charlys-room: How to Create A Beautiful Tea Stand...

I have always been in love the romanticism of English teas.

If you have ever read the 'Anne of Green Gables' series, you know how well those afternoon teas were described and how scrumptious they sounded!

English afternoon teas were often a mid-afternoon petite meal consisting of small savory sandwiches, scones and sweets...along with a good pot of tea.

I am going to show how you can create a beautiful tea stand in mere minutes even if you don't have time to make everything/anything yourself.

1. Start with a 3 tier stand or 3 pretty plates.

I scored my silver tea stand at Goodwill for $8. Yard sales and thrift shops are a good place to find fun & traditional tea stands. If you don't have a tiered stand...no problem! Plates work just fine. Line the plates with white paper doilies or napkins. I cut strips of orange napkins to line my plates because I wanted a pop of colour.

2. Add sandwiches on the bottom or largest plate.

If you don't have time to make sandwiches, buy them! I bought theses wraps from the grocery store and then cut them into small pieces myself. Trim around the sandwiches with veggies and pickles. I used a bag of baby carrots and sliced an English cucumber.

3. Add scones and fruit on the second or medium plate.

I made scones for this tea because I **love** homemade scones {find my recipe for Pumpkin Spice Scones with Maple Cinnamon Frosting here.} and the effort was worth it to me. But you could easily buy scones or biscuits for this plate. Adding strawberries is great for a pop of colour, but any fruit would look lovely...grapes, kiwi, watermelon.

4. Fill the smallest plate or top plate with sweets.

This plate can hold just 1 type of sweet or a few different things...your choice.I bought some sugar cookies because I was so pressed for time. A box of chocolates would also work for this plate, as well as cheese & fruit.

And now you should have a beautiful looking tea set out for some family or friends. This would make such a great little birthday party or small shower for a special person, don't you think?