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Archive for November, 2011

Dining chair covers can be an essential item to help protect the chair fabric from stains and spills. No matter how careful you are, there will always be accidents, and this is almost certainly going to happen if you have kids and pets around the house. Most people’s dining room furniture is expensive, and aims to make a statement for any visitors and guests. It makes sense to keep things looking pristine and clean.

Over time these chairs can start to look a little tired and worn, not only from the spills but also from the fact they are used every day by you and your family members. The cushions get worn and the legs and arms can become chipped or scraped. Falling cutlery is the biggest culprit for scratches and chip marks. Investing in some chair covers can prolong the chair fabric life and make it look like new. There are quite a few types, ranging from complete custom made covers, to inexpensive stretch covers that can be fitted in a matter of minutes.

Custom chair covers will totally replace the old fabric, and this is best left to a craftsman to do for you. You choose the new colors and patterns and they do the job. This is the most expensive way of covering chairs, but the result will be much better. Only decide on this course of action if your chairs are good quality to begin with, otherwise you are wasting your time.

Cheaper covers will simply fit over the existing fabric and help protect it. The styles and choices are endless, and the best covers will fit most naturally. Check and measure the size of your chairs so the cover will fit perfectly. This is very important if you want the right result. Badly fitting covers will soon start to crease and expose their seams, and may even rip.

The latest covers have a waterproof protective layer underneath which can stop any liquids from penetrating into the fabric beneath. These are a little more expensive but well worth the money. Another big advantage is that you can machine wash these types of covers. When an accident does occur you can have the covers off in seconds and into the wash. After drying for a few hours it will be good as new. You can’t do this with the original fabric without a struggle, and this is probably the biggest selling point.

Changing things up in your dining room can bring a fresh ambiance, and dinner parties can be the chance to show your guests your new covers. Many people have a few sets and change them for each occasion. These sets cost less than $10 and represent real value for little money.

The holidays are fast approaching with Thanksgiving only a few weeks away and we are starting to think about preparing our family feasts. Whether you are serving a small family of 2 or extended family of 20, you can have the picture perfect Thanksgiving table. Your Thanksgiving table can be casual or elaborate as you want.

Setting your Thanksgiving table starts with the perfect picture in your mind. The colors of fall are beautiful and intertwined. Choose your colors for your table linens. Personally, I start with a solid color table cloth and compliment the table cloth with a harvest style runner, very eye catching.

Keep in mind the colors of your dishes, compliment the dishes with your corresponding table linens. You can choose a printed table cloth and solid runner or solid table cloth and solid runner, or a solid table cloth with a design embedded, remember that picture in your mind.

Table Padding helps with the setting of your perfect Thanksgiving Table. Not only does the table padding protect your table finish from liquid spills, hot spots, scratches, dents and nicks it helps to absorb sound and gives the tablecloth a gentle flowing drape and prevents the tablecloth from sliding or pulling.

Table padding is made of felt and vinyl and the soft backing is safer for many modern finishes. Table padding comes in many sizes or can be cut to the size of your table or cut longer to include the drop or overhang.

Need help figuring out what size and shape of tablecloth you need? Tablecloths come in square, round, oblong (rectangle), and oval.

Do you know the difference between and oblong and oval tablecloth? Many time people confuse oblong with oval. An oblong tablecloth is designed to fit a rectangle table with square corners and an oval tablecloth fits an egg-shaped table.

Do you know how to figure out your tablecloth size?

Measure the width and length of your table. Add the overhang or drop, which is how long the tablecloth will hang over the side, typically the desired overhang is 10-12 to lap level on dining tables and 15 inches for banquet tables.

Once you have these measurements, add the overhang times 2 to each measurement of your table. You don’t want the tablecloth to be too long. Your guests should be able to be able to sit and not have the tablecloth touch their legs, you don’t want anyone pulling that tablecloth!!

Example: If your table size is 30×72 inches and the desired drop is 12 inches you would figure it this way:

12 inch (drop size) X 2 would be 24 inches

Add the 30″ (from your table measurement) to the 24″ (doubled desired drop) = 54 inches

Add the 72″ (from your table measurement) to the 24″ (doubled desired drop) = 96 inches

The perfect cloth size for your table would be 54 X 96 inches. Tablecloths typically come in standard sizes you would then select the size closest to those figures.

Something fun….Tablecloths date back to Medieval Times when people travelled from village to village and castle to castle. During these trips food items were carefully wrapped in cloth. Upon arriving at their destination, they would place the cloth on the table, unfold and prepare for their meal. The unfolded cloth now served as a napkin were the persons dinning would clean their hands and mouths during the meal. At the end of the meal, the remaining food items were re-wrapped in the same cloth.

I happen to be a big fan of Table Runners. Table runners are sometimes called “scarves” and are pieces of material that run lengthwise or across your table. Table runners can run within the dimensions of a table or extend into the overhang.

Table runners have been used for centuries to decorate tables, sideboards and buffets when not in use. Heirlooms were displayed on runners, such as candlesticks, centerpieces and bowls. Table runners have come along way, today they are used for decorations, and are a big trend in table setting.

I think Table Runners add character to a table setting, especially at Thanksgiving and the holidays. They can be used to complement your table linens, used as decorations, to hide a leaf or just let your imagination run wild.

The Charger is making a big come back on tables. The charger makes a table look more elegant, whether serving dinner to your family or entertaining the guests.

Chargers are simply under plates that are used at each place setting of a formal table. The charger will be larger than the actual dinner and salad plates used to hold the food. The dinner plate is never placed on the charger. When you are shopping for chargers, place the salad plate or soup bowl, not the dinner plate, on the charger to see how it sizes and coordinates.

Historically, chargers were used in the best of restaurants to hold a place at the table before the diners arrived. This also aided in the setting of a elaborate table. Without a place for the plate, it was difficult to place the silverware properly. Once guests were seated, the plates were removed and the dinner process began.

Today, a charger is still used as a marker, but is used when dinner is served in courses. The appetizer, soup, and salad plates are placed on the charger, creating and elegant look and the charger also helps to keep the area around the diner clean before the entree is served.

The charger should compliment the choices of china, silverware, and d

You need not become a professional chef to know how to bake the most scrumptious cakes, breads and other baked treats. You can adapt professional baking techniques in your simple kitchen set-up. After all, baking ingredients and equipment are the similar the world over – oven that provides dry heat by convection, bowls and spoons to mix in the ingredients and the basic ingredients of flour, oil and yeast. All other modern kitchen appliances and exotic ingredients are just add-ons to make the baked treats more flavorful and fancy.

Here are a few of the baking techniques professionals use in their own kitchens. Apply them and see good results.

Preparing the Pans

To properly grease pans in preparation for pouring in the batter, use a paper towel to rub a piece of hard butter over the insides of the pan. You should end up with a thin and even coating on the pan with this method instead of just using your hands to do the job. Plus, it makes for less hand washing.

Then, you need to sprinkle in half a handful or so of flour on the pan and tilt the pan until it is evenly coated with it. Shake off the excess flour by tapping on the pan’s upended bottom.

Well, of course, most baking instructions come with the requirement to preheat the oven to a specific temperature. It is important to follow this advice as you want to place the batter inside the oven at just the right time and temperature.

Preparing the Ingredients

There are many tips in preparing the ingredients for baking, of which the following are just a few of them:

When sifting flour, always make sure to use a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Gently tap against the sides of the sieve or squeeze the sieve handle in order to force the flour through the fine screen. When using eggs in a dish, have a separate small bowl ready into which the eggs can be cracked. This way, you will not accidentally mix in a bad egg with good eggs but instead just throw it. Plus, you can easily fish out any wayward shell. When using an electric mixer to combine sugar and butter, set it on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until the mix is creamy. It is also important to scrape down the bowl’s sides with a rubber spatula to make sure that all the ingredients are blended in. When cutting the butter into the flour, use very cold butter for the best results. You can either use a pastry blender or 2 table knives for this activity. Either way, the mixture is ready as soon as it assumes the appearance of coarse crumbs albeit with tiny pieces of butter still evident.

To test for doneness of the cake or bread, you should use a wooden skewer or plain toothpick into its center and pull straight out immediately. If you see gooey batter sticking to the wood, place it back into the oven for more baking time. If there are no crumbs left, then it is done.

You can be as professional as the professionals themselves. Just remember that you have to love what you bake so that it will have that special oomph to it.

The bedroom is one of the most sacred rooms a house can have because as adults this is where we release all our stress and relax after a tiring day from work and for kids this is where they recharge themselves through sleeping after long day full of playtime from school. As we all perhaps know, sleep is very important for them because this is one of the many things that help them grow healthy and strong. As much as possible, we always want to let them stay in the bedroom where we can bring in almost all of the children’s bedroom furniture that they need, all complete with their most comfortable bed, their vanity dressers, etc. However, not all families have this privilege especially for those who are just renting apartments.

Most apartments don’t have such big spacious rooms and with this, creativity is needed in order to bring in the furniture that we want our kids to use. In terms of options, this should not be any problem because there are a lot of manufacturers who produce top-class furniture that are safe for kids’ use; some of them are specifically made for children only. In houses with small bedrooms, they have to settle with small sized furniture that comes in short height as well.

This does not consume a big space in the bedroom and also encourages kids to be independent since they can access the furniture themselves. Another benefit of this is safety; yet, in order to make them safer, the materials used for the furniture should be checked especially for those that come with paint finish, to make sure they are non-toxic However, we should also not compromise the way kids adore colourful furniture. When shopping in your local stores, it is best to bring them with you to allow them their own choices for their very own bedroom.

Displaying flowers and plants in hanging baskets can be traced back to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Even the Victorians adored their lovely hanging baskets. As people moved to North America, their love of flowers, and diverse cultures brought various ways to display them.

Hanging baskets are an attractive way to decorate porches and verandas with beautiful colors and different plants. Usually the kind of flowers you plant is based upon the position they are in. If they are in full or part sun, or shade, this determines the plants that can be grown.

Use your imagination and likes to decide what flowers to plant. You can go with all one color, mixed colors, and holiday themes. If you want, you can use all the same flowers or mix sizes and colors in your flower baskets, window boxes, and planter stands. If you are in a warm climate you can start your hanging baskets and planters early and enjoy them for many months.

Using Hanging Baskets

To make your house and garden attractive, try hanging baskets in other places besides the front porch. Use a shepherd’s hook with a hanging basket beside your front steps or mailbox. Build an arbor and decorate it with hanging flowers. Frame your sidewalk, patio and entrances with colorful hanging baskets.

When you are ready to plant, decide what kind of planter you want. The sizes vary from 6 to 12 inches. Choose a size that is appropriate for the area where it will hang. When you have the container, then you are ready to put the moss in the pot. Sphagnum moss is used because it holds moisture and helps plants grow better. After the moss is moistened and fitted into the container, then you can add the potting soil and polymers. Potting soil by itself does not hold nutrients, so polymers need to be added periodically.

Hanging Baskets Require Minimal Care

Hanging pots are easy to take care of and come with an external saucer or an internal disk that holds water, which can be pulled into the plant. Just continue watering and fertilizing through the summer and you will be able to enjoy your beautiful plants the entire season. Hanging baskets do not take up a lot of room and are pleasing to look at, being at eye level.

With the Bloom Master hanging baskets, you do not need to use the moss. You buy the pots with growing holes and use potting mix with nutrients to help the plants grow faster and larger. These hanging baskets and box planters produce healthy beautiful plants in no time.

Plant Beautiful Flowers

When you have the pot prepared, place your flowers in and water them. Plant the largest flowers first and follow with the smaller ones and the fillers. Some popular flowers that are recommended for hanging baskets are petunias, impatiens, pansies, ferns, ivy, mums, coleus, fuchsias, and many others. Start planning your flower gardens now and enjoy a creative, beautiful growing season.

Entertaining family and friends is a joy, but getting the party started can be a little stressful. Have you ever said the following to yourself?

It’s too exhausting cooking for a crowd! I’m just too busy to put a party together! I have to work the entire party and never get to enjoy myself!

If you have ever had these thoughts, there is a one word solution to your party dilemma — “buffet.” A buffet with stylish flatware can be simple and chic, offering you an easy way to make your party the talk of the town.

The best way to enjoy your own party is by not “over thinking” it. Plan a simple, attractive, and stress-free buffet that takes care of itself so you can be a part of your event instead of being stuck “behind the scenes.” The following tips will keep your buffet on track to ensure a successful party that is also fun for you.

Choose Your Flatware And Serving Pieces

The day before your party, collect your serving dishes, platters, utensils, and flatware. Don’t be afraid to mix and match your serving pieces and flatware for a funky look. Plan where you will place each serving piece and the best location for your flatware. Don’t forget about serving utensils like serving spoons, serving forks, scoops, condiment spoons, tongs, cake servers, and more. This ensures your guests can easily serve themselves.

Choose Menu Items That Can Be Made Ahead

If you choose items for your menu that you can make ahead of time and then quickly assemble at the last minute, those last few minutes before your guests arrive will be so much easier. Offer plenty of different dishes in a variety of colors, flavors, and textures. The more dishes you serve, no matter how simple, the more your guests will rave about the menu because you are more likely to have something everyone will enjoy. Also, don’t be afraid to buy certain ‘heat and serve’ items from the frozen food aisle. The mozzarella cheese sticks you find there will be just as good as the ones you slave over. If you serve certain dishes requiring special flatware, like shrimp that requires shrimp forks, make sure they are easily accessible with your other flatware on the buffet.

Cold Buffets Are Great

Don’t think you still have to slave over a hot stove to put together a successful buffet. Cold buffets are great and involve a lot less prep work. Popular cold buffet items include coleslaw, potato salad, shrimp, cold cuts, cheese, dips, pickles, wraps, salsa, and even sushi. Fill a large bowl or platter with plenty of buns and gourmet breads and make sure you have lots of flatware pieces for spreading condiments. Even with a cold buffet, if there are plenty of choices, your guests will love it.

Make Sure There’s Plenty Of Table Space

Seating space is great, but when you offer plenty of table space for guests to eat, that’s even better. Many people don’t like to eat without a table to put their plate down on and it’s difficult to hold flatware, a plate, and a drink at the same time. You will make your guests more comfortable and you’ll have a better time with plenty of table space. Don’t worry about fancy tables. Comfort is more important here. Pulling a table away from a wall or sliding two small tables together and covering them with a tablecloth works perfectly.

Traffic Flow

Designate a “traffic flow” for your buffet by placing dinner plates at one end of your serving table and your flatware and drinking glasses at the other end so your guests don’t have a handful while trying to serve themselves. Consider rolling your flatware in napkins for a fancy look and to make carrying multiple flatware pieces simpler. Usually a knife and fork will suffice, but there are times you should include spoons and specialty flatware, depending on your menu for the buffet.

Make Your Buffet Visually Attractive

Take foods, like mayonnaise, out of their jars and place them in attractive bowls. Arrange your serving platters and bowls in a visually pleasing manner, mixing colors, heights, sizes, and textures to make your table visually attractive while keeping certain items, such as bread and sandwich meats, together. Fill any empty spots on your buffet table with small bowls containing nuts, cheese cubes, olives, and other small foods. Make sure you have flatware pieces for spreading available with mustards, mayonnaise, and spreadable cheeses. Add color and decoration to cakes and less visually appealing dishes with cut-up fruits and vegetables.

Let Guests Bring Their Special Dishes

If your guests ask if they can bring anything to your party, tell them “Yes, a small dessert would be great!” Small desserts work well because you can usually find the perfect place to feature them on your buffet table. If you don’t have room on your buffet table, place desserts on their own special table as most of your guests will eat your dinner items first before going back for dessert. Make sure you have small dessert plates and additional flatware for your dessert table.

You can have a blast at your own party if you consider “throwing a buffet.” With these few simple tips, some serving pieces, and flatware, your buffet will be a hit that people talk about for years to come.