A Mad Hatter's Tea Bridal Shower

It's finally here...my sister's bridal shower. I've been planning this shower for over a year and I was so excited when the day finally came. My sister got engaged shortly after Prince William and Kate's Royal Wedding. Along with many Americans, I was up at 3 am to watch the fanfare of the wedding. Sabrina and I decided that we wanted to throw a party where everyone had to wear a English-style tea party hat.

Mad Hatter Tea Party Decorations DIY

For the decorations at my sister's bridal shower, I purchased candle holders, tea cups and tea pots from Goodwill and spray painted them bright colors. This is what my back yard looked like for weeks this summer:

Here are a few projects: Be sure to prime all glass and metal before painting to ensure the paint stays on. I used many different primers, but the self-etching worked the best on glass.

Mad Hatter Tea Party: Alice and Mad Hatter Chairs DIY

This is my favorite decoration of the entire shower. I purchased these chairs at Goodwill for less than $10 a piece. They were ugly and not very sturdy- which was nothing paint, a few large screws and a drill couldn't fix. These chairs were used for the photo booth and for my sister and her fiance to sit in while they opened gifts.

Here is how I did it...

Easy Bruschetta with Fresh Mozzarella

I have been making this bruschetta recipe for years. Its very easy and tastes great. Its an altered version of Giada De Laurentiis's Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Bruschetta recipe. I love bringing this to parties and it made a great addition to my sister's bridal shower menu.

Here is the recipe:

Tortellini Skewer Appetizer

One of my favorite appetizer served at my sister's shower were the cheese tortellini skewers. I saw a picture of these on Pinterest a few weeks ago and instantly put it on my menu. They made a great presentation and was something different than I've ever done. Since the picture on Pinterest was just linked to a picture board, I had to figure out the best way to prepare and serve these. It took a little guesswork, but it turned out great.

Here's how I did it...

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub- Bridal Shower Favors

What is more fall than pumpkin? As I've said in the past, I LOVE all things pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin air freshener... So when I was wracking my brain trying to decide what to give for my sister's bridal shower favor (that matched the adorable polka dot matchbook emery boards I bought over a year ago), I was ecstatic when the light bulb went on and I thought about making a sugar scrub.

My sister-in-law, Jamie, had just given me a case of small 4 oz mason jars- which made the perfect package for the sugar scrub. I found this website that detailed how to make a sugar scrub and created the perfect little fall favor. It took my mom about an hour to make 36 of these cute little favors. I'm super sad I didn't get one to take home, but I'll just make some for myself when I have some free time.

Total cost of this project: $33...about $1 a piece. What a great affordable favor!

Here is the recipe...