- Garden Tea Party
- Book Club Characters
- Tea Table Moments
- Garden Mishaps
- Reading Corner
- Frequently Asked Questions
This set of free printable paper dolls templates brings together twenty two tea party and book club ladies, each one caught mid laugh, mid gossip or mid sip. They are built for handmade cards, gift tags and junk journal pages, so pick whichever lady matches the occasion and the friend who will get it.
Print on matte cardstock at actual size, and cut around each doll with a thin white edge left in place so the ink line never shows raw paper. That little border also gives scissors something forgiving to follow, which matters more than it sounds.
Using these images: free for personal projects such as printing, coloring, cards, journals and gifts. Handmade items that include them may be sold up to 30 pieces per design. More than that is commercial use and is not permitted, and neither is selling or sharing the images themselves or passing them off as your own. Please ask before any other use.
Garden Tea Party
Here is the lady who sets the whole party’s mood: big pink hat, string of pearls and a look of pure delight as she keeps her teacup balanced on its saucer, perfect for the front of a thank you card for the friend who always hosts.
Slip her inside a card with a line about how tea tastes better in someone else’s good china, and let her stand slightly off the fold so the hat peeks out before the card even opens.
Sassy and self assured, this silver bunned lady in a rose print dress sips her tea with her pinky held up high, a fun pick for a birthday card aimed at the friend who always acts a little grander than the rest of the group.
Mouth open and eyes wide, this lady in a floral blouse stares down at a cake plate with nothing left on it, the classic face of someone who turned around for one minute too long.
She works nicely as the punchline on a card where the written joke is about disappearing desserts, or tucked into a junk journal page next to a recipe clipping for the cake that got away.
Laughing with her whole face, a plump lady in a gingham dress carries a three tier cake stand loaded with treats, ideal for the friend who always shows up to book club with more baking than anyone asked for.
Book Club Characters
This one belongs to every reader who has ever hugged a paperback to her chest after a good ending: cat eye glasses, a soft cardigan and a dreamy faraway look as she holds a romance novel close.
Pair her with another reading doll from this set for a two card mini series about the ups and downs of book club, or use her alone for a card to a friend who just finished something wonderful. You will find more reading scraps and doodles in 28 Book Doodles for Reading Journals, Bookmarks and Book Lovers if she needs company on the page.
Grumpy and unimpressed, this lady in a tweed skirt holds a book at arm’s length as though it personally offended her, a fun match for the friend whose book club reviews are always the most entertaining part of the meeting.
Behind an open book, this lady with a lavender perm yawns wide, eyes nearly shut, the honest truth of what happens to a book club pick that runs a little slow.
Mount her on a foam dot inside a get well card for the friend who needs permission to nap, or add her to a journal page titled something like current state of the reading list.
Grinning and clearly mid secret, this lady in a polka dot dress whispers behind one hand while still holding onto her scone with the other, perfect for the card that says the real book club happens after the book talk ends.
Tea Table Moments
Chin up and clearly proud of herself, this lady in a striped apron carries a teapot wrapped in its own knitted cozy, the kind of small triumph worth celebrating on a handmade card.
She suits a thank you note for the host of the month, or a tag tied onto a jar of homemade jam for the same reason, pride earned in the kitchen deserves to travel with the gift.
Dabbing at happy tears with a hanky in one hand and still holding her book in the other, this lady in a lace collar dress gives a sympathy or congratulations card real warmth without a single written word needed.
Eyes wide with amazement, this lady in a quilted jacket holds up a teacup topped with a ridiculous tower of sugar cubes, the kind of sight gag that makes a birthday card genuinely funny to open.
Give her the five minute version for a quick gift tag: print small, skip the careful cutting around every cube edge, and trim the outline in one simple pass instead.
Chin resting on top of a stack of library books held up high, this red bobbed lady wears pure triumph on her face, a strong match for a card celebrating a friend who finally finished her reading challenge for the year.
Garden Mishaps
Giggling instead of panicking, this lady in a paisley caftan spills her tea straight onto the open book in her lap, which somehow only makes her laugh harder.
She anchors a junk journal spread about the messier side of book club beautifully, especially paired with a torn tea bag tag and a splash of real watercolour staining across the page behind her.
Caught red handed peeking at the ending early, this lady in a mint twinset wears pure shock on her face as she sneaks a look at the last page of a mystery novel, a fun gift tag for the friend who always does the same thing.
Sassy and completely unbothered, this lady in a velvet hat carries a basket of cucumber sandwiches like she owns the whole garden party.
Pair her with the pink hat doll from the first section for a two character scene on a single card, two confident tea party women facing each other across the fold.
Flustered and clearly overwhelmed, this lady in a floral apron somehow ends up holding two full teapots at once, a funny addition to a card for the friend who always volunteers for too many jobs at once.
Reading Corner
Smug and clearly pleased with her own foresight, this lady in a striped blouse wears one pair of reading glasses on her head while holding a spare pair in her hand, the friend who is always, somehow, prepared.
Use the funny line idea here: write something like always two steps ahead, never two glasses short along the fold of the card for a laugh that needs no further explanation.
Overjoyed and glowing, this lady in a cherry print dress holds up a lemon tart like she just won a prize for it, a bright choice for a congratulations card or a tag on a jar of homemade lemon curd.
One hand raised high and her whole face thrown into the performance, this lady in a long cardigan reads aloud like she is on a stage, not in someone’s living room.
She is a natural anchor for a junk journal spread about a favourite book club meeting, especially set beside a scrap of real book cover art or a pressed flower bookmark tucked along the edge.
Puzzled and squinting hard, this white curled lady holds a magnifying glass over a tiny book, trying to make sense of print that seems to get smaller every year, a gently funny card for any friend who complains about the same thing.
Laughing freely with a tea strainer in one hand and a biscuit tin tucked under the other arm, this lady in a garden party dress looks like the one who keeps the whole afternoon running smoothly and cheerfully.
Fussy cutting around the strainer handle takes patience, so beginners can simplify the shape slightly while trimming and keep the tin’s edge sharp since that one matters more for the silhouette.
Settled and completely content, this lady in a knitted shawl holds a warm mug in one hand and a ribbon bookmark in the other, the quiet closing note of the set, perfect for a card that simply says take time for yourself.
What to Do Next
Print the whole set at once or pull out one lady at a time as the next card calls for her, and keep the rest on hand for book club season all year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What paper works best for these paper doll templates?
Matte cardstock works best because it holds fine outlines crisply and resists curling after glue or foam dots go on. Standard printer paper feels too flimsy for cutting and handling repeatedly on cards or journal pages.
What printer settings should you use?
Print at actual size, not fit to page, so every doll keeps its intended proportions and stays easy to layer with the others. Choose the best or highest quality setting available to keep the thin outlines sharp.
How do you cut out the paper dolls neatly?
Use small detail scissors and cut slowly around curves, leaving a thin white edge of paper around the outline instead of cutting exactly on the ink line. A craft knife works well for tight inside corners like between an arm and a teapot handle.
How do you make a paper doll stand up or pop off the page?
Fold a small tab at the base of the doll and glue it to a flat surface for standing, or layer foam adhesive dots behind the figure for a raised, dimensional look on a card front. Both methods need only materials already on hand.
Can these dolls be resized smaller for gift tags?
Yes, scaling a doll down on a home printer keeps the artwork sharp as long as the reduction stays modest, around seventy five percent or larger. Very small prints can lose fine details like pearls or teacup handles, so test one page first.