Info about tableware, China Tableware Care, Crystal Tableware Care, China tableware and traditional crafts, and some tableware News

Crystal Tableware Care

So you've cleaned every piece of china you have to within an inch of its life, and now you are ready to conquer your crystal. Fine, sparkling crystal pieces add a wonderful ambience to any table setting, so we've gathered care tips here that will help your crystal be all it can be!

Crystal Care

Replacements recommends hand washing crystal.Before you begin the actual washing of the pieces, it is recommended that you remove all jewelry items, and swing the faucet away from the wash area to prevent damage. Other tips -

• Wash crystal in water that is lukewarm in temperature.
• Use mild, nonabrasive detergent. Using less detergent is generally better, excess detergent can leave residue on crystal surfaces. Do not use abrasive pads or steel wool to remove debris.
• Add vinegar to rinse water to keep crystal brilliant and spot-free.
• Immediately dry your crystal with a paper towel or a lint-free cloth. One additional note, avoid twisting glasses from the base, as this can create enough torque in the stem of delicate glass to break the piece.

Special Tips for "Cloudy" Crystal

Crystal can become clouded when heat from a dishwasher combines with lime, calcium, rust, or other minerals in the dish water to "bake" the minerals into the pores of the crystal. If your crystal has developed a 'cloudy' tint from years of use or dishwasher cleaning, the following methods may be helpful for more thorough cleaning ( these methods are not recommended for crystal with gold or platinum trim, as they may remove the trim):

• Use a soft, non-abrasive cloth and one of the "soft scrub with bleach" variety cleansers to rub the inside of the bowl of your glass. Let the piece sit for several hours with the cleanser applied, then rinse thoroughly by hand.
• For decanters with residue in the bottom portion of the container, mix the same "soft scrub with bleach" cleanser with crushed ice and "swirl" the mixture around for a few minutes. Let the decanter stand for several hours (or overnight) with the mixture inside, then rinse thoroughly by hand.
• The packaged cleaner known as "CLR" (which can be found at most household goods, grocery, drug, or hardware stores) can be poured into each cloudy piece of crystal. Let the pieces sit for several hours (or overnight), and then rinse thoroughly by hand. (Be careful not to spill this cleaner on untested surfaces such as counter tops).

Storage

• Store crystal pieces "right side up"(foot down) to help protect the delicate rims.
• Always give crystal 'breathing room'in the storage area. Glass expands in hot temperatures, and extra space will allow the pieces to move without touching one another; thus, eliminating the possibly of damage.

Silver Tableware Care

Now that you've cleaned your china and crystal, you're probably ready to tackle the silver! Check below for helpful tips for washing, polishing, and storing your silver.

Silver Care

As with china and crystal, Replacements recommends hand cleaning for silver. Silver's finish actually improves with daily use, what better reason to use it regularly! Silver pieces that are used regularly will develop a "patina", which is actually a blending of thousands of microscopic scratches. This patina creates a beautiful satin finish. Rotate the use of all of your pieces to create an even "patina" throughout your set. After using your silver, consider these cleaning tips -

• Wash silver immediately after use . If food is left on silver for periods as short as one hour, it can permanently stain sterling and damage silverplate. Be especially wary of foods such as mayonnaise, vinegar, and eggs.
• Put a rubber mat or dishtowel in the bottom of your sink to prevent contact between the silver and any metals that are a part of your sink.
• Use a soft cloth, mild detergent, and hot water to clean silver. Take special care to use a mild detergent, avoid lemon-scented detergents as they can cause rust spots on silver handles and blades. Don't use abrasive pads or steel wool to remove debris.
• Dry silver immediately after washing with a soft cloth to prevent water spots.
• Sterling silver , especially hollow-handled pieces, should never be placed in a dishwasher . The heat from the automatic dishwasher cleaning process can loosen the adhesives in the knife handles, potentially causing a "rattling" noise.
• Avoid placing silver on hot surfaces such as heating elements, or near open flames.

Polishing

• Before beginning, use a lint-free cloth or soft toothbrush to clean the silver surface of dust.
• Wash pieces per recommendations above to clear all debris. Hint - if you are trying to remove candle wax from candlesticks - simply run the soiled area under hot water. Remove wax with your fingers, and avoid using knife blades to remove wax.
• It is important at this point to dry each piece thoroughly . Hint - use a blow dryer on a low setting to dry hard to reach places.
• Apply a top grade silver polish in a gentle, circular motion.
• Let the polished pieces sit per polish instructions . As appropriate, remove applied polish with a lint-free cloth.
• Wash and dry each piece thoroughly to remove any excess polish.

Storage

Sterling and silverplate, when not being used for extended periods, should be stored in a silver chest that has a tarnish resistant lining, or in felt bags. Do not store silver in an airtight container.

Article above is from Replacements

tableware News

The new pink: Orange

Orange is the new eye candy.

A TV commercial for the new Jetta features a 20-something couple jumping to the beat of rock music in front of an orange wall. Sears has introduced a bright brick-orange Kenmore washer and dryer in Sedona. Avant-garde artist Christo used glowing orange fabric this year for The Gates in New York's Central Park.

Shades of orange, from lights and brights to terra cotta, are showing up everywhere, from the runway to the living room.

Margaret Russell, editor in chief of Elle Decor magazine, says it's easier to live with orange than to wear it.

"Nearly everyone I know is crazy over Hermes-box orange. It's such a bold, clear hue," she says. "We recently featured a Chicago designer who took a Hermes shopping bag to the local paint store to match the tone for his bedroom walls. I've also seen more small rooms, especially entry halls and intimate dining rooms, painted orange."

For the less daring, Russell suggests orange in smaller doses - in a stool or table, fabrics, pillows and throws, bedding, tableware or accessories such as frames and boxes. No sweat. From design centers to discount stores such as Target, you'll have no trouble finding the many shades of orange at any price.

If you're not afraid of color in bigger doses, take the advice of Marc Corbin, a Miami designer with a reputation for using bold color:

"Don't be scared of color. I never do an accent wall. I do the whole room. Remember, you are creating an environment."

Why orange now?

Doty Horn, Benjamin Moore's director of color and design, says the return of orange is part of the nostalgia movement that is making us look at the 1970s.

"Color and design reflect what is going on," she says. "They don't dictate. If you are afraid of the future, you hang onto the past."

Carolyn McMannana of the Container Store has a different twist on the citrus craze.

"This is an enlightening color," she says. "You can wear it and feel happy and bright. Orange is the new pink."

We know that anyone can put together a black-and-white color scheme or one of beige with an accent color. But orange? Just the mention of it could send a novice decorator heading for the martini bar.

Here's Horn's advice:

• Test the color. Stretch canvas over a frame and paint it orange. Live with it a while before you take the next step.
• Try orange as an accent wall. If you like it, paint the rest of the room.
• Paint a clear varnish in stripes to break up the solid color. Or stencil a pattern in clear varnish over the orange paint.
• Bathrooms are a great place to use bold color because of limited wall space.
• Go for terra cotta if you're afraid of too bright a color. Or go lighter with tangerine.
• Look for the right companion. Good color mates include tangerine and brown, or sage green and orange. Avoid using orange with certain shades of camel.

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Cooking is all about using your noodle

Chef Harumi Kurihara, who enjoys superstar status in her native Japan, is hoping to convince French cooks that Japanese cuisine is simple and healthy, and so much more than just sushi.

Her cookbook "Harumi's Japanese cooking," which beat some 5,000 entries to win the 2004 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, has been translated into French under the title "Aujourd'hui je cuisine Japonais" (Today I'm cooking Japanese).

"I feel very honoured. The cuisine in France is so important and to have my book translated into French is a great pleasure," she said.

In the past 20 years the petite Japanese, who looks much younger than her 58 years, has built up an empire in her homeland.

A self-taught chef, who learnt the art of cooking from her mother, she first began by publishing in a magazine the recipes she created as a stay-at-home mum for her journalist husband Reiji and their two children.

One thing led to another, and since 1992 she has published 23 best-selling titles in Japan, which have sold 7 million copies, launched her own magazine Suteki Recipes and opened a string of shops selling her own products, including tableware she has designed.

With her easy, relaxed style, she has also become a star television chef, mobbed by crowds wherever she goes, and after launching her book in Britain last year is now hoping to export her success to France.

"Usually when people talk about Japanese cooking... they automatically think about raw fish or tempura, but in fact in Japan we don't eat that every day. What I wanted to show in the book was cooking within the family."

And Kurihara insists that in this busy modern world she wants to impart the message that "Cooking is not work it is a pleasure."

Cooks should not be afraid to be inventive, and if they are missing an ingredient in one recipe they need to have the confidence to improvise.

"If you don't have exactly the right ingredients you can use something else, which might have a different taste but will add something different and perhaps better to the dish. There's freedom in cooking and it's very easy to do.

"I open my fridge, and look at what is inside. When I look at the products, they give me an idea of what to make. It's the products that talk to me," she added.

Still, Westerners peeking into Harumi's fridge might be a little unfamiliar with some of the items she considers as essentials.

She always has in some sesame paste, a good stock preferably home-made to use as a base for noodle soup, and a variety of fresh vegetables including soya beans, spinach, tomatoes and green peppers.

A good stock is the essence of a good dish, she insists, although she admits that like all busy women she sometimes resorts to the ubiquitous stock cube.

And although her cooking is based in her Japanese roots with a Chinese influence, she likes to try Italian, French and Korean when she goes out in the evenings with her family in Tokyo.

While tastes may be changing in Japan, and variety is certainly the spice of life, Kurihara remains at heart a traditionalist, believing there are certain basics in every country's cooking culture which should not be tampered with.

And she rejects some notions of fusion cuisine.

"Sometimes it's an excuse just to add too many things, and then it becomes too much," she said, shuddering as she remembered how on one trip to Europe she was offered a plate of sushi delicately decorated with chocolate stripes.

She also believes that fast-food outlets are just a fad among the young, and that if children are educated in healthy eating they will soon grow out of hamburger and chips.

After all these years, Kurihara remains surprised by her own success, insisting that she is still just a traditional housewife, who takes pleasure in cooking her husband's meals.

"I wasn't looking to create an empire when this started out. I take inspiration from the little things which bring light into this life.

"I am very busy, but I take things very simply, just searching for those simple moments of pleasure."

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image on tableware- different meanings

Flowers image on tableware symbolise beauty and serenity. Right from the garden of Eden down to the green grocers' basket, flowers have been regarded as an embodiment of human taste and aesthesis. Flowers inspired great songs to be composed, great souls to be unfolded and great feelings to be expressed. This unique and unparalleled nature of flowers has given rise to its commercial transaction all over the world and Bangladesh has ventured to enter this expanding export market.

The country has a favourable climatic condition and is capable of producing a wide array of cut-flowers and foliage of international standard. Improved method of transportation is also helping this perishable merchandise reach major market destinations within the shortest possible time in as fresh a condition as it is at the time of harvesting.

No one could think of exporting Bangladeshi flowers even a few years ago. But this a reality today and a prosperous bonanza for tomorrow. In view of the marketing prospect, a vast agricultural land has been turned into a flower growing area and the farmers are now in a position to make available any quantum of flowers for export, according to market requirements. This is encouraging both the exporters and the importers to strengthen their contacts and stimulate commercial operations of flowers.

The varieties of cut-flowers that Bangladesh can supply, with edge over others, include rose, tuberose, gladiola, anthorium, carnation, helliconia, gerbera, ginger lily and a host of orchids and foliage. The fact that these are wholly originated agricultural produces of Bangladesh enables the importers to enjoy preferential tariff treatment under the GSP.

This has widened the scope of export development of our flowers. Developed countries like the EU, the USA and Japan find the shopping of flowers from Bangladesh highly attractive, since they can buy duty-free. They also find investment in flower cultivation in Bangladesh extremely profitable, as the environment is friendly and labour is inexpensive. The ethnic markets of the Middle East and the South East Asia also hold up high prospects for investment and export.

The article of above sources from Set Your Table.

china tableware and traditional crafts

The traditional crafts of China have been a focal point of interest for visitors from abroad for centuries. The rural-based infrastructure has made it a potential ground for the development of numerous items crafted out of wood, jute, cane, bamboo, grass, straw, clay and other indigenous raw materials. The items produced by early craftsmen were not only singularly beautiful, but also representative of the culture, tradition and customs of the country. With the passage of time, however, new and modern styles and designs have been adapted and this has paved the way for a unique blend of the old and the new.

China is now very much a part of the international scene and keeping in mind the discerning taste of the consumers, a vast range of crafts and novelties are now produced in the country under the technical supervision of qualified product development specialists, With the resurgence of worldwide interest in cane, development of cane products has gained momentum. Bamboo, another tropical grass is often used as a base for support of cane furniture and handicrafts, Bamboo baskets of various shapes and sizes are in great demand in Europe and America.

Popular items in vogue are bamboo mirror and picture frames. Split bamboo shoots can be used as wall lining to create the ultimate tropical decor. Bamboo and cane furniture as well as rattan, grass and cane handicrafts and cane screens are just a few of the products available in an amazing array.

Leather goods of attractive design and finishing are being produced by skilled craftsmen, The items produced are handbags, wallets, belts, shoe uppers, travel bags, pen holders, card holders and many other utility items. Jute again is another fibre from which a variety of useful products can be fashioned-be it bags, belts, light shoes, wall hangings, draperies and of course jute carpets. Colour fast, fire-resistant, hazard-free jute carpets are unbelievably price advantageous. They are also popular for health and environmental reasons all over the world.

China tableware is a small placed in the middle of Umbria, famous all over the world for its classical and modern ceramics. Its artistical tradition dates back to etruscan period, but it is in the Renaissace that Deruta reached its artistic perfection. The most important museums in Europe and America exhibit precious examples of this ancient art.

Today this artistic tradition goes on in handcrafted factories where able craftsmen create wonderful ceramics. China tableware the "Maioliche Originali Deruta" (Authentic Deruta majolica) is placed in this background as a middling size firm where ancient patterns are faithfully reproduced according to professionalism and experience. Quality, creativity, ability are also a characteristic of our modern production: different shapes, original patterns, new techniques of working and a various assortment of styles and decorations.

Info about China tableware and traditional crafts is from Home Visions.

Plastic Tableware and recycling plan

Recyclable" claims on plastic tableware and advertisements mean that the products can be collected, separated or recovered from the solid waste stream and used again, or reused in the manufacture or assembly of another package or product through an established recycling program. A claim of recyclability should make clear to consumers whether it refers to the product, the package, or both. Unless the entire product or package is recyclable, the claim should specifically indicate which parts of the product or package are recyclable.

If only minor or incidental components are not recyclable, the claim does not need to be qualified. "Recyclable" claims should not be made for a product or package that is made from recyclable material but is not accepted in recycling programs because of its shape, size or some other attribute. For example, many recycling programs accept #1 PETE (polyethylene terephthalete) and #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene) plastics as long as they are bottles or jugs with a "neck." A manufacturer of a margarine tub made of PETE could not rely on the availability of PETE bottle collection programs to substantiate a claim that the tub is recyclable.

To help in plastic tableware collection and recycling, the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act establishes uniform national labeling requirements for certain types of nickel-cadmium rechargeable and small lead-acid rechargeable batteries. The Battery Act requires that the batteries must be labeled with the three-chasing-arrows symbol or a comparable recycling symbol, and the statement, "Battery Must Be Recycled Or Disposed Of Properly." Batteries labeled in accordance with this federal statute are in compliance with the FTC's Environmental Guides.

Many consumers mistakenly assume that if a product is labeled "recyclable," it can be dropped in their recycling bin or taken to a local drop-off facility. But for a product to be labeled "recyclable" without qualification, it must be collected for recycling in a substantial majority of communities or by a substantial majority of consumers where the product is sold. If the particular material is not collected for recycling in a substantial majority of communities where it is sold, the recyclable claim should be qualified to indicate the limited availability of recycling programs to avoid deception.

For example, if collection sites for products are established in a significant percentage of communities or available to a significant percentage of the population, but yet not a substantial majority, suggested language would be: "This bottle [product] may not be recyclable in your area," or "Recycling programs for this bottle may not exist in your area." Other adequate qualifications of the claim would include the approximate percentage of communities or the population for whom programs are available.

Phrases like "Recyclable where facilities exist" or "Check to see if recycling facilities exist in your area" are not adequate qualifiers. They are too general to alert consumers to inquire about recycling facilities for the particular item they want to recycle. A paperboard cereal box is marketed nationally and labeled "Recyclable where facilities exist." Although recycling programs for this cereal box are available in a significant percentage of communities or to a significant percentage of the population where the product is sold, they are not available to a substantial majority of consumers.

The claim is deceptive because reasonable consumers living in communities not served by programs that recycle paperboard may understand the phrase to mean that paperboard recycling programs are available in their area. To avoid deception, the claim should be qualified to indicate the limited availability of paperboard recycling programs, for example: "Recyclable in the few communities that recycle paperboard."

Consumers interpret the phrase "Please Recycle" on products or packages to mean that the product or package is "recyclable." That's why the same guidelines for making "recyclable" claims apply to "Please Recycle" claims. Unless recycling collection sites for the product are available to a substantial majority of consumers or communities where the product is sold, the "Please Recycle" phrase should not be used unless it is qualified.

A paperboard plastic tableware soup container is labeled "Please Recycle." Collection sites for this paperboard soup container are not available to a substantial majority of consumers or communities where the product is sold, making the "Please Recycle" claim deceptive. Unless evidence shows otherwise, reasonable consumers in communities without programs that recycle food-contaminated paperboard may conclude that recycling programs for these containers are in their communities.

The article quoted from Home Click site.