Proper Place Settings

Pay attention, ladies and gentlemen, because this is some good knowledge to store away! Whether you're hosting a dinner party or are simply setting the table for dinner, it makes a good impression to set a proper table. After all, nobody will notice if you order take-out food to pass off as your own cooking, as long as you put it on the good dinnerware! Here's the breakdown, according to Apartment Therapy:

A Casual Setting

This is the everyday table setting and follows just a few rules that are built on for the fancier settings:

Photo courtesy Maxwell Ryan.

Plate - Right in the middle :)

Fork - To the left at 9:00

Knife & Spoon - To the right at 3:00 with the knife on the inside facing in (so the blade is safely towards the plate)

Glass - On the upper right at 1:00

Napkin - Underneath your forks, though you can technically play with your napkin and place it on plate or outside forks.

A Fancy Setting

Built off of the above, this roadmap allows for all the other utensils needed at a fancy meal and follows the guide that you start on the outside and move inwards towards the plate during the course of the meal.

Photo courtesy Maxwell Ryan.

Plates - In the middle with the smallest stacked on top, so that you have Charger under Entree Plate under Appetizer Plate. In this fashion each plate can be cleared and leave you with a new, clean one below. Bread plate goes to the top left at 10:00 with knife fork ON it.

Flatware - Forks go on the left at 9:00 with the smallest on the outside (dinner, salad and then fish fork). Knife goes on the right with spoons at 3:00 with the smallest spoons on the outside (soup and then fruit spoon)

Any flatware used for dessert goes at the top at 12:00 (dessert spoon and fork)

Glasses - Red or wine (or both) glasses are placed at the upper right at 1:00 with water and/or champagne above that to the left. I typically have only a water and wine glass, but you can provide lots of options here for your guests if you wish and then remove what they don't use.

Napkin - I always like to have the napkin under the forks to the left, but it is proper to have the napkin actually on the dinner plate. Either way, just don't stuff the napkin in the wine glass and try to make it look like a swan.

10 Cleaning Hacks from Fashion Industry Insiders

Photo courtesy Mazzali

Think your refrigerator is only good for storing food? False. This article originally published in Elle Magazine (via House Beauty) takes you through some insider tricks to keeping your most coveted fashion and beauty items looking their best. Your momma didn’t teach you these tips growing up!

1. An employee over at a luxury brand that houses one of the most enviable handbag lines out there taught me this tip for getting scratches out of leather:

“Rub a tiny bit of moisturizer into the scratch using a Q-tip until the scratch is gone. It's gross, but literally it's like rubbing lotion into cracked skin. I recommend Nivea unscented moisturizer.”

2. One A-lister told me to turn my leather pants inside out and store them in my freezer to help them keep their shape. Another swears by machine drying leather leggings on low heat, again inside out, to reduce stretching. I’ve tried both techniques and can say both work like a charm.

3. A jewelry designer to the stars offered up this household tip for cleaning brass, gold, and diamond jewelry:

“Ketchup cleans brass and Fantastik shines gold and diamonds like a mofo.”

4. A friend of mine swears by the powers of the fine-tooth comb to de-pill her most luxurious cashmere sweaters.

5. One of the most famous perfumers in the world instructed me to always keep my perfume in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.

6. Try to never wash your jeans. If they start to smell, put them in a gallon zip lock bag with a dryer sheet over night and leave them in the freezer. Once they thaw, they will feel fresh and clean but still fit perfectly.

7. To get deodorant stains out of pretty much any material, rub the fabric together. It even works (really well) on black clothing!

8. ELLE.com contributing editor, Faran Krentcil, got this useful tip from her grandfather, who ran a leather factory in the Garment District in the '60s and '70s: “If your suede shoes get wet, ball up newspaper inside them and wrap them up in newspaper too. They'll keep their shape and texture, and dry out fairly quickly.”

9. For those of you wearing fur this winter (or eyeing all the colored furs on tap for next fall), here’s a tip to keep yours from shedding. Keep your fur coats (or scarves) in the freezer to keep from them shedding. Sure, it requires an extra large freezer, but don’t you think it’s worth the investment?

10. One of our favorite street style stars taught me to use a hair dryer as a steamer to get wrinkles out just before you’re running out the door (or, if like us, you live sans iron). If you have an entire dress that needs ironing, try hanging the garment outside of the shower while running hot water to steam creases out.

via ELLE.com

Create a Summer Reading Space

Photos (L-R) courtesy Wicker Paradise and Ceylon Tea Trails

Summer is the season for diving into a good book! Unfortunately, we can’t read on the beach all day, every day, but you can create the perfect spot in your apartment to sit back, relax, and get reading (it’s okay if you nap there, too). How do you create that perfect book nook? Try these tips from Apartment Therapy.

1. Somewhere cozy to sit. 

A bit obvious, but important nonetheless. Window seats, built-in benches and floor cushions are popular looks, but a cozy chair is just as serviceable (not to mention more versatile). It all depends on how you like to read- upright or reclined. If going for a chair, it's nice to have an ottoman or somewhere to rest your feet, as well.

2. A room with a view. 

Looking at the photos above, it seems that a window is de rigueur for a proper reading nook. This is for both practical reasons (natural light is great for your eyes to read by, so make use of it during the daylight hours) and aesthetic ones (it's nice to have somewhere pretty to rest your eyes between chapters). Views of the ocean, mountains, or picturesque European rooftops are ideal, but even just some trees can do the trick.

3. Lots of layers. 

The best reading nooks are full to overflowing with cushions and throws. It might be summer but the temperature can still dip at night, and having ample textiles around you also increases the sense of luxury in this particular escape. I favor old quilts made by my grandmother, but anything soft and supportive will do.

4. Accessories galore. 
Design really is in the details, and for a great reading nook you'll need plenty. A good lamp (table or floor) for when the daylight starts to fade goes without saying. You'll also want a side table or somewhere to rest a cup of tea or a laptop (reading often brings out the researcher in me, and I like to have Wikipedia close at hand) and some art on the walls. Last but not least, I think that something alive, be it a houseplant or some fresh flowers, helps create a peaceful ambiance.

Packing and Moving Hacks

Photo courtesy of Robert S. Donovan

Packing up to move can be a monotonous, time-consuming and stressful process, but it doesn’t have to be! These tips from House Beautiful will have you saying “why didn’t I think of that?!” and get you in the packing zone. Use some of these hacks for vacation, too!

IN THE BATHROOM

1. Unscrew all bottle caps on lotions, sprays, and gels and place a layer of plastic wrap over the opening before putting the cap back on.

2. Place binders clip on your razors to save yourself from annoying nicks while unpacking.

3. If you're filling a box with a tremendous number of small things, consider using a garbage bag as a box liner. That way if it breaks you won't be scrambling around picking up the various pieces!

4. Don't pack everything in boxes: Leave the necessities out and just toss them in a small suitcase or tote so you'll have it all within easy reach in the new place.

IN THE BEDROOM

5. Don't pull clothes off the hangers just yet! Instead, zip-tie a group of in-use hangers together and wrap it all in plastic wrap before packing away. It'll be all set to go up in your new closet within moments of moving in.

6. Keep your mattress safe and clean by putting fitted sheets on both sides before it's loaded into the moving truck.

7. Round up pillows and blankets in garbage bags and use them as padding in the moving truck around your most fragile pieces.

8. Don't bother moving light pieces out of drawers—just tape the drawer shut during the move and that's one less thing to "unpack" upon arrival.

9. Rather than packing linens and towels in their own box, use them to wrap up fragile items like you would with bubble wrap.

IN THE KITCHEN

10. Forget newspaper for wrapping plates: Just pack foam plates between breakable ones to keep them safe.

11. And when it comes to your glasses, clean socks make for excellent padding—that you need to move anyway!

12. A safety tip that also saves space: Pot holders=knife holders.

13. Alleviate any potential "Did I forget that..." feelings by leaving drawers and cabinet doors open once you empty their contents into boxes. A quick look will reassure you that everything's been packed!

14. Pack bottles of wine in kids' pool floaties to keep them from breaking and spilling.

IN THE LIVING ROOM

15. You'll likely have movers to handle the heavy furniture but if you want to get it close to the door for them, place magazines underneath each bottom corner: That will help it slide across the carpet.

16. Label your cords! A simple piece of duct tape with the name of the corresponding appliance will do, and will save you the headache of trying to match things back up.

17. Pack your books in suitcases and say goodbye to unneccessarily heavy boxes.