High Tea, Low Budget

Not quite able to justify (aka afford) the cost of high tea at the luxurious Empress Hotel, we decided to create our own high class experience. Head pieces and all, we changed things up for a ladies afternoon in. 

Even though we’re crafty, not all our creations are original. Big shout outs to the following sites and/or people for inspiring this ladies night in...

• Nutella Puffs: non jaded
• Tea: purchased from Silk Road 
• Knit Bracelets: inspired by this pin... no pattern attached that we could find so we came up with our own!

Guest List: Steph, Hayley, Cindy. Want to know what makes us tick? Visit our Guest List.

How we eat... round up the posse

Crescent Rolls: 

• Pillsbury Crescent Roll package
• Jam (we used Peach, Blackberry, and Strawberry)
• Feta Cheese (Also would be good with Ricotta!)

Unroll the Crescent Roll dough and break into pieces. Spread on the jam, sprinkle on the feta, and roll up! Bake according to directions on Pillsbury package.

Nutella Bites: 

For details on making the Nutella bites check out non jaded's blog post! 

The crescent rolls and Nutella bites were a perfect addition for our grown up tea party!

How we drink... bottle service

Thinking we would keep things low-key, the plan was tea for three... though by the end we caved and cracked open a Palm Bay grapefruit cooler.  

Pink tea, anyone? Twist my arm why don't ya?!

Silk Road tea's of choice:

• Canton Orange (flavour profile: the irresistible taste of bergamot enhanced by a lively ceylon tea. Ingredients: Ceylon black tea grown at 6000 feet, bergamot fruit essence)
• Casablanca (flavour profile: a taste sensation of sweet spearmint and intense green teaIngredients: Chinese green tea, spearmint leaves)
• Summer Shangri-la (flavour profile: ripe peaches and seductive vanilla create a spectacular tea Ingredients: black tea, calendula flowers, lavender blossoms, citrus peel, vanilla beans, peach fruit essence)

How we jam... who's who on the dance floor

For this week we decided to watch a movie instead of blasting the jams... and not just any movie... My Fair Lady! For us Audrey Hepburn wannabes, it was a perfect fit for High Tea... even with Hayley and Steph singing along to every song... sorry Cindy. 

How we craft... party party party

Supplies: 

• Leftover yarn of any size
• Knitting needles to match yarn
• Thin pliable wire 
• Tapestry needle
• Scissors

Each bracelet was made from three knitted strands (see instructions below), which we then weaved wire through and braided. Once braided, we knit the ends together into a bracelet. The wire gives the bracelet more of a solid shape so they can be worn as bangles.

OPTION 1: (Hayley)

Yarn: Loops and Threads Impeccable Solids (with Glitter!)

Needles: Size 8

Cast On 5 sts

Row 1: K all sts

Row 2: P all sts

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until desired length to fit loosely around wrist

Cast Off

OPTION 2: (Cindy)

Yarn: Bernet Roving in Grey or "Putty" as they call it

Needles: Size 10

Cast On 4 sts

Row 1: K1 P1 K1 P1

Repeat row 1 until desired length to fit loosely around wrist

Cast Off

OPTION 3: (Steph)

Yarn: Vanna's Choice Solids in Brown

Needles: Size 8

Cast On 5 sts

Row 1: K2, P1, K2

Row 2, P2, K1, P2

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until desired length to fit loosely around wrist

Cast Off

How we did... after party

How we flopped... the hangover

• Spread less jam on croissants - it can make for a messy time
• Don't let Steph or Cindy roll the croissants - Hayley has the magic touch
• We put wayyyyy too much icing sugar on top of the Nutella bites.... It makes your throat burn!
• Bracelets ended up a bit thicker then anticipated, but we still were happy with how they turned out!