When the kids were little, their themed birthday parties were the highlight of my year. I had files and Pinterest boards going for each of them and would shop garage sales and clearance items year-round, literally planning three years out (!). Crazy? Maybe, but in my mind, it was just super fun and my favorite

I'm a big Jane Austen fan. I love her books, movies, and I even love traveling to Jane Austen-ish places. But, I really love a Jane Austen tea party! It doesn't have to be fancy with decorations or anything. Just some great food and yummy tea! If you're feeling the same way, I ...

So as you know if you have been following my page, I just celebrated my 29th birthday with a Jane Austen Garden Tea Party. In my earlier posts, I have shared invitations, decorations, the menu, piñ…

A Jane Austen take on the classic guessing game!Take turns guessing in this two-player tabletop game, perfect for any Jane Austen fan. Pick a mystery card each and test your Jane Austen character knowledge as you question your opponent. Does he earn 10,000 a year? Is she a Bennet sister? Are they a devilish cad? Are they married? Is he in the militia? Does she love to read?Key Product Features24 of your favourite Jane Austen characters2 Regency-inspired pastel game boardsQuick to set up, easy to play and fun for every Jane Austen fanExclusive to the Jane Austen CentreAnd for those who have visited The Jane Austen Centre in Bath, you may see a familiar face!

So as I have been saying in every post, I have been planning my Jane Austen 29th birthday party for a few years (it was originally supposed to be my 27th birthday celebration but things happened); …

Libraries have always screamed romance to me. Perhaps it's the history or the architecture or maybe it's the sweet smell of an old book - but I am pretty sure it's being able to take all those things...

Enjoy this boozy tribute to Jane Austen's Emma — a lavender and lemon flavored gin cocktail.

El lunes se celebra el 200 aniversario de la publicación de "Orgullo y Prejuicio", mi novela más adorada de Jane Austen (junto con "Per...

Create great Jane Austen or Pride and Prejudice themed party decor with this printable instant download party kit. Great for birthdays, showers, weddings, etc. Menu Cards, Place Cards and Invitation are editable with a link sent to you for using Templett. Print out on 8.5” x 11” card stock, cut, and assemble. Directions included. Print as many as you need. I also have a new, different Jane Austen Printable Editable Party Kit available. Check it out!: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1167637167/jane-austen-garden-bridal-shower-regency? Jane Austen Party includes: Fill-in invitations 4” x 5” (fits in 4.5” x 5.75” invitation envelopes) (You'll also receive an editable invitation 5" x 7") Banner with six Jane Austen book covers Pennant Bunting Banner - 4 files (not shown in photos) Sense and Sensibility favor box shaped like a book Toppers (8 different topper designs), Napkin rings, Cupcake wrappers Place cards - Editable by you Bookmark with a picture of Jane herself and a passage from one of her books. Menu cards - Editable by you After purchasing, the Templett link to the editable files will be sent to your Etsy email. You can download all the other files using the download link on your purchase page. A bridal shower themed matching party favor can be found here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1139545936/jane-austen-party-favor-booklet-mini? Bundle and save! Purchase this Jane Austen Party Pack along with the matching mystery/escape room game - Jane and the Missing Manuscript. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1447185949/jane-austen-party-bundle-mysteryescape? DOWNLOADING YOUR PARTY KIT ONCE PAYMENT IS CONFIRMED: 1. Log into your Etsy account. 2. Click the "You" tab. 3. Scroll and click "Purchases and Reviews". 4. Find your purchase and click "Download Files". Color may vary by monitor. NOTE: NO PHYSICAL ITEMS WILL BE SENT TO YOU. THESE ARE DIGITAL FILES ONLY! Terms of Use: You may use these files for your personal use only. You may not forward, share, sell or distribute these files. They are for non-commercial use only. Thank you! [id:11024671,11083374,11083642]

Gentry of the internet, prepare your Jane Austen affair with these carefully selected noms, games and decor from the Ultimate Jane Austen Party guide.

This printable instant download banner is in honor of Jane Austen's books! Each book cover measures approximately 7" x 9". Printable files are an instant download. Print on 8.5” x 11” cardstock. Print as many as you need. Last picture shows banner with complete party kit available here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/81707295/jane-austen-party-kit-wedding-birthday A different color of book banner plus additional pennant banner files here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1153689176/jane-austen-book-banner-floral-bunting? Also, here's a new listing of a sweet vintage style Jane Austen Party Favor Booklet/Banner for bridal showers: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1139545936/jane-austen-party-favor-booklet-mini? DOWNLOADING YOUR FILES ONCE PAYMENT IS CONFIRMED: 1. Log into your Etsy account. 2. Click the "You" tab. 3. Scroll and click "Purchases and Reviews". 4. Find your purchase and click "Download Files". NOTE: NO PHYSICAL ITEMS WILL BE SENT TO YOU. THESE ARE DIGITAL FILES ONLY! Colors may vary by monitor. Terms of Use: You may use these files for your personal use only. You may not forward, share, sell or distribute these files. They are for non-commercial use only.

Have you ever wondered why regency balls were so important during the Pride And Prejudice time period? Read why jane austen balls were an important part of classic literature.

Aside from your quick wit and independence, that is.

A Jane Austen Inspired Garden Party created for Jane Con features garden themed crafts, recipes, decor and much more.

This listing is for one heart garland made from Jane Austen book page hearts. Heart cutouts are approximately 1.5", sewn into approximately 2 yard strands. This item is ready to ship, and will be shipped within 1-2 business days. We offer standard shipping for $3.85 no matter the size of your order! You can upgrade your shipping to priority mail for an additional $5.25 by purchasing this listing with your order: https://www.etsy.com/listing/477523530. Take 10% off of any order over $50 by using coupon code PARTYPACKAGE10 at checkout! Sign up for our mailing list (link below) to receive exclusive coupon codes, keep up on happenings in the shop, and get ideas for home and event decor! Tag us on Facebook and Instagram @emptynesthomegoods! We love it when customers share photos of our products "in action!" FIND US AROUND THE INTERNET (copy & paste links to your browser!): Email List Sign Up ♥ http://eepurl.com/cctk3v FB Page ♥ facebook.com/emptynesthomegoods Closed FB Group ♥ facebook.com/groups/EmptyNestHomeGoodsMarket IG Feed ♥ instagram.com/emptynesthomegoods Blog ♥ emptynesthomegoods.com Pinterest ♥ pinterest.com/ENHomeGoods

My sister-in-law is getting married! It's super exciting and such a blessing that she's found the man that God intended for her. Her sister will be the maid of honor and our other sister-in-law and

This darling Jane Austen Inspired Baby Shower is full of great ideas for decorations, food and gifts! This DIY tea party baby shower is sure to inspire!

Jane Austen fans rejoice for this sweet and romantic Jane Austen inspired shoot from Images by Amber Robinson. The shoot is actually a celebration for this couple’s 10 year anniversary. The wife wanted to don her wedding dress again and teamed up with Amber to create something really special. The dress was made by the bride’s […]

Take this five-question quiz to find out which Jane Austen character you are.

I'm a big Jane Austen fan. I love her books, movies, and I even love traveling to Jane Austen-ish places. But, I really love a Jane Austen tea party! It doesn't have to be fancy with decorations or anything. Just some great food and yummy tea! If you're feeling the same way, I ...

You know the drill. Slip in a DVD. Sit back. Let the Jane Austen adaptation work its magic. Why not make the movie a bit more interesting by playing JANE-O? We’ve compiled a number of images you might see in any given Austen movie or TV adaptation. How quickly can you get JANE-O?

Today I have a treat for you! I had the pleasure of reviewing the new book Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler; food photographer Stephen Conroy. This book, though little in size, packs a lot of baking for delicious tea time treats. The book was inspired by the novels and letters of Jane Austen. In this 64-page book are recipes for cakes and pastries based on authentic recipes from the Regency era which have been updated for the modern cook. The book has 22 recipes in total in which 6 are from Martha Lloyd's Household Book. Martha Lloyd was Jane Austen's dear friend and lived with her many years penning a collection of recipes called Martha Lloyd's Household Book. Some of the recipes included are English Muffins based on the muffins, served with after-dinner tea in Pride and Prejudice, a Buttered Apple Tart as served by Mr. Woodhouse to Miss Bates in Emma, and Jumbles inspired by the cookies enjoyed by Fanny in Mansfield Park. The original recipes are given along with the modified versions. I chose Jane's Sponge Cake to bake today with tea. The book states that the Oxford English Dictionary noted the first recorded use of the word "sponge cake" is by Jane, writing to her sister Cassandra. The recipe is taken from Martha Lloyd's Household Book. The cake is essentially a pound cake. They are often topped with just a dusting of powdered sugar. Mine came out to perfection. I have actually made two other recipes for the traditional tea time sponge cake and they both flopped. This recipe was a winner. Simply topped with fruit and powdered sugar it was a tea time treat befitting a relaxing afternoon spent reading this little treasure of a cookbook. My teacup reminds me of the Regency era. It is by Grace's Teaware. I thoroughly enjoyed the recipe book. Filled with interesting introductions to each recipe and delightful photography. I really loved the addition of adding the original recipes in their handwritten form. I always love reading historical recipes. I am a history nerd. I highly recommend this book for any tea lover, but if you are also a fan of Jane Austen it is a must read! I know a lot of you tea lovers are also Jane Austen fans, like me. It would make a perfect Mother's Day gift! I wish to thank Sara and Neha for the opportunity to review Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler; published by Ryland Peters & Small, and CICO Books Inc ($14.95). They provided me with a copy of the book. The review and opinions were entirely my own. Sherry I will link this to: There Is No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage Home & Garden Thursdayat A Delightsome Life Tea Cup Tuesday at Martha's Favorites Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups Friends Sharing Tea at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage Vintage Charm at Charm Bracelet Diva The Homemaking Party at Classical Homemaking Thoughts of Home at Decor to Adore Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen Five Star Frou-Frou at A Tray of Bliss Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home Welcome Home Wednesday at Suburban Simplicity Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party Tickle My Taste Buds Tuesdays at Lori's Culinary Creations Weekend Retreat Linky Party at AKA Design and Life Foodie Friends Friday at Walking on Sunshine Wake Up Wednesday at Sew Crafty Angel

Jane Austen, Jane Austen Party, Regency Era, Regency Era Party, Jane Austen Era Party, Country line dancing, old fashioned dancing, Mr. Darcy, Regency Era Invites, regency era Facts, Free Printables Game of loo, Host a Ball, You are invited to a ball

There seems few better means of escaping the cold grey days of January than with good books, good friends and steaming cups of tea, so when the delightful blogger Vicki of Two Bags Full announced she would be hosting her second annual Grow Your Blog Party this month, (a fabulous way for bloggers and readers to meet and mingle), I immediately thought a tea party post with a literary twist would be fitting for celebrating this wonderful, if only virtual, gathering of creatives. Coincidentally, one of my absolute favorite novels was first published on the 28th of January, and although that was over two centuries ago, in 1813, it is still wildly popular to this day. The much loved Pride and Predjudice addresses very human themes which seem as relevant in modern times as they did in 19th century. The elegant language, vivid characters, witty observations and picturesque settings make this book truly a delight. So why not celebrate the 101 anniversary of this timeless classic with a tea honoring it's author Jane Austen. Although the idea of a formal afternoon tea party as we know it, precedes Austen's time, we'll fudge the timeline a bit and with some semi-scratch tea treats and a few easy projects, enjoy the romance of the Austen era, if only for a few hours. Please note, this is more a fanciful celebration of the spirit Austen's time and novels than an authentic regency experience, so please pardon any historical inaccuracies. Tea Party Invitations You'll Need invitation printout large enough to hold tea bag individually wrapped tea bags blank cards or folded card stock and envelopes I've seen this idea for invitations in shops and a while ago created a version for my sister in law's bridal shower tea. For this Austen theme fete I combined elegant vintage tea and frame images from the the Graphics Fairy First, I simply printed and cut out my image. Then using a small craft knife cut a small slit along the top edge of the teacup following the design. I applied glue around just the very edges of the back of the image, avoiding center area, and attached to folded card stock (I chose a lavender shade). I let glue dry and slipped a tea bag into the cup (it is said Jane enjoyed tea from the Twinings Co.) Menu Ideas For the menu, any favorite traditional assorted teas, finger sandwiches and sweets are perfect fare. For my tea, I've included "not quite homemade" tea cakes and provided some links to a few other easy tea time recipes For wonderful historic regency recipes, visit Jane Austen U.K and for fascinating information about customs and fashions and more, pop over to Jane Austen's World. Mrs Bennett's Lace Tea Cakes "No Lace. No lace Mrs Bennett, I beg you" an exasperated Mr. Bennett, Pride and Predjudice Though frustrated with his wife's constant preoccupation with fashion finery, even Mr. Bennett might not object to a lacy sweet treat. For the Tea cakes Lacking for a proper (or for that matter, any) kitchen staff, I enlisted the help of trusty Sara Lee for this easy treat. Slice slightly thawed cake into desired shapes with a knife or cookie cutters and brush off extra crumbs. Set on wire rack over wax paper lined pan Icing glaze 1 cup confectioners sugar 3 teaspoons Corn syrup 3 teaspoons milk 1/4 teaspoon orange extract (or desired flavor) Blend ingredients together until smooth and glossy. Add small amounts of extra corn syrup if icing is too thick. Pour over cakes spreading evenly on sides and allow to set. Icing should dry to smooth shiny finish that is firm to the touch (this can take up to 40 minutes) For the "Lace" Accents Though there are many elaborate edible lace techniques and supplies sold in baking supply shops, I thought I'd try a quick and simple low cost method using colormist food color spray available at many craft stores or some supermarket baking sections, and some paper doilies. Simply lay doily gently on iced cake, spray with colormist and carefully remove. Warning: Colormist can stain skin and fabrics, so take care to avoid mishaps. (I had purple hands for a good 24 hours) For more PennyWise tea time recipes try left to right Earl Grey shortbread spoon cookies with lemon curd from my Tea at Downton Abbey Post Syllabub A more authentic historic recipe my May Day post Cucumber baskets and Scones from Teatime on the Bunny Trail "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery" Jane Austen on her writing Fan Favors In Austens time, fans were not merely portable substitutes for air conditioning but were wielded as important yet subtle ways to express oneself and send messages to potential suitors. With that in mind it seemed fans would make fitting favors and though these are easy DIY paper varieties rather than fine antique silk and lace, they make fun keepsakes. Using scrapbook paper, humble clothes pins and craft accessories, these more contemporary versions feature Austen quotes and characters. this charming image shows young ladies mastering the movements of this must-have accessory from a delightful collection of regency and vintage images at the blog bumble button I found an adorable kids paper fan craft project at mrprintable and though it's geared toward little ones, I adapted it for this easy more grown up DIY You'll Need Decorative paper & printouts of regency images Wooden clothespins (the type used for dolls) Paint in desired colors Assorted Ribbons, Accessories & faux flowers I received a delightful Pride and predjudice paper doll book by Dover publications from my aunt, and made copies of the characters on the cover (not wanting to cut into it). My craft store carried this perfect scrapbook paper book from DCWV called "Dear Jane" filled with quotes and beautiful patterns. To begin, I painted the clothes pins with craft paint and let dry thoroughly. I then created a few collages of images and words and copied them onto standard sized copy paper. The lighter paper provides less bulk and makes folding easier. (Each fan requires 2 sheets.) Once happy with your designs simply glue 2 sheets together (at the shorter width) and channel your kindergarten skills by folding paper accordion style. I then trimmed the white borders off of the sides and while still folded cut a scallop edge for interest. Insert folded paper into slit in clothes pin, trimming excess paper to fit if necessary and wrapping with clear tape. *I slipped an oversize toothpick in the clothespin behind paper to keep it from being too floppy For the fun part, Camouflage tape by wrapping ribbon around top of clothespin and add coordinating flower or button accent. Then wave coyly and work your magic! Tea Time Accents Second hand books tied with ribbon, make "novel" props Tea Chest Jane experts claim she had the honor of holding the key to the family's tea caddy (the leaves were far too precious to be under the watch of household servants ) For my tea, I reused a humble thrifted jewelry box which I had repurposed into a tea caddy for my Downton Abbey post. Rolled script spruces up faux floral and ivy "There's nothing like staying home for real comfort" Jane Austen, Emma Grow Your Blog Party Thank you so much for stopping by and please pop over to visit more (than 500!) blogs from around the world participating in this wonderful party! a little Austen humor from somee cards Centuries later, he's still a heartbreaker - tote bag from-cafepress.uk

Hi Friends ~ I hope your week is off to a good start! Over at our house, we are in birthday planning mode for our son Noah's ninth birthday. I love to hear his ideas and see that sparkle in his eyes! I started thinking about the parties we hosted our first year living here and wanted to share some of them with you... My Mom's Jane Austen Party A Vintage Farmhouse Baby Shower It was fun seeing this party featured on the blog of Celebrate Magazine! Lincoln's Cowboys and Indians Party! My Sister's [SURPRISE] Birthday Lunch Thank you for sharing in these special memories with me. Are you getting ready for any celebrations this year? I would love to hear what you are planning! Hope you have a wonderful day! xo Sharing with: Cozy Little House Coastal Charm Cedar Hill Farmhouse

These Pride & Prejudice hearts are just the thing to decorate any wedding, shower, or event. Or use them to decorate a bedroom. This classic love story will have each person gazing at them to see if they can find a favorite book passage. They look wonderful over the backs of chairs. Each can be put on it's own ribbon or I can do them in a long garland. Please choose one at checkout. Each heart measures about 6 x 6 inches and are 1.5" deep. If you would like a custom order, just send me a message.

Another addition to the Hearts Strings Collection. This Jane Austen mobile comes from vintage copies of either Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility that I managed to save from almost certain death whilst on one of my fossicking trips! These timeless novels have been punched into 2" hearts and stitched in a triple layer of twirling fluttering loveliness. Leave the hearts flat or open them up for the full on 3D effect. These look lovely hung in front of a mirror to double the effect or it could be hung from a peg, in a doorway or window, or perhaps from a mantle or bedpost or just to bring a little life to an empty corner. A perfect gift for an Austen fan! This string of hearts measures approx. 40" it is finished with an ivory handmade paper bead at the bottom and has pure Hungarian hemp twine ties. Ready to hang or give as a truly unique gift. The hearts will be mailed flat but are very easy to open. © maisyandalice 2012 If you need items for a specific date, please message me before purchasing so that I can determine whether your items will arrive in time. It may be possible to prioritise your order if I have advance notice.

Host a beautiful event with this Jane Austen Printable Party Kit. Editable files make it customizable for your needs. It's perfect for a bridal shower, baby shower, wedding, birthday or anything you wish! Print out on 8.5” x 11” card stock, cut, and assemble. Directions included. Print as many as you need of everything. After purchasing, the Templett link to the editable files (there's 6 of them) will be sent to your Etsy email. You will be able to edit these in your web browser and download them over and over. You can download all the other files yourself using the download link on your purchase page. YOUR DOWNLOAD INCLUDES: Banner with 6 Jane Austen Book Covers (7"x9") Pennant Bunting Banner (3 designs) Sense and Sensibility Favor Box (shaped like a book when assembled - finished size 3.5"x5.25"x1") Toppers / Mini Banner / Garland (7 designs on 1 sheet) Napkin Rings Cupcake Wrappers Bookmarks EDITABLE FILES YOU'LL BE SENT THE LINK TO: Invitation (5"x7" front & back) Place Cards / Labels Menu Cards Water Bottle Wraps Sign 8.5" x 11" Sign 5"x7" You can purchase just the book banner and the bunting files here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1153689176/jane-austen-book-banner-floral-bunting? Be sure to also check out my other listings: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PartyEverAfter DOWNLOADING YOUR PARTY KIT ONCE PAYMENT IS CONFIRMED: 1. Log into your Etsy account. 2. Click the "You" tab. 3. Scroll and click "Purchases and Reviews". 4. Find your purchase and click "Download Files". Color may vary by monitor. NOTE: NO PHYSICAL ITEMS WILL BE SENT TO YOU. THESE ARE DIGITAL FILES ONLY! Terms of Use: You may use these files for your personal use only. You may not forward, share, sell or distribute these files. They are for non-commercial use only. Thank you! [id:11212409,11222550,11222774,11222688,11222896,11222812]

Before you get too excited, I do not mean a blogging party. ;) For some time I've been meaning to post about this party I had for my birthday a couple years ago, and now I finally am. I thought you, my dear readers, might enjoy it, and perhaps it might be a source of inspiration for random people trying to find ideas for a Jane Austen party. I'm trying to decide whether to just ramble about it or try to do this in an organized manner... eh, well I'll try the organized manner first, but I've a sneaking suspicion some rambling might wheedle its way in. Invitations My goal for the invitations was to give the effect of having come from the Regency era. Because my own handwriting is not that of an accomplished Regency lady, I used "Edwardian Script" on the computer and printed them out. (I happen to like that font much better than the one called "Regency". "Elegance" is also nice, which I use for the "&"s because the Edwardian Script one is a bit too fancy for my taste. However it would not copy into Blogger.) The invitation said something like this: Miss Emerson is cordially invited to a party in honor of Miss Melody Rose’s seventeenth birthday, celebrating the world of Jane Austen and the fictional lives of Elizabeth Bennet, Anne Elliot, Fanny Price, Emma Woodhouse, Catherine Morland, Elinor & Marianne Dashwood, and all her other marvellous characters. March the twenty-third, three o’clock in the afternoon. Those who would like to are also invited to stay for dinner and watch a Jane Austen movie. Please dress in your favourite Regency attire. R.S.V.P. by March sixteenth. The party was not really in March; I just used that for an example. I also do not really know anyone with the last name Emerson. And obviously my real last name was on the invitation, and I was not actually turning seventeen. I just think seventeen is such a JA-ish age. Now, I was following what I call "The Miss Rules" of the Regency era (also Victorian, I believe) where if a young lady is the eldest unmarried girl in her family, she is called "Miss {Last name}", but if she has an older unmarried sister, she's "Miss {Last name, First name}". Formally--when you talk to them face-to-face, "Miss {First name}" will do. ;) Now, the content was too modern to be historically accurate, of course, but you know, it's just for effect. And for those who didn't have a Regency dress (although several of them did) I was just going to suggest they wear their most old-fashioned clothing, or perhaps try for a shirt with an empire waist and a skirt; one girl borrowed a dress from me. Then I folded it in the old-fashioned way (which I learned from The Jane Austen Handbook... or did a friend show me first?), making sure to fold it large enough so that the post office would accept it, and didn't use an envelope. Unfortunately I can't find instructions for folding it this way online, but if you want more information I'll be happy to help you out--just leave a comment. :) Since I had no sealing wax (I do now, though) I did the thing I used to do, which is use regular glue (you know, the wet kind) to make a round thing on the back, and then painted it burgundy when it dried. Sealing wax is definitely preferable (you can find this on eBay), but one does what one can. Address, stamp, and send. Of course, if you put it in an envelope or give it to people personally, you won't have to worry about the postal standards, which is nice, and it can be as small as you want. Decorations, &c. My favorite decorative bit of this party was what a cousin of mine later dubbed "A shrine of JA." HA. I acquired as many Jane Austen items as I could, from the library and with a LOT of help from a Janeite friend of mine... at the time I had very few items of my own (I have more now) as well as some generally old-fashioned things, and displayed them with candles and... well, a picture is worth a thousand words. Behold. (Don't forget you can click on it to make it larger.) Sigh of delight, anyone? Now, at the time The Friend From Whom I Borrowed Many Items did not have Emma 2009 on DVD, and I had not yet gotten it from the library (my copy was the one taped off of TV when it played on PBS), which is why you do not see it there. Some of those were options for what we would watch later on, but I'll get to that. As well as displaying all of Jane Austen's works (well, not all of the minor works, but some of them) and The Jane Austen Handbook (which is fun to poke through), I had Shakespeare's sonnets and The Romance of the Forest as well. The latter, as you should know, was mentioned in Emma. Heehee. Above the JA table I had two poster things I made with the JA heroes and heroines... although, I will confess that at the time I made four very sad mistakes. The first two were that I did not use Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller for Emma and Mr. Knightley. Shocking, I know. But I'd only seen it once or twice and for some reason I was still not totally convinced that they were my very complete favorite portrayals... as far as looks went, because I already favored their acting jobs. The other mistakes were *cough* misspellings of two of the heroes' last names. Did I really just admit that? It's horrid to know that I once did something I am now so picky about people not doing. (What am I doing now that I might be mortified about in a year or two, I wonder?) My excuse is that I hadn't read either of the books in question yet. (And I'm not volunteering the information of how many I had read. Er, not read. Or that I may have continued in one of the misconceptions even after I read the book. Ahem.) Nor had I been blogging yet. Anyway, just for fun, they looked something like this, only here, my mistakes are corrected. ;) Oh, well, if I made it now I probably would use Kate Winslet's Marianne... but I just thought Charity Wakefield's looked a little more like the book's description. Again, it wasn't because of the acting. And the way they are arranged don't have to do with favorites, just however the collages seemed to work best. Oh, and I left Edmund out of the heroes collage, hahaha, but that was only because I couldn't find a good picture for him at the time. For another old-fashioned touch, I had flower garlands on the stair rails. Flowers used to be a popular way of decorating for parties... I'm not so sure about in the Regency era, but we won't quibble about details. Now, a main point of this party was the Tea, so the tea table was also decorated. Silly Me did not take any pictures of it, however... I didn't think about putting pictures on my blog at the time, of course, since it was not yet in existence, and I probably thought that since I recorded it with our camcorder that would be good enough. Heh. Or perhaps I was going to wait until all the food was on the table and then forgot... because I DID take a picture of a couple place settings. As you can see, I made little place cards with everyone's names and a Jane Austen silhouette. (Unfortunately our selection of cloth napkins is not the widest, but I thought that using paper napkins would not be the thing.) So I shall explain what I did with the table--first I put on our nicest tablecloth, and in the center I had a vase with flowers (you don't need to know that they were artificial) and two tall candles. Oh, and by the way, when it started growing dark outside I lit all the candles (including the ones on the JA table) and didn't turn on any lamps until necessary. It created a delightfully old-fashioned atmosphere, especially during dinner. Games/Activities Now for the fun part. Sorry this is so long, everyone... I TOLD you it would rain I would ramble. Quiz. As everybody arrived, I had them take an Jane Austen quiz, and I had a prize (a small cream pitcher) for the person who got the most answers correct. These were the questions... I tried not to make the quiz too hard, although most of my friends declared it to be difficult. It may not be for most of you, though... anybody care to try? (Spelling mistakes corrected, again. Heh. *blushes* I was a shamefully ignorant girl back then. I doubt I thought so at the time, though....) Sorry it's so small... I wanted to save room. Jane Austen Quiz 1. What was Jane Austen’s first published novel? 2. What was Jane Austen’s last completed novel? 3. Was Jane Austen ever married? 4. How many of Jane Austen’s main characters were proposed to by someone they did not marry? 5. List the ages of the following heroines: Emma Woodhouse: Elizabeth Bennet: Anne Elliot: Elinor Dashwood: 6. Match the gentleman’s last name (and title) with their first name: Charles Mr. Bingley Fitzwilliam Capt. Wentworth Frederick Mr. Darcy George Mr. Knightley 7. Match these character’s first names with the last names they have (or will have) by the end of the book: Anne Bertram Catherine Brandon Elinor Darcy Elizabeth Ferrars Emma Knightley Fanny Tilney Marianne Wentworth 8. Which of these titles go with which opening sentence? a. Northanger Abbey b. Pride and Prejudice c. Sense and Sensibility “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” “No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine.” “The family of Dashwood had been long settled in Sussex.” 9. Which two were not written by Jane Austen? a. Jane Eyre b. Sanditon c. Lady Susan d. Wives & Daughters e. The Watsons Tea. (Since I forgot to take pictures of my own tea table, I took the opportunity of snagging this lovely picture off Google Images. Heehee.) As I have said, this was one of the main activities of the afternoon. If you think that tea parties are only for little girls, you mustn't have had the pleasure of experiencing an elegant tea for ladies. They really are most delightful. Now, I considered trying to make treats that were authentic to Jane Austen's time period, but dismissed the idea as too difficult, so I just went for treats and foods of an old-fashioned air instead. My journal reminds me that we had cookies, raspberry chocolates, chicken salad and cucumber sandwiches cut into fourths (definitely not early 1800s, but I couldn't think of anything else non-dessert-ish to have), biscuits (baking powder biscuits, not the English cookie, haha) with butter and jam, grapes, these bite-sized pies that I made by baking pie crust in a mini muffin pan, filling the shells with berry pie filling with whipped cream on top, and then of course we can't forget the tea itself. I had two pots with a different flavor in each to accommodate the different tastes of the guests. ;) Oh, and an old-fashioned looking lemon cake, in which I blew out my candles. (It was a birthday party, after all.) Sitting down to tea encourages polite and elegant conversation, but also makes one feel just a tad restrained and quiet. So it's nice to have some conversation starters in mind--something at which a good friend of mine is quite adept--such as asking everyone what books they are reading or have just finished (which is always very interesting to me, anyway), if they are going or have gone on any vacations, if they're working on any projects, etc. Some parlor-type games will also work, which brings me to one of the games we had... The Assume a Jane Austen Character game Couldn't think of a clever title for that, haha. Anyway, this was quite fun, I thought. What I did was cut up slips of paper with names of female Jane Austen characters on them (all the heroines and just some other well-known ones, especially those I thought it would be fun to pretend to be), folded them up, and put them in a basket. (Using a basket for such things is just a nice, old-fashioned touch.) During tea I passed the basket around, and whatever name was written on the slip of paper you get, you are now that character, and everyone else has to try to guess who you are, and vice versa. You are allowed to ask other people questions, except, of course, questions where the answer would be a proper name are not allowed. That is, you can't ask their name or what book they're from or where they live--that sort of thing. Much too obvious. You can quote your heart out, however, and the object is not to conceal who you are from the other players, but just to have fun. And if you see someone really quiet, be sure to ask them a few questions, because if they're Fanny Price or Jane Bennet or Jane Fairfax they probably won't be randomly joining into the conversation. There were a couple instances where some of my friends weren't familiar with the character they drew, so I just let them pick another one. We liked the game so much that we played it later on in the living room parlor and over dinner. And as I happened to write it down in my journal, I shall tell you that during the course of the afternoon and evening I got to be Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Bennet, Mrs Jennings (very fun one, that), and Marianne Dashwood. This game that I don't know what to call which involves acting and Jane Austen quotes. Where I first learned a version of this game was when I took a drama class at a homeschool co-op... it was so much fun that one of my friends (who was also in that class with me) and I like to play it at our parties when possible. How we play it is you divide everyone in your party into groups of 2-4 people, depending on how many you have and how many groups you want. Everyone receives two slips of paper, and thinks up some random phrase to write on it. Quotes are very popular, and for my JA party I changed the rules a bit and instead of any random phrase or quote it had to be a Jane Austen quote. (All of JA's novels were nearby in case people couldn't think of anything.) Now, once you have your two quotes written, you go around and trade your papers with everyone else. You can do this multiple times, but you have to be careful not to end up with the quote you wrote. That's just not fun. ;) Anyway, then you split up with your groups and all go in separate rooms, or else talk super quietly in different corners. You decide on some little skit to perform--something you randomly come up with or even a scene from a movie--and then everyone meets back together and takes turns performing their skits. The funny part comes when, during the skit, everyone has to open their slips of paper at random and read (out loud) what it says. Sometimes it's so spontaneous it doesn't end up being that funny, but other times it is quite humorous, especially if it actually does make sense, or if someone else in the skit thinks of a witty response to what you just said. It's the challenge of trying to fit the quote into the context of what you're saying or doing--but no peeking first. That's against the rules. The first time you read it has to be when you're reading it aloud during the skit. The skit two other young ladies and I made up was about three sisters complaining about how poor they are, and trying to think of ways to make money, in which we inserted possible occupations for ladies which we were just looking at in The Jane Austen Handbook (which we'd sneaked down to the family room with us to try to get ideas from). It's interesting to see someone one minute lamenting over the price of sugar and then suddenly popping out with "If Jane dies, my dear, it will be comfort to know it was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley." It's also amusing to watch Anne and Diana walking through the haunted wood, when Anne pipes in with "Oh, shocking! How shall we punish him for such a reply?" (Actually, the latter skit, which the other group did, was simply hysterical. Insert applause here.) (Next time I play that game I'm going to write "If I am a wild Beast I cannot help it. It is not my own fault." Remind me. :D) The Emma Word Game Ah, the first game with true Austenese roots. In case you haven't already figured it out, this is the little activity that the characters in Emma played at, mainly Emma, Frank Churchill, Harriet Smith, and Jane Fairfax who was kind of forced into it. In the book I think what they used were some sort of alphabet tiles that Emma's nephews were supposed to have left at Hartfield, and I recommend using Scrabble game pieces. Unfortunately, my family does not have that game (shocking, I know, but we are fans of word games in general) so I used the letters from the game Upwords (pictured above) which is said to be very similar. You simply pick out a word, mix up the letters, and hand it to someone to figure out. (Yeah, like an unscramble game. Except more fun. And it's nice to be able to rearrange the letters.) Of course, we went with words connected with Jane Austen. Can you sort out the three words in the picture (besides Dixon, of course)? Oh, and you may decide for yourself whether proper names are allowed. I would say they should be. That may or may not be a hint. :) Another game idea might be to learn whist with everyone, because that was such a common card game in Jane Austen's time. What little I know of it I don't care for, but anyways, just an idea. I'm sure you can find the instructions online, and they are also in The Jane Austen Handbook. (There is a reason I've mentioned that book five times now. It just has everything, and is so very fun.) Jane Austen Movie As you already saw if you read the invitation, I gave everyone the option of staying for dinner and the evening as well. One of my friends actually couldn't come in the afternoon, so it worked out quite nicely. I also mentioned to everyone that they might like to bring a change of clothes in case they didn't feel like dressing up the whole time. Now, what I did was lay out the movies that would be short enough, which were both the Persuasions, the 1996 Emmas, and Sense and Sensibility 1995. I don't condone either of the newer Mansfield Parks. (Huh? What are you talking about--some version of Pride and Prejudice made after 1995? Nope. No such thing. Ahem.) Anyway, I put little sticky notes an all of them and had everyone write their initials on the two they wanted to watch the most, then the one with the most votes was chosen, and the winner was... duhn-duh-duhhhhn... the brown-haired Emma. AKA the 1996 A&E version or what some people call Emma 1997. Most everybody hadn't seen that version yet. It was fun. :) &c. (For those of you who many not know, "&c." is the old-fashioned way of writing "etc." I find it quite delightful to use myself. Jane Austen used it frequently, after all.) Anyways. A few other things I wanted to mention. During the party I had three JA soundtracks playing. It was P&P95, S&S95 and fakeP&P P&P05, the latter only because I didn't have another one to play at the time. (Now it would have been Emma09.) For party favors, I had a delightful time making Jane Austen bookmarks. I printed out Jane Austen silhouettes, a little lacy-looking thing to go around them, cut those out, and put them on the main bookmark part. On the front I had a Jane Austen quote (each bookmark had one, and there were eight, so I had two from Northanger Abbey and Pride and Prejudice, then one each for the other novels) and on the back a list of her main works. Look here: Then at the top I punched holes and tied on ribbons. Oh, and I used packaging tape as my own version of laminating. Haha. You can sort of see the finished effect in this picture... There are all sorts of things online that one can get as party favors and such for a Jane Austen party (a friend showed me this once, which I practically swooned over) but I tend to go the homemade route. (Less expensive, you see. And that always appeals to me. :P) So there you have it! It really was great fun, and I wish that I could have another one with some of you Janeite blogging friends out there! :)

A weekend of literary diversions for every Jane Austen fan. A literary retreat to slip you back into Regency England in a beautiful Victorian mansion.

A Jane Austen Inspired Garden Party created for Jane Con features garden themed crafts, recipes, decor and much more.