How to Decorate for a Sweet 16 Victorian Party

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The ideal number of girls to invite to a Sweet 16 Tea Party is of course 16. There are tons of Sweet Sixteen party ideas out there, but the classic tea party is probably the most romantic and also the most intimate. The format for this party is based on a proper Victorian tea party with lots of angels, fairies and cherubs as themes. If you want this party to have a bit of a dramatic edge you can ask your guests to wear “Angel’s Wings.”

Another idea would be to ask each girl to wear a tiara and phrase the Sweet Sixteen Invitation as “Have Tea With The Queen of Sweet Sixteen.” Otherwise you could phrase your Sweet Sixteen invitation like this “You are invited to My Sweet Sixteen Party. Dress: Big Hats, Victorian Dresses, White. Gloves.”

Also on your Sweet Sixteen invitation you will want to include the Menu, which is modeled after a proper British tea.Of all of the Sweet Sixteen Tea Party ideas, the Victorian inspired party is one of the easiest to realize. Using lace tablecloths with pink or floral linens and china can easily achieve the prim and look of the Victorian era. The china can be pure white, but a floral china or silver tea set suits this party perfectly. Botanical illustrations of flowers, dragonflies and bees are also symbols of the Victorian era. For each guest, you will need a teacup and saucer, dessert plate, silverware, napkin and placemat (a lace doily would be an elegant touch.)

As this party is going to include a lot of finger foods, make sure you have lots of platters, lazy susans and three tiered platters upon which you will serve your tea sandwiches and little cakes. A serving cart also lends a genteel quality to the scene.

This is also a good occasion to make use of any crystal that you have such as ornate crystal sugar bowls or platters. You can also dangle crystals in the windows and angel or fairy shaped placards from chandeliers and balustrades. To create even more atmosphere, filter any light coming through the windows by hanging sheer curtains and play music by the favorite composers of the Victorian which included Mendelssohn and Strauss.

As far as flowers go, the more old fashioned the better. Pink and white roses are a good choice as well as African violets, peonies and bleeding hearts. English Ivy (fake or real) can be entwined around balustrades and around the edges of the ceiling. In fact a small potted African violet or a pot of English Ivy is the perfect party favor for these girls to take home. You could also put a packet of seeds for growing herbs in their pockets as they leave. A particularly elegant gift would be a small ornate picture frame with your daughter’s picture in it.

How to Decorate A College Dorm Room

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Most dorm rooms come furnished. You usually get a desk, closet, bed and dresser. However you might want to jazz it up a bit and add certain accessories. Usually the college will just post a picture of what a typical room looks like ion the website so you can figure out what you might want to bring. As the room has furniture just forget bringing any heavy furniture like heavy armoires up the elevators. It’s not worth it and usual big furniture makes the place look crowded. Go for lighter colored furniture like Ikea makes instead.

However before you go out and spend a lot of money on stuff you should talk to your roommate if you have one. You might get a roommate that is already bringing quite a few things to the room.

One way to make the room look a little nicer is to invest in some lamps. This gets rid of the harsh lighting that usually provides lighting for an entire room. A small desk lamp and maybe a lamp near the bed provides adequate, yet cozy lighting. For a bit of mood lighting consider buying a clock with a neon rim or a lava lamp.

Sometime dorm beds can be really low. They have stubby little legs that make it hard for you to store stuff under the bed. You can usually get a pair of Bed Risers to elevate the whole bed so that you can put stuff underneath it.

The cold floors of the Dorm can also be lightened up by putting down a grass mat or a shag rug in an exciting color like purple or orange. Most dorm rooms have curtains but the place can look more stylish if you match the curtains to the rugs or add a pair of bamboo slatted blinds or sheer curtains of your own.

One of the biggest storage problems in a dorm is where to put the laundry hamper. You can buy very cute plaid or patterned ones that collapse easily nowadays. For a more rustic look you can keep your laundry in an antique trunk or wicker hamper at the end of the bed.

Just a word about wicker and grass mats. These items are cheap and if placed strategically they make everything in a cold, clinical room look a bit friendlier.