What could be sweeter than a sugar glass rim for your cocktail glass on New Years Eve? I tried out a few and these are my favourites. Use dessert sauce or honey to ensure you get a good coating. I find lemon or lime juice isn't sticky enough for coarser toppings. Just need to settle on the cocktails themselves now!

One for the little ones before bed. Crushed Oreos in a freezer bag. Slice open the freezer bag with scissors and use the open bag as your plate to dip your glass. I used toffee sauce as a sticky base for the cookie crumble mix.

Next I tried these sweet treats. The rock candy on sticks is to use as a garnish! I have seen some great photos of crushed candy canes and hundreds and thousands glass rims. Might have to give those a go for a children's party!

The silver balls were too heavy to stick to the edge but if you drop them in just before serving the silver coating slides off and gives the effect of floating sparkle!

The pink glitter sugar is more delicate and lends itself to a lighter cocktail. I'm thinking vodka, pomegranate juice and cava.

The blue sugar in the chunkier glass makes me think of the Caribbean (who knows why!) so I have in mind mixing the cava with a coconut liquor or white rum and a heavier juice like mango.

I tried a classic mix of nutmeg and brown sugar which will suit a brandy and cava cocktail. Leave a whole sugar lump in the bottom of the glass before pouring.

I'm still deciding on the final mixes!

The trouble with cocktails is they can seem an expensive way to serve drinks. However, one trip to Ikea for a new playmobil play table for Ollie's bedroom and we were sorted! A selection of schnapps with curious flavours including dill and lemon, elderberry, anise and fennel and St John's Wort.

We have also been 'marinating' a bottle of dark rum with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods and coffee beans for an infused spiced rum. My good friend had the same idea and gave sweet favours as Christmas gifts - mini bottles of clementine and vanilla infused vodka! We will be road testing them tomorrow night!

I also picked up a couple of bottles of sparkling non alcoholic pear and apple and lingon berry juice which will make great cocktail bases when we get sick of cava (although I adore cava so I doubt it!).

On the way to the travelator (doesn't that make you think of the British 90's show Gladiators?) I spied individual boxes of juice which are the perfect size to make a few cocktails. I chose elderberry and lingon, which I am going to mix with cava and the blackcurrant schnapps.

Have you got a favourite cocktail? I love a rum punch, fruity and punchy with a splash of angostura bitters. Yum!

The other day I went searching for shot glasses in my favourite charity shop, expecting the sparkling array of glassware I have seen a hundred times before. However, they are having a revamp (I am secretly quite excited and intrigued) and have a very limited selection of everything out on display. How infuriating! Fortunately at the back of a dusty shelf were this set of six glass tumblers. 6 for £1! They are black at the bottom and fade to grey at the top. They have a lovely shape and are perfect for my New Years Eve project.

I have used glass paints to make a perfect cheers. We will each have a number and as I have a couple spare we can use them for the next two years (well the back of them as I am using them this year for lime and lemon wedges)! When we clink glass rims at midnight we will literally ring in the New Year.

We are having our best friends and their little girl to stay for a sleepover!

I really love cocktails and want to have a different cocktail on the hour, as a countdown to big ben.

I have been researching recipes and found this great guide on Pinterest. I will post my chosen 5 before the big day in case you fancy joining in my cava countdown! You can follow my cocktail inspiration here.

by Loku

Which sounds like your favourite? I adore the idea of serving the different cocktails in a variety of glasses. We used my Granny's old mismatched crystal for our Safari Christmas and I am going to have another hunt for some second hand glass treasures before Monday. I am on the hunt for some tall slim but deep glasses almost like test tubes.I have also ear marked these beauties for when I next visit my brother in New Jersey (hopefully in February). I will have hand luggage full of mason jars!

I loved the way the rim of the glass turned out for my Christmas Cocktail so I have come up with a list to try which I will post tomorrow as some stick better than others!

What are your plans for New Years Eve? I say staying in is the new going out! Well if you have babies and no babysitter that is!

My Cousins and Cousin in Law are off to work in Kenya in the Spring so a Safari Family Christmas was the perfect send off!

I made crackers from toilet rolls, animal print tissue paper and ribbon with Kenyan phrases instead of jokes and a packet of animal print tissues inside!

We used felt rectangle sheets from Hobby Craft as place mats and strips of silver birch as mats for the curry, tagine, rice and cous cous. I used little plastic animals on top of strips of animal print card for table names and a large sheet of hessian burlap material for a rustic table cloth.

My Granny's silver cutlery and mis matched crystal glasses finished the table off beautifully. We toasted to absent friends and had a riot in the make shift photo booth complete with a leopard print duvet cover as a back drop and my charity shop haul of props.

I found this great site which sells all animal print decorations and couldn't resist the paper pompoms which would have taken me hours to make!

We have two new arrivals coming in 2013 ...

The boys were a scream and totally bought into the Safari experience! My two little tigers were terrific!

Of course we just had to have an animal wreath at the door and a tiger door man ready to greet the guests!

A wonderful family time. Of course it wasn't quite complete we were missing the American contingent! It is times like this that my heart aches for my brother.

Have you had an alternative Christmas this year?! We are having a traditional Christmas with my in laws later today and tomorrow so we won't miss out on a turkey!

Merry Christmas everyone! It's finally Christmas Eve!