Tea party in a box

My oldest friend, Alexis always sends me the most thoughtful gifts for Christmas and my birthday.  She also always mails me fantastic books after she is done reading them.  I have made some cute gifts on my blog, but I always thought that the gifts I gave Alexis were not as thoughtful as the ones she has sent me.

Since I had a cute idea, and some extra time.  I made her a " Tea Party in a box for her birthday!  I know its not a competition between us for who sends the most creative presents.  But her friendship is a gift, and I wanted to show her that.

This " Tea Party in a box" was being sent from my home in Ottumwa, Iowa to Washington DC, where Alexis currently calls her home.

Alexis gave me a copy of "Jane Eyre" for Christmas this past year.  I enjoyed "Jane Eyre" I also love most Jane Austen novels.  I am pretty sure that everyone who loves English literature needs to have a proper tea cup and saucer.  I found this "old school" tea cup and saucer at a local second hand shop.

Any " Tea party in a box" should always include an " old school" tea cup.

Alexis is a huge fan of herbal tea.  This is not exactly the tea that Queen Victoria drank back in the 1800's when she started the English tradition of " High tea".  But of course I included the type of tea that Alexis would enjoy.

I cut open each tea bag,  took out the tea string, and taped on " Tea quotes".  I then taped up the tea bag again so the aroma's from the different kinds of tea wouldn't mix.

I arranged a few other items in the " Tea party in a box".  These items included reusable cotton tea bags, assorted teas, and some cookies for Alexis to dip into her tea.  The reason why Queen Victoria started the tradition of " High tea" is because she needed a snack between lunch and dinner.  

Cookies or some type of biscuit should always be included in a " Tea party in a box"

Alexis's birthday took place during mid May, and I believe she liked her gift.  I have many family members who consider themselves " Austenites". So, I feel like this won't be the last time that I will make a " Tea Party in a box"

Just a few notes as this blog post comes to a close.

1) I wrapped up the tea cup in newspaper before sending it through the mail.  I did not want it to break.

2) Alexis really is my oldest friend.  We are both 29 years old, and we started playing together at the age of two.