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Hello, hello! It’s time for part 2 of our Mad Hatter tea party posts! This one is all about table decorations…which really is all about attention to details. One thing I wanted to make sure of was to create an environment that was over the top, whimsical and super colorful.

For the tablecloths we used cheap, plastic yellow table cloths we bought at the Dollar Store, just bright enough to show through the lace material we bought at Ikea. That didn’t cost very much and added the level of fancy we were looking for 🙂 The page runner was made by using contact paper bought at Wal Mart so it was quite affordable, then Ranai cut out pages of an old Alice & Wonderland book and stuck them on in a zig-zag type of pattern, using a glue stick to make sure the pages would stay put. A bit time consuming, right Ranai? But oh so worth it! Next we see the colorful chargers that started off as silver pizza tins spray painted fun, bright colors! We actually used white plates from the Dollar Store which made it again, look fancy on a budget! Last, we wrapped silverware in a cute napkin color, and we were ready to go! 

Flowers are a fun, easy way to bring some color into any occasion. Some flowers may be a bit pricey, but if you shop around you can find that some types are a bit more affordable than others, especially depending on the season. For this party we used pink carnations, orange variegated carnations, baby’s breath, yellow daisies, and pink spray roses. We have a favorite flower mart that we go to for our events, but you can research flower distributors in your area that might be a bit more affordable than going through a florist. Costco and Trader Joe’s also have flowers that are wallet friendly.

As much as we love fresh flowers, sometimes…it’s just not an option. If that’s the case, no problem! There are many places that sell fake flowers that do the trick as well. We found a great assortment at the Dollar Store, Beverly’s and Joanns on sale to add to our décor. On a few we added googly eyes, which put us that much closer to Wonderland!

We had been looking for tea cups, tea pots, vases, cool bottles…really anything tea party related for a couple of months prior to the party. The best advise I think I can give anyone wanting to throw a party like this would be to go into every thrift store, stop at every yard sale (ok, maybe not every store or sale because…well, you may not have that kind of time) but do try 🙂 You’d be surprised at what people are selling and the prices you can get on some amazing items. Ranai and I went to a city-wide yard sale once and bought about 8 tea cups and saucers for $1 total!!! That was a great find 🙂 Knick knacks really help add to the busyness of the table, which is really what the party is about…an abundance of cute clutter. We used little birdies, potion bottles we bought at Hobby Lobby, and printed Alice in Wonderland Quotes and sayings to put on the table.

This party really was SO much fun to plan and decorate and, well…attend 🙂 It was full of color and whimsy which is exactly what i was envisioning for my party. For a party like this, you have to remember: the more the merrier! In this case, we’re talking about table decorations. Remember that the Mad Hatter was MAD! He had a little bit of everything on his table but it all went in keeping with the theme…craziness! Have fun and remember that you can find decorations anywhere you go: a thrift store, yard sale and even your mother-in-laws house! 😀 This party was crazy-cute with little hints of tea party and little hints of the birthday girl. It made for a great combination!