A Book Packed with Tea Party Ideas

At the World Tea Expo a few weeks ago, Alda Ellis had run out of copies of her book, "Sentimental Living from the Porch," so I ordered one and had it mailed to me. As soon as I opened it the other night and saw all the wonderful photos and ideas, I knew this would be a book I will turn to again and again as I plan tea parties for friends and family throughout the year.

Already, I've experimented with several ideas in the book. Alda likes to give friends treats of little bags of flavored sugar for sweetening tea. It's quite a simple recipe (one cup of sugar, one .23-ounce package of Kool-Aid), and I tried the lemon flavor and thought it was pretty good!

I also liked her idea of embellishing a vintage Mason jar, something that's extra "sentimental" to Alda because Mason is her maiden name and the name of one of her sons. She uses a handkerchief as a collar for the jar and accents it with a vintage clip earring. These are just the first two ideas I've used, but she has lots more I plan to try: stringing old beads to make candle lanterns with old Mason jars or sugar bowls, stitching up a quick quilt out of floral fabrics and buttons, etc. And one of the most amazing tips I got when she spoke at the tea expo: Did you know that all tea light candles FLOAT? I tried both a plastic one and metal one, and lo and behold, they float. The book is organized according to the seasons, and I can't wait to use it this fall and during the Christmas holidays.