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Orange, hot pink, lime green, yellow and of course teal AUSTIN POWER colors made a splash appearance at the Wedding Expo January 14th and 15th of 2006 in Tacoma. It caught alot of attention and the brides and their friends were pleased with the colors of the stoneware and charger plates. Well, we got more!! We got purple, red with gold, blue with gold, red, bluish black, teal with sea horses, much more then I can tell you. Alot of wild colors to make any dinner table look cool. Entertaining has never been so much fun! You will be able to create your own design of everyday ware. You get to mix and match colors and shapes to create the perfect "OH Baby!" design.
Look for us at the Tacoma Mall next to Guest Services.

Since our products come from the country of Turkey , we felt that you would like to know some facts about Turkey.
-Turkish Republic founder: Mustafa Ataturk famous quote "Peace at home, Peace in the World".
-Tolerance to other religious beliefs was a noteworthy attribute of the Ottoman Turkish rule.
-Turkey is the first and only country to establish a "Children's Day"
-Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two (2) continents, Asia and Europe.
-St. Nicholas, who became popular as Santa Claus was born in Demre on Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
-Turks gave the Dutch their famous Tulip.
-Mark Anthony gave Cleoprata part of Turkey's southeastern shore as a wedding gift.
-Legend has it that the Amazons originated in Turkey's northeastern region.
-Anatolia was producing wine as early as 4000 BC.
-Yogart,now popular in the west, has been known to the Turks since ancient times.
-Turks introduced coffee to Europe.
-Turkey provides 70% of the world's Hazelnut.
-Istanbuls' Grand Bazaar is a 540 year old covered shopping mall, with 65 streets, 4000 shops, 22 entrances and 25,000 workers.
I hope you enjoyed some facts about Turkey. Here are some interesting facts about the factories that make our products: The factories that I receive my products from have been around for over 19 years. They are well known in Europe and the Middle East but are just now coming to the United States. My company, Charlemagne, is the only store that has this product in the state of Washington; there are only three locations in the US total. Hope to see you soon so that I can show and teach you more about the cultural uniqueness of the Ottoman Turkish silver crystal and fine porcelain dinner sets and hand designed vases and bowls.
I look forward to meeting both you and your future husband.

A good many husbands are utterly spoiled by mismanagement in cooking and so are not tender and good. Some women keep them constantly in hot water; others let them freeze by their carelessness and indifference. Some keep them in a stew with irritating ways and words. Some wives keep them pickled, while others waste them shamefully. It cannot be supposed that any good husband will be tender and good when so managed, but they are really delicious when prepared properly.
In selecting a husband, you should not be guided by the silvery appearance as in buying a mackerel; nor by the golden tint as if you wanted salmon. Do not go to the market for him as the best ones are always brought to the door. Be sure to select him yourself as tastes differ. It is far better to have none unless you will patiently learn how to cook him.
Of course, a preserving kettle of the finest porcelain is best, but if you have nothing better than an earthenware pipkin, it will do-with care. Like crabs and lobsters, husbands are cooked alive. They sometimes fly out of the kettle and so become burned and crusty on the edges, so it is wise to secure him in the kettle with a strong silken cord called Comfort, as the one called Duty is apt to be weak. Make a clear, steady flame of love, warmth and cheerfulness. Set him as near this as seems to agree with him. If he sputters, do not be anxious, for some husbands do this until they are quite done. Add a little sugar in the form of what confectioners call kisses, but use no pepper or vinegar on any account. Season to taste with spices, good humor and gaiety preferred, but seasoning must be used with great discretion and caution. Avoid sharpness in testing him for tenderness. Stir him gently, lest he lie too flat and close to the kettle and so becomes useless. You cannot fail to know when he is done. If so treated, you will find him very digestible, agreeing with you perfectly; and he will keep as long as you choose unless you become careless and allow the home fires to grow cold. Thus prepared, he will serve a lifetime of Happiness.
(Taken from the foreword of a 19th century cookbook, with thanks to Louise Bevens.)

Hello, my name is Cheryl and I'm the owner of Charlemagne. I wanted to talk to you about family tradition. It starts at birth and continues throughout our lives and the generations that follow us. It tells a story of who we are and the memories that are created with each generation. I've been married to a wonderful man for almost 28 years. We started our life together with each combining the values and traditions from our families. We've changed here and there to make our own family tradition unique to us; we're just adding more pages to the family history. Something so simple as china can have a lasting effect on your tradition. That's why the choices you make should represent you and your husband. Your decision should be based on your personal style and the message you want to convey to the friends and family that dine at your table. In the end it must reflect the two of you.
Charlemagne has unique china. We usually buy only one but never more than three sets of each style so that you will truly have a unique set of china. All of our dinner sets come complete with service for 12 and are an unbeleiveable value. These sets include 12 place settings, salt/pepper shakers, napkin holder, tooth pick holder and all the serving platters, gravy boat, and soup tureen, either 84 or 91 pieces depending on style. Our prices range from $524.00 to $980.00. Check out the options; no one can touch us for variety of styles, quality, or price.
As you plan for your wedding and your new life, remember that the decisions that you make today will start your traditions for tomorrow. Enjoy making your own tradition; it's a lot of fun!

Lead crystal is a mixture of glass with lead oxide in it with special unique cuts that make it sparkle. Silver crystal is made the same way but they add precious metal in the form of silver oxide instead of lead oxide to the mix. It has more shine, shimmers,sparkle and has more value than lead does. Another difference is silver crystal comes in color. We carry reds, purple, honey, pinks and blues. The last major difference is over time when you leave acidic wines or some liqueurs in your lead crystal decanters, the lead will leach out of the crystal into your alochol causing lead poisoning. Silver crystal decanters don't have that problem. Charlemagne gets its' product from several factories that have been in business for over 20 years. Our silver crystal stemware and decanters are well known in Europe and the Middle East.

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