  
Parties for little princesses
Kid Special-Teas treat young guests like royalty
By Michelle Mullins
Correspondent
Juanita Nelson relishes her role as Fairy Godmother.
With a brush of blush, a sweep of eye shadow and a rhinestone-studded satin-and-tulle ball gown, she transforms ordinary little girls into fairy-tale princesses.
For the final touch, she places a diamond tiara on the newly crowned princesses' head.
Nelson has been creating princesses for a year through her Chicago-based business, Kid Special-Teas.
Her specialty is kids-themed tea parties.
At the parties, children dress up in pageant-wear, complete with nail polish, makeup and jewelry, ready to enjoy a fun-filled day of crafts, games, food and tea.
The parties are designed for children age 3 and up, and Nelson arrives to the parties more than an hour prior to its start time to set up.
She caters everything needed for a successful birthday party: food, music, decorations, entertainment and party favors. She also handles invitations.
For table settings, there are no paper plates or paper napkins. Pink satin tablecloths adorn the table. Fancy linen napkins are folded restaurant-style and set upright on top of china plates next to real silverware.
Children drink from china teacups, and the tea is poured from a castle-shaped teapot. Pink bows decorate each chair.
"We really try to make it an elegant event," Nelson said.
When children sit down to eat, they are given a short etiquette lesson on table and social manners. They are encouraged to try the tea, since many of the young girls have never tasted it before.
On the menu are platefuls of tiny sandwiches, including turkey and cheese, cucumber and cream cheese, egg salad, and peanut butter with strawberry or peach preserves. Two desserts also are offered, ranging from petits fours to cupcakes or fruit salad.
In addition to tea, parents also can choose another beverage such as raspberry lemonade, apple juice or hot chocolate.
For the girls, the favorite part of the day is transforming into a princess.
"They are just little ladies," Nelson said. "They turn into little princesses.They get so excited to get made up."
Nelson, who brings a full-length mirror to let the girls admire themselves, has an assortment of boutique-style ball gowns of pastel purples and pinks, bright reds or dainty whites. The gowns are satin, tulle or organza. Some have delicately embroidered flowers. Others have silk ribbons or rhinestone beads.
Children are encouraged in their invitation to the party to wear a leotard or another form- fitting outfit over which to put their fancy dresses.
The girls get to pick out their own makeup colors, and if they want each fingernail to be painted a different color, that's OK.
Nelson brings a digital camera and photo printer to each party so the girls get to go home with a photo of themselves in their dress-up clothes.
"The hardest part of the day is getting the girls out of their dresses or away from the mirror," Nelson said.
Felicia Alston, of Chicago's Pullman community, said her heart melted as she watched her 5-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn, put on her lilac-colored tulle gown and diamond tiara.
"This is something I wanted to do for her," Alston said. "The girls had a nice time (at the party). It's a good way to get them to be girlie and experience a tea party. It was done very professionally and very thorough. I can see Kaitlyn really enjoyed it all."
Kaitlyn, who recently turned 5, said she felt beautiful.
"I liked all of it," she said.
At the parties, the girls also get to do a craft project to take home. Young girls get to make magic wands, tiaras or sun catchers. Older girls make beaded jewelry or lip gloss.
Games, "princess" versions of duck-duck goose, musical chairs and Bozo buckets, are played.
"We do everything for the parents," Nelson said. "We do the food. We provide the activities. We keep the girls entertained. We clean up afterward."
While about 99 percent of the parties are geared to the princess theme, Nelson also offers diva and spa parties for older girls, where they get pedicures, manicures and facials and wear jazzier, glitzier clothes, including boas.
Packages for Kid Special-Teas (www.kidspecial-teas.com) start at $225 for 10 girls.
Stacy Oates, of Homewood, put on a tea party for her 6-year-old daughter, Katelyn. Oates said she was surprised her daughter enjoyed tea and cucumber sandwiches.
"(Kid Special-Teas) are awesome," she said. "A mother can relax. My daughter loved it. She is already bugging me to have another tea party next year. The makeup, the dressing up — she enjoyed being a princess."
Juanita Kid Special-Teas www.kidspecial-teas.com
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