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      • Harmony
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      • Gathering and Greeting
      • Sharing Stories
      • Sharing Food
      • Sending the Guests Home
    • Guidelines for the Guest >
      • Respect Your Hostess/Host
      • Bring a Gift if You Wish
      • Practice Humility
      • Monitor Your Conversation
      • Arrive with a Grateful Attitude
      • Help if Help is Needed
      • Do Not Criticize
      • Leave Gracefully
      • Send a Thank You Note
    • A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
    • Teas of the World and How to Make Tea >
      • A Sampling of Teas
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      • How to Make Tea
      • Making Iced Tea
      • Tea Concentrate
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      • Trifle Bowl
      • Jam Pots
      • Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
      • Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
      • Linens
      • Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
    • Tea Menu Basics >
      • Sandwiches and Savories
      • Savory Spreads and Dips
      • Scones and Tea Breads >
        • About Lemons
    • Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons >
      • A Spring Tea
      • An Outdoor Summer Tea
      • An Autumn Afternoon Tea
      • A Winter Afternoon Tea
    • A Calendar of Tea Parties >
      • January: A Japanese New Year’s Tea
      • February: A Valentine’s Day Tea
      • March: A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
      • April: An Easter Tea
      • May: A Mother’s Day Tea
      • June: A Wedding Reception Tea >
        • Lemon Yogurt Wedding Cake
      • July: A Picnic Tea
      • August: A Family Reunion Tea >
        • A North American Family Reunion Tea
        • An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
        • A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
        • A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
      • September: An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
      • October: A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors (Dia de los Muertos)
      • November: A Post Thanksgiving Tea
      • December: A Christmas Tea >
        • In Defense of Fruitcake: Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
    • A World of Tea Parties >
      • A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
      • A Portuguese Tea
      • A Classic British Afternoon Tea
      • An Indian Chai Party
      • A California Tea
      • A Hawaiian Tea
      • An Italian Tea
      • An American Southern Tea
      • A Russian Tea
      • A French Afternoon Tea
      • A Kosher Tea with Tradional Jewish Foods
    • Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions >
      • An Afternoon Tea for Children
      • A Tea for Our Elders
      • A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
      • An Urban Tea on the Go
      • Tea for One
      • Afternoon Tea for a Large Group
      • A Vegan Tea
      • A Rose Tea
  • Purchase Recipes
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Creativity

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Lastly, afternoon tea is a time for creativity, spontaneity and inspiration. The hostess begins this process by envisioning the setting, the guests and the food. Nature will be her guide, as nature is always engaged in a never-ending unfolding of birth and re-birth. The plants and flowers of the season will inspire the hostess’ selection of colors, linens, dishes and foods. She will create floral arrangements and other artistic focal points to help gather and direct her guests’ attention on their special time together. She will not allow popular culture to substitute for her own creativity. Afternoon tea is not a time for purple princess printed napkins and plastic tiaras. Disney characters do not belong at a tea party. First of all, they are not real. And secondly, they are the fabrications of a corporate culture focused solely on financial gain. Sadly this false, pre-packaged “creativity” robs people of their natural artistic gifts.

Anyone can walk into the yard on an autumn morning and gather a few red maple leaves, fallen acorns and pebbles to create a centerpiece that will reflect the mood of the season. In the Japanese tea ceremony, as with all creative endeavors, perfection is not the goal. The potter who forms the cups for drinking tea in the Japanese tea ceremony often makes the cups crooked or misshapen to avoid the egotism of making perfect tea cups. In the same spirit, a person who would like to host an afternoon tea party does not need to own an elegant set of matching china. She can simply arrange the dishes she does have in a pleasing way that harmonizes with the season.

In afternoon tea, there is no limit to the number of art forms that can be included in the celebration. The hostess is free to use poetry, music, pictures, photographs or any other pleasing artistic media. And she will rely on her aesthetic imagination to arrange the linens, dishes, utensils and food in a collage that will be enjoyable for her guests. Kathleen Pedulla, one of the co-authors of this book, designed and stitched a beautiful lace embroidered pillow for her aunt Rose, the other co-author, to place on her chair while enjoying spontaneous afternoon tea parties with her little friend Melahi. Kathleen made another pillow enhanced with satin rosebuds and a large, hand embroidered “M” for Melahi, a kindergartener who has fallen in love with afternoon tea. When you fall in love with afternoon tea, you will be astonished at the many ways your creative energies will come to life.
​
Harmony, humility, respect and creativity are the foundational values of every civilized life. These are also the values upon which beautiful lasting memories are formed. Marcel Proust in his famous memoir Remembrance of Things Past (A la Recherché du Temps Perdu, 1913-1927) reflects on the indelible and delightful memory of eating madeleines in his boyhood with afternoon tea. These lovely little shell-shaped sponge cakes became for Proust the iconic symbols of the innocence and security of childhood. Perhaps sixty years from now, when Melahi shares an afternoon tea party with her grandchildren, she will remember her own hand embroidered tea party pillow and linger for a moment with that memory and a contented smile. 
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Copyright © 2015 by Epilogics
  • Home
  • About/Blog
    • Who We Are
    • Our Credentials
    • Tea Travels - Rose's Blog
    • Cakes and Tea - Kathleen's Blog
    • Contact Us
  • The Tea Book
    • The Road Back to Civilization
    • A Brief History of Tea
    • Philosophy of Tea >
      • Harmony
      • Humility
      • Respect
      • Creativity
    • Guidelines for the Host/Hostess >
      • Gathering and Greeting
      • Sharing Stories
      • Sharing Food
      • Sending the Guests Home
    • Guidelines for the Guest >
      • Respect Your Hostess/Host
      • Bring a Gift if You Wish
      • Practice Humility
      • Monitor Your Conversation
      • Arrive with a Grateful Attitude
      • Help if Help is Needed
      • Do Not Criticize
      • Leave Gracefully
      • Send a Thank You Note
    • A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
    • Teas of the World and How to Make Tea >
      • A Sampling of Teas
      • Herbal Teas and Tisanes
      • How to Make Tea
      • Making Iced Tea
      • Tea Concentrate
      • Brewing Tea for a Crowd
    • Tea Utensils and Accessories >
      • Tea Kettle
      • Tea Pot
      • Tea Cozy
      • Teacups
      • Plates
      • Silverware
      • Teacart
      • Tea Strainer
      • Tea Infuser
      • Three-Tiered Server
      • Cream Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
      • Cake Pedestal
      • Trifle Bowl
      • Jam Pots
      • Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
      • Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
      • Linens
      • Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
    • Tea Menu Basics >
      • Sandwiches and Savories
      • Savory Spreads and Dips
      • Scones and Tea Breads >
        • About Lemons
    • Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons >
      • A Spring Tea
      • An Outdoor Summer Tea
      • An Autumn Afternoon Tea
      • A Winter Afternoon Tea
    • A Calendar of Tea Parties >
      • January: A Japanese New Year’s Tea
      • February: A Valentine’s Day Tea
      • March: A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
      • April: An Easter Tea
      • May: A Mother’s Day Tea
      • June: A Wedding Reception Tea >
        • Lemon Yogurt Wedding Cake
      • July: A Picnic Tea
      • August: A Family Reunion Tea >
        • A North American Family Reunion Tea
        • An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
        • A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
        • A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
      • September: An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
      • October: A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors (Dia de los Muertos)
      • November: A Post Thanksgiving Tea
      • December: A Christmas Tea >
        • In Defense of Fruitcake: Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
    • A World of Tea Parties >
      • A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
      • A Portuguese Tea
      • A Classic British Afternoon Tea
      • An Indian Chai Party
      • A California Tea
      • A Hawaiian Tea
      • An Italian Tea
      • An American Southern Tea
      • A Russian Tea
      • A French Afternoon Tea
      • A Kosher Tea with Tradional Jewish Foods
    • Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions >
      • An Afternoon Tea for Children
      • A Tea for Our Elders
      • A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
      • An Urban Tea on the Go
      • Tea for One
      • Afternoon Tea for a Large Group
      • A Vegan Tea
      • A Rose Tea
  • Purchase Recipes
  • Resources
    • Bibliography and Resources
    • Menu and Recipe Index
    • Commercial Food Products
    • Glossary