!! The cuteness in this party is driving me crazy to host such a stunning party on my daughter’s birthday. Please guys suggest some good NYC venues for hosting a nice outdoor party.

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    1. Thanks! I'm afraid I'm not familiar enough with NYC :)

      Delete

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