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More Alice Inspired Music - Mad Hatter'sTea Party Inspiration #6

You could play it at your Mad Hatter's Tea Party, or allow the colours and fashions inspire your theme! Remember to post your photo/video links in the comments here to enter our contest this month to win tea!

More Mad Hatter's Tea Party ideas #5

Today it's visual and audio inspiration for you as you plan your very own Mad Hatter's Tea Party this month. Check out the video and photos and see how it gets your creativity going if you are the party planner, or a guest! Don't forget to post your photos/videos online of your party and link them in our comments here to be eligible for our tea giveaway. Some lucky Canadian is going to win some fabulous tea!

 

  Hope you're MADLY inspired!   

More Mad Hatter's Party Planning Ideas #4

Steeped Tea consultant Patti Friday Kennedy was invited to another Mad Hatter Tea Party. The hostess was Katy McKay of Wasaga Beach and by the looks of these photos, the ladies had a maddenly fun time!Patti says it was trippy good fun. Katy said of Patti, "I really appreciate everything you did to make my "Mad Hatter's Tea party" so much fun. You're a star!" We hope these photos inspire you to hold a Mad Hatter's Tea Party of your own. Tell us about your party here. You could be entered to win our prize of delicious Steeped Tea!

 

Hostess, Katy McKay (a.k.a. The Queen of Hearts & Delicious Heart Tarts)

The table is ready - bring on the guests. They can't be late!

Some rabbits and Mad Hatters are among the crowd!

Thank you Katy, and friends, for sharing your fun evening with us, and good luck in the draw!

Now it's your turn!   

More Mad Hatter's Tea Party planning ideas #3

These ideas come from a different party planning site - and the results will be a less sedate party than those posted last week, I should think.

Remember to take pictures of your guests, or film some of your Tea Party, upload them, and give us a link to your upload to be entered in our contest for Steeped Tea's 5 best sellers!

Plan an over-the-top adult tea party

Sure, tea parties have a certain shabby chic, Queen Elizabeth-meets-your-former-five-year-old-self appeal but sipping tea, pinkies out, and acting prim and proper grows old real fast. With spring approaching, why not celebrate warm weather, blue skies, and little white rabbits with a rousing, wild version of afternoon tea?

The vision: Imagine what Martha Stewart might create on crack. I’m not suggesting that you take “high tea” literally, but use your imagination. Rent Alice in Wonderland if it helps!

The plan: Invite friends to your abode on a Saturday afternoon, post-lunch, pre-dinner. Light eaters can continue on their merry way and be fulfilled well into evening. Your ravenous friends can have a light dinner later.

This is not necessarily a ladies-only luncheon, although it can be. But with the boozy tea and kitschy party snacks, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is man-friendly for sure.

Drinks: No matter how far you stray from a traditional tea party, this is still a tea party so teapots and cups and saucers are musts, as is the beverage itself. But the affair wouldn’t be called “mad” if you just drank orange pekoe with milk and sugar. Be creative and definitely consider spiking the brew. Blueberry tea with amaretto and Grand Marnier is delicious as is English breakfast with Bailey’s and apple cinnamon with peach schnapps. The key here is to mix your tea with sickeningly sweet liqueur for a disgustingly delicious sugar high reminiscent of elementary school birthday parties.

Food: Finger sandwiches are customary at tea parties as are sweets and there’s really no need to stray from that theme. Try to recreate the look of the sugary delights in Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, if you can. And that doesn’t mean baking and icing and slaving all day in the kitchen. Buy pre-made cupcakes and mini brownies and decorate them yourself. Fill sugar bowls with candy and chocolate eggs. To offset the sweet, be sure to serve scones—with jam and Devon cream, of course. If you can’t find Devon cream, buy whipping cream and whip it yourself so it’s good and thick. And prepare a mix of traditional finger sandwiches like cucumber and cream cheese and off-the-wall snacks like mini pizza pockets. Everything should be finger food. It not only looks cute and festive but it cuts back on dishes you have to clean.

Décor: Again, the idea is shabby chic gone wild, like your crazy great aunt’s house. A slightly tacky floral tablecloth is a must. And if you can get your hands on doilies or, even better, crocheted place mats and coasters, you’re set. Paper napkins in a rainbow of pastels and brights will work as well. Buy big floral arrangements but not the real fancy stuff. Pick up lots of greenery and the biggest, cheapest flowers you can find. Combine them into vases around the room and add flair with out-of-place elements like peacock feathers, fake birds, and playing cards.

Guest requests: If you’re feeling greedy, or it’s a special occasion, ask invitees to buy you a cup and saucer. There’s something charming about a mismatched tea set—and that way, you know you’ll have enough cups for everyone.

A tea party is much more fun when everyone is dressed appropriately. Request that your guests show up in Wonderland-appropriate attire. Tuxedo vests, satin gloves, crinoline, and bow ties are very much encouraged as are top hats, of course.

The artist, Kenneth Rougeau, who created the print used in the photo in this blog has the prints for sale here. I didn't want to infringe on intellectual property without giving due credit.

Check Out These Mad Hatters! - Tea Party Inspiration #1

Jackie Clark of Singhampton, ON hosted a Mad Hatter's Tea Party on March 3rd and invited Steeped Tea consultant Patti Friday Kennedy of Wasaga Beach to join the madness. Patti has video posted on her Facebook page here. Enjoy the photos taken at the tea party - check out everyone's costumes, the amazing cake, all the Steeped Tea product (yes, Jackie is eligible for the BONUS offered by Steeped Tea if she wins the monthly draw) and all the fun everyone is having! Even more photos can be seen here. Thanks Patti, Jackie & friends for sharing your fun and inspiring more great Mad Hatter parties!

Wasn't this cake the perfect touch - and I'll bet it was delish with a pot or 2 or 3 of Steeped Tea!

 

The White Rabbit, a Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, Alice and the Queen of Hearts were there...

The Queen of Hearts, clearly in a good mood and serving up some tea...

Simple yet effective decor idea!

Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee enjoying some tea!

 

 The table is ready - let's par-tea!

If you are hosting a Mad Hatter's Tea Party, be sure to let us know about it here, and you could be entered in our draw for 5 bags of Steeped's best selling teas.

Hope that gets your creative juices stirring, and we look forward to hearing from you! Thanks again to Jackie and her guests. Now it's your turn!

Get out your Party Hats!

March ushers in a fun contest here at Steeped Tea, in honour of the launching of the new Alice in Wonderland movie, which highlights a tea party and a very Madhatter.

Host a Madhatter's Tea Party during the month of March and leave us a link to the photos or video in the comments section of this post (we'll keep it at the top of the blog to make it easy for you).

When the Mad Hatter throws a tea party in "Alice in Wonderland," it is not the sedate and dignified affair we usually associate with a tea party. It is a let-loose, crazy, fun time. Planning a Mad Hatter tea party can be almost as much fun as actually having one, from the crazy hats to the table settings. Have fun with this! Encourage your guests to get into the spirit of your event and get creative. There are gorgeous hats, funny hats, homemade hats.  

Canadian contestants will be entered in a draw to one a selection of Steeped's best selling teas:

1-50g of Earl grey de la creme black

1-50g of creme carmello

1-50g of Cinnamon Stick

1-50g of Bella Coola

1-50g of Irish Breakfast

 

If we can see some Steeped Tea products in the winner's photo/video, Tonia will throw in a BONUS for you!

 

 

The winner must be a resident of Canada and all submissions may be posted on the blog. The winner will be notified by email and announced on the blog, and must claim the prize within 60 days.

 

So pick a day and get on the phone, email, evite, text your friends and let's get this party started! Need tea? Give your Steeped Tea consultant a call :)

 

Blog Giveaway - Today is the last day!

Steeped Tea is giving away a great package containing 2 of our brand new savory products: our Caramelized Onion Chutney & Red Pepper Jelly.

If you live in Canada and you haven't entered yet, what are you waiting for? Simply click here and leave us a comment about your experience of combining tea with chocolate. The contest ends today, so click now. We'll announce the winner this week here at the blog and by email.

Chocolate Chai Tea

It's blustery this weekend around these parts, so a hot cup of hot chocolate chai tea might just be the thing to warm up! Remember you still have time to enter our contest to win some of our great new savory products, just by leaving us a comment on your favourite chocolate and tea combination on this post.

This recipe is by Janeen A Sarlin with Noelle Shipley and the photo is by Sheri Giblin. These women are responsible for a book entitled Princess Tea. They write: Chocolate chai tea is cloudy, but the aroma and taste are clearly delightful. Adding a hint of cocoa to loose tea leaves in the pot is the magic formula that will have princesses asking for more. Have a small pitcher of warm milk and a bowl of sugar for each princess to add as much as she likes. I add a little sugar to my cup, no milk, and stir it with chocolate sticks found in sweet shops or candy stores.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons chai tea leaves

1 teaspoon unsweetend cocoa

1 quart boiling water

Sugar and warm milk as desired

Chocolate stirrers

Directions:

1. Place the tea leaves and cocoa in the teapot and pour the boiling water over. Let steep for 5 minutes.

2. To serve, add 1 teaspoon of sugar to each teacup and fill two-thirds full with tea. Add warm milk to taste and stir with the chocolate stirrers. Makes 1 quart.

March Madness is Coming!

No, we don't mean basketball...

Mad, as in the Madhatter!

Disney & Tim Burton have teamed up for another version of Alice in Wonderland, which opens March 5th, and of course, tea parties play a theme, inspiring Steeped Tea to suggest that March should be the month of tea parties to celebrate.

Celebrate what? Your unbirthday, of course... Or maybe one of your friends actually has a March birthday... Or spring... Or, the joy of tea is fine thing to celebrate! So why not gather some friends to celebrate whatever you feel like celebrating and have a tea party.

Photo from a Madhatter Tea Party held last spring

Contest:

Host a Madhatter Tea Party during the month of March and submit a photo or video by leaving a link in the comments*. All submissions will be entered into a draw to win our 5 top selling teas!

Prize includes:

1-50g of Earl grey de la creme black

1-50g of creme carmello

1-50g of Cinnamon Stick

1-50g of Bella Coola

1-50g of Irish Breakfast

 

Include Steeped Tea products in your photo/video and win a bonus!

 

* Upload your Madhatter Tea Party photos to a public photo hosting site such as PhotoBucket and copy & paste the web page address for your photo album into the comments section of the March 1st blog posting (we'll leave it at the top of the blog for the month to make it easy to find). OR upload your Madhatter Tea Party video highlights (just a couple minutes please!) to YouTube and copy & paste the address into the comments section of the March 1st blog posting. We can't wait to see how creative you get!

 

So dust off your crazy hats and get those invites out. We can't wait to see your fun photos. Need more tea to host your party? Get in touch with your Steeped Tea consultant to place an order, or maybe invite her to your festivities and earn some tea for free!

 

Need a little help getting the creativity going for your Madhatter Tea Party? Visit this site for some tips on getting into the spirit!

 

Contest is open to Canadian residents only (sorry, consultants not eligible to win). By participating in this contest, you are consenting to the usage and future usage of your personal information, including full name and photograph/video for the purposes of promotion for this event on the Steeped Tea blog. Any prizes not claimed within 60 days of announcement will be deemed forfeited.

 

Meantime, remember there is still time to win this month's blog giveaway by posting your favourite tea and chocolate combo here.

Happy Valentine's Day Weekend!

Have a super weekend enjoying the spirit of love.

Why not indulge in some tea and chocolate tasting over the weekend? Leave us a comment about your tea and chocolate experience in this post and be entered in our draw (residents of Canada are eligible).

Here's a sweet recipe that combines tea and chocolate. According to Bella Online, In Japan, women give gifts to men on Valentine’s Day, and sometimes it seems that no one has better mastered the art of candy-making than the Japanese. Who else would combine chocolate with tea to create a scrumptious treat? The sweet and bitter flavors of white chocolate and green tea complement each other well, just like you and your Sweetie, and when they’re in the shape of cute little hearts, they’re down-right irresistible. This Valentine’s Day, you can show your loved one just how much you care with the following recipe, straight from Japan, and then you’ll be irresistible, too:

Green Tea Chocolate Hearts

• 1 lb white chocolate chips
• 4 tsp green tea powder
• 2 Tbsp milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Heart-shaped molds or cookie-cutters (optional)
• Extra green tea powder for coating (optional)

Pour the white chocolate chips into a large mixing bowl and set to the side.
In a small pan, combine the green tea powder and milk. Place on the stove over low heat just until the mixture warms and the green tea dissolves.
In a separate pan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat, stopping just before it starts to boil. Then, add the milk and green tea mixture, carefully stirring.
Pour the entire mixture into the bowl of white chocolate chips. As the chocolate melts, stir gently. Continue to stir until all chocolate chips have melted, and the mixture is smooth.
Line a 13 x 9 in. pan with wax paper, and place the heart-shaped molds or cookie cutters inside. Then, pour the chocolate mixture into the molds / cutters, and place the entire pan inside the refrigerator to cool.
Cool for about one hour, or until firm. As the mixture begins to cool, extra green tea powder can be sprinkled on top of the molds for added color and flavor.
Once firm, carefully remove chocolate hearts from the molds.
Serve to a loved-one, and have a happy Valentine’s Day, Japanese-style.

*As an alternative, this recipe can be made, without molds, by rolling the chocolate, as it cools, into small balls instead. Coat with green tea powder, and place inside the refrigerator, on wax paper, until firm.