Start a Ritual of Tea Time with Your girls

and big girls do too. Little girls love tea parties... hats, little teacups, beads and bracelets.

It's as if it's just part of being a girl ... Can't you just picture it? Tea time!
There are so many great reasons to join up with our friends
across the Atlantic and begin the tradition of afternoon
tea EVERY day, but realizing that we busy moms aren't
ready for a big step like that, let's start with a once a
week ritual to build a fabulous habit and tradition or our
girls to last a lifetime!
Why have weekly teatime?
peaceful.... You'll see... Provide a once a week respite from the craziness of life around a cup of tea. Even for kids these days between school, homework, extra-curricular activities, sports and more homework, life is anything but peaceful.

For most of us life is just a little nutty. Let's face it ladies. It's peaceful. 1.
2. It's fun! As I said above, girls of all ages LOVE the
ritual of tea. Something about pouring the liquid out of
the pot into lovely cups... it's just a little slice of
heaven.
That translates to graceful, gentle, soft...everything that you think of when you're thinking of tea. I may get some hate mail here but when the woman was created, she was created FEMININE! Tea is an excellent time to focus on gentleness and grace. It's feminine.

3.
4. It's memory building. Think of years from now when your
girls will be recounting the fond memories of your weekly
tea together. Better yet, imagine seeing your girls start
the same tradition with their girls.
Opportunities abound in tea time to show your little ladies how to be kind, quiet and caring, as well as how to use a fork, sip without slurping, etc. There is really no easier way to teach your young ladies manners than at a lovely tea table. It's enriching.

5.
For this reason alone I think tea time should be mandatory for families with teenagers. As your girls get older it will be easier for them to share what's been going on will create a culture of conversation. It encourages conversation. 6.
7. It's memory building. Think of years from now when your
girls will be recounting the fond memories of your weekly
tea together. Better yet, imagine seeing your girls start
the same tradition with their girls.
Maybe it's time for you to think about starting the weekly
tradition of tea in your household this week. It's not a
difficult thing to do and resources and books abound on the
topic. Start simple and you'll see... it will become a habit
in no time.
Annette Yen is a home schooling mom of two beautiful
daughters who enjoy tea with their mom often. Having grown
up with the ritual of tea being passed down throughout the
generations, Annette loves sharing her love of teatime with
other moms. Annette is also the owner of the website

http://www.funevents4girls.com
where you can sign up for
her free "Tips for Tuesday Tea Time" newsletter.

Teddy Bear Tea Party - Start the Tradition Now!

The joy a stuffed animal can bring to a child is a wonderful and amazing thing and I believe every child should have at least one favorite bear in her lifetime. They're cuddly, warm, and cute and they don't make a mess on your living room floor before guests arrive! Children of all ages love stuffed teddy bears and for good reason!
The Teddy Bear Tea Party! Now, combine this great love of all things fluffy with a little girl's tea party and you have the makings of the grandest event of the year for your daughter.
So let's look at both in just a little more detail. the tea and the teddy bears. Obviously the two main elements must be accounted for...

There are several ways you can create this memory-filled event for your little one.
Remember mom; all the little ones will probably have a good toothbrush at home anyway! More sugar is required in the form of cookies, little chocolates and other tea fancies to complete the tea table. Don't make the tea too strong and remember to have plenty of sugar (get the cubes...little girls LOVE the cubes) and cream for those who have not yet acquired the taste for afternoon tea yet.

You can go with the varieties from the tea aisle in the grocery store or find some fine lovely teas at various upscale tea shops or even online. Blackberry, apple or vanilla are a few of our favorites. Choose a tea with some added flavor. Not too much scrimping on the sugar here, mom...this is the event of the year remember? Assuming you're planning your party for the younger of the young ladies, you'll want to keep the tea simple and SWEET!

The tea. 1.
Or, if you want to get even more elaborate, have a make your own stuffed animal event as part of your party, where each guests can build a bear or other stuffed animal to take home. Providing a simple craft for the girls to make a teddy tea shawl (an inexpensive cloth napkin and some fabric makers or rubber stamps will do nicely) will help to make the stuffed animals more at ease at the tea table. The most economical way to include the animals is to ask each child to bring their own favorite teddy or other animal along for the event. As you know, not all children choose a bear as their favorite stuffed animal so you might want to offer some flexibility here!

The Teddy Bears. 2.
Include the picture with your thank you notes so each will have a grand remembrance of the day as well. Finally, remember to take a photo of each guest with the guest of honor and their bears. You'll want to take plenty of pictures of the little ones, pinkies high sipping their tea while enjoying their tea dainties. Keep the entire party short and simple for maximum memory making and remember your camera and film.
At the end of each year's celebration, create a special page for a scrapbook so your girls will have something wonderful to pass on to their daughters along with the annual tradition! One is never too old to love a stuffed teddy bear! and each year you can guarantee the teddy bears will come along too.

I bet you'll find that the tradition you start when your girls are young will continue on into their teen years and beyond... Celebrate the start of the school year or celebrate the first day of spring. Make this an annual event for your girls. Teddy Bear tea parties don't need to be just for birthday parties either.

Old Tea Traditions

Tea has been consumed in China for centuries, but other cultures are rich in history of this popular beverage as well. Two of those countries, Russia and England have developed decidedly different traditions over the years.
It is said that drinking tea began in China where over 5000 years ago, leaves from the plant accidentally fell into water being boiled for drinking. Needless to say, it was found to be very refreshing and it's use became widespread. Tea was introduced to Europe through the Portuguese in the early 1500's and it didn't take long for this beverage to become popular in many countries and traditions for English tea parties and Russian tea were formed.
This drink became so popular in both countries the each developed certain traditions as well as pots, vessels and cups to drink it from. Although the introduction of tea is centuries old, the popularity of it and the traditions associated with it remain in these cultures to this day.
In the early 1600's, tea made it's way to Russia. Of course, it was only the wealthy that could afford tea at first but by the end of the 1700's the price was dropping and it's popularity was spreading throughout the country.
In Russia, tea is never taken with meals. Traditionally it is taken after the meal or as a mid afternoon snack. For centuries, Russians have used a device called a Samovar to make tea. The samovar is usually put in the center of the table after dinner and everyone gathers round and takes tea which they can dilute or sweeten as they like. Russians traditionally sip tea in glasses set in silver holders and favor their tea as strong and highly sweetened - some recipes even call for tang or lemonade added to tea!
In the late 1700's to well known tradition of afternoon tea was started by the Duchess of Bedford. Tea was introducted to England in the mid 1600's and it's popularity spread so quickly that it was soon as popular a drink as ale!
Prior to that, the English enjoyed only 2 meals - a breakfast and a dinner. The dinner was served at the end of the day and by mid afternoon you can imagine how hungry and energy depleted many felt. So, the tradition of afternoon tea was begun where tea would be served along with little cakes and sandwiches. Of course, this proved to be immensely popular and still is today!
These pieces are still made and used today, and the antiques are highly collectible. Of course the tradition included fancy porcelain tea cups to drink from as well. In addition, small porcelain tea pots were used to pour at the table and they were refreshed with the hot water from the silver pot when needed.

The main pot that heated the water was usually made of silver (still a very popular item today) and this was kept over a flame so that it would be hot at all times. One of the great benefits of the afternoon tea was that it necessitated fancy pieces to for service and drinking.
Lee Dobbins is a writer for
Online Gourmet Foods
where you can
find out more about gourmet foods and
tea
.

How to Cater Tea Parties and Add To Your Bottom Line

Are you interested in a rapidly growing
business
opportunity
Are you looking for that is an ideal addition to your catering business?
creative, fun and exciting
ways to expand your business? If so, consider
adding specialty tea parties to your list of services.
Tea parties are a unique and fun way to reach a large
market that includes children's parties. Many parents
are seeking alternative options to traditional parties.
Tea parties
easily fill this need
.
Tea parties are festive, can be adapted to any theme,
are safe, healthy and are different. All these factors
provide you, as a caterer, with an
instant market and
marketing angles
.
Tea parties can be a great way to expand your business and are a
wonderful option for caterers
, as
you already have much of the equipment.
As a caterer, you can provide a full service of food and fun because you
already have experience
From here, all you have to do is learn the art of tea and you're on your way. in the industry!
A small investment in bulk teas (which have a big mark-up), and possibly some props, and you're ready to
expand your business
to afternoon tea or even children's tea parties.
Children love theme-based parties
and tea parties can be
as creative as your imagination allows. The idea
that a tea party has to replicate an English Tea is
simply not accurate (although some may love this type
of party).
Examples of themed children's tea parties include
favorite books or characters (such as Harry Potter),
dress-up parties or
birthday parties
with a tea twist,
incorporating fun and fruity teas.
As a business owner, you're already
familiar with
methods to promote your business
Use these same tools to promote the tea party aspect of your services and watch your business grow! .
Word of mouth is a great way to start, as you already
have a customer base. People are always interested in

new and unique services
, so this will be one way to
get the word out quickly about your business. And
because this business is unique, many people will be
naturally curious about what you do.
Create targeted marketing materials to hand out to Add the tea party option to all of your existing marketing materials as well.
parent groups
, the local library, childcare providers and other places that target families.
Also run ads in
local publications
that are distributed
to families. When it comes time to renew your yellow
pages ad, include information about afternoon tea and
your children's tea parties. Be sure to add cross-
references in the yellow pages that will target children
in addition to your regular catering clientele.
Running a tea party business is
affordable
As your business grows, you can expand your offerings. You don't need a huge amount of startup cash to purchase teas. and when running the business through your existing catering company, the overhead is very low.
For example, you could begin by stocking some
traditional favorites and as you expand,
add unusual
teas for specialty parties
But don't skimp on the quality of the tea or your tea education. .
You will be surprised to find that many customers
know their teas just like coffee lovers know their
espresso.
Knowledge is power
with tea just like any other gourmet food.
The tea business is a growing one, with sales in the
billions of dollars each year and expanding, with sales
expected to reach
ten billion
by 2010. For those
looking for a unique way to expand a catering
business, tea can provide the creativity and flexibility
to make it happen.
(C) Dawnya Sasse
Dawnya Sasse is the creator of the ultimate tea business training school allowing students to discover the secrets of the tea industry, "quickly and easily" without ever leaving home.
Why do some people succeed in the tea business?
Discover how to "Unlock the Secrets of the Billion Dollar
Tea Industry from the Comfort of Your Own Computer"
and make your tea dream a reality. Free audio mini
course
www.StartATeaBusiness.com
This article may be distributed freely on your website, as
long as this entire article, including links and this
resource box are unchanged.
Copyright 2006 Dawnya Sasse All Rights Reserved.
Tea Events
www.TeaEvents.com

Afternoon Tea With Designer Jennifer Marvin

Marvin-Letourneux put me immediately at ease with a warm smile and greeted me with air kisses of friends rather than the hand shake of a first meeting. Feeling a bit nervous by my tardiness, Ms. This was not the first time we shared it together, but, I venture to say, probably not the last. I was relieved to find my guest for tea relaxing comfortably on the overstuffed chair with her sketch pad and pencils jotting last minute ideas following the meeting she had just had with a bride to be.

Lucky for me, my fellow American in Paris understood the difficulties with transportation due to the student demonstrations in Paris on Thursday afternoon. I was fashionably late to tea this afternoon.
She looked elegant, relaxed and sophisticated. Graceful flat front, side zips with covered buttons on the zipper flap. She assured me the trousers were hers.

I struggled to see one item with her label. She exuded refined elegance in her mélange of Givinchy, Valentino, and Giorgio Armani. "No, no, not at all, it is something I picked up in Italy." She wore python shoes, presumably from the same maker, beige trousers, a brocade beige and cream jacket stopping just above the knee, a sheer floral blouse with tiger-eye buttons and a organza scarf around her neck not obscuring her signature pearls. "Your's?" I was sure it must have been.

I was surprised by her little pewter python bag.
Alexandra Lampert: "You are very discrete about wearing your own creations?"
Jennifer Marvin: "No, no, I wear my own things, but I really appreciate the work of other designers, as well. I always think the ‘total look' is always a bit too much, so I like to mix it up." It seemed she would have rather spoken of the genius of Mr. de Givenchy or Valentino than of her own work. "Their work is and was timeless and two of my greatest inspirations."
A.L: "How did you initially get into the fashion industry?"
My father creates beautiful buildings, my mother stained glass, my oldest sister puppets…" Everyone in my family is creative. J.M: "I think it was just in my blood.
"Puppets?" A.L.
Really great, I especially like her sheep." J.M "Yes, my oldest sister makes black light stage puppets.
A.L "So you have been creating all of your life then?"
Embroidery, beading, sewing, painting, drawing…always making something" I was always doing something with my hands. "Yes, forever. J.M.
A.L. "How did you get from the ranch in Colorado to Paris, France?"
J.M. "You know, it is just how life went; I suppose it was just meant to be, I hadn't planned it that way. I find that if I go with the flow I just end up where I am supposed to be at the end."
"So, you just sort of floated here?" A.L.
"Yes, I suppose you could say that." J.M.
"What can we expect this coming autumn?" A.L.
We have been having a great time designing it and putting it together, I can hardly wait to see the end result." The design process has been such a labor of love and everyone on the team is very passionate, creative, and genuine pleasure to work with. That will be available for the fall of 2006. J.M "I am very excited about the crocodile collection coming out under the label of Vivian Mendal.
"This is the first time you have designed an exotic collection, right?" A.L.
Fortunately, the traditional craftspeople in Italy were really open to working the skins in innovative and new ways while keeping the traditional techniques." It is really a very different niche than working with the leathers I had been used to working with. Fortunately, we have access to the most beautiful skins and some of the finest artisans in Italy for this collection. The pieces can be cut in different ways to produce various effects.

The scales, textures and properties of the skins make the possibilities limitless. Secondly, the skins are such wonderful quality and Mark has developed such beautiful finishes and effects. To begin with, Vivian and Mark Mendal are just the most genuinely delightful people you could ever meet. "Yes, this is the first time, and it has really engaged my passions. J.M.
A.L.: "What can we expect this fall as far as apparel goes?"
I promise to keep you posted, Alexandra." I am currently considering a new branding opportunity, but it is in the very, very beginning stages. I can't seem to give that up, I just love it so much. You know I never stop doing wedding gowns. J.M.: "You know, I had really been concentrating on my leather goods, but have continued with some private collections.
A.L.: "You won't give us a little hint?"
But, we will see…I can't let you drag it out of me, you wouldn't want to jinx it, would you?" I can only tell you that it would be a great pleasure. J.M.: "I'm sorry, I really can't at this stage.
A.L.: "Certainly not! Jennifer, thank you for your time. It has been a great pleasure getting to know you."
I hope we can meet again without your little tape recorder to chat as friends." J.M.: "Thank you, Alexandra; I was delighted to spend this chilly afternoon with tea getting to know you.
A.L: "The pleasure would be all mine."
Meeting Jennifer Marvin this way was a wonderful experience and I am looking forward to that private cup of tea becoming friends "off the record".
Columnist Alexandra Lampert is a self-proclaimed practical-fashionista who shares her time between the world's most intriguing cities but claims Paris as her home.
alexandra_lampert@yahoo.com
http://alexandralampert.blogspot.com/

Tea Ceremony

Each family could demonstrate its roots and richness by serving tea in Chinese porcelain dishes which were decorated with delicate and crafted pictures of shepherdesses and shepherds, kings and queens, flowers, birds and skies. Traditionally the British had afternoon tea with toasts, marmalade, cakes whereas tea was usually prepared with milk which is traditional British drink. During the old times the British was listening carefully to Big Ben in order to prepare tea for the exact five pm time.

The reason is in busy day schedules when people have to rush somewhere, do urgent work or simply do not want to have tea. The British had had this ceremony for over the centuries already, but modern English do not follow this custom as it was two or three centuries ago.
Chinese thought tea ceremony is the time when human souls, their thoughts and ideas could be cleared up and become healthier and more perfect. However, the main purposes of this ceremony were lost. Yet, the British developed the teat ceremony and adopted it to the European cultures. So Chinese were first who invented tea and some tea drinking customs.

However, tea drinking tradition is not English originally because tea was discovered in China and the British were first who brought tea in Europe.
Noble British families used to invite their friends, famous persons or simply people who could be useful for tea drinking in order to discuss the world news and even solve problems. The British accepted the peaceful and healthy ideas of tea drinking ceremony, however they were used to gather for tea ceremony for talking mainly.
Sharon White has many years of a vast experience in The article was produced by the writer of masterpapers.com.
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It's All in the "Tea" Bag - How to Be Environmentally Responsible with Your Tea Bags

Have you ever thought about how much waste you are creating when you drink your afternoon tea? This is, of course, assuming that you use a tea bag. Granted, a tea bag is a small thing - in fact, in terms of waste, it seems like it should be the least of your worries. Better worry-time can be spent on the waste of your daily newspaper or on excess packaging of food.
The thing is, though, even the little things count. People often overlook the little things, like tea bags, but in the end, all of those tea bags really add up to a lot of waste! Sure, your newspaper is bigger, but you very likely recycle it, right? Can you "recycle" a tea bag? No, but you can use it in your garden.
Environmentally Friendly Tea Bag Tips:
The Republic of Tea makes environmentally-friendly · Check for tea bags that do not use wasteful strings or tags. · Look for unbleached tea bags. They will add acidity to your compost.

· Make sure that your tea bags are biodegradable. Even the tea bag envelopes that Choice Organic Tea is packaged in is environmentally friendly. They also use 100 percent unbleached cotton string. · Choice Organic Tea use unbleached manila hemp and unbleached wood pulp for their tea bags. The Republic of Tea makes environmentally-friendly unbleached tea bags without staples, tags, or strings.

· Check for tea bags that do not use wasteful strings or tags. · Look for unbleached tea bags. They will add acidity to your compost. The nutrients in the tea are good additions to your future fertilizer, and most regular tea bags are biodegradable.

· Look for tea bags without staples, or at least remove the staples before you place the bags in your compost bin? They will add acidity to your compost. The nutrients in the tea are good additions to your future fertilizer, and most regular tea bags are biodegradable. · Instead of tossing out old tea bags, why not put them in your compost bin?
In general, tea bags are much more wasteful than tea diffusers, but they do not have to be. The key is to give your used tea bags a second life in your garden. If you do not have a garden, never fear. There are many more uses for used tea bags that may interest you. Tea bags can do anything from tenderizing meat to stopping bleeding gums. They can be used to remove furniture polish, seed a lawn, treat shaving nicks, and more.
Again, though, the key to reducing waste starts with buying environmentally friendly tea bags in the first place. Then, add them to your compost or find another use for them.
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on tea and coffee, please visit
Tea and Coffee
.