tips

Where to place your handbag at a restaurant

 in General Fashion / Handbags  tagged handbag care / tips by

winter outfit ideas

Where do I place my handbag at a restaurant?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Do you constantly wonder where a good spot for your bag is when you go out to eat? Do you cringe at the thought of placing your bag on the floor? Well, stop wondering, and start reading!

One of the trickiest things we all face when we sit down at a restaurant is where to place our handbag. Sometimes we get lucky, and there is an extra chair at the table where all the ladies can place their handbags, and other times, we are left utterly confused.

Thankfully, there is etiquette in place for this very problem! There are three acceptable places to place a handbag while dining out at a restaurant.

1. Place your bag under your napkin.

where to place your handbag at a restaurant

If your bag is small to medium in size, you should place it on your lap, and put your napkin over it. This is the safest place to put your handbag at a restaurant. No-one can grab it, since it is covered on your lap. Genius!

2. Place your bag on the chair behind you.

where to place your handbag at a restaurant

If your bag does not fit underneath your napkin, or you find it uncomfortable, you can safely place your bag behind your back, on your chair. If you have a coat, jacket, or wrap which was not checked in at the coat check, you can sit on it and have it cover your bag behind you.

3. If you are sitting at a booth, place your bag next to you.

where to put your handbag when sitting at a booth

Lucky you! Your party got a booth! The booth is the most coveted spot in the restaurant, and you snagged it! Not only are you very comfortable, but you can safely place your handbag on the seat next to your hip. Love that!

Where to place a tote bag at a restaurant.

OK, I don’t have a picture for this one. Always carry the smallest bag possible when eating out, but if you must bring a diaper bag, shopping tote, laptop case, or other large bag, you should also bring a napkin or plastic bag for it. First, find a spot on the floor next to you, by your feet. Then place the napkin or plastic bag on the floor. After you have safely placed the napkin or bag on the floor, you can safely place your large bag or tote on top of it. This is the only acceptable time for using the floor to store your bag while dining out.

Handbag don’ts at a restaurant

  1. Do not place your handbag on the floor unless it is a large bag or tote. See above.
  2. Do not drape your handbag on the back of your chair. Not only could it easily be stolen, it can get in the way of your server who is trying to balance food, drinks, and other items.
  3. Do not place your handbag on the table. It’s gauche. It is also a good way to get food on your bag. Plus, your bag could get in your way, or the way of other people sitting at your table. Just don’t do it, no matter how small or precious it is.
  4. Do not ask another person at your table to put your bag on their lap or chair. Take care of your own bag!
  5. Do not check in your bag at the coat check. This is a great way to get pick-pocketed.

There you have it! Tips on where to place your handbag at a restaurant. Now you won’t have to wonder where to put your handbag at a restaurant when you eat out! Love that!

Great bags for dining out:

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous time eating out

XOXO
Cathy

How to clean white sneakers

 in Shoes  tagged sneakers / tips by

How to clean white leather sneakers

how to clean white leather sneakers how to clean sneakers

How to clean white leather sneakers and what you need: sneakers / Mr. Clean Magic Eraser / Old towel or cleaning rag /

Have you ever spent a ton of money on white leather sneakers, only to watch them get disgustingly dirty? Oh yeah-been there! While it is impossible to make a pair of white sneakers look brand new, forever after, it is possible to keep them clean and looking presentable. Or shall we say, less disgusting and gross?

I purchased these beautiful Gucci sneakers last summer so that I would have something fabulous to wear on my feet at New York Fashion Week in September. They turned into my workhorse sneakers at fashion week, and since then, I wear them multiple times per week. They are really comfortable! Normally I keep my white leather sneakers clean on a regular basis, but this fall season has been hectic, and I have fallen behind on my shoe care. Hence, here are my beautiful sneakers in a very, very dirty state. Time to clean them!

It is really easy to clean white leather sneakers, and keep them clean throughout their life in your wardrobe. So, without further ado, here are my easy steps on how to clean white sneakers.

How to clean white sneakers step 1: The Wipe Down

how to clean white sneakers

The first step in cleaning your white leather sneakers is to wipe them down. Take an old towel, rag or cleaning rag and wet it. Squeeze out any excess water, and use it to wipe down your sneakers. Keep a second towel handy so you can quickly wipe off the water from your sneakers. Since they are leather, you don’t want them to soak in water. Wipe or pat them dry. This should work better on the leather, or faux leather, than the soles. The soles are harder to clean. It also takes off the top layer of dirt, allowing you to get to the deep dirt in step two. Which brings us to. . .

How to clean white sneakers step 2: A super secret magic tool!

easy way to clean white sneakers

OK, if you are a Mom, you own tons of Magic Erasers. If not, here is a tip, keep multiple Magic Erasers around your home. You will find they are the handiest cleaning product on the market. I started using Mr. Clean Magic Erasers when my kids were toddlers. It wiped crayons off the walls-yes, we had that-and I also found it cleaned any type of mark off the wall without hurting the paint. Loved it!

So, since then, I have been using my Magic Erasers on pretty much anything white for the past fifteen years. It is easy to use to clean your white leather sneakers too. Also, if your sneakers are not leather, it works too!

Take a Magic Eraser, wet it, and squeeze out any excess water. Use one side to rub on the leather, the other side to rub on the sole. The soles will be very dirty. I only clean the sides, not underneath the shoe. I know some people will clean the underneath, I am not those people. The Magic Eraser will work on the sides, and bottom; so if you choose to clean the underneath of your shoes, this will work for you too.

Gently rub the Magic Eraser on the leather. Keep your dry towel handy to rub off excess water from the leather. The leather, or faux leather, will clean quickly, and easily. When it comes to the soles, it will take some scrubbing; and some time. It took me twenty minutes to clean the sides of my sneakers’ soles. Keep in mind, the pair of sneakers pictured in this post are platform. Your sneakers might not take as long if they are normal height. There will be dirty water dripping from your shoes, make sure you have something underneath you, or clean them outside like I do.  Also, keep your dry towel handy to wipe off the extra, dripping water.

There you have it! Those are the easy steps you take for cleaning white leather sneakers. Here are a few tools you might need to help you get started:

I recommend cleaning your shoes often, instead of waiting until they are very dirty, like I did. If you wear them all the time, try to clean them every week. It will only take a few minutes. If you wait, it will be a big job, like it was for me. I plan to clean them once a week now that they are clean!

I learned shoe repair when I worked in a shoe store shortly after graduating college. If you have any shoe care, or repair questions, feel free to ask!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

easy way to clean white leather sneakers

Goals for the new year 2019 edition

 in General Fashion  tagged lifestyle / tips by

photo courtesy of “Her Creative Studio” via Style Collective /

This past year has really flown by! One of the new things I did in 2018, was to set goals for myself instead of making new years resolutions I had trouble keeping. When I make goals, I work hard to towards them, if I don’t achieve them, at least I have made progress and can continue working towards them. I don’t feel like I failed, which can result in me stopping my progress because I feel like the year is over and the resolution wasn’t met. With goals, I can adjust them, and continue to work towards them. Love that!

So, for the new year, I have created a few new goals for myself in addition to continuing the ones from 2018 I want to improve on, or continue working towards.

I love having my goals out here on the Internet, I feel like I am more accountable for them because everyone can see them! If they were written in my planner, for my eyes only, they would be easier to weasel out of. With them on the Internet, I am forced to stick to them because you can see them and hold me accountable! Haha. What are some of your tricks for sticking to your goals?

Without further ado, here are my new goals for 2019!

Get my fitness on track: OK, so this is a recurring goal of mine. I had quite a few setbacks in 2018, so my fitness routine fell waaaaaay off track. In 2019, I don’t have any excuses. I will get five workouts in each week if it kills me! Ha! Goodbye extra pounds, it wasn’t nice knowing ya.

Try one new recipe every week: So I tend to gravitate towards cooking recipes I already know. Once in a while, I try something new; but those meals are far and few between. My kids are getting older and more adventurous in their food choices. It is time to start trying new recipes and adding new meals to my cooking routine. I do have some motivation, my middle child wants to be a chef when she grows up, so she sets the bar high and tries cooking new recipes all the time! I need to keep up with her! Haha, Wish me luck!

Vary my blog content more: OK, so I have been already working on this in the past year, but I feel like my content could still be more diverse. Sometimes I fall into a safe rut where I forget to work hard to find more lifestyle content to share with you. In 2019, I want to try and include 2-4 lifestyle posts per month on the blog to keep things interesting for both myself and you! If you want to see more of anything, let me know!

Expand my business goals beyond the blog: In 2018, I worked really hard to diversify my blog income and not depend solely on banner ads and affiliate income. I pitched brands, and really created relationships with companies I love, and hope you love too. This was a great way to diversify my income and bring you interesting content. In 2019, I want to do more, and I have something fun in the works-but it is top secret. If I write it down here, this blog will have to self-destruct in three. . .two. . .OK, so none of that! Just know, something fun is coming 2019. Yippee!

Spruce up my house: When we bought our home over ten years ago, my son was only five months old. We moved all our furniture and decor from our old house, into our new one. The wall décor didn’t really fit, nor did all the furniture. Our family room looks disjointed, but we left it that way because we were so busy with the baby, and two other small children under the age of five, that we didn’t give our home décor a second thought. Now that our youngest is ten, it is time to think about home décor; especially since he is old enough to not destroy something new! Haha This year I want to redecorate my family room and furnish it with furniture that fits in it correctly! This goal requires some buy-in from my husband, so wish me luck! Haha

Well, that’s it! My goals in 2019 don’t seem as heavy as they did in 2018; I’m thinking that’s a good thing! What are your goals in the new year?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous new year!

XOXO

Cathy