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!

Raynaud Verdures Puts the Spring in Your Luncheon

With the weather in the 50's this weekend I have my sights set on spring! And with spring comes thinking and planning for Cardinal's baseball, luncheons, Easter, Mother's Day and so on. Raynaud Verdures dinnerware has also helped me get in the mood for spring and warm weather; no matter the time of the year, the Verdures dinnerware will bring the outdoors in this spring. The Verdures dinnerware collection by Raynaud brings a fresh look to the table. Each piece of bone white porcelain is hand-painted with leaves, branches, and gold accents. There are so many diverse pieces in this collection, but i love the Chop Plate, Oval Platter, and the Breakfast Cup and Saucer. Each of these pieces have wonderful patterns which bring the essence of spring to the table and can be used as accent pieces when mixed with ordinary plain white china. Raynaud Verdures is a lovely pick for springtime celebrations. To view more of Raynuad's wonderful Limoges Porcelain Dinnerware available at Sallie home, click here.

Price of Chop Plate: $310

Price of Oval Platter: $464

Mimosa's For Brunch: Anna Weatherley Mimosa China

Anna Weatherley's Mimosa Collection is adorned with mimosas, of course. No, not the cocktail but with different species of herbs and blooming shrubs. The members of the Mimosa genus are one of the few plants that are capable of rapid movement. This dinnerware collection captures this plant characteristic to a T. The leaves and flowers wrap around these plates in a circular motion. To accompany these swirling plate, there are static images of blooming mimosas. To add a pop of color to this collection, add an Anna Weatherley Color Charger underneath this china. Brighten up a brunch or luncheon with your Mimosa Plates and why not have a mimosa too!

Click here to view the Anna Weatherley fine china dinnerware and gifts available at Sallie home.

Price: $250-$310

No Need for Flowers on the Table with J.L. Coquet's Pivoines China

J.L. Coquet is known for a variety of original and creative shapes in fine dinnerware. The bulk of their work appears to be more modern and avant garde, but there are a few exceptions. The Pivoines dinnerware collection by J.L. Coquet is a more classic look for the table, but equally stunning and creative. With Pivoines china, there is no need at spend the extra money for flowers on the table. This fine china is covered in huge pink and yellow Peony flowers and lush green leaves. It will liven the table and bring color into the room. This collection works wonderfully for a luncheon or as accent pieces to brighten up your dinner table.

Click here to view the entire J.L. Coquet Limoges china collection available at Sallie home.