Antique Shopping

I've always loved browsing through antique shops, looking for treasures for my tea parties! It can be easy to get distracted in these kinds of stores, so I like to have a few specific things in mind while I'm there to help me stay focused.

The first thing I make sure to see if they have is obvious tea party essentials like tea cups. Occasionally I'll come across complete tea sets, but it's more common to find a lot of random pieces. You can use mismatched tea cups at a tea party without it clashing, in fact I think it adds an element of whimsy and makes each place setting unique! Another good reason for snagging individual tea cups could be for if you're going to play games at your tea party... they can be used as a prize! There are all sorts of craft ideas that turn tea cups into creative gifts such as candle holders or even potted plants (<---click the pink words to be directed to websites with instructions on how to do these fun crafts)!

Other items I like to keep an eye out for are dishes or trays that could be used for tea parties but that are different than what I already have in my collection. That's usually things that have vibrant colors or distinct prints because the majority of things I currently own are more simple. Antique shops are the perfect place to find unique pieces like that.

Decorations are another idea I have in mind while "antiquing". Table clothes, linen napkins, place mats, doilies, or other embellishments for on or around your table can almost always be found. Also, if you're going to be having a photo booth at your party like I suggested in a previous post of mine, consider looking for adornments that could enhance your display such as pennants or really anything that could help create an attractive backdrop!

Something else I look for are accessories you could wear to a tea party such as big hats, frilly gloves, or gaudy brooches. A lot of times there are cute aprons too which are nice to have for the prep and clean up portions of the tea party. Then of course you'll need a place like a trunk or a chest to store all of your dress-up accessories!

Earlier this week when my mom and I went to two of our favorite shops - Sister's Junktiques Vintage Market and Southern Comfort Antiques - we decided to film our adventures just for fun! I shared our "vlog" on my YouTube channel and it is currently the featured video on my website!

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