If you've read my posts, you know I adore tea, and it is pretty much my beverage of choice. In honor of the spooky season, I thought it might be fun to host a Dark Tea. I hope you enjoy the post.
Gathering your ghouls
When planning a party, of course you must begin with the invites. Don't get me wrong, I love Evites just as much as the next girl....it is very convenient. I still appreciate a good old-fashioned mailed invitation as well. I also adore handmade invitations. It makes me feel that the host took time and spent energy to create something extra-special for their guests. Here is my version of a spooky boxed invitation. To view the tutorial, you may visit the post on my blog The Crafting Table by clicking here.
Planning your menu
Spooky eats and treats are a must when planning this sort of sioree. A great go-to resource is MarthaStewart.com! There are so many great ideas. Choosing macabre-looking food is a kitschy and fun way to spice up your dark event. Here are a couple of ideas I've come up with myself.
Vette's Vampy Tea
The blood-red color of this tea fits perfectly in my theme! To view the recipe, please visit the post on my other blog Parsimonious Pabulum by clicking here.
Super-easy Poison Apples
Don't these look naughty (but nice)? These creepy apples are great for the Fall season, and are incredibly easy to make. To view the recipe, visit the post here on my blog Parsimonious Pabulum.
Gifts for guests
It is always nice to provide a small trinket or gift for your guests to take away from your party. I decided little sachets with tea inside would be a darling gift for tea party guests. They are inexpensive, and so simple! To see the tutorial, visit the post on The Crafting Table here.
For proper attire to this dark tea, guests are asked to please don a mini Victorian top hat. These little hats are also a great gift for friends to take away. To see the tutorial, visit the post on The Crafting Table here.
Who is this daffy gal? Why, it is the lady of the manor! ;)
Setting the Table
Finally, before guests arrive, it's time for my favorite part....setting the table. For a dark or goth tea, color choice is imperative. Dark red, black, royal purple, and shocking blue are great colors! My personal preference is setting a table in dark reds or plum and black with Victorian elements.
I began by setting this red tablecloth on the round table in my foyer. I also added my wrought iron candle holder with a red candle inside.
To make it appear like a darker red, and to provide a spooky element, I placed my spider web cloth directly over the red cloth.
Next, my Reed and Barton silver punch bowl and cups to give it old-world charm (even though Reed and Barton is American, I thought it was fitting). I filled the bowl with some of Vette's Vampy tea, and also prepared several cups so they would be ready.
Closer shot. I love the way the dark red plays against the silver!
Next, I placed these skull candle holders and red candles inside.
A dark red charger,
filled with Poison Apples came next.
A black charger,
and premade sachets sat next to the apples.
I browsed my library in search of books with dark-colored bindings....The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and The Works of H G Wells worked nicely. I added them and one more book to create a stand on which to set my mirror.
The final touch.....spooky black netting over one side of the mirror.
Here are a few shots.
Here are a few more shots.
Without mirror
Which do you prefer?
Closeups
If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives! You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling. You might like to visit my other blog hubs,
The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and
Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub.
Follow me on Pinterest!! Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest! Thank you!
Thank you for stopping by! ❤
