Checklist for Holiday Entertaining

The holidays can be stressful enough and then some have the added stress of entertaining. I don't know how some people do it! So here is a quick checklist of things you might have overlooked in your holiday party planning:

Candles - A simple decoration that sets the mood and makes people feel warm and welcome

Cocktail Napkins - Good etiquette and adds a festive touch

Tablecloths - Check to see if there are any of last year's stains and if it needs to be ironed.

Serving Pieces - Look over your menu and make sure you have the serving pieces for each dish

Guest Towels - More than three linen or terry cloth ones or plenty of disposable guest towels

Napkin Rings - This is a festive touch that will liven up your table

Stemware - Make sure they are clean and that you have plenty. A good substitute for crystal during parties are the GoVino stemless wine glasses - unbreakable and meant to go in the dishwasher.

Remember, this is the time for joy and fun. Now is the time to forgive and be celebratory. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Easter Bunny Brought us Mustardseed and Moonshine Egg Cup

The egg cup is not a commonly used item on today's table. Typically one would use an egg cup to serve hard boiled eggs. But the egg cup has proven to hold other purposes. In the early 1800s, a drink created in New Orleans which consisted of absinthe, brandy, and bitters, this was the first cocktail and it was served in an egg cup much like the Mustardseed and Moonshine egg cup.

On my table, I would use the Mustardseed and Moonshine Poppy Welsh egg cup as a condiment holder, like for salt, pepper, and other seasonings. It is a great spring and summer accent to a table! It is perfect for Easter and Passover when you might actually want to use it for its intended purpose, to serve a hard-boiled egg! If you don't want to utilize the egg cup, many people have collected various egg cups to put on display; it's quite a collectible item. To see other Mustardseed and Moonshine flower dinnerware available at Sallie home, click here.

Price: $32

Bloom in the Winter with Mustardseed and Moonshine Floral Tableware

Winter doesn't need to be devoid of flowers and bright colors! Flowers should be brighten up your home anytime of the year and Mustardseed and Moonshine earthenware will last all year around, even through that cold winter. For your holiday get togethers coming up, the Waterlily Platter in green is the perfect accessory to showcase your appetizers or buffet items. With greens and reds, this platter will brighten up an otherwise monotone winter. More importantly, this beautiful botanical serving piece is delicate yet robust enough for the microwave, oven and dishwasher - meaning it's one less thing to worry about this holiday party! Click here to view other botanical inspired Mustardseed and Moonshine tableware available at Sallie home.

Price: $135

The Party's in the Bowl When It's the Ellen Bowl by William Yeoward

By the look of it, the Ellen Bowl by William Yeoward is simple, plain but with a closer look you'll find out how amazing this bowl really is! The Ellen bowl is a robust bowl who's beauty is within its flowing shape, honest craftsmanship, and practical nature. I knew this decorative bowl showcased salads beautifully, but after seeing it in Gourmet Magazine, I now know it's perfect for showing off a flavorful and colorful punch. In this specific article and also shown in the adjacent picture, they have a bright orange summertime Gin punch, but this bowl works all year round. It will wonderfully display all the colorful holiday drinks to come. Try it with apple cider, mulled wine, or eggnog. Click here to view more William Yeoward Crystal available at Sallie home.

Price: $266

Bring Back Summer with Anna Weatherley's Spring in Budapest Covered Butter Dish

It seems like summer has come out of nowhere, especially the hot summer weather. So I'd like to cool it down a bit by going back to Spring with Anna Weatherley's Spring in Budapest collection. It is a beautiful collection that definitely cools things down with its spring color palette, budding flowers and floating butterflies. In this collection, the Anna Weatherley Spring in Budapest Covered Butter Dish is absolutely fabulous! This butter dish will keep the butter fresh and a little less melted on these hot summer days! Complete with gold rimming and textured accents, this is a wonderful serving piece to add to any table set - breakfast, lunch or dinner. Click here to view more Anna Weatherley china available at Sallie home.

Price: $340

Looks Like Pewter but It's Juliska Pewter Stoneware

If it looks like pewter, look again because it might be Juliska's new collection, Pewter Stoneware. Juliska's Pewter Stoneware looks a lot like their Octavia collection but is sealed with a silver pewter finish. A great piece from this collection is the Pewter Stoneware Ramekin. Adding this piece to a dinner tableset that already has a silver accent looks spectacular. It is also a great dish to individual desserts in, especially like all Juliska's pieces it is made to go from the oven to the table. Make your table sparkle and shine with Juliska's Pewter Stoneware, offered in dinnerware, serving pieces, and bakeware. Click here to view all the Juliska dinnerware available at Sallie home!

Price: $ 12

Jaguar Jungle Single Leaf Server is a Hit for Lynn Chase Lovers

The Jaguar Jungle collection is one of Lynn Chase's most popular patterns. At this pattern's core motif is, of course, the Jaguar. Many of the items in this collection feature Jaguars painted onto the china; but many serving pieces and giftware use an actual Jaguar figurine, like the one used in the Jaguar Jungle Single Leaf Server. The Jaguar, which doubles as a handle, sits proudly next to a huge palm leaf. The palm leaf is veined with gold and can be used to serve appetizers or candies at a party; or for an everyday use, can be used to display knick-knacks or soap in your bathroom. This server, as well as other service and tabletop items from the Jaguar Jungle collection, are great gifts for the big cat lover! Click here to view other animal inspired Lynn Chase available at Sallie home.

Price: $125

Good Things Come in Small Packages; Juliska Mini Open Dish

At just 1 inch high, 2.5 inches wide and holding .5 ounces, the Juliska Mini Open Dish is amazingly cute and useful. Each dish is rustic European chic with Juliska's signature Berry and Thread pattern. You might be thinking, these are so small, what can i use them for? Well they are the perfect table accent for holding condiments like salt, pepper, and soy sauce - especially when set atop the Berry and Thread Small Oval Platter. Or they can be used to hold your morning pills in the bathroom. Either way they are very practical and durable like all of Juliska's dinnerware and serving pieces. Check out the Juliska tableware collection available at and through Sallie home.

Price: $13

Picked Straight from the Pumpkin Patch: Cipolla Pewter Pumpkin Tureen

Just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving, comes Cipolla Pewter's Pumpkin Tureen. This life size pumpkin is complete with leaf and vine embellishment on the lid. Made of the highest-grade pewter it is lead free and food safe which means it makes the prefect presentation piece for soup on a brisk fall day or handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Unlike the real thing, the pumpkin last, bringing fall into your home for years to come. Click here to view all of Cipolla Pewter's fantastic pewter pieces available at Sallie home just in time for holiday entertaining.
Price: $1,712.50

Carved from Stone; Georgia Ivory China by J.L. Coquet

The Georgia Ivory Fine China from J.L. Coquet is an elegant yet simple piece of art, reminiscent of a marble statue you'd fine in an art museum. The Georgia's flower and vine pattern is adroitly carved out of Limoges ivory porcelain or white porcelain. It is a fine China Dinnerware that is versatile in all situations; it can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Though stunning, its lack of color will draw attention to the presentation of the food.

The serving pieces are quite lovely in this collection. My favorite being the Georgia Ivory Soup Tureen. It is elegantly detailed from the knob on the top to the ornately cut handles on the sides. This collection is an understated testament to the simplicity of beauty. Click here to view all of the fine china dinnerware and serving pieces by J.L. Coquet available at Sallie home.

Price: $49-$968

Fall Leaves Turn Early on the Table: Anna Weatherley Autumn Impressions Plates

It's never to early to plan ahead. Fall is just around the corner and it's time to start thinking about your next table set. Anna Weatherley has a great collection of Fall inspired fine china called Autumn Impressions. The Amber cocktail serving plates are the perfect welcoming to Fall's arrival!

The Canape plate is six inches and is great for serving little appetizers. The Cocktail Leaf dish is four inches and the perfect size for an individual snack or perhaps a butter dish. Each plate is formed in the shape of a amber leaf and hand painted with such detail that they look like they were plucked straight from a tree; only the gold rimming gives it away. To complete your Fall inspired table, check out the rest of the Autumn Impressions collection by Anna Weatherley.

Click here to view Anna Weatherley's entire collection of fine china dinnerware and home gifts available at Sallie home.

Canape Plate Price: $262

Cocktail Leaf Plate Price: $148

Annieglass Water Lily: A Refreshing Addition to the Table

Annieglass Water Lily dinnerware and serving pieces are a modern work of art. Each piece is made from hand-sculpted glass that is dishwasher safe and durable enough for everyday use. The creator made each piece with the vision that food tastes better on a beautiful plate and should be a feast for the eye not only the palette. The Water Lily is beautifully sculpted to mimic the beauty of the flower floating on water. It is definitely a refreshing look for your table. Click here to view all of Annieglass' hand-sculpted dinnerware and serving pieces available at Sallie home.

Price: $50-$109

A Chic Look for a Modern Table; Jaune de Chrome

Jaune de Chrome's dinnerware and serving pieces have a distinguishable style. With a simple form, clean cut lines, and little ornament, these pieces posses a modern feel. The Spangled Black collection is just that; modern, chic, and unique. It almost has the look of a black granite but is made of a porcelain and then covered with an amazing glaze.

If you love coffee and tea as much as I do then you need to check out the Spangled Black Atoll Tea/Coffee Pot,the Spangled Black Atoll Creamer, and the Spangled Black Atoll Covered Sugar Bowl. These pieces are amazing and will work on with any modern table day or night.

Sallie home is no longer a carrier of Jaune de Chrome.

Contre-Jour by Raynaud; Combining Photography and Porcelain

Contre-Jour dinnerware and serving pieces by Raynaud are inspired by the photography and designed by Marina Chastenet. Many of the photographs used are of flowers and plants. The photography used, suggested by the name Contre-Jour, was taken with the camera pointing directly towards the source of light. This creates a strong light and dark contrast that emphasizes lines and shapes - like the veins of leaves.

The Contre-Jour collection created nature-inspired pieces that show plants and flowers in their organic form. On each piece of Limoges porcelain there is a photographic image of flowers and plants, like poppies and hydrangea leaves, painted in their full intricacy. The Contre-Jour covered sugar bowl is striking. The almost transparent, sepia-hued, flower image is painted from the base upward, spilling onto the top of the lid.

Click here to view all of Raynaud's Limoges Porcelain available at Sallie home.

Price: $49-$486

Introducing Juliska's New Line: Jardins Du Monde

Juliska has recently released a new collection this spring called Jardins du Monde. This collection is made to compliment their popular Berry and Thread Collection and together create a show-stopping table. The Jardin du Monde pieces are ornately decorated with cris-crossing ropes and highly designed detailing. With a hand-applied patina, these plates, decoration, and serving pieces will stand the test of time and everyday use.
If you already own the Berry and Thread dinnerware, I would highly suggest looking into purchasing the Jardin du Monde serving pieces. The lavish detailing on these pieces will add exuberance and an understated elegance to any table set. The Jardins du Monde Round Soup Tureen stands on the table like an beautiful sculpture but is still fully functional and ready to be used.

Click here to view Juliska's collection of dinnerware, serving pieces, and decorations available at Sallie home

Price: $42-$750

Refreshing Salad Serving Bowl: Garden Party by Anna Weatherley

Anna Weatherley has added a new introduction to their Garden Party collection. The Garden Party Salad bowl, is a wonderful addition to this collection and has become my favorite piece in this entire collection.

The Garden Party Salad Bowl by Anna Weatherley becomes part of the salad with as the the bowl is wrapped entirely in ceramic lettuce leaves, making it appear to be a hollowed out head of lettuce. Adorning the lettuce leaves are Anna Weatherley's signature butterflies and insects. This serving bowl is a great piece for any summer afternoon garden party or luncheon, or the perfect gift to bring to one.

Click here to view all of the Anna Weatherley dinnerware, serving pieces, and giftware available at Sallie home.

Price: $865

Raynaud Petit Trianon China: Tableware Fit for a Queen

Petit Trianon China by Raynaud Limoges Tableware is full service china fit for a Queen, in fact it was. The Petit Trianon dinnerware collection is a reproduction of the china that Marie Antoinette used on her travels from Austria to Versailles. While at Versailles, Ms. Antoinette frequently lived in a small chateau on the palace grounds named the Petit Trianon, which is where this china collection received its name.

The Petit Trianon china dinnerware, serving pieces, and gifts are all decorated with a royal flower garland of kingly blues, golds, yellows, and greens. In honor of Marie Antoinette, the china gifts and powder room accessories, like the pill box, dish and candle pot, are all marked with a 'M' and an 'A' monogram. Besides those gift accessories, my favorite piece is from dinnerware; it is the Petit Trianon Tea Cup and Saucer. It embodies everything this collection has to offer in design; it looks so sophisticated and is dainty enough for a queen to use in her white gloves. The saucer separates itself from other Tea Cups and Saucers; this saucer is shaped more like a bowl than a plate - ensuring that a drip will never fall onto your gown.

Click here to check out all of Raynaud's collections available at Sallie Home.

Monkeying Around the Table: Monkey Business by Lynn Chase

Growing up I could never leave the zoo without going to the Primate House; it was my absolute favorite exhibit. Maybe this is why I am in love with Lynn Chase's Monkey Business collection. Like the Primate House, it is full of energy with all those adorable monkeys hanging around. The Monkey Business collection features colorful dinnerware and service pieces with cute monkeys, toucans, parrots, and flowers crawling around the plates, bowls, cups, and other serving pieces.

My favorite piece is the rim soup bowl from dinnerware. At the end of every bowl, there is a surprise; in the middle of the bowl lies a bunch of bananas that is sure to make anyone smile. There is this same bunch of bananas painted on the inside of the coffee mug. with this collection, like all of Lynn Chase's items, it is all about the cute little touches. To see all of Lynn Chase's collection available at Sallie Home, click here.

There's Alot to Offer Your Table with the Hemisphere Limoges Porcelain Collection by J.L. Coquet

In my opinion, simplicity is best, especially when it comes to selecting fine china. It is like the little black dress of tabletops. You can change the whole look of the china just by adding accessories or accent pieces; something as little as a napkin or glass. It is very versatile; you can make it formal one day then casual the next. This is why I love the Hemisphere Collection by J.L. Coquet, a French manufacturer of Limoges porcelain.

The Hemisphere Collection is simply white porcelain that is enhanced by its texture and its rim, which comes in many different colors. One can choose from the Hemisphere Cream, Matte Gold, Matte Platinum, or White; all of which are simple yet elegant. If you are interested in something more unique or ornate, I suggest looking at Hemisphere's Transat or Gold Stripe pattern.

The dinnerware in this collection is great, however, my favorite part of the Hemisphere collection is the service pieces and the simple accent pieces of the dinnerware. The rim soup plate comes with a lid which adds a lot to the presentation and also to the bowl's function by keeping the food hot. The service pieces are really spice up this collection's simple look, making it more unique and avant-garde. Some of the pieces, like the teapot or the creamer, separate themselves with their unique form and shape. Other pieces, like the sugar bowl and another teapot appear classical in style except they have interesting metal accents as handles. In J.L. Coquet's Hemisphere Limoges Porcelain collection it's all in the delicate details. Click here to check out all of J.L. Coquet's Collection available at Sallie Home.

Juliska's Petit Singe: Monkeying Around the Dinner Table

Sallie home is excited to have a little monkey in our store called "Petit Singe." Juliska Fine Stoneware is the adorn source of our new collection. Monkeys in Europe are symbols of ingenuity, spontaneity, and are an irrepressible sense of fun.

We think our monkey would welcome any attention from you, whether it's breakfast or dinner. The dessert plate is imprinted with the Petit Singe holding a palmetto leaf covering the whole plate. The whole collection, dinnerware and serving pieces, is meant to mix, as it comes in portabello, whitewash and cucumber. I love it in soft cucumber!

The tableware collection also comes in a unique octogonal shape that may or may not feature our funny little monkey. No matter the shape or size this stoneware collection is great for freezer, oven, microwave, and dishwasher. How about that for uniqueness and carefree fun? Click here to directly go to Sallie home's Petite Singe Collection by Juliska.

~Sallie