Nielsens Gifts Blog

Christmas in July ? Best Christmas/Winter/Holiday China for 2011 and Beyond!

My favorite Christmas dishes are Old Saint Nick by Vietri, for everyday and casual entertaining, and Starfluted by Royal Copenhagen for beautiful family gatherings and lovely home entertaining. These two patterns are the best of the best and will last forever and beyond!

Starfluted by Royal Copenhagen is my personal winter china! I set our table with it as soon as a cool wind starts to blow. Every day, we enjoy looking at it on our formal dining table and it is ready for company at a moment's notice! Julia Knight Holly Bowls, Holly Leaf Platters and any snow, pomegranate, mojito or mother of pearl Julia Knight serveware goes perfectly with this elegant Royal Copenhagen china! It is not just for Christmas - this is a winter china for the whole season, with lovely red bows, hearts and stars. You will love it too! Put 8 place settings in layaway at Nielsens now and you will have it out just in time for cooler weather! If you buy 8 or more place settings(Dinner, Salad, Cup & Saucer), I will give you the lovely new Oval Serving Platter! You will love it! Many of the serving pieces make great stand alone gifts. You do not have to have the china to enjoy these sweet pieces!

Vietri is a very popular pottery at Nielsens Gifts. This year the Old Saint Nick pattern has several great new pieces including salt and peppers! They also have produced a very limited signed platter for 2011.

Order yours now to be sure to not miss out and Nielsens will give you an Old Saint Nick ornament as our gift to you!- while supplies last!

If you buy 8 or more place settings (one place setting includes a dinner plate, salad plate, mug, and bowl) of Old Saint Nick I will give you the new Salt and Pepper as a gift! I know you will love this very happy pattern, all hand painted in Italy! Pieces of Old Saint Nick also make great gifts starting at around $20. My daughter has given the small bowls and the mugs as teacher gifts!

Come to Nielsens Gifts at 81st and Lewis in Tulsa to see both of these fabulous patterns. Brides should remember to add one- or both- of these patterns to their registry at Nielsens. You may also see them at www.NielsensGifts.com.

If you have not been in to see what is on sale for July at Nielsens - please- hurry in. If you wish, create your own sale! You may take 20% off any one item in stock!! Is there something you have always wanted? A Jay Strongwater piece, perhaps?

Thank you so much for being a Nielsens Gifts friend! Please bring your friends in with you for refreshments and a feast for your eyes!

Andrea Nielsen

Crystal Care Tips

Fine crystal stemware and fine glass stemware are so beautiful and require little care...but some care!  The difference between crystal and glass is typically that the crystal recipe contains some lead oxide and fine glassware does not.  Yet both can be crystal clear!  Waterford is fine crystal.  Moser is fine glass.   Simon Pearce is fine glass. Julia Knight is wonderful Italian glass.  All four of these fine glass choices are hand made, mouth blown. The top choices for Nielsens' brides are Waterford Lismore Essence for formal and Moser for bar ware and Julia Knight for casual elegance!  Simon Pearce will be a sure choice for many also- it is brand new at Nielsens!  The bowls, vases and pitchers are in Nielsens showroom now.  Stemware will be there soon!

TIP: Most stemware is chipped at the sink faucet.  Get a plastic sprayer that has some movement rather than a ridged metal faucet. It will be worth it to make the change!

TIP: I also prefer to wash my own crystal rather than have help from friends and relatives after the party.  If you have a ceramic sink, put a rubber mat in the bottom of the sink or use a plastic dishpan in the sink. Next time you need a new sink, consider choosing stainless steel because those have some give and will help save your stems and china!

IDEA:If you have had all clear crystal for years and want to update, consider choosing a large new wine glass for white wine and a large round bowled one for red wine.  If your pattern is in Waterford, choose either Lismore or Araglin Essence wines or Coleen Encore wines.  Another way to update your formal glassware is to add a splash of color!  Waterford has some beautiful colored champagnes and wines! You can have a different dessert like the fun raspberry Julia Knight cocktail glass!

RECIPE: For dessert just get Yoplait frozen yogurt smoothie in a bag, add milk and mix in blender and serve in these fabulous Julia Knight cocktail glasses with a spoon- it will be a hit and only takes a minute!  Yeah!

IDEA: It is really fun to buy a different pattern of each liqueor glass and display them on a lovely new Julia Knight Tray.  Your guests will be wowed by their beauty and will have fun choosing their glass to use to enjoy their after dinner drink.  The added benefit is your guests will easily recognize which glass is theirs!  Moser makes a set of liqueors - each a different pattern.  These used to be used as salesmen's samples to show stores all the different beautiful patterns available.  It is also fun to let friends and relatives know that you are accumulating different liqueor glasses- they will enjoy selecting for you for the next gift they buy for you!  Sometimes at Nielsens we will have some "one left" pattern at a special savings!

IDEA: Moser Pebbles old fashions are a great updated choice.  They come in 8 colors and just look cold and refreshing and eveyone has a different color or buy 2 of each and each couple gets their own color!  Very fun for a party!

Don't you love having friends over?  We want to help make it fun and easy!

TIP: Clean, dust free and spot free crystal is beautiful!  I like washing mine by hand and hand drying- it is really fun and worth the effort!

I plan to give tips in each of my blogs so please stay tuned!  If you have questions about crystal and china, please email me at info@NielsensGifts.com.  Please also tell me what subjects you wish for me to cover in upcoming blogs!

I appreciate you!  Need a gift?  Want something to boost your spirits?  Please visit www.NielsensGifts.com ! You will find the perfect, fun things!   Call us too!  

1-800-665-1233 or 918-298-9700.

Thank you, Andrea Nielsen

 

Julia Knight Signing 2010---Fab Gifts to Get and to Give!

Julia Knight is on her way to Nielsens Gifts!

Have your selections signed Thurs. Dec. 9th and Fri. Dec. 10th!  

Nielsens Gifts has received hundreds of new Julia Knight serving pieces and glassware for Julia Knight to sign and personalize for you! 

My favorite new items this year are the Cheese tray with cheese plane and knife with the new oval bowl for soft cheese or dips!  I also really like the new ladle, cold meat fork and large serving spoon.  Don't miss these in Pomegranate red trimmed in white mother of pearl- fabulous!  

You must come to Nielsens, 81st and Lewis in Tulsa or our website, http://shop.nielsensgifts.com/to see her glassware also!  It is festive!  It is substantial - the men will like it too!  The new Julia Knight glassware is hand blown in Italy and is dishwasher safe!  It just looks like a party!  This year she has added glass bowls.  Julia Knight has once again helped us all get excited about having an easy fun party!  Her philosophy is "Five Minutes to Fabulous" and I guarantee that with her colorful serving ware and now her beautiful glassware, your parties will be fabulous with very little effort!

Please come to Nielsens 81st and Lewis in Tulsa, OK Thurs eve Dec 9th from 5-8 for wine and cheese and fun party and again Friday Dec. 10th,10 to 4!  I know that you will enjoy meeting the famous home entertainer, Julia Knight!  She will give you entertaining tips and sign your Julia Knight selections!  She will sign both the serving ware and the glassware!  You may also purchase on line: http://shop.nielsensgifts.com/! 1800-665-1233 or 298-9700

You will love all of the Julia Knight designs for your own home and they make perfect gifts!  There is something wonderful in all gift price ranges!   I hope to see you soon at Nielsens! Bring your gift list- there is literally something for every person and we will help you select, gift wrap and mail or deliver! "Easy Peasy" as my daughters would say!

To make it even better...we have a gift with purchase- just for this signing event!  

If you buy $150. of Julia Knight you will receive a Julia Knight 6" cake stand- FREE

If you buy $300. of Julia Knight you will receive a Julia Knight 8" peony bowl in the color Blackberry- FREE

If you buy $500. of Julia Knight you will receive an 12" Hibiscus Bowl in Pomogranate FREE.  

One gift per customer, please.

Please come and meet Julia Dec. 9th and Dec. 10th and Select pieces to be signed and personalized by her now!!! 

You and your gift recipients will love Julia Knight !!!  How cool to have 2010 engraved on your signed pieces too! Another decade completed!  Let's toast the next decade with Julia Knight toasting flutes in red and promise to make every day FUN!

I enjoy all of my pieces so much- they just make having a party easier and lots more fun!

I appreciate you.  Thank you so much for shopping with our 64 year old family business!

Sincerely, Andrea Nielsen

New Extended Store Hours until Christmas:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: 10am to 7pm

Thursday: 10am to 8pm

Saturday: 10am to 6pm

Sunday: 1 - 5

 Nielsens Gifts - 8138-A South Lewis Ave., Tulsa, OK 74137

918-298-9700 or 800-665-1233

 

Invite Friends and ask..."What would Julia Do?"

I am having about 20 people for dinner tonight...I am asking "what would Julia do?"  Julia Knight, that is!  I think she would keep it simple.  She would start the party with wine from her new casually elegant Argento wine glasses and cheese and crackers and nuts.    I think I will put two or three cheeses on the large Julia Knight Octagonal Tray with some grapes and crackers on the tray.  I will use the new Classic Cheese Serving Set with the cheeses for easy cutting.  Shelled pistashcio nuts will be in the Julia Knight Pagoda Bowl. 

I think Julia Knight would then present the salmon that my husband will bar-b-que on my 25" JK mother of pearl handled tray ( my very favorite Julia Knight piece, by the way!).  The salad will look great in my Julia Knight 15" Peony Bowl.  It will be so easy- a pre washed bag salad with some cut up onions and mandarin oranges and toasted almonds. I have the matching servers-yeah! The chicken that my husband will bar-b-que will be great on the new oval platter. ...Easy so far!

I will steam the broccoli and serve it family style in the classic Julia Knight bowl.  I wish her new classic serving spoon and meat fork were here!  They will arrive at Nielsens later this week - can't wait!  Rolls will be served in my mother's bread tray (I think Julia would be okay with that sentimental item!)

For dessert I found some frozen fruit smoothies that all you do is add milk in blender and serve in an elegant glass- I plan to use my Waterford Lismore balloon wines for the smoothies.  If I had enough Julia Knight glasses, I think the smoothies would be great in those too!  I am adding to my collection of both Julia Knight Argento and Waterford glasses for every gift giving occasion!  I am giving two or four at a time to my husband until I have 18 or 20!  I learned that trick from my mother!

I will let you know how this "five minutes to fabulous" (Julia Knight's philosophy) party goes. Actually, you can find out by asking any Nielsens Gifts' employee.  They are the guests for the dinner!  I hope they have fun and I hope it is as easy as I think it will be!  It is so much fun using my Julia Knight Serveware. I just love to have people over so I can play with it!  And I hope everyone from Nielsens has fun!  I appreciate them all so much and I think each one of them is a wonderful person with many talents!  Don't you just love them? I do!  

 I appreciate you for reading and for continuing to enjoy giving gifts (even to yourself!) from Nielsens!  As my parents always said; "A gift from Nielsens is treasured always!"

With love, Andrea

NielsensGifts.com

All Julia Knight products on our website - all brand new colors and pieces for Fall 2010