triangle birthday parties

A Topsy-Turvy Tea Party

When your mom is the editor of a parenting magazine your birthday dreams grow grand. In the case of Walker Williams, her dreams were grand and whimsical. Loosely inspired by the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland, Walker conspired with her mom, Premier Baby & Child Editor Corey Williams, to put together a topsy-turvy tea for her fourth birthday. Walker was involved in every aspect of the planning - from selecting the paper for the invitations to gluing the rhinestones on the felt flowers. And the result was just what she wanted.

The ladies and gents were invited by a whimsically printed teapot invitation custom made by mom. Inside each invitation was a paper "tea bag" containing the party's details. On the appointed day, guests arrived at The Matthews House in Cary. The tiny tots played at a "tiny tea" featuring lots of unbreakable tea sets and floating flamingo balloons. The big kids donned stovepipe hats or tiaras and enjoyed crafts like painting the roses red (coloring silk roses) and decorating their own looking glass with rhinestones and glitter. Then it was time for croquet. The party guests headed to the lawn where they hit balls through wickets decorated with huge playing cards. Famished and parched, the boys and girls retired to the table for tea. The main table was dressed in black and white striped linens, and topped with Astroturf. Down the center of the table a garden of felt flowers grew. A fanciful teapot personalized with each guests name sat in front of his chair. Each guest chose from strawberry-green or traditional tea and then stirred it with rock candy stirrers until it was deliciously sweet. The kids enjoyed fresh fruit and finger sandwiches cut to look like diamonds, clubs and hearts. When it was time for cake, Walker blew out the candles on a wildly decadent topsy-turvy cake embellished with Swarovski crystal jewelry. Finally, it was "murdering time" and the kids did their very worst to the flamingo piñata. After many swings of the mallet, the piñata broke open and out came gummy and chocolate playing cards of every suit. Exhausted form their afternoon of rollicking fun, the party guests headed home, taking with them stuffed white rabbits, a DVD of Disney's Alice in Wonderland, and beautifully decorated teapot cookies.