Audrey Hepburn Advice

I love anything "Audrey Hepburn!" Here are some beauty tips as given by the legendary and stylish actress. This was even read at her funeral.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

Summer Office Outfit Etiquette

Follow the Leader
Levels of formality vary by geography, industry and corporate culture. The best guides for what to wear are the executives, middle-managers and authority figures where you work. For example: While not wearing pantyhose would be a major faux pas at many companies, wearing hose in the summer months at certain ad agencies would be seen as decidedly unhip. Even if your company has an informal style, employers still want you to look professional.

Be Polished

A relaxed dress code doesn't mean you can be a slob. Make sure your clothes are clean and pressed. Since lightweight fabrics tend to be sheer, check your reflection under bright lighting to make sure your undergarments don't show through. If your company allows open-toe or backless shoes, make sure your feet and toenails are clean and cared for.

Don't Flash the Flesh.

Women in all professions should know they're not advancing their careers when they wear revealing clothing. Short shorts, mini-skirts, tank tops and low-cut or sheer blouses may get you attention, but not necessarily the raise or promotion you want. When choosing what to wear, think Diane Sawyer or Condoleezza Rice, not Britney Spears or Paris Hilton.

Layer Light Fabrics.

Stay cool in lightweight materials such as silk, cotton, linen, or summer-weight wool and cotton blends. Remember to dress in layers -- the difference in temperature between the outdoors and your air-conditioned office can be 30 degrees or more.

Have a Cover-Up Ready.

For those days when the office air-conditioning is on the fritz, you may need to bend the rules. But always keep a lightweight neutral blazer at the office so you can slip it on in case the CEO or an important client decides to drop by.

Despite the comprehensive summer dress policy he established, Smith has already been called several times to advise managers on the best way to tell employees their apparel is questionable. Smith says next year he will add the following caveat in bold: "If you think a piece of clothing could be inappropriate for the office, it probably is."

Credit: Careerbuilder.com

Do You Have That Lady Edge?

I am starting a new series of tips and quotes that will help my fellow female readers on how to bring out the inner lady! Being a lady is not about being docile, helpless and fragile. Being a 'modern' lady is about being in control of ones self, intelligent in situations, aware of surroundings as well as being genuinely sincere towards others. Being a lady is not a weak trait but a powerful edge that has become a rare skill in our high-tech society of today. Come join me in helping you bring out your inner lady!

Quote:

 "The only real elegance is in the mind; if you've got that, the rest really comes from it."   Diana Vreeland

Hitting the Virtual Pen, So to Speak...

Well, its been a while but I have finally come back to writing in my blog. When I started my blog way back in June, I was on a roll, writing posts almost every week, sometimes every other day within a week. Back in September I acquired a new job working for a financial institution making my love for blogging placed on the back burner. As you can tell my posts have dwindled down to once a month if lucky.

Now I have gained momentum once again for writing and will be a little more frequent with new posts, pictures and more stories to share. I may be at a full time job during the day, freelancing as an etiquette and image consultant when available but I will dedicate more of my evenings for writing a new post. Hey what can I say...I miss my readers and fellow bloggers! :)

More to come...

Shelli

American and Continental Styles of Eating.

Have you and your children ever sat at a formal dinner table and just stared at the place setting, wondering which fork is which? Attending a formal luncheon or dinner can be exciting but yet, intimidating. Here are a few tips that will help ease the anxieties of eating formal meals.

Whether you call it cutlery, flatware and/or silverware, your meal utensils refer to the knife, fork and spoon you use to eat with. When looking at your place setting we have observed that the left side of your plate will contain the salad fork on the outside and the meal fork, closer to the plate. On the far right there will be a spoon and a knife, closer to the plate.

The knife and fork are to be extensions of your pointer finger and are to be held without making a fist with your hands, with the pointer fingers resting on top of the knife and fork. You should be able to see the tops of both hands in this position. Using this eating position, all meats such as steak, saucy chicken, pork, turkey and fish should be cut and eaten one bite at a time.

We will learn two styles of formal eating in this post. The first is the American style of eating. When holding your knife in your right hand and fork in your left (opposite if you are a lefty), slice your meat in a sawing motion, holding it down with your fork. Once a piece has been sliced off, place your knife at a 11:00 and 3:00 position on your plate and switch your fork to the right, eating your meat with the tines up. Repeat the process with each piece, as well as adding side dish servings in between.

The Continental style of eating (or also called the European style) is when the fork stays in place and the knife is not put down. The meat is eaten directly from the fork in the left hand (right if you are a lefty) right after slicing, with the tines down and placed in the mouth. You may add smaller scoops of food with the slices of meat, with the assistance of the knife. You may rest your wrists with the utensils in your hands at the edge of the table. A drink may be taken when placing your knife at the top edge of your plate, without having to move your fork. This style may require more practice but can be considered the quieter style since the knife is not continually placed back on the plate. 

When resting during your meal, place your utensils in an "x" position with the times down on your plate. This is called the "At Rest" position and will tell the waitstaff that you are still working on your meal, just taking a break. When you are finished, place your napkin, loosely folded on the left side of your plate and your utensils diagonally in the middle of your plate. This tells the waitstaff that you are finished with your meal and that the plate can be taken away.

Both styles of eating are perfectly acceptable and can be used at the same time if you wish. It is whatever you and your children are comfortable with, that will help all of you enjoy the meal and company.

Children's Place Setting Rhyme and Napkin Protocol

Teaching young children table manners should be kept simple, straight to the point, consistently repetitive as well as fun!

To start, here is a little rhyme that I learned from my TKGR children's etiquette training course that you can teach to your kids ages 5 to 12, while they are sitting in front of their place setting. Also, many adults benefit from this rhyme as well (hint-hint)!


Hey Diddle Diddle,
My plate in the Middle,
And we'll be eating soon.

My fork on the left,
Below the bread plate,
Across from my cup and spoon.

My knife on the Right,
Its blade facing in,
And now we can begin

Lets begin with the napkin or in a more formal setting the "serviette." The napkin is an important instrument for maintaining cleanliness at the table as well as used as a communication tool for servers at a formal restaurant. For starters, help educate to your children that the napkin can be found in several place setting positions, on different occasions within various eating environments. The napkin can be found under the fork to the left of the plate or folded and placed in the middle of the plate, or rolled up and popping out of a water goblet to the top, right side of the plate.

When you sit down at the table with your children, the first thing that all of you can practice together, is to unfold your napkins half-way and place on your laps. Try not to have your children shake the napkin open at their sides. Instead, suggest to your children that it is more polite to open their napkins gently on their lap with the crease at the top and the open layers towards their knees.

In a restaurant setting, explain to your children that the napkin can also be used to silently but effectively communicate with the servers. When your children must leave the table and he or she is not finished with their meal, placing the napkin loosely folded on their chair, will signal to the wait staff that he or she is not finished with their meal and will be right back. The wait staff will take notice and most likely refold the napkin neatly back on the table, leaving the plate and utensils alone.

When your children are finished with their meal (remember all these tips are beneficial to adults as well), they are to place their napkin, loosely but neatly folded to the left of their plate. This signals to the wait staff that they are finished with their meal and that their plate may be taken away.

Please be sure to come back and read my next post on using and signaling with utensils as well as to learn about two different styles of eating.

 - Shelli  :)

HOW TABLE MANNERS BENEFIT KIDS LATER IN LIFE

I would like to introduce my second Guest Blogger this week, Kate T. Lewis. Ms. Lewis and I were classmates and fellow graduates of The Protocol School of Washington and I am honored to have her contribute her expertise on Children Dining Etiquette, for this post.
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HOW TABLE MANNERS BENEFIT KIDS LATER IN LIFE
By Kate T. Lewis, Corporate Etiquette and International Protocol Consultant and Guest Blogger


I just love to see a child do the “I can’t believe how delicious this tastes” dance. I know that dance, myself, actually. It’s so cute to watch little ones sway back and forth in their chair or hop around the kitchen when you let them eat something decadent. One of my children used to sing during these moments of delirium.

Unfortunately, we have to eventually teach our children that the presence of food requires presence of mind. And, it’s no easy task. But, I have found that adjusting my way of thinking makes the mission easier to accomplish.

Here’s the skinny: Teaching children table manners very early on makes it easier for you to teach them other social skills as they grow up. If a child learns to act respectfully in one area of their life, they can more easily translate those skills and thoughts to other things as they mature. Table manners are a great place to start because a) you have 2 or 3 chances per day to talk about these skills or toss out reminders and b)they are “hemmed up” in their chair which means you have their attention.

Here are 5 table manners to teach kids now that will serve them well as they grow older:

1) Talk to waitstaff clearly and politely: Teaching kids to talk to adults lays the groundwork to being at ease with those that are different than themselves later in life. You might start with letting a wee one say what they would like to drink - as they look the server in the eye and say ‘Please’. As the child becomes more articulate, it should become their responsibility to ask for whatever they need – politely. “May I have another napkin, please?”, for example.

2) Do not start eating until everyone has been served: This will teach patience and consideration for others. Every school teacher on the planet will thank you.

3) Taste food before asking for /reaching for condiments: This one teaches reasoning skills and to think before they act. Kids tend to react quickly and passionately in certain situations until they mature, so this provides the time and place to talk about self-control and acting with purpose.

4) How you look at the table: Teach your kids to remove their caps at the table, they must wear shoes, and their shirts and hands must be clean. This will help them to realize how their physical presence impacts others. It is less than appetizing to sit across from someone who isn’t clean. Later, as they travel with their friends or their sports teams, you can rest easy knowing they will represent you, themselves and/or the organization well.

5) There are different ways of eating that are considered correct – depending on where you live: Teaching Continental and American styles of dining creates an easy segue into a conversation about different cultures and diversity that will meld into an attitude of tolerance and open-mindedness.

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* Thank you again to my Guest Blogger, Kate T. Lewis for contributing this wonderful post!

Bio:

Kate T. Lewis is a Certified Corporate Etiquette and International Protocol Consultant and the owner of Kate T. Lewis Consulting. A graduate of The Protocol School of Washington, Mrs. Lewis writes a blog called The Civilized Minute and is (not so) patiently awaiting the release of her book by the same name in November 2010. She lives in Georgia with her husband and 2 children. Please visit http://www.katetlewis.com/ for more information.

Children at the Table

The earliest form of etiquette lessons that I taught my children were conducted at the dining room table. This was an area in which I had their most undivided attention, and where I was able to teach them skills with visual aid and factors of cause and effect.

I remember teaching my babies when they were old enough to sit up in their high chairs, on how to eat properly with their level of ability. I started out with a basic setting of their bowl in the middle, bib folded on the left of the bowl, spoon on the right of the bowl and cup on the top-right corner. After placing the bib on the babies, I remember both my son and daughter were able to place their cups, back in their rightful positions after taking sips of juice. They were even diligent in attempting to eat their Cheerios with their chunky-sized spoon more so, than with their hands. Our children would also observe my husband and I as we at the table with them, and try to mimic our movements. With this information, it was indeed very important to instill etiquette skills to our children at an early age and set good examples of practicing etiquette as adults.

Practicing proper dining skills at home with your children will ensure a more successful meal time, when eating at a restaurant or at someone else's home. Here is a basic table setting chart, to help aid you as a parent when you start to teach your children on how to set the table.

This week, I will also be featuring another guest blogger who will be contributing her expertise on dining etiquette with children. Stay tuned!

 - Shelli