Nothing makes a perfect holiday better than serving an authentic, delicious tea party set to guests as they enjoy the fruits of your labor. There are many styles and designs available that will not only look wonderful, but also serve the purpose. The following article is geared toward those who are new to tea time and want to provide their guests with the familiar sights and smells of this popular beverage:
Ceramic cups and saucers are the most common material for serving tea. While there are plenty of beautiful printed plastic cups available, nothing compares to the beauty of one of these specially designed ceramics. Ceramic has several advantages over plastic. It heats up quickly and maintains a constant temperature, allowing you to use just enough cups at a time, and you do not have to worry about plastic spilling all over the place when hot tea is served.

Plastic cups and saucers can warp or melt under heat. They also stain very easily. If you want to provide your guests with the best tea party possible, your first consideration should be quality over appearance. Your tea party set includes a special lid for each individual serving utensil, so choosing one that fits snugly and fits the style of each individual cup is a good first step.
In addition to having the best-looking tea set you can find, your tea set should also have the right cups for serving. Ceramic teapots come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, finishes, and colors to suit any decorating scheme. Silicone mugs fit nicely into tea cups, and they keep the drink cool while it sits on the table. If you are serving black or green teas, choose a mug with an internal mesh filter that will keep leaves and dirt from discoloring the drink.
Another important part of your tea party is the utensils you use to serve the beverage. Choose simple, solid silver spoons and forks for serving hot or cold beverages, or go for fancy decorative spoons and knives. A high quality serving spoon will last for years. Choose spoons and forks that match the general theme of the table. If you are serving fruit, you can get plastic fruit cups, or if you would prefer your guests keep their utensils down to a minimum, use paper plates instead.

If you are sewing the pieces together yourself, be sure to take careful measurements beforehand. If you are putting together several small cups, make sure they are all the same size, or at least the same size apart. Sew small pieces first, then put the larger pieces on top of the smaller ones. If you do not want the teacups to bunch up, pick a fabric that does not wrinkle easily, such as an old pair of baby socks. Do not sew the seams, though until the pieces have dried so the pieces will lay flat when you put them together.
Once you have all of your finger embroidery, rubber stitch and zigzag finishing completed, take a measurement of the assembled length of your teapot and mark off three places where you would like the handle pieces to fit. Use these three spots to mark lines to cut the ribbon, or any other material you wish to put inside the teapot. Match up the handle pieces together and sew them together along the three lined line. You now have a beautiful finished project, one that your guests will love!
To finish off your handmade teapot, gather all of your pieces together. If your pieces are too big, glue them onto one another using tape. If your pieces are too small, stitch or glue them together but do not seal them. After all of the loose ends are sewn, stuff them into the teacups and then use rubber bands to hold the cups in place. This is also a great time to stuff the teacups with something special. Consider filling them with chocolates or mint leaves for a sweet scent, or fill them with strawberries for a raspberry flavor.