Children can enjoy their very own tea party

My daughter and I decided to take advantage of a recent mild afternoon to host a girls tea party.

Rather than making it a fussy, over-the-top girly affair, we relied on ingredients from the store and around the house to keep the work at a minimum and the fun (and by fun, we mean girl talk) at a maximum.

To prepare for the party and to give it a few special details, we embroidered our own napkins, made daisy wreaths to wear and whipped up some petits fours and flower-shaped cookies.

Tailor your tea party to the amount of time and effort you have to put into it. For a fun afternoon, start the party by inviting the children to help make the cookies and cakes.

We like more traditional teas -- served English-style, with warm milk -- but you could offer different flavored teas to your guests (decaf is available for most) or serve lemonade in your mismatched tea cups.

Embroidered napkins

The designs we embroidered were extremely easy to execute and used only the most basic stitches, which included: stem stitch; satin stitch; lazy daisy (for leaves and flower petals); French knot; cross stitch; running stitch; chain stitch; and the only slightly more challenging feather stitch. (Although my mother taught me most of the stitches we used, detailed instructions for all stitches can be found on numerous Web sites. I found www.embroidersguild.com especially useful when I needed a refresher.

SUPPLIES NEEDED

• Plain white cloth napkins ($4.99 for a set of four at Target)
• Cotton embroidery floss in various colors
• 16-gauge embroidery needle
• Tapestry needle
• Embroidery hoop
• Water-erasable fabric marker

1. We began by using the marker to draw each design onto the napkin, starting with the border. (If we didn't like our design, a spritz from a water bottle would erase our marks. Just allow the fabric to dry and voila, a clean slate.)
2. Embroidery floss comes in skeins of six threads. For the bolder borders, we used all six strands of floss and a tapestry needle.
   For the more delicate lines of the flowers and stems, we used only three strands of floss and a 16-gauge embroidery needle. Work with lengths of floss 24 inches by 30 inches long; otherwise, the thread will become a curling, knotting anaconda.
3. The flowers, stems and leaves were worked using an embroidery hoop to stabilize the fabric. The simpler borders were worked without the hoop.

Daisy wreaths

These head wreaths took only minutes to prepare and were impressive stand-ins for the usual floppy hats associated with tea parties. After our party, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the "Butterflies in the Garden" exhibit at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, where the butterflies also enjoyed our wreaths.

SUPPLIES NEEDED

• 1 wire coat hanger
• Wire cutters
• Green floral tape
• Fresh flowers
• Pruning shears
• Decorative ribbon

1. Measure the circumference of the wearer's head and cut the hanger, adding about 2 inches.
2. Cover the wire with floral tape, winding it and keeping it taut as you work. This provides a foundation for taping the flowers onto the form. The tape is easy to work with. It has a sticky surface that, when stretched, will adhere to itself as it is wound.
3. Form the wire into an oval and bend each end into an eyelet.
4. Cut one of the flowers, leaving about a 1-inch to 1½-inch stem. Cut a couple of stems of filler like babies' breath, leaving the same length of stem.
5. Tape the stems together with floral tape.