How to Decorate for a Mad Hatter's Tea Party
Take a trip down the rabbit hole into the land of boundless imagination when planning your next tea party by using a Mad Hatter theme. Send invitations, plan activities and prepare foods that evoke the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll's classic tale Alice in Wonderland. Then, decorate your room or outdoor area to recreate the scene from either the story or movie, letting your imagination run free. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Long table
- Tablecloth
- Chairs
- Roses
- Vases
- Paper lanterns
- Large hat
- Pocket watch
- Stuffed rabbit
- Teapots
- Teacups and saucers
- Playing cards
- Golden keys
- Mirror
- Aluminum foil (optional)
- Poster board (optional)
- Clocks
- Signs
- Storybook
Instructions
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Set up a long table in the area where you will have the tea party. Cover it with a pink or checkered tablecloth.
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Arrange a variety of sizes and styles of chairs around the table. Use small children's chairs and tall stools alongside full-sized chairs, and one large upholstered chair, if possible. In the story, disproportionate sized chairs were set around the table.
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Set the table with red and white roses in vases and a large mad hatter's hat in the center. Lay a pocket watch on top of the hat. Stand a stuffed rabbit alongside the hat. Place several different teapots on the table, along with teacups and saucers in a tall stack. Add a few miniature cups from a child's tea set, as well as giant planter-style cups found in craft stores. Scatter playing cards and golden keys on the table.
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Hang colorful paper lanterns at varying heights around the room or from trees for an outdoor tea party.
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Hang a mirror near the entrance to the tea party, to represent the looking glass. As alternatives to a mirror, use a large sheet of aluminum foil or paint a large keyhole onto poster board and pin to a door or entry area.
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Add decorative accessories to complete the scene. Place a little stuffed mouse inside one of the teapots. Paint a poster board with a picture of a Cheshire cat and tuck it into a tree branch or on top of a tall shelf. Scatter assorted clocks around the area, stopping them at the time of the party. Make individual cardboard or wood signs with arrows saying "This Way", "That Way", "Up" and "Down" and hang them around the area to represent Tulgey Wood.
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Cut rabbit paw prints from construction paper and create random paths throughout the area to represent the rabbit running around.
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Place an Alice in Wonderland storybook at the head of the table for someone to read the chapter about the Mad Tea-Party aloud to all guests at the start of the party.
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Tips & Warnings
Have guests dress up as characters in the story.
For a truly authentic Mad Hatter tea party, have it at 6 p.m. and sing the un-birthday song just for fun.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images News/Getty Images
