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.

How To Decorate A Kitchen By Making Small Changes

How To Decorate A Kitchen By Making Small Changes

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a house; it is where meals are cooked and where family converge and hang out. There are many ways to add decorations to a kitchen and make it inviting and warm. Here are some tips on how to decorate yours!

Method :

1 Declutter. If you are like many people, you may be guilty of too many details. Take an honest look at your kitchen. Is it too cluttered? You can easily sidestep this problem by taking a few things away or simply rearranging your storage system to keep the extras from view. A new kitchen may emerge just from this one step.

·         If you have no choice but to display all of your appliances and dishware for a lack of storage, you're going to have to get some! Buy a cart, bring an extra piece in, or invest in some attractive bins and containers.

2 Use color to make it cozy. If you stick to whites like a piece of rice, you risk ending with a kitchen that seems hospital-like and cold. Add a few accent colors that are bright and cheery to make it seem warm, lived in, and loved.

·         Choose certain spots for your color. The seating? The lighting? An area of the countertop? In addition, do not feel pressure to stick to just one -- different hues of the same color work well together -- and remove the pressure to find the exact right tone.

3 Add fresh flowers. Plants and flowers add lively decoration to any room and are good for the environment. Add a functional decoration to your kitchen by creating a window box with fresh herbs, or replace fresh-cut flowers in a kitchen table vase every few days to keep it looking new.

·         Make sure they match your theme! A simplistic, neutral kitchen would benefit nicely from a simple Easter Lily or two while a kitchen with more pizzazz might look better with a bunch of carnations or daisies. What flower fits your kitchen's personality?

·         Herbs are not grown in factories, you know. To kill two birds with one stone, grow them yourself in your kitchen window! What a cute little way to spruce up your kitchen and jazz up your meals.

4 Jazz up your fridge magnets. For those of us that don't have a massive budget to install gold-flecked countertops lined with rubies, a fun way to spruce up your kitchen's ambiance is to spice up your fridge! There are loads of fun choices available that you can cater specifically to your personality.

·         Sometimes it's the little things in life. Buy a whole bunch of magnetic letters and leave your roommate a nice message about how you drank the last diet Coke, or even put magnets on the back of photos from favorite vacations. If it sticks, it's a possibility.

5 Use texture to your advantage. When you have one look going on in your kitchen (probably smooth and flat), it can look one-dimensional and blah. To add an extra zing to your cooking space, work in texture, too.

·         Go for textured containers, textured linens, and textured wall hangings or curtains. A little bit here and there will go a long away against the smoothness of the countertops, the table, and the cabinets.

6 Add unexpected pieces of furniture. Long gone are the days when the kitchen was just the kitchen. Now, the living room is the dining room, the kitchen is the common area, and the dining room could even be for show. While you don't have to embrace the lifestyle, consider jazzing up your kitchen with no-exactly-meant-for-the-kitchen pieces.

·         A china cabinet, armoire, or credenza is a good way to start expanding the look of your kitchen. If you have a great piece, make it the focal point. Voila, instant theme! Add bookshelves, a bench, or other multi-purpose pieces to seal the deal. After all, this is your kitchen.

7 Change the linens. One way to give the whole room a cohesive theme is to choose one pattern for your curtains, tablecloth, and hand towels and create a matching set of linens. The only hard part of this is committing to just one!

8 Switch decor seasonally. Give your kitchen a celebratory feel by changing out linens, curtains, or dishes for special holidays. Rotate these items, which all complement the personality of your kitchen, with the changing seasons to add seasonal colors and elements.

·         This has one extra (albeit teeny) benefit: with the seasons, you can give it a good cleaning. Kitchens are the rooms that get dirtiest, and if you schedule four annual overhauls, your appliances, dishware, and linens will stay good as new.

Choose Furniture for Safety + Comfort

You'll spend many hours in your child's room, so of course you'll want to make sure it's an enjoyable space for both of you. Here's how to pick the perfect furniture pieces.

Unless you're heading into a major renovation, chances are good that the biggest investment you make in your child's room will be the furniture. If you want to find pieces that look great, last for years and fit your budget, it pays to shop carefully. "The very best piece of shopping advice for any parent or prospective parent is to think about longevity," says Pam Ginocchio, co-founder of Project Nursery. "Furniture can be expensive, so try to pick things that can adapt as your child grows, like a crib that converts to a toddler bed, or a dresser with a removable changing-pad topper, so you can still use it post-diapers."

Cribs and beds

The crib is the only piece of baby furniture most new parents have to buy. Safety standards have changed significantly, and today's cribs are a far cry from the ones on the market just a few years ago. "Don’t be tempted to pick up a vintage crib at a yard sale or use the one you slept in as a baby," warns designer Barbara Tabak of Decorating Den. For safety reasons, new cribs have stationary sides, not drop sides, and sturdier mattress supports; slats are also closer together.

Changing tables

You don't have to spend a fortune on a changing table. Any large dresser can double as a changer with the addition of an add-on changing pad. If you are buying a dedicated changing table, consider one designed with a removable topper, so you can convert it into a dresser after your baby’s out of diapers.

Chairs, rockers and gliders

You'll spend hours in your baby’s room, and a comfortable chair is an essential convenience, not for the baby, but for you. A rocking chair is the traditional choice; however, rockers are seldom as comfortable as other options, like the more recently popular glider.

Before you invest in a glider, think ahead, says Susanna Salk, designer and author of Room for Children. "So many parents buy a glider for the nursery, and that's great for when you’re rocking a small baby to sleep. But fast-forward eight months or a year and you'll find a regular armchair much more comfortable for nursing a heavy baby or snuggling with your toddler while you read a story." Choose an armchair or an elegant, upholstered glider and you’ll have a piece you and your child will enjoy indefinitely, not just for the first year.

Deciding to buy a crib isn't difficult, but deciding which crib to buy can be. You'll find a nearly unlimited range of styles available, at all price points. "We’re seeing a trend toward traditional styling in nurseries," says Ginocchio. "Not ornate, but just classic and timeless." Of course, which look appeals to you is a personal decision. Just make sure it's a style that you won't grow tired of in a few years, especially if you choose a crib that converts to a toddler bed and then to a full-sized bed.

Sofa Cleaning - Tips and Tricks

Whether your sofa is leather or fabric, it's no problem to clean – this article has 5 simple tips for keeping your furniture looking great and smelling fresh.

1. How to Clean a Sofa: Start by Vacuuming

Remove all the cushions and clear away anything that’s fallen in between. Pens, coins, remote controls – it’s amazing what you can discover. Now use your vacuum to clear away any dust and surface dirt from your sofa. Use the specialist vacuum attachments to get inside the crevices, and ideally use the soft brush attachment to be as gentle possible on your sofa’s upholstery.

2. Read the Care Tags for your Sofa

Most sofas come with a care tag or certificate that provides instructions on cleaning. Read these closely, as they will advise on the right kinds of products to buy and the right method to use. If your sofa has removable covers, you may even be able to zip these off and either machine-wash or dry-clean these.

3. How to Clean Sofa Fabric: Spot Cleaning Stains

If you simply want to remove a stain from your fabric sofa, you may not need to do a thorough cleaning. You can try a mild solution of warm water and dishwashing liquid to treat a small stain. Make sure to test it first on an inconspicuous part of the sofa, to make sure it doesn’t damage the fabric. Apply the product gently with a clean, damp cloth – do not get the sofa too wet, and do not rub the stain as this may make it more difficult to remove. Rinse the area by using another clean, damp cloth, and then let it air dry.

A sprinkle of baking soda will keep your sofa smelling fresh — just remember to dust the powder away afterward.

4. Tips on How to Clean a Fabric Sofa

If your fabric sofa does not have removable covers, there are several methods for a deeper clean — although be sure to follow your sofa’s care instructions first. Upholstery cleaning products are available – if you use these, be sure to follow the directions on the label and test them in a small area first. In some instances, you can hire a steam-cleaner to deep-clean your sofa and its cushions; make sure to let everything dry fully before you put the cushions back on the sofa.

5. How to Clean Leather Sofas

Cleaning leather sofa covers is a very different matter from a fabric sofa, as leather can be damaged by too much water or soap. Start by gently vacuuming any dust from the leather sofa and its crevices. If there is any mould or mildew on the leather, spray a mild solution of vinegar and water onto this, and quickly wipe the mould or mildew away. But using specialist leather products is the most important step in how to clean leather sofa parts. Saddle soap or wax-based leather cleaners will not damage your sofa. Make sure to spot-test the cleaner first in an inconspicuous place, and read the directions on the label before starting. Once you’ve applied the cleaner for real, wipe away any excess. In general for cleaning leather, remember that less is more.

 These 5 simple tips will make it easy to clean your sofa, regardless of its material. With the occasional clean, this very important piece of furniture will stay fresh and welcoming for your family and guests.

Where To Place Common Living Room Accessories

Where to Place Common Living Room Accessories

A lot of items tend to go in the living room so it's important to arrange them all in a balanced and well-proportioned way. Once you've

arranged the living room furniture , you need to place the accessories in a balanced way. Here are a few tips for hanging and placing living room accessories.

Artwork

• One of the most common places to hang artwork in the living room is above the sofa. If this is the case in your space make sure to get a piece that isn't too large or too small. The piece of art should be about two-thirds the width of the sofa.

• If you want to use a few smaller pieces in a group the same rule more or less applies. Just be sure that the space between each frame is the same (around 2" to 3" is preferable).

• To prevent the art from being too low, hang the bottom of the frame about 8" to 10" from the top of the sofa back.

• Whenever you're hanging art remember that it should be at eye-level. Many people make the mistake of hanging art too high. You shouldn't have to lift your head to look at the piece.

Hanging Sconces

• The rules for hanging sconces are fairly similar to those for hanging art. The placement will always depend on the size of the wall, but you want to be careful not to hang them too high. Just above eye-level is ideal (around 66" to 72" from the floor).

• If you're hanging sconces on either side of a mirror or piece of art be sure to leave enough space for the piece in the center to breathe. The amount will depend on the size of the space, but be sure not to overcrowd and squish the art or mirror.

Window Treatments

• Curtains and drapes should always kiss the floor (or puddle on it). A very common decorating mistake is to hang curtains that are too short and don't reach the floor. It looks truncated and out-of-proportion.

• When hanging a drapery rod or track it should be installed at least 2" above the window frame and anywhere between 6" and 16" beyond each side.

Television

• When trying to decide where to put your television remember this: the bottom of the screen should be at chest level when you're seated. While hanging a television above a mantel is a bit trendy right now, it's not the best place because you can strain your neck.

• If possible in your space, multiply the diagonal width of the screen by three to determine the optimal viewing distance.