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!

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!

Find the Romance in Wine with Romanza Stemware by Abigails Tabletop

It makes a difference which glass you drink wine out of - whether it's actual chemistry or just in your head. With Abigails' Romanza Stemware Collection it's hard to deny the romance of the wine. Each glass cup is blown with a twisted body and a roomy bowl. The cup then sits atop a delicate slender stem.

My favorite is the Romanza Balloon Wine which make the perfect red wine glass; it gives the wine ample room to swirl around while the swirls in the glass embellish the beauty of the wine. What makes this stemware collection even more attractive is the generous pricing for the ample size and quality of each glass. To check out other Abigails Tabletop Stemware available at Sallie home, click here.

Price: $17

Juliska Stemware Creates Beautiful Cocktails

Juliska stemware is uniquely created by hand blowing and crafting glass. Delicate detailing and unique shape is what separates this line from the many stemware collections available for sale. The Juliska Fiorella Large Goblet is a fluted round glass with bead trimming that can make any drink look refreshingly delicious. In the Weddings by Ritz Carlton magazine they feature this glass with the following drink:
Monkey Trouble
Ingredients
2 1/2 oz whisky
3/4 oz apricot brandy
2 oz fresh peach puree
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
crushed ice
1 oz creme de mur (blackberry liqueur)
Directions:
Shake whisky, apricot brandy, peach puree, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a Juliska Fiorella Large Goblet, fill with ice and the float the creme de mur on top by pouring it very slowly, either directly into the glass or over the back of a spoon. Garnish with lemon and blackberry

Click here to view the rest of the Juliska collection available at Sallie home. To order this particular glass, please call 1-800-257-9167 Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm CST.

Pacifica Varga Crystal Comes Straight Out of the Pacific Ocean

Varga Crystal creates a glassware collection that is perfect for drinking by the ocean or for bringing the ocean into your home. The Pacifica collection by Varga Crystal is as beautiful and charming as the ocean, featuring different animals one may find in the Pacific Ocean. Etched into the crystal you can find Seahorses, Shells, Starfish, Octopuses, and Medusas. Choose one animal or mix and match the whole collection like it was meant to be - each water glass, champagne flute, wine glass, highball glass, and double old fashion glass comes complete with every animal mentioned. The pieces of this collection are limited, so hurry. Click here to view this amazing Pacifica stemware collection as well as all Varga Crystal available at Sallie home.

A Stunning Statement; Tortoise Pitcher Steuben Glass

The Tortoise Pitcher by Steuben Glass is designed to serve. With its fluid lines and and slender body it gracefully fills everyone's glass, like the matching Tortoise Martini or Double Old Fashion glass. Whether mixing a festive Sangria or serving ice cold water, this pitcher compliments any bar, table service or get together. It is a great gift for the new couple or those celebrating a milestone together; it can even be engraved for a personal touch. Click here to view more of the Steuben Glass giftware and barware available at Sallie home.

Price: $900

Butterflies Fly to New Heights with Varga Crystal's Springtime Highball Glass

In an earlier post, I mentioned butterflies are an upcoming trend for this spring and summer. Now I can't stop seeing butterflies everywhere! Varga Crystal has an amazing collection called Springtime that features what else but these delicate creatures. Each piece of stemware is beautifully etched with delicate and lively butterflies and leaves. The Springtime Highball glass is the perfect glass for sipping lemonade on a hot summer or spring day. It's perfection will make any drink refreshing and thirst quenching. Click here to view other Varga Crystal stemware available from Sallie home.

Price: $170

Celebrate the New Year with Class: Varga Crystal Champagne Flutes

If people start decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving even happens, then its ok to start thinking about New Years Eve before Christmas even happens. New Years Eve is one of the best celebrations of the year, so why not go eleborate? While you are preparing, remember everything leads up the champagne toast and kiss at midnight - why not make this a memorable moment with Varga Crystal Champagne Flutes? Varga Crystal is flawless and impeccable, there would be no classier way to enter the new year. For a simply elegant toast, check out the Varga Art Crystal Simplicity Flute; it is stunning in its simplicity. For a more ornate and embellished toast, ponder the Varga Art Crystal Avignon; divine in all its detail. Ring in the 2009 year with class! Two flutes would make a great host or hostess gift. Click here to view all of the Varga Crystal stemware and barware available at Sallie home.

Relive the Renaissance Like Royalty With Varga Art Crystal Stemware

The Renaissance was an amazing era for the world; it was a time of intellectual pursuit in areas of the arts, philosophy, politics, science, literature, and religion. It was a time for grandeur and the Renaissance collection by Varga Art Crystal embodies this characteristic of the movement. Made with impeccable Hungarian craftsmanship, each piece is hand-cut with a crown design, symbolizing royalty. Like the linear perspective developed in painting during this era, each glass is created keeping lines in mind. Like the straight body of the highball glasses and the stems that draw the eye up and down on flute, martini, wine, and water glasses. The Renaissance design is available in clear, raspberry, sky blue, amber, and yellow/green.

Click here to view more of the Varga Art Crystal stemware and barware available at Sallie home.

Price: $150 - $450

Get Captivated by Captiva Stemware by Varga Crystal

The finest stemware creators, Varga Art Crystal, have a created most captivating crystal collection called Captiva. Meticulously etched lines stemming from the cup's base shape to become flower petal like designs, resembling an open flower. Between each petal there are subtle circles which look as if they are floating from the base to the lip of the glass. Together, both designs create great movement and fluidity within the stemware. The wine will flow with ease from these glasses - which may or may not be a good thing - and delight and captivate your dinner guests. This design is available now in a clear or yellow/green wine, water, or flute.

Click here to view the magnificent stemware by Varga Crystal available at Sallie home.

Price: $150-198

Printemps Stemware Emerges from Varga Crystal

Printemps crystal by Varga has it all, taste and style. Handcrafted with the most excellent quality and skill, Varga is one of the top crystals in the world. The Primtemps collection is adorned with dainty butterflies and emerging vines. The design is beautiful and perfect for any occasion, whether it be a spring dinner, baby shower, or New Year's celebration. This particular design comes in multiple colors, one for every mood. You can choice from clear, raspberry, sky blue, yellow/green, and amber (perfect for a fall celebration).

Click here to view Varga crystal stemware and giftware available at Sallie home.

Price: $160-432

Contemporary Stemware: Pythagore by J.L. Coquet

J.L. Coquet is known for his avant garde designs and innovative style mainly in his creation of Limoges china. J.L. Coquet's style transcends his china and is used in his creation of his crystal stemware collection, Pythagore. The Pythagore stemware collection consists of contemporary designed glassware that will add a creative touch to any table. Each water, champagne, and wine glass in the collection has a linear cup that sits atop a cone-shaped stem, geometrically crafted to perfection by skilled artisans. For a more personal touch, these glasses are available in an array of colors including, clear, black, smokey grey, green, amber, ruby, and sky blue. If you are looking for something original and cutting edge for your table, look no more; you've found it with J.L. Coquet's Pythagore stemware collection.

Click here to view J.L. Coquet's dinnerware, stemware, and flatware collections available at Sallie home.

Price: $68-$90

Personalize Your Stemware: Varga Art Crystal Monogramming

Picking out china and crystal is a very personal thing, it expresses who you are. What better way for you to express yourself than by monogramming your initials onto your china or crystal. Varga Art Crystal offers a monogramming service using their same skillful techniques used when etching patterns onto their crystal. The crystal wine, water, flute, martini, DOF, highball glasses can all be monogrammed adding to their original brilliance. Even the whiskey decanter can be monogrammed, making it a perfect personal gift.

For even more personalization, they offer two styles of lettering, Vegetal and Ruban, and six different formats for the lettering. To order online from Sallie home, once in the checkout process, there will be a "note" box. Please specify what lettering and format you want your monogram in. Or just call 1-800-257-9167. To view more amazing Varga Art Crystal stemware and barware available at Sallie home, click here.

Simply Divine: Varga Art Crystal's Simplicity Stemware

Simplicity is beauty in its purest form, especially when you start with Varga's Crystal. Varga Art Crystal's Simplicity stemware may be more plain and unadorned than Varga's other collections but definitely doesn't lack in comparison. This crystal will surely stand out in even the most extravagant events.

The Simplicity stemware is simply divine! The stem is skillfully cut for comfort and elegance. At the base of the glass there are subtle yet stunning oval cut circles that add much to its "ahh-quota". Because of this stemware's simplicity, it is a very popular glass to etch with a monogram. This collection is also available in Sky Blue, Raspberry, Amber, or a Yellow/Green.

Click here to view all of Varga Art Crystal's stemware and barware available at Sallie home.

Price: $115-$135

Warwick Silver Chalices; Medieval Bridal Trend

Warwick Silver specializes in silver products - anything from frames, to serving pieces, to baby gifts. Here at Sallie Home, a very popular bridal registry item and wedding gift is the silver Chalice by Warwick.

The silver chalices come in five different patterns: Hammered, Birmingham, Manchester, Sussex, and Gadroon. All have very unique detailing and look beautiful on a well-appointed dining room table. The Gadroon and Hammered are probably the least ornate chalices of the group. If you love detailing, I suggest you check out the Sussex Chalice by Warwick. This specific chalice has beautiful flower and beaded detail work on the outside as well as a gorgeous textured pattern on the inside. These are very unique stemware pieces, far less ordinary than the typical crystal stemware, and they will surely impress your guests.

Click here to view Warwick Silver's whole collection of silver chalices available at Sallie Home.

Jean Louis Coquet New Introductions; Romantic Jericho Black Stemware

Jean-Louis Coquet has some New Introductions to their already stunning dinnerware collection; mainly in the areas of stemware and flatware. Out of these new collections, the Jericho Black stemware caught my eye.

The Jericho collection by J.L Coquet joins a hot tableware trend of opaque stemware, coming in many different colors, including a non-opaque crystal clear and my favorite, Black. This crystalware is cutting edge and perfect for the modern table; yet, this stemware is sleek with elegant curves - very reminiscent of what I imagine medieval stemware to look like. The opaque black Jericho stemware, which comes in a champagne saucer, flute, martini, water, and a white wine glass, is very romantic and will create the prefect atmosphere for a dinner date.

Click here to view all the cutting edge dinnerware designs by J.L. Coquet available at Sallie Home.

Just A Touch of Color; Barcelona Stemware by Varga Art Crystal

Varga Art Crystal is known for its beautiful craftsmanship and its wonderful use of color in its crystal. The Barcelona Stemaware Collection by Varga comes in yellow/green, clear, raspberry, sky blue, cobalt, and amber. On the rim of the glass there is a big strip of color. Beneath this strip, Varga shows off their skillful design work; etching in a ring of flowers, along with circular and diamond patterns touched with color. It is an understated elegance that everyone will adore.

The beauty of this collection is that is does not overwhelm you with color, but just leaves hints of color throughout the stemware for an elegant finish. The Barcelona Highball Glass in Colbat is simply to die for. This glass is perfect for anytime of day or any occasion and it is the right shape and size for any drink – water, juice or a mixed cocktail. Click here to see all of Varga Art Crystal’s collections available at Sallie Home.


Price: $198-$550

Varga Printemps Crystal Pitcher: A Refreshing Look for the Table

Crystal can make any table sparkle and a Varga Art Crystal water pitcher is the perfect way to make any table shine. Not everyone has a butler to make sure your guests glasses are full and a crystal pitcher is a beautiful and convenient way to serve water, juice or sangria to your guests. For a nice touch on a warm afternoon just add Fruit or lemon slices. It will give water a refreshing flavor along with a beautiful look.

The Varga Primtemps Water Pitcher is one of favorite looks from Varga. Its shape is sleek and contemporary and has a simple yet elegant design. Leafy vines are skillfully etched into the crystal and laced across the middle of the pitcher. The handle is cut for a flawless grip that looks amazing. In the Varga Primtemps pitcher your water never looked so refreshing. To view all of the Varga Art Crystal Primtemps stemware collection available at Sallie Home, click here.

Save Your Wine With Carrol Boyes's Wine Bottle Stoppers

I rarely ever finish a bottle of wine in one night but I hate wasting the wine. To save the wine for a later date, I typically use the bottle's cork to stop up the bottle. The cork works fine; that is when little pieces of the cork don't flake off and fall into the wine or the bottle, like most now-a-days, uses a plastic cork which i often have trouble fitting back into the bottle. In addition to these problems, I find the cork to look a little tacky, especially if I'm having a dinner party. Fortunately, I have found a beautiful solution. Carrol Boyes has a fabulous collection of uniquely stylized bottle stoppers.

Carrol Boyes truly creates functional art with these stoppers. With Carrol Boyes bottle stoppers you can top your bottle with a crown, a sultan, a woman, a table bay, or a moghul. These bottle stops are the prefect gift for anyone or any occasion; whether you are saying thank you for coming to my bridal shower or saying hello to your new neighbor. Gift giving is in the details and presentation, it is a visible way to show your appreciation and love; so why not tie one of these bottle stops around the neck of bottle or attach one to a gift-box when giving stem or barware? Click here to view all the stemware and barware available at Sallie Home.

"Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!": Varga Art Crystal Safari Stemware For Your Bar

"Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!" Animal prints have been ever so popular in home decorating and this trend is not dying out anytime soon. Now and in the spring, there have been, and will be, lots of safari prints to fill and accessorize your home. If you love this motif, then you'll love these Varga Art Crystal Safari stemware and barware that perfectly compliment any spot, stripe or leopard print on your walls, floors or tabletop.

The Safari collection by Varga has an exquisite array of giraffes, elephants, cheetahs, gazelles and other indigenous African animals and vegetation hand-etched onto Varga's beautiful, top-quality clear crystal. The details are so intricate the African safari landscape will come alive in your hand. The decorated crystal comes in a full set of stemware and barware, including decanters, brandy sniffers and martini glasses. My favorite is the Varga Safari Ships Decanter. It's the perfect gift for any animal lover.

Click here to view all of Varga Art Crystal's collections available at Sallie Home.