It’s Hera’s 2nd birthday today, and we celebrated with a Mad Hatter style Tea Party this past weekend. During the week Hera & I had fun getting ready for her party by making the decorations and games together. You forget how much fun it is being a kid, and preparing for the party together made for a fun week of baking and crafting!

(P.S. For parents out there looking for gift ideas for 2-year-old girls, tea sets are a hit!)
There are some amazing ideas out there for Alice in Wonderland themed parties… Lenny’s Alice in Wonderland site is where I got most of my ideas from, and has soooo many more ideas for Mad Tea Parties and games, it’s well worth a look through for any Alice fan! And The Long Thread has some more beautiful tea party ideas, and has downloads of old-school Alice in Wonderland graphics made into party hats, invitations and garlands.

To share the love of Mad Tea Parties, here are the games we played and how we made them…

Deck of cards party hats : Decorate party hats by taping on cards from an old deck to the fronts. Green Tip : Save the party hats and cards and use them again!

How to make tissue paper roses : This was surprisingly easy. Simply cut out from tissue paper small hearts (about 2.5 inches tall) and larger hearts (about 4 inches tall.) Take 3 small hearts and twist them together, fluffing a little. Repeat. Then add 3 large hearts, twist together, and shape with your fingers. Repeat. When they are large enough, hold the rose and use a pipe cleaner to twist around the base of the heart. Crepe paper also works well, though the tissue paper is a little translucent so it makes them look more real. Green Tips : This is a great way to use up ripped or leftover tissue paper from gifts. And save the little trimmings for stuffing gift bags.

Pin the Grin on the Cheshire cat : The silly grin of the cheshire cat floating around in the air is captured aptly with this blindfold game! Draw the cat on craft paper that has been taped down to a board, and let your kids colour it in before the party (or even during the party!) Then draw some silly grins on printer paper and cut them out. Make sure to make any adults at the party play a round!

Painting the Roses Red : This game is based on the story where the Spades accidentally planted the wrong coloured roses, and the Queen likes them red… so they’re painting the roses red, or it’s off with their heads! This is a messier game, but a lot of fun. To set up and play : Draw the roses on craft paper and tape them down to a board. Then let your kids colour them in before the party. At the party, divide the kids & adults into teams, give them each a can with a little watered down red paint in the bottom, and a few paint brushes… and have fun! You can even send the finished masterpieces home with your guests. Green Tips : Wash the paintbrushes well and reuse the paintbrushes and cans again and again.