End of Summer Sale: Yves Delorme Linens

The end of the summer brings the End of Summer sale. Yves Delorme, renowned French manufacturer of luxury linens in crisp percales and luscious sateens, is pleased to offer their annual End of Summer sale for a number of its designer collections. Lucky for us, this means from now until September 10th, the public can get 40% off some amazing patterns in bath and bed, like Architex, Athena Acier, Col Monte, Cyclamen, Gatsby Acier, Gatsby Mist, Gatsby Taupe, Ipanema, Triomphe Acier, Vence, and Vice Versa. In addition to these great patterns, you can get 20% off items from their tried and true solid bed and bath linen collections, Athena, Triomphe, Etoile Towels, Eden Mats, Plume, Olympe.

Come early for best availability, once an item is out of stock, you’re out of luck. To view Yves Delorme, visit us atwww.salliehome.com. If you’re out of town, call 1-800-257-9167 to place an order with discount. If in St. Louis, visit us today! 9821 Clayton Road 63124.

The Year of the Dragon: 2012

Next year, 2012, is the Year of the Dragon. The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. In ancient China, the celestial Dragon represents an emperor and power. Today, it is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. Varga Crystal has magnificent dragon-etched stemware, so you can raise a glass next year and rightfully toast to success and happiness. You can fill your whole set with a Double Old Fashion, Champagne Flute, Highball, Water Glass, and Wine Glass. If you aren't into toasting and you would rather celebrate with a delicious meal, take a look at Dragon Constellation by Raynaud China. The beautifully painted dragon candy dishes and jar will make a great gift for the new year. However you choose to celebrate the Year of the Dragon, do it in style. May the celestial Dragon bring good luck to everyone!

Tea Party

Day after day the temperatures in St. Louis have reached well over 90 degrees. I think my body is now made up of 90% iced tea as I am fighting to beat this heat and stay hydrated. My iced tea concoction of choice is the Arnold Palmer. I'm not a huge fan of sweet teas, so the lemonade sweetens the tea up but not as much as pure sugar. When in a pinch, I'll take a regular iced tea doctored up with a packet of Splenda.

For a party, a shower, or a luncheon, you have to dazzle up your

tea, just like the classic Japanese tea rituals do. To do so, you just need a few fancy flourishes. I like a tall glass, like the Abigail's Water/Iced Tea glass, accompanied with a long, ornate spoon, made long enough to stir the sugar crystals at the bottom. A nice heavy crystal or glass pitcher, such as the William Yeoward's Wisteria Covered Pitcher, is also nice to have on hand for a beautiful iced tea luncheon celebration. The clear vessel allows for a beautiful presentation with mint leaves or fruit.

Here is an extra special tea recipe I like to serve at my luncheons:

6 Bag tea (you can use Liptons or Luzianne)

2 quarts water

1/4 cup superfine sugar

1 cup orange juice

6 mint sprigs

1/2 lemon

1 orange

cloves

To make this tea: Steep the tea bags in boiling water for three minutes. Chill the tea. Before serving, stir in the sugar, orange juice, and mint sprigs. Pour the tea in your serving pitcher. Slice your lemons and oranges and stick each slice with 3-4 cloves. Add fruit to the top. Voila! a delicious iced tea recipe, that's not overly sweet!