Party Files: Tea Party Details

Back to our usual programming today! I found these photos of a couple of wedding showers that I hosted circa 2005. I remember that year well, hubby and I had a wedding to attend on the average of every 3 weeks! I thought the era would never end but it eventually petered out and then it was baby showers I was hosting...


I just realized that I  never hosted a bachelorette party. Funny. I suppose friends knew I'd be handier in the kitchen. Anyway, here are some details that I was able to retrieve from my vintage mac webpage.


The Invitation:

I can't believe I'm actually showing this invitation. This was what I'd cough up pre-professional printer time...an invitation designed on word, cut raggedly by yours truly, where the most clever part of the design, I thought, was the use of my newly discovered Jane Austen font. The envelope however was a labor of love that I made using gift wrapping paper! I haven't done that since then as it was bloody tedious, though it was rather cute!

The Decor:

It won't be an authentic tea party without the teapots, the silver and the fine china! So this is the time to beg, steal or borrow from your mom to your friends' moms! As you can see from the photos, I've always had the knack for labeling things. I wouldn't laminate the tags if I had to do this again though! It looks rather tacky in hindsight and did the labels really have to be that big? Oh, notice how I recycled the same wrapping paper and used the same font of the season? 

Since people hardly RSVP here I decided to write adjectives on place cards instead...playful, curious, wild, faithful, innocent, frigid, sweet, loyal, desperate, shy...and allowed guests to choose what best described them. If they were late they were stuck with the raunchy ones, no apologies. Note to self: Use cloth napkins next time!

I finally found use for colored sugar! A sweet detail...

Three tiered trays are best for serving little bites and sweets at tea parties and can serve another purpose as centerpieces like with these cupcakes. I remember using Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess cookbook cover as a peg for the cupcake design by Marta's Cakes.

The menu:


Apart from Nigella, the other reliable friend I kept turning to at that time was Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa fame.


I want to say that many if not most of the what I served at these tea parties we're from an Ina Garten cookbook. I made her raisin scones with lemon curd and devonshire cream, coconut macaroons, carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and I think the photo shows a chocolate sabayon with fresh strawberries, though I don't recall that to be hers.

Since we're Pinoys I also served heftier stuff on the menu such as a pasta salad with olives and sundried tomatoes and other savory bites of which I don't remember as I can't find photos of them! 

The Party Favors:

Naturally, party favors had to be given as a token, no matter how small. In this case it was these admittedly useless but still adorable, pink tea cups wrapped in lovely tulle. 

Try using tulle to wrap your presents next time.  They can make anything drab look fab in no time! Though I am in no way suggesting you give drab presents away...

If you ever want to host a tea party but fear slaving away in the kitchen, you can always do  this at The Peninsula or have Bizu Patisserie and Bistro cater it in your own home! You'll be in good hands either way. 

Bungalow 300 on ANC Shoptalk

Vernice and I survived our first LIVE Tv interview last Wednesday, June 8! It's a lot of pressure to know that what you say and do can't be edited out so we tried our very best to behave! It worked...kinda. Anyway, watch if you have time! We took up the entire show. Thank you Shoptalk and Ria Tanjuatco-Trillo for a chance to chat;)

Bungalow 300 in Makati

So how was your weekend? Mine was busy to say the least as  Bungalow 300 popped up in Makati for the first time. For those of you who have just recently stumbled upon us, Bungalow 300 is a unique concept store that specializes in restored vintage modern Filipino pieces of furniture (think 1950's aparador or art-deco bar cabinets and tables in solid Narra) that we match and exhibit with iconic mid-century modern pieces, both original and reproduced. Pop-up isn't a mere buzz word by the way, as we really stage our shows only twice a year! 

We like to call our aesthetic revivalist chic, as we love the warmth and charm of old world interiors but updated for modern dwellers. We also liken what we do more to curating than interior design and retail as we edit our space tightly and try to make it look like a real lived in home with it's own personality. 

In other words, you'll never come to see the same showroom twice as many of our pieces are one-of and relies heavily on what we've picked up as the serendipity of salvage. And as true editors of space, we have no qualms of keeping many of our stock in a back room if they don't go with the current collection. Moreover, the accessories we carry in one show won't necessarily be there at another either. So things constantly evolve and revolve at Bungalow 300.

And the same goes with art! Bungalow 300 has had the utmost privilege to collaborate with Silverlens Gallery and Slab since our last show and the effect it has had on our space (and our inspired psyches) has been phenomenal. It's a great way to exhibit art as we are able to show guests how art can be curated in a home and how truly wonderful it is to live with the work of fabulously gifted Filipino artists! 

Check out Bungalow 300 on Facebook to see more photos of this current collection in Makati. Like us  to get updates on our next show and our new product lines. Hope to catch you at our last weekend this June 11th and 12th! Ciao!

A Sneak Peek at Bungalow 300

Hola! It's me writing from the land of sweat and bubble wrap! Showing you a behind-the-scenes glimpse of our Bungalow 300 set up for our sale in Makati starting this weekend. We decided to take time-lapse photos of our move in to document the crazy things we plan to do in the span of two days. Yep, we plan to dress our nest (in this case a whole 3 bedroom bungalow including lanai and garden) with furniture, home accessories AND art, oooh the art,  good enough for company by tomorrow morning! 


Curious to see the whole thing? Well, you'll just have to come won't you? 

Check it out: Bungalow 300 Table Linens

I'm not sure if I've shown you these yet. These are Bungalow 300's very own line of table linens! These have been available at Dimensione High Street for the past few months, together with their matching throw pillows. Have I shown you those? I'm not too sure either!


Anyway, these photos we're taken for our promo with Deal Grocer, where incidentally, our throw pillows are featured as well (just in case I haven't shown you those on this blog). For someone who runs a small business with only one partner, sometime it's a treat to see photographs that weren't taken by us for a change! I think they did a pretty good job don't you think? Thank you Jolo Santos and Benjie Tiongco!


Want to see these table linens in person? Come see Bungalow 300's open-house starting this weekend, June 4, 10am-4pm at 76 Real St., Urdaneta Village. We close shop on the 12th so catch us if you can!!