A curious letter was delivered to me this week, via winged pony. I opened it up, and all it said was, "I shall arrive under the glisten of the full moon, when all the flowers are twinkling in bloom..."
This is certainly an odd note, I thought. And then shrugged, and went about my enchanted garden business...
That was until I heard the unmistakable cackle of the mad-man himself...
He rode his tiny tricycle like a speed demon, as the dirt crunched beneath the little wheels. Of course, the flowers were blooming, and the moon was indeed glistening, so I should have known to expect him ;)
He rode right past me as he hollered "Hurry on dearie, we must get to the secret garden before night falls..." And so, I quickly followed, as I tripped on my hem...
Why are we in such a hurry? I asked.
He replied, "Why why? You dare ask such a silly question??? We have a Mad Tea Party to plan, of course!"
(Can you believe that it was almost one year ago, that we found ourselves amongst madness, twirling in our gowns and swirling our tea? Last year, as the party came to a close, a secret key was left for us. The key that would unlock the door to this year's festivities...)
As we approached the secret garden, I saw a key hanging. But not just any key. It was "thee" key. The key to this year's party, yipppppeeee!!
We were just in time, for as we unlocked the gate, the secret garden telephone started ringing as loud as it could...
Who could it be?
"It was London calling" said the Mad Hatter. "We have received two great pieces of information, you darling troll's wart..." he said.
"Ummm, okay?" I said...
"First, the Mad Tea Party date has been set. And second, there is a super scrumdillyumptious, surprise guest......." said he.
Oh do telllllll, pleeeeeease!
So, he pondered for a moment, because he knew I might faint from curiosity, and then...
He reminded me of that day in the garden, when I took a trip into wonderland, and read Jenny Woolf's fascinating book, The Mystery of Lewis Carroll...
Then he said, "You must have had a super secret chat with said author, because she has accepted your invitation..."
So, with that I am beyond delighted to reveal that, author of The Mystery of Lewis Carroll, Jenny Woolf herself, will be our honorary guest at this year's Mad Tea Party!
Hip hip hooooray!!!
And guess what? Her publishing house sent over some treats to gift during the party, how wonderful is that???
This year's party is already showing its enchanted grin. Won't you join us??
The Mad Hatter has taken his bow...
And, while lighting the magical tea party candle, has proclaimed that we are to begin this year's Mad Tea Season...
I can't wait, I just can't wait!!
The date, Saturday June 26th. Plenty of time to prepare, YAY!
The season of madness 2010, has been sealed with moonbeam glow...
And now, the sparkles are being sent off to you, so that you might be inspired to join in the Festivity of Madness...
Please do join us, won't you?
Below is this year's flyer and button (click, to copy and save). Share them, use them on your blog, spread the word to your friends, because everyone is invited, and anything goes...
Wondering what to do if you sign up?
If you are signing up to participate in the Virtual Mad Tea Party, all you have to do are three things. (To sign-up, simply leave a comment saying you are joining in & leave your blog link. Thank you ;)
1) Share the flyer or the button on your blog as soon as possible. Link to this blog post, and I will add your name to the "Mad Tea Partier" list in my left hand side bar.
2) On the day of the tea party, June 26th 2010, please make sure to post a Mad Tea Party post of your own, on your blog, linking to me. Other partiers will be visiting you on that date.
3) Blog hop with the other partiers on the day of the event and have a mad blast!! Again, the list of Mad Tea Party Participants will be in my left hand sidebar.
Note: Please make sure you post a tea party post on June 26th if you signed up. Last year several people did not do this, and lots of partiers e-mailed me to ask why they were finding some blogs without a Mad Tea Party post. I didn't have an answer.
Don't forget, this event is supposed to be pure fun. Don't stress out about it, and do let yourself go positively mad ;)
If you need some, there are oodles of Mad Tea Party inspirations out there. You can even order a copy of Winter 2010 Artful Blogging, where last year's tea party, along with a handful of other participating Mad Tea Parties were featured.
Below are also some more tips and ideas for your own tea party, as featured in the Staten Island, New York Advance Newspaper....
And, even a few more Mad Tea Party Inspirations right here... if you scroll through that link...
If you have any questions e-mail me. I am catching up on my e-mails today -I got behind during my deadline, sorry ;) - so that I can be totally available for any of your questions.
Remember, if you would like to sign-up,simply leave a comment saying you are joining in & leave your blog link. Thank you ;)
And with that, the Mad Tea Party season begins. All of us over here at "A Fanciful Twist" would be more than overjoyed if you could join us ;)
I am sooo excited! Lots more fun to come...
♥ ,V
ps: If you signed up and you don't see your name on the list, please don't hesitate to e-mail me (VanessaValencia@aol.com). It is most certainly, a non-intentional mistake ;)
pss: I have oodles of Mad Tea Party treats in my shop, and two new sets of cards that I am excited to share...
Tea Party, Sweet Party
And, Avant Garden Wonderland...
See you very sooooon ;)
