Afternoon Tea is popular! VERY POPULAR!

It has been several months since we last posted.  But we'll tell you, it hasn't been slow!  We have hosted over 450 people for Afternoon Tea in those short months since we got our permitting and are continuing to book guests well past the Holidays!  We started with the Dining Room, then added the Pink Room, then added "Yolla's Table" and the Very Little Table.  Then we added an earlier sitting, and a later "4PM" sitting - the proper tea time!  Yes, it has been fun...and busy! 

We continue to enjoy changing our menu monthly to bring some wonderful tea sandwiches and awesome desserts to our tea takers.  We think we have enjoyed it more as we "open" our test kitchen and try out each item.  Diet?  meh!  (grin).

We also managed to host four open houses!  We hosted the May Open House when we celebrated getting all of our permits and began serving Afternoon Tea.  We had a Parisian Open House where we served Paris Tea, Maria Antoinette tea from Nina's and a host of French-inspired desserts.  It was our best-attended open house yet.  We tried an evening Open House where we had Pink Champagne and Truffles.  Well attended.  And most recently, we hosted our Autumn Open House where we sample the fall flavours of tea breads - pumpkin and cinnamon - always a favorite of our customers!

So what's on tap?  We are now serving Afternoon Tea by reservation on more Fridays due to demand.  We added Friday November 15th and December 13th.  You can now book Tea on a select Friday!  We are having a Tea for Thanksgiving (almost fully booked!), a book signing special tea with Bruce Richardson (author of Great American Tea Rooms), Champagne Tea on New Year's Day by reservation, and two sittings with Pink Champs on Valentine's Day 2014 - one at 2pm and one in the evening.  Pfhew!  Check out our Facebook Event's Page for more information on what we have coming up.  We will be posting more often here with recipes from the Tea Room, notes about stories from tea takers, little bits of etiquette, and the like.  We like to say, when you enter our Tea Room, you leave all of your cares and worries at the door.....same here.  When you are sharing your time with our Blog and Facebook Pages, for just a little while, you can leave all of your cares ad troubles behind you.  Sit back, relax, cuddle your "cuppa" and enjoy The Tea Life with Fancy That with our "Cup Of Glee"!  :)  Thanks for stopping by!

Afternoon Tea (high tea) at Fancy That in Walpole Massachusetts

It has been a journey (some of which we chronicled here) from the idea of wanting to serve Afternoon Tea, to the place where we are now - serving Afternoon Tea by reservation on Saturdays and Sundays.  We have to say, we are absolutely THRILLED with the reception!  We are fully booked for this weekend (there are tables available for next weekend!).  With a few moments to spare,  just thought we would share some pictures of Afternoon Tea at Fancy That.  Enjoy the photos!  :)

Mini desserts served at a recent Afternoon Tea

 

 Table for two in the Dining Room

Dining Room with tables set for three guests each

The yummy part of Afternoon Tea!

When making reservations, be sure to request The Pink Room for a private room (up to a group of four)

The Pink Room can accommodate up to four guests

We are crazy about the vintage china we use for Afternoon Tea

The savories

Thanks for stopping by!  We look forward to welcoming you for tea!  :)

Starting the Holidays - Some pictures of our Shoppe

As we start to get ready for the Holidays, we thought we would give a sneak peek at our tree!  :)

We wanted to get our Wedding Cake Topper out before the Holidays.  Tucked nicely in the corner, sits our wedding cake topper.....not bad after 12 happy years!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Don't Tell The Bride - Casting Call!

Fancy That has been asked by the USA Network to help get the word out about this new show!  HURRY!  They want a December wedding!  :)  Details below:

CASTING ENGAGED COUPLES WHO WANT $20,000!


We are casting dynamic couples who are currently engaged, but lack the funds to have a dream wedding. Each episode focuses on one couple’s big day and what it took to make the wedding happen. The bride and groom agree to avoid all communication with each other for two weeks before the ceremony. In exchange, the groom is given $20,000 to plan the entire wedding without the bride’s input. Have no fear; each groom ultimately creates a unique wedding to celebrate his true love!

Casting Requirements:

- Must be over 18 years of age
- Currently engaged
- Willing and able to get legally married in December 2012
- Have a few groomsmen and bridesmaids with big personalities willing to be on the show with you
- No long distance or destination weddings. You must be willing to marry within driving distance of couple’s residence(s).

Please email bride@shedmediaus.com with the following information:

× Bride’s name and Groom’s name
× Bride’s phone number
× Bride’s email
× Bride’s resident city
× Groom’s phone number
× Groom’s email
× Groom’s resident city
× A few sentences about you and why you are an ideal couple for the show
× Wedding status – where you are in the process
× Current photo of bride and groom (make sure we can clearly see you both)

Fancy That's Process of Becoming a Tea House - Chronicling the Process

Got Tea?

Over the next six months or so we'll be chronicling the process of becoming a Tea House, or if you prefer, a Tea Room.  It just seems like the next logical step for us, and we're excited about it.  
 
Fancy That started almost ten years ago as a small, woman owned, family run vintage china rental company with a penchant for tea parties :) ...Almost ten years on, our inventory includes pristine mismatched silver plated flatware, beautiful dinner plates, vintage tea cups and saucers and so much more.

In May of 2011, we opened our retail gift shoppe.  So many of our clients and customers wanted to be able to purchase items for tea, we simply had to help out! (grin).  Our Shoppe offers imported British lemon curd, clotted cream, Double Devon cream British jams, French jams, vintage china cups and saucers and many more unique tea related items (like Scottish Clotted Cream Fudge!  YUMMY!).

All of the above has led to our newest and best idea yet...

We want to serve afternoon tea, and we're hoping to do so to coincide with our Tenth Year Anniversary Celebrations starting March 2013!

One little problem.  The cute bungalow we lease is not quite equipped for the whole process. 

So, we have a little bit of work to do, and we thought it would be fun to share the process with everyone here!  So stay tuned as we chronicle the process of Becoming a Tea House - Victorian-Gentility-Style!

Thanks for stopping by!

Fancy That in Romantic Living Magazine (from editors of Romantic Homes)

Fancy That is so excited to announce that our "vintage rentals" are in the new (February 2012) edition of "Romantic Living Magazine" (from the editors of Romantic Homes). Turn to page 56 and 57 for some great shots of our vintage rentals! Run out and grab your copy of Romantic Living today :) (available at Walmart, Target and bookstores)

Courtship Tea now for sale at Fancy That's Tea Boutique

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Fancy That is now carrying "Courtship Tea" in our Tea Boutique as a loose tea in tins that are 3 ounces. (Benjamin pictured above does not come with with tea...sorry folks, he is our mascot! :) )

First, I will say, we have a special love for this tea: we served it at our Afternoon Tea wedding reception in 2000. We know first hand how wonderful Courtship Tea is. Blended by Donna and Ron Lasko- the Ultimate Tea Couple in Osterville, Massachusetts- this tea is a unique blend of black teas and flavourings that create a truly smooth tasting afternoon tea (see Donna and Ron's web site)

The inspiration for this Romantic and Elegant blend emanates from Donna and Ron's mission to bring tea and civility into the 21st Century. Now, that is an inspiration we can relate to :)

Can't find Courtship Tea near where you are? We ship to anywhere in the lower 48 States of the USA. Just give us a ring, toll free: 1-888-3232-TEA (888-323-2832). Each 3 oz tin is $14, plus shipping.

Setting an Elegant Table? Use Vintage China that's pristine

There will be times when using the Country-styled settings just won't do...no Shabby for you! You may look at the silver and see the blackened tarnish and think "it just looks dirty." When planning your elegant party or event, keep in mind that the eye eats first!

If your eye comes to the table and sees "vintage-y" or "shabby" and not pristine, you may be off-put, if just a little. How many times have you seen an elegant cup and saucer and instantly, you spot the crack that has weathered many cups of tea and is slightly browned from age? That is NOT the cup you want to use for your elegant affair.

When you are planning your event, check every piece that will go on the table and remove finger prints, remove the black from the flatware if using silver, ensure there is no "build up" inside the cups, launder and press the linens. Better yet, you could use Fancy That - we rent vintage china and unqiue glassware. We also rent vintage flatware - silver plated "hollow ware" from about 1860 to about 1945. Each piece is shined, cleaned, rinsed, sanitized and packed, ready for your use (there may be some use marks and light scratching on the china and flatware, but overall, the condition is good to great). You'll never find a "flea bite" on the saucer (those nastly little "dings" that take a small chip from the smooth china) or that under-glaze fine cracking called crazing. Each cup is inspected three times before they are packed for your use. All the silver, no matter if it is a serving tray or flatware, is shined to near perfection - if there is age that cannot be removed from the vintage pieces, we let you know in advance (like around the handle of the vintage urns or flower pots).

Enjoy your dinner party or event and remember...when you are looking for that elegant table, use the pristine china instead of the "shabby". Enjoy your party!

Fancy That is a Preferred Vendor on Best of Wedding Photography

Fancy That is honored to be listed as a preferred vendor on Best of Wedding Photography’s web site and blog. Best of Wedding Photography is the premier, invitation-only association for the world’s top wedding photographers. By employing a unique system of peer-review, they ensure that their standards remain uncommonly high, as per their web site.

We are absolutely thrilled to join Best of Wedding Photography as one of their preferred vendors in the Boston Metro Area and Rhode Island.

If you have a moment, stop by the site and take a peek at some of the most incredible wedding pictures and portraits that you will ever see – hands down! Enjoy!