What did Matt Give the Pope on the Today Show?

Two days ago, Matt Lauer from the Today Show met with Pope Benedict XVI. Matt gave the Pope a grey box with a light grey ribbon as a token of his appreciation. Being a connoisseur of nice things, I know this was definitely a signature Steuben Glass box! But what was inside? According to Steuben, Matt gave the Pope Steuben's "Curious Cat." I guess the Pope is a cat lover?! Either way, it is a beautiful crystal glass sculpture - fit for a pope! You can purchase this same cat at www.salliehome.com, the same store who provided the bedding for Pope John Paul II during his 1994 visit to St. Louis, MO!

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

Varga Crystal Wine Decanters Create a Beautiful Table Set

A beautiful table can be ruined by the appearance of ugly wine bottle. There are a couple solutions to this, find one with a label that matches your decor, hide it in a wine bucket or pour the wine into a wine decanter for service. The Varga Crystal Avignon wine decanter is a great and ornate way to display and serve your wine. The decanter's elegant flower design adds a beautiful aesthetic to the dinner table.

The Varga Crystal Avignon Wine Decanter also provides a practical element to wine service, as well. According to Robert Mondavi in the Wine Spectator magazine, "all red wines should be decanted, regardless of age or wine type." A decanter allows the wine to breathe, letting it become alive and reach its full potential before it hits your guest's wine glass - creating the perfect first sip. Also, by pouring a wine in a decanter it can also remove any sediment found in the bottle. A wine decanter is the perfect gift for a wine lover or scotch or whisky lover.

Click here to view all the Varga Art Crystal gift-ware and stemware available at Sallie home.

Price: $875

Wine 101: Vagabond House Antler Corkscrew

The Vagabond House Corkscrew is a wonderful gift for the wine connoisseur. This is a stunning piece to add to a barware collection . The handle of the corkscrew is made from Vagabond's House's classic naturally shed stag antler. The rest of the corkscrew is simple, with a black body and pewter wings. The rustic look and feel of this wine corkscrew makes it a perfect gift for a Dad on Father's Day. To add this corkscrew and other wonderful Vagabond House pieces to your barware collection, click here.

Price: $101

Varga Crystal Imperial Compote: Fit For a King's Table

A crystal compote is a classic gift to give someone; a compote is both beautiful and useful. The Imperial Compote by Varga Art Crystal is one-of-a-kind. The Imperial pattern is everything the name implies. Beading encircles the bowl bordering simple flowers and a detailed pot with a curled fern spurting out; a royal design. Standing three inches tall, it is the perfect accessory for any table. One can use it as a candy dish, a condiment server, or just purely as decoration. It is a wonderful gift for any home. Click here to view all of the Varga Art Crystal available at Sallie home.

Price $240

Cipolla Pewter Westport Glass Bowl; Making Glass Natural

The Westport Glass Bowl by Cipolla Pewter is a stunningly rustic piece that would look handsome on any table. The glass bowl itself is held in a nest of twigs that give this piece its natural, woodsy feel. It would be a wonderful gift for anyone who loves the outdoors or owns a rustic home!

Cipolla Pewter is a wonderful brand that manufactures their pewter in Italy using the old world methods. The patina used at the end of the creation process makes these pewter trays, bowls, and flatware comparable to some of the world's most expensive sterling silver. It is a wonderful brand that like their pieces will only improve with time.

Click here to view all of the Cipolla Pewter tableware and gifts available at Sallie home.

The Purrrfect Gift for the Cat Lover; Cats by Lynn Chase

Lynn Chase has a new introduction to her already fabulous collection of animal decorated fine china dinner and giftware. The new collection is called Cats and this new china presents a variety of cats including cheetas, lions, and tigers presented within a beautiful gold border inspired by an 18th century Sevres pattern. Like all of Lynn Chase's pieces, the Cats collection is the perfect combination of both fun and formal.

My favorite piece from this collection is the Cats Executive Mug Set which includes the Cats Mug and the Cats Saucer. It is the perfect gift for any cat lover. The Mug's beauty is in it's exquisite details; the handle is cat-like, designed and detailed as if it is a cat-tail. When you lift the mug from the saucer plate, a little tiger cub is revealed. Click here to view all of of Lynn Chase's dinnerware, giftware, and serving pieces available at Sallie Home.

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.

The Mottahedeh Ring Tray; The Perfect Home Gift

Finding the perfect gift can be an arduous task, especially if you do not know the person very well or they are the type of person who has everything. For these occasions I found myself giving very luxurious but very generic gifts of lotions, candles and frames as gifts. I thought these were low risk, who couldn't love these gifts? Then maybe there are more people out there like my dad, to whom I gave a fragrant lotion to after noticing his dry skin, only to find out afterwards that he hates fragrances; he even uses scent-free antiperspirant. After completely missing the target on this gift, I made it my mission to find a better gift to give for anniversaries, birthdays, fathers’ day, and mothers’ day. I found the perfect gift after searching high and low: a ring tray.

Ring Trays are a very cute and definitely a more personal gift to give to friends and family. My favorite ring trays are by Mottahedeh. These wonderful trays have many great saying and words of wisdom - like “A faithful friend is a strong defense” or “knowledge indeed is a desirable and lovely possession” - surrounded by beautiful decoration. They are the perfect gift not only because they are beautiful but they also serve multiple purposes and can go anywhere in the house. Don’t let the name ‘ring tray’ fool you, these trays can be used for rings, keys, coins, and soap -just to name a few. Or they can simply be used as decoration and a constant reminder of advice to live by.

To view the other gift-ware available at Sallie Home, click here.

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.

Gianna Rose Atelier Bonjour Bonne Nuit: Not Just A Pretty Soap

Gianna Rose Atelier has widely been publicized and praised in the media and amongst Hollywood celebrities for their delightful, designer novelty soaps coming in various shapes and designs like hearts, flowers and animals - just a name a few. These soaps are the whole package - and beautifully packaged as well; they are quality and aesthitics wrapped into one. The French-milled, airy, designer soaps are guaranteed to spruce up any bathroom or powder room. Both Gianna Rose Atelier's signature fragrances and quality transcend their soaps and are incorporated in all their gift and personal care products.

If you love the soaps, you should definitely check out Gianna Rose's ultra-luxurious cremes; my recommendation, Bonjour Bonne Nuit Hand & Body Creme. This is a rich cream infused with Gianna Rose'd signature fragrance, Fresh Linen. It replenishes and soothes hands and body with a nourishing formula of aloe vera, shea butter, sweet almond oil, meadowfoam, viola and cucumber. This cream is the perfect housewarming gift, birthday gift, or the just-becuase gift for anyone who love bath and beauty products. Click here to see all of Gianna Rose's amazing products 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.

Bring the Jungle to Your Home: Lynn Chase Jaguar Jungle

Before Lynn Chase started Lynn Chase Design, she traveled througout Africa sketching and photographing wildlife. Her keen observations of animals in their natural habitat supplied her with the understanding of animal characteristics needed to create a lot of her porcelain designs, including Jaguar Jungle - her first and most popular design.

The Jaguar Jungle Collection includes pieces of china and giftware that are hand-painted on white porcelain. All the pieces are different. The china shows a black rim painted with jaguars, flowers, and green leaves. The giftware, like the Jaguar Ring Holder or the Jaguar Covered Box, includes decorative yet useful sculptures of jaguars.

This collection is perfect for any animal lover; it's like bringing the animal life from the jungle home. A portion of the proceeds from Lynn Chase Design are generously donated to the Chase Wildlife Foundation, a foundation started by Lynn Chase herself to protect and sustain the wildlife; making it all the more worthwhile to decorate your home with her porcelain dinnerware and giftware. To view the entire Lynn Chase collection available at Sallie Home, click here.