INVITATIONS:
On paper doilies, write out the invitation to the guest and their favorite teddy bear or doll. Make sure to tell your guests to wear their frilliest dresses.
DECORATIONS:
Put a white cotton or linen table cloth over the table. Decorate the table as lovely as you can, with cloth napkins in napkin rings (simply snip empty paper towel rolls into 1-inch tubes, cover with paper or foil, glue on a silk flower for embellishment, and slip the napkin inside). Put flowers on the table, and battery powered candles (do not use open flames).
f you don't have a tea set, go to a thrift store and get a set. Even mix-and-match pieces will be fun.
Dress your teddy bears in old baby dresses-- the fancier, the better! Seat them around their own little table (which can be a milk crate with a cloth over it). Go to a dollar store and purchase a small plastic tea set and set the teddy bear table.
Set aside a dressing/craft area. Collect some old hats from friends, garage sales or thrift shops. Set them out with pipe cleaners and silk flowers. Go to a dollar store and get some play jewelry and make up sets.
ACTIVITIES:
When the girls arrive, let them set their teddy bears down on the sofa to mingle and direct the girls to the dressing/craft area. Braid hair, put on make up, let them each choose a hat to decorate with flowers and ribbons, let them put on their make up and jewelry. Non-toxic nail polish, pretty hair bows and clips, and perfume spray bottles filled with water and a dash of lemon juice make a nice touch.
Have a fashion show for the girls. Take a picture of each girl once she is all gussied up, sitting on the couch with the teddy bears. These will be great keepsakes for your scrapbook, and make a lovely addition to thank you notes later on. If you have an instant camera, you can place each girl's photo in her goody bag.
Let them sit in a circle and let every girl introduce their teddy bear or doll and share something about their friend with the others.
Play games such as duck, duck, goose, or ring around the rosie, letting the teddy bears and dolls in on the game.
REFRESHMENTS:
Serve little finger sandwiches cut into floral shapes with a cookie cutter: peanut butter and jelly, cream cheese and jelly, tuna fish, or cheese.
Serve iced tea or juice in the tea pot.
Finger foods such as cheese balls, animal crackers, or sliced fruit make a nice addition to the table.
Instead of using a traditional cake, make a giant cookie cake. Get your favorite cookie dough mix, or make your own from scratch. Place it on a non-stick pizza sheet (or on parchment paper on a baking tray) in a lump in the middle. Gently flatten it down a bit, trying to keep it in a round shape. Bake it until the edges are golden brown and the top looks done. Cool it, the decorate it with royal icing. Write something on it like, "Have a Beary Happy Birthay!" Break of large chunks of cookies for the girls to share with their tea.
GOODY BAGS:
Get some little, plastic, discount store purses and fill it with imitation jewelry and cosmetics, teddy bear stickers and miniature coloring books, little bear lapel pins, and, if you have it, the instant snapshot of the guest.
