Tea Party

I attended a tea party thrown by my friend, Tracy Stern. She's a tea guru and has her own line of teas and lifestyle products such as trays, lip balms, hand-painted China and a book titled "Tea Party". While I had so much fun having tea at her beautiful Upper East Side apartment, here are some tea party tips:

- Begin with a motif for the tea party. Make it fun and use your imagination so it won't be your grandma's tea party. Tracy's was creating an indoor garden.

- Adhere to your motif from color to decoration to your plates and utensils.

- Pick up interesting objects at sales, flea markets, estate sales, craft stores and everywhere else, year round. Be a collector of things that can be placed on your table and then file the items you bought in boxes labeled "Christmas" or "Halloween". You'll be surprised at what you can create with the things you've collected through out the year.

- Always have what Tracy calls a Runway which serves as your centerpiece. Your Runway should set the mood of the party.

- Tea etiquette dictates that when serving tea, always pour for your guest of honor first and yourself last.