This past October, I was invited to Washington D.C. to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Wedgwood. I have had every intention of telling you all about it over the past couple of months, but I admit the whole trip was so overwhelmingly good that I haven't quite known where to start. I met some really wonderful people - including Lord Wedgwood, Jorge Perez (Wedgewood/Waterford) and Karen Bussen (author of the Simple Stunning series of books).
After attending the Gift Between Nations ceremony at the Daughter's of the American Revolution museum (which was an amazing experience in itself), I was offered a private crash course in entertaining later that evening. Oh the things I learned!!
Jorge Perez and Karen Bussen showed us how to reuse every type of kitchenware out there - such as using a crystal ice bucket as a bowl for popped popcorn and serving cream soup out of a tea pot. There is a purpose and re-purpose for everything! Use your bar ware for serving peanuts, candy, etc.. at your parties. Do you know the main difference between Waterford Crystal and the others out there? Waterford is all one piece of pulled crystal - as opposed to fusing two or more pieces together to create one glass. Did you know fine bone china is the most expensive but most durable type of china available? So durable that you can turn over a tea cup on the floor and stand on it and it won't break? It's true! I saw Jorge do it and I have even found the bravery to do it too. Did you know the best starter set of china should be plain white? This is because you can mix and match other pieces to create completely different place settings while keeping the same base set that you started with. All it really takes to get that different look every time is changing out charger plates or even using different place mats. You can incorporate your print dishes with your white china - such as a print salad plate on top of a solid white dinner plate - to take the look even further!
After the crash course in entertaining, myself and 3 other bloggers enjoyed a private dinner with Jorge and Karen. It was amazing conversation of things I will never forget -- like remembering where to place your forks, spoons, and knives is as easy as counting letters. The word left has 4 letters; right has 5 letters. Take your eating utensils with 4 letters (fork) and put them on the left. Take the utensils with 5 letters (spoon & knife) and put them on your right.
Wedgwood has been an important icon to my husband's side of the family. My father in law has a fascination with dishes and all the companies that make them. He and I talked previously about Wedgwood and I don't think anyone could have given a better description of the brand. He said: Wedgwood is like the Harley Davidson of motorcycles. It may be more expensive than the others but it's completely durable, dependable, and everyone wants it.
This is why Wedgwood is #4 on my Holiday Gift Guide. After the event, Wedgwood was generous and sent me my very first starter set of white fine bone china. It is one place setting - a 5 piece as seen here. Edit: Here is the page where you can order and learn more about this set.
They were SO generous that they wanted one of YOU to have your very first starter set of fine bone china. Note: The first thing I would do if you win, is turn the teacup upside down and stand on it.
Here is how to win:
- Tell me about your most memorable Christmas present (funny, sweet, store-bought, homemade, weird, worst, etc) in a comment below.
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13 comments:
Just prior to the awesome practice of laser surgery, I'd been in the hospital for the very first time in my life having my gallbladder removed. I know my parents were concerned about it as was I! Christmas was in just a few days! I wasn't sure I'd even make it out before the big day. I was pretty upset. My Mom and Dad surprised me with a beautiful opal ring! Made my recovery a lot happier!
My favorite gift would have to be the year that we gave my daughter an American Girl doll. She had wanted one for a very long time The look on her face was priceless when she opened the box and saw the beautiful doll. Although this was "technically" not a present for me, it made me so happy to see the joy that the present had given her...that was truly a gift for me too!
My favorite present was being to me by my Mother in Law, of all people, lol. She got me a griddle a few years back. Why is it my favorite? Well, its helped my family make so many wonderful memories of weekend mornings making pancakes together! The kids enjoy helping mom cook and it just allows us to spend time in the kitchen together. Then we get to eat a meal that everyone helped with. So, maybe it isnt the gift itself, but what the gift has allowed us to do together that is so special. :-)
Sorry, my email is savingssosweet (at) gmail.com
October 2004, I was 7 1/2 months pregnant w/ my second daughter when we decided to take my 1st daughter (20 months old) to Disneyland for the first time. She was so full of joy and wonder that makes up the Disney experience. We took loads of pictures to record this magical experience. Needless to say as we were walking out of the park, I took one last picture and our camera memory card crashed and we LOST all our pictures. Call it hormones or such disappointment of never having captured the magic of that day forever in pictures, even if we were to revisit Disney, it would never be her first visit... I was devastated and was almost inconsolable. My amazing husband had done some homework and learned how to retrieve those pictures and not only had them printed and put into a scrapbook for me, but also took it one step further in making a photo slide show w/ music. On Christmas morning as I opened that gift, I could not help but cry w/ joy as I saw all the effort he had taken to archive all those memories. I have the best husband ever!
I thought I'd leave a comment about an "unforgettable" gift. Back in high school I liked cows (for whatever weird reason) so my step aunt hand knit me a sweater with a HUGE cow on it. Now her heart was so in the right place, and minus the cow it was a cute sweater. But, it did go unworn. Kinda sad. :(
Merry Christmas! wyliemom@live.com
You know the most awesome present was a night gown given to me while staying at a friends house on Christmas eve. The thing is her house was so warm and welcoming - and decorated. It was just so wonderful being there and it made me feel so special and sometimes you dont feel that way at home - if Im being perfectly honest.
sigh. Just being truthful... Sometimes its at a friends where you learn the things you need in life.
Tracy
There's always something memorable about each Christmas, especially with my MIL. My DH and I have spent 8 Christmas's together now and every year my family awaits to hear what interesting thing I got from her. My most horrific gift was in the form of clothing. I received a Christopher and Banks set of cat shirts. 1 was navy blue with a big patchwork cat on the front, 1 was ivory with balls of yarn and cat dishes embroidered around the turtleneck, and 1 was linen/straw colored with a big embroidered outlining of a cat on the front, complete with wooden fish sewn around the bottom of the shirt. Really nice shirts, if I was 70. That Christmas I was a couple days shy of my 21st birthday! (I wear screenprinted shirts and jeans!) And if that wasn't enough DH (then fiance) and his mom kept asking me when I was going to wear them. I finally wore 2 of them to Thanksgiving the following year. Oh the look on the extended families faces :-/ That's the only photo I have of me in those shirts. Thank goodness she stopped asking after that!
there's lots of presents, great and not so great, that i've gotten over the years, but i don't think any single one stands out over another. one year when i was little i got a play kitchen...
thefabulousmrswing@gmail.com
My most memorable Christmas was the year that my parents gave me my Grandmother's wedding ring. I wear it today, and cherish it. It was something I did not expect and My Grandma knew that it made no sense for her to keep the rings. She was unable to wear them due to a stroke. My sister received the engagement ring. A beautiful gift and an awesome Christmas!
Most memorable gift.....I got a Mrs. Beasley doll when I was probably 4 years old....I had that doll forever....lost her eye glasses in my grandfathers HUGE vegetable garden and cried for days. I don't know what happened to her, but a few years ago my dad found one on ebay and gave it to me. It was a good memory!
Gosh, trying to think back on all the gifts over the years. I've tried to think of what could be the most memorable or favorite. The only thing I can think of right now is a stuffed Ewok, especially since I still have it.
Twitter.com/anaria
Probably my most memorable present was the year my parents gave me a car - my senior year in high school. mannasweeps (at)))) gmaildotcom
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