Victorian Sweet Sixteen

My fifteen year old, who loves Virginia Woolf and Oscar Wilde, has asked for a Victorian sweet sixteen party. She likes to read a lot that airs for sure. I thought it would be fun to put some of the ideas we came up for her Victorian coming out party we came up with down here.

At it we plan to serve English Tea sandwiches, and sweets. The invitation will be shaped like a fan and we are going to invite sixteen girls for an intimate tea.

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.' It is always interesting to see how creative people can get when it comes to constructing these.

You could ask the girls to wear crowns or tiara. We were thinking big hatsSixteen 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 – also Victorian Dresses, White. Gloves.' Another nice touch would be to include a fan in the invitation or you could purchase white fans and hand write the invitation on them.

Also on your Sweet Sixteen invitation you will want to include the Menu, which is modeled after a proper British tea. You will be serving three of the most traditional of British Teas including Earl Grey, Ceylon and Darjeeling.

Victorians were very fond of their herb gardens and many of the recipes here reflect the Victorian fascination with herbs.

Here is our plan for a menu —

Crab Puffs With Herbs
Sage and Cheddar Cheese Wafers
Cheddar and Jam Tea Sandwiches
Lavender Ham Tea Sandwiches
Cucumber Basil Sandwiches
Pear and Stilton Sandwiches
Chicken Salad With Almonds Sandwiches
Egg Salad And Dill Sandwiches
Scones
Devonshire Cream
Strawberry Banana Jam
Key Lime Custard Jam
Strawberries in Choclate
Lemon Balm Cake
Lamingtons
Orange Mint Cookies
Chocolate Rose Geranium Cake

Using lace tablecloths with pink or floral linens and china can easily infer the stuffy style of the Victorian era. The china can be pure white, but a floral china or silver tea set suits this party perfectly. Drawings 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, we plan to 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.

The crowning touch? I am going to make a little crown of roses, daisies and violets for my daughter to wear in her hair!

Parenting Tips
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Water Based Cleaners are Best

I have a kid with asthma and because of that I tend to want to use water based cleaner. This is because stuff like Lysol, Febreze and Windex makes my kid wheeze. To tell you quite frankly I get headaches when I use this kind of stuff too.

If you are environmentally sensitive like my kids and I are then you need not despair. There are options for you.

Most of these water-based cleaners are inexpensive and homes.

For an inexpensive odor remover, mix baking soda in water and saturate the area where the spill has occurred. Let stand a few minutes, then blot with paper towels and allow to air dry. This is good for pet stains.

For fresh bloodstains, try soaking the area thoroughly first with super cold water. Avoid warm or hot water, which can set the proteins in the blood and make it permanant. It can also help to rub an ice cube over the stain, then rinse with cold water and clean or launder the item.

Hydrogen peroxide followed by a rinse with water is one of the best ways to remove bloodstains. Apply the hydrogen peroxide to the stained area, letting it bubble. Repeat this until stain is gone. Follow this scrubbing up by dabbing the area with water, then letting it dry. Or if the bloodstain is on clothing, launder it after first treating it with the hydrogen followed by the cold water rinse. Keep in mind that hydrogen peroxides has a limited shelf life; you may need to replace your bottle annually for it to be effective.

You can also try the 'milk cure' for bloodstains. Pour some milk over the bloodstain to loosen the blood, and then blot it up. Then give the item or the area on the rug a good rinse with water.

Yet another cold water cure for stains is to mix cornstarch and water into a paste, then apply it to the stained rug or fabric. Rinse with cool water and blot dry. Afterwards, use a brush or vacuum to remove the remaining cornstarch.

Some people have also had some success mixing meat-tenderizing crystals with cold water, and then apply this paste to the area. Let stand for an hour, then rinse in cool water.

Yet another homemade formula for cleaning urine and other organic messes: mix equal parts water and white vinegar with a couple squirts of gentle dishwashing soap. I find this gets most things out – even protein based stains sometimes.

Remember that when it comes to stains like urine that rubbing with ammonia sometimes works, but remember that ammonia smells somewhat like urine to animals, so your pet may try to mark on the spot. That is also why I like alternatives like baking soda and water. It just does not reek. Ammonia of course can smell up your house for days, even if it does get that bloodstain out of the carpet.

Parenting Tips
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