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!

Kim Kardashian's Bridal Registry Revealed!

This week, Kim Kardashian's bridal registry was revealed! She is set to marry NBA player, Kris Humphries, and like every bride, she looked so excited as she created her bridal registry! As you may expected, this reality star, known for her stylish, sophisticated taste, has chosen some great luxury items! From brands like Christofle to Hermes to SFERRA to William Yeoward - she covers the whole house.

From Kim's list, check out these personal favorites. For her dinner partys, guests will be wiping their mouths and protecting their laps with Sferra's Festival Table Linen - she chose the color, butter. Kim must be a Martini Girl, from William Yeoward, she has requested two types of Martini glasses: Country Martini and Vesta Martini, plus a crystal Jerry Cocktail Shaker. You can register yourself for these items, at Sallie home's bridal registry!

Best wishes to Kim and Kris from Sallie home.

(Image: From left: Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries and Kris Jenner. From Trovarelli/Biagi/AKM Images)

Bring Energy to the Table With William Yeoward's Sophie Vase

A little color change change the mood of anyone. Brighten up your table and bring the energy with William Yeoward's colorful Sophie Vases. Each spherical vase is 9 or 11 inches and is available in Amber, Amethyst, Green, and Aqua. Each color is equally stunning with its trailing glass surrounding the bowl. It works wonders as a centerpiece during dinners or can be a dramatic home furnishing for everyday. Just fill with flowers or leave it be as the piece of art it is. This is the perfect gift idea for that someone who has everything. Click here to view other stunning William Yeoward crystal and china available at Sallie home.

Price 9": $275
Price 11": $350

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

Traditional Home Entertains With William Yeoward China, Stemware, and Cachepots!

To celebrate 20 years in publication, Traditional Home threw an ever so fancy party! To create the correct ambiance of this party, they created a upscale table set using William Yeoward. Each table was set with Avington Porcelain Chargers, Gosford dinner and salad plates, and Flavia Stemware with an Knowle magenta cachepot as the centerpiece. To commemorate the occasion, William Yeoward Vesta flutes were used for the toast. By using a William Yeoward table set, this party looked absolutely amazing. To create this same table, find William Yeoward crystal and china on salliehome.com.

The Center of Attention; William Yeoward Megan Flower Vase Centerpiece

The Megan Flower Vase by William Yeoward is the perfect centerpiece for your table. This handmade crystal vase has huge curve appeal which is enhanced by the bold flat vertical cuts running down the body, juxtaposed with a horizontal rimming around the neck. This crystal body is finished with the a scalloped rim to create a stunning and versatile tabletop accessory. At eleven inches tall, this vase is the perfect height for a dinner table centerpiece. Click here to view all the dazzling William Yeoward crystal available at Sallie home.

Price: $971

William Yeoward Carafes: A Wonderful Host/Hostess Gift!

According to NBC's Today Show "Trend Report" manners are a trend that never will go out of style. Saying "thank you" to a host or hostess is a must; especially if you ever want to get invited back. Showing your gratitude with a great gift is always a great way to guarantee that invite back. The "Trend Report" recommended some great gifts for your host or hostess including William Yeoward's carafes - and I can safely support this recommendation.

William Yeoward offers two luxurious carafes that can be used as a beautiful beverage service on the table or as a exquisite vase. The Wisteria Carafe by William Yeoward is my favorite and probably our most popular carafe. this crystal design is lovely and is accented with delicately etched leaves and vine. The Country Carafe is simple yet divine. It has the same crystal shape as the Wisteria Carafe but this one does not have the etched design. Say thanks to your summer host with William Yeoward's carafes.

Click here to view all of William Yeoward's crystal giftware and stemware available at Sallie home.

Wisteria Carafe Price: $106-$142

Country Carafe Price: $88-$116

Dress Your Table With William Yeoward Fine China

The joy of having your own home is being able to entertain in it. Successful entertaining begins with the perfect atmosphere; and the perfect atmosphere begins with creating an exquisite tabletop with beautiful dinnerware. If you are entertaining frequently, then you probably find your table looking repetitious as most people only have one set of fine china. For this reason, before you invest in fine china think about what pieces you are buying and how, with those pieces, you can stray away from the 'static-table' pitfall.

A new trend of mixing and matching china patterns allows a host or hostess to actually change the look of their table using their fine china. Recently, in her bridal registry, a bride-to-be combined two different William Yeoward fine china patterns, Avington and Gosford, to make her place setting. Unknowingly, she just created the prefect example of how to successfully mix and match china. The bright solid coloring of the Avington pattern will act like a picture frame, emphasizing the beautiful pattern that adorns the Gosford dinnerware.

Choosing a solid as her base allows her to change the look of her table just by switching out the pattern plate with another. As long as you stick with complimentary colors, and a balance of solid and pattern, you too can easily spice up your dinner table at an affordable price with mixing and matching. Click here to go directly to Sallie home's dinnerware collection for new additions to your table.