Violet's Tea Parties

05/09/2024

Picture this! Get your tickets today for the best outdoor party in the Bay Area; the produced by the !
will be there along with fashionable friends, perfect picnics, and a slew of antique autos.
https://www.gatsbysummerafternoon.com/

15/08/2024

Looking good and mighty tasty! Appreciate the fig inspiration for my Almond Ricotta cake 😋

28/07/2024

When we were young and our friendship was new. Thank you for being such a bright light on this earth and being my champion from the very start. You gave so much joy, elegance, and artistic talent to our world. You always believed in my dream. Love you always, my 🧡 friend.

30/06/2024

Waiting for the guests to arrive...

24/06/2024

I wish you could smell them!
I'm prepping for a tea party next weekend by baking sour 🍒 and chocolate scones.
Thanks for the recipe and

02/06/2024

This morning's delightful finds at the Alameda Point Antiques Faire ! Looking forward to setting a pretty table for the next tea party this month💜

19/05/2024

Now that the weather is getting a bit warmer 🌞, I love to enjoy my breakfast tea with a good book in the garden 🌱
What's you favorite spot?

19/05/2024

Violet's Tea Parties had the most wonderful time providing delish refreshments at the opening earlier this month! Thank you to Memento Moda for the opportunity.

🍄Mushroom, potato and leek frittata bites
🧀Cheese and fruit platter with seasoned nuts on the side
🥖Sliced baguette from local woman owned .kneaded.bakery and gluten free seeded crackers
🥕Veggie platter with roasted garlic and Rosemary Tuscan bean dip
🍓Pistachio shortbread cookies with fresh strawberries and chocolate truffles
🌺Not pictured; hibiscus tea and rose water mocktail

04/05/2024

💜💜💜
Violet's is excited about this afternoons grand reveal of the Ostara Art Society. Here is a sneak peek of the nibbles we are presenting for your enjoyment...

24/04/2024

is super excited to particpate in the silent auction for the annual Preservation Ball by donating a private proper English tea for eight!
https://www.artdecopreservationball.com/

14/04/2024

Such a delish and flakey biscuit perfect for afternoon tea time! Violet's Tea Parties was gifted a beautiful book, Sugar, from a dear friend Diana Brito. These lovely sesame biscuits with pistachios and sour cherries will be the first of many recipes to try and incorporate into the cannon of sweets at Violet's Tea Parties!
And thanks to Leah Vass they are displayed beautifully on an antique dish she gifted me.

12/04/2024

Saving this!

Laying the table for a formal dining experience.

The basic rule is to start at the outside and work in as each course of the meal progresses.

Dessert cutlery will always be at the top of the place setting with the fork facing right and the spoon above it facing left. The butter knife may also be placed above the side plate. The dedicated curved fish knife first appeared in the first half of the nineteenth century in Britain and has generally since fallen out of fashion.

Cloth napkins should be used at dinner and might be placed on the dinner plate or to the left of the forks.

If a host/hostess is at the table, it is customary to follow his/her lead in placing the napkin on your lap. Unfold the napkin below the table and out of sight. Try to avoid vigorous shaking to open your napkin.

If you leave the table during a meal, place your napkin, loosely folded, on the seat of your chair. In a formal dining setting, you should leave the napkin neatly in your lap, even after you finished your meal, until your host or hostess places his or her napkin in the finished position on the table. At the conclusion of the meal, the napkin goes to the left of the plate, slightly crumpled up to hide any stains.

Each place setting should include all the glasses that will be used during dinner. The exception is dessert-wine glasses, which are brought out when dessert is served.

Guests at a formal dinner party are usually welcomed with champagne on arrival, which may be carried through to the dinner table.

When both red and wine is on offer, the server/waiter asks diners if they prefer red or white wine, at this point whichever glass is not being used is usually removed.

If you're serving a starter, the salad plate (smaller in size) is used and sits on top of the dinner plate. If also serving soup, place the soup bowl on top of the salad plate.

Before the dessert is served, all the used champagne/wine glasses, the bread plate, salt and pepper shakers and serving platters should be cleared from the table.

If you’re planning to serve coffee, this is brought to the table after dessert with the teaspoons, milk/cream and sugar. Positioned to the right of the dessert plate/bowl.

Enjoy! Sending hugs ❤ Claire

12/04/2024

What a great opportunity Memento Moda ! And 💜 we are working together. We can't wait for May 5 for the opening!

Exciting news! I am thrilled to announce that I have opened a photography studio in Oakland! I will be offering artful studio portrait sessions and creative shoots in the vein of photography studios of the early 20th century. I will also be offering workshops and social gatherings under the name Ostara Art Society. I will be teaching and also bringing in guest artists to provide unique, inspiring space for learning. You can find more information about that by following . Save the date for the grand unveiling party, Saturday, May 4 from 4 to 7 PM. Live music by Nick Rossi .modernist and hors d’oeuvres by

11/04/2024

is thrilled beyond measure to be partnering with on their art studio opening next month! 💜💜💜 is sure to be the most amazing creative community space in Oakland and the East Bay.

31/03/2024

Hoppy🐇🐣💜🐣🐇Easter from Violet's!

14/03/2024

Violet's Tea Parties is sending you some love 💋 and ☀️ sunshine with a quadruple 🍋🍋🍋🍋 batch of fresh lemon curd!

25/02/2024

Always traditional and now trendy, an Afternoon Tea will forever be a favorite of Violet's!

Afternoon tea is happy hour's elegant and sophisticated big sister, and it has never been as trendy as it is today.

16/01/2024

Love is always the answer💜

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." -Martin Luther King Jr.

14/01/2024

What could be more perfect than tea and nibbles with friends? Violet's Tea Parties celebrates tea rooms, like Julia's Restaurant . Do you have a favorite spot?

12/01/2024

Nothing like a delicious cup of Royal 👑 Blend tea from Fortnum & Mason to warm up your winter ❄ day.

10/01/2024

What's your favorite kind of tea pot?
At Violet's Tea Parties pretty antique/vintage ceramic tea pots are preferred - they are easy to find in charity shops or online and are so cheery!

I prefer to use a loose leaf tea strainer like the one pictured. For the table and to keep the tea hot, I recomend finding these small ceramic stands with a tea light.

08/01/2024

All 5 of Ruths lessons are super relevant!

Happy New Year to you, our incredible community, our tea family. This year, we are reflecting on the impactful lessons learned from our founder, Ruth Campbell Bigelow.
#1 Believe in yourself
#2 When things get hard, keep the courage and determination
#3 Always pay your bills on time
#4 Stay true to your values
#5 Do the right thing and good things will follow
Read more of Ruth's advice here: https://bit.ly/3RQ5cYr
Which lesson resonated most with you?

27/05/2023

Such a charming 1930s set, it reminds me of the colorful pottery of Clarice Cliff. Maybe someday the lid will be reunited with the sugar bowl.

26/05/2023

Hello Tea Community!
Violet's Tea Parties had the profound pleasure to meet brookebirchteashoppe on Sunday in Albany, CA. Check out her delicious line of teas! Violet recommends Annabelle Blues, a refreshing mint, lemon and rose herbal blend.

You can shop at her Etsy store here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/brookebirchteashoppe

Or follow her on IG:

09/05/2023

Fairy Butter!
This would be delicious on scones for your afternoon tea or breakfast.

This historical sweet spread has supernatural ties.