Basic Rules Of Table Manners

Basic Rules Of Table Manners

A few tips and rules for basic table manners...

• Napkins should be placed on the lap as soon as you are seated. When you get down from the table, leave the napkin, unfolded on the table, to the left of the place setting.

• Sit a comfortable distance away from the table, so that with the elbows bent the hands are level with the knives and forks.

• Sit up straight, sit square with hands in the lap and do not fidget. Do not put elbows on the table.

• If you are served a meal that is already on the plate, wait until everyone has been served before picking up your cutlery, unless invited by your host to start.

• Make sure others have been offered anything they might want from the table, such as butter, water, salt or pepper. Help yourself last and never stretch across people.

• Do not begin eating until everyone has been served, unless the host or hostess gives their permission for diners to start.

• Eat at a relaxed pace and pace yourself to match your fellow diners.

• Keep your mouth closed and try to avoid making noises of any kind while eating, either with implements against the plate or teeth, or with actual ingestion of the food, e.g. slurping soup.

• Talking while there is food in your mouth should be avoided at all costs - even when you have a conversational gem up your sleeve.

• When you have finished, place your knife and fork - with the tines facing upwards - together on your plate.

•  If you are confronted with a plateful that is not to your taste, try to soldier on to avoid hurt feelings. Always compliment the cook.

How To Decorate A Kitchen By Choosing Theme

How To Decorate A Kitchen By Choosing Theme

Method: Choosing a Theme

1 Pick a style for your entire kitchen. The main way most people go wrong with their kitchens is in not choosing a theme. They have a vision here and a vision there (or they pick up knickknacks as they find them) and conflate them together into one hodgepodge of a kitchen. Pick a theme and you've tackled 80% of the battle.

·         It's important that your kitchen decorating be cohesive and make the room look pulled together. Accomplish this by deciding on one theme for your kitchen and choosing decorations that match it. Some home improvement stores have entire sets of kitchen decorations based on themes like country living, French or art deco styles.

2  Go ultra-modern. If you love sleek, shiny things, a super modern kitchen may be your style. Think in harsh angles and blacks, whites, and popping, bright colors. Most metallic, stainless steel, and geometric art pieces would adorn this kitchen. Glass, too!

3  Do a sea theme. A common (but still classy) theme to choose is a sea theme. Whether you live on the ocean or want to bring the ocean to you, this theme is cozy and inviting.

·         Line your shelves with seashells, sailor's gear, and scenes from the beach. Work in elements of tan, cream, and blues. What a great excuse to make a DIY project with rope, netting, and items from the beach!

4  Opt for an earthy theme. If you are fond of dark, warm colors, an earthy, natural, woodsy theme may be more up your alley. Think of dark cabinets, wooden dishware, bowls of potpourri, cherry reds, rich mahoganies, and dark oranges.

5  Go for a colored theme. If an outright themed design is too much for your sensibilities, just go for a color. Hues can line up a kitchen, too! Blue stools, blue dishes, blue cabinet pulls -- everything will be brought together regardless of your items' designs. Just make sure you don't get sick of it!

This theme is a bit dangerous. Too much of one tone can be overkill. However, if you do not have the authority to revamp your kitchen (if renting), incorporating color as your theme may be the best way to go.

How To Decorate A Kitchen By Making Big Changes

How to Decorate a Kitchen By Making Big Changes

Method  : Making Big Changes

1 Create shelving. Since your cabinets are probably stocked to the brim, you'll probably need other methods to house what's left over (the decorative doodads and the like). For this, you have two options:

·         Floating shelves. If you have walls (and you probably do), you can install floating shelves with ease. They will also draw the eye upward, so if your kitchen is small, it will distract from the cramped-ness of the rest of the room.

·         Cubed shelving. This is turning a wall into a series of boxes. They are artisticand utilitarian. For an added touch, decorate each box (or some of the boxes) with different types of shelf paper. Tada, kitchen innovation.

2 Stick with an accent color. A kitchen does not need too much going on, so sticking to black and white and other neutral tones are your best bet. Nevertheless, take that monochrome look and spice it up with a specific accent color. Maybe bright yellow or bright blue? Suddenly, the eyes aren't concerned with the size and immediately focus on your great pieces.

·         Think of accents in your art, towels, and dishware. But remember: it's an accentcolor. Too much of an accent color makes it an accent color no more. If you overdo it, you'll lose the effect. Stick to 4 or 5 pieces.

·         Three words: Paint. The. Ceiling.

3 Consider losing all your doors. Whether it's cabinets or drawers, think about removing the doors. Sure, this means everything on the inside will need to be organized, but that can easily be overcome with cute storage containers and pretty glass and textured bins. And more opportunities to show off your decorating side!

·         The idea here is that you're opening everything up -- literally. The more open it is, the more room the eye will see. The more room the eye sees, the larger the room will seem.

4  Use mirrors. Just because you're in a kitchen doesn't mean you can't do whatever the heck you want. And since you probably know that mirrors open rooms, why not put one in your kitchen?! It doesn't have to scream "I'm a mirror!" either -- simply place it underneath your cabinetry for a is-it-there-is-it-not-there look.

·         Mirrors (with frames) also make for good trays. Slap some felt on the back and boom -- automatic DIY success.

5 Paint the walls or cabinets. A room's color helps it feel warm or relaxing, so decorate your kitchen by adding a fresh coat of paint to the walls or cabinets. White is a popular choice, but you can opt for a light shade of blue or yellow if an all-white room isn't appealing.

·         Use a variety of neutral tones. While using white, cream, and gray may seem drab, when you mix up various neutral tones, it adds depth and sophistication, while staying classic and simple. Turn boring into brilliant by just using a few shades.

·         Add a focus. Paint three walls one color, and the fourth wall a color that pops. The eye will move to it without even realizing it. If you have a great window or area of the room that's eye-catching, amp it up with a focus color.

6 Add a backsplash. If you are committed to white walls (either against your will or not), you may feel like your kitchen is a little lacking. Get around this by adding a backsplash -- that is a panel behind the sink or stove that protects the wall from splashes. And the panel can be any style you like!

·         It's easiest to stick to a solid color to add an accent, but consider tiles and patterns, too. Tiles can add extra texture to an otherwise smooth wall.

·         If you already have tile, think about buying tile stickers. A super (couldn't be easier) easy way to jazz up that backsplash in seconds.

7 Play around with lighting. You have more options here than you probably realize. Depending on your electrical system, lighting can take on several different sources. Each one can vamp up your kitchen, rejuvenating it with life.

·         Play around with table lamps. Those work on counters, too! It adds a homey, unexpected feel to any area. If you are feeling extra creative, make a "lamp" out of a string of Christmas lights in a clear, glass jar.

·         Put lights in (and under) your cabinets. Not only will your pieces be lit up (and they'll look fantastic), it can serve as dim lighting when the full guns aren't necessary. In other words, romantic and functional.

·         Get a great hanging lamp. Even if you don't have much space, a great hanging lamp with an eccentric drum shade can be so much fun you won't notice anything else. Or get several small ones for more lighting options.

·         Go for sconces. If you don't have room for a big hanging shade or lamps on your countertops, a sconce is an easy way to go. Some are incredibly easy to attach and can provide much more light than their size would allow.

8 Focus on one element at a time. Decorating a kitchen can become overwhelming if you try to change everything at once. Give yourself one decorating project, like painting or buying new dishes, and stay with that project until it's completed. You can move on to others later if you feel your kitchen needs more decorating.

·         This well help you know when to stop and when (and how) to keep going. Sometimes adding a focal point or changing your dishware can put a new twist on your kitchen that may be the small tweak that it needed. Create a priority list of things you want to add/change and slowly move down it as necessary.