The sunken area beneath coil burners is called the drip pan. This part of the stove tends to get dirty quickly. Save yourself time and effort spent cleaning by using drip pan liners, which are available at most supermarkets and grocery stores. Save money by making your own drip pan liners out of aluminum foil. Layer the bottom of your drip pan with the foil and discard the foil when it becomes dirty. Every time the cooktop cools, you should wipe it with a clean, lint-free cloth. This will keep your stove looking neat and well maintained. It also helps to prevent heavy buildup that can be time-consuming to remove. Set a time every day you can make it a habit to lightly clean the stove. This will make it easier for you to remember to do regularly. Even cleaning messes as they occur, over time, spills and spatter will build up on the surfaces of your stovetop. Keeping up with your day to day light cleaning, however, should make a once a month deep-cleaning fast and relatively easy.

Summary: Prevent messes by using liners beneath the burners. Wipe up messes as they occur. Deep-clean your stove regularly.


Each social media outlet allows you to remove a person from your list of contacts, fans, and friends. This will not only allow you to disconnect from the person, but it will stop the person from viewing your posts as well.  Confirm that your security filters are in line with your intent to avoid the person. It may be necessary to remove yourself from social media and close your accounts. You may not be happy about doing this, but there are times when it is warranted. To prevent communication coming into your inbox delete the person from your address book. Setting up your spam filters will allow you to monitor if the person attempts to send you an unwanted e-mail. You can always click the delete button or save the e-mail to a folder if you need to gather evidence of something more serious such as stalking, cyber-bullying, or harassing. There are times when you need to gather the paper trail someone is leaving so it can be used in a potential law suit. Documented evidence adds merit to a case. It may or may not be hard to restrain yourself from calling or texting the person. You may want to communicate something negative to them, or you might be struggling with the urge to reconnect. Either way, both calling and texting will lead to additional and potentially unwanted communication that may worsen the situation. Find the strength to ignore communication from the person. This might be easy. However, he or she might be trying to seduce you into communicating only to cause you more harm. Silence will maintain a clean slate of communication and is an absolute way to avoid unwanted interaction.

Summary: Delete, unfollow and unfriend from social media channels. Block e-mails. Don’t call or text the person. Avoid responding to calls, texts or e-mails.


Calla Lilies will survive outdoors over winter in mild climates that don't experience much sustained snow, deep freezes and heavy prolonged rainfall in the colder months. They can generally cope outdoors through winter in zones 8 through 10. This means that they can survive in temperatures that do not drop below 30 to 35 degrees F (-1.1 to 1.7 degrees C). After flowering has ended, refrain from watering and allow the plant to die back. Try to refrain from cutting the foliage until it has withered away. If you are overwintering outdoors, apply a mulch of about four inches of straw or evergreen branches. You can also put them under an upturned pot or cloche. Do this in the fall before the ground gets cold.

Summary: Consider keeping your Callas outside if you live in a mild climate. Help your plant to die back. Give your Callas some protection.


When wearing a velvet skirt for a formal occasion, try to stick to intricate fabrics and patterns, rather than a solid color. This will keep your ensemble formal, but visually interesting.  More masculine or androgynous pieces will pare the velvet down, so if you choose an androgynous top, use your shoes or jewelry to add elegance. Try to match at least one color in your shirt’s pattern with the color of your skirt to tie everything in. A bright, bubble-gum pink is going to be harder to style formally than, say, a rich red, or a clean navy blue. When purchasing your silk skirt, opt for classic colors, such as red, black, white, and navy.  If you want to be more daring with your ensemble, you can enlist the help of jewel tones or a warm yellow. Try to avoid neons, as these appear to be more relaxed or laid back by default. To keep the richness of your velvet anchored and formal, pair it with a classic piece, such as a fitted button-down, a fitted blazer, or a camel trench. Each of these will keep your outfit classic and formal without sacrificing style or taste. Classic pieces are particularly useful for formal work attire. A simple button down will keep your outfit formal, but not too dressy for the workplace. If you want to have a bit more of a feminine taste to your velvet, pair your velvet skirt with a lace blouse or lace tights. Lace will play up the plushness of the velvet while keeping your outfit feminine and flattering. Lace can be an intimidating item to wear. If you are nervous about a lace blouse or tights, opt instead for a pair of shoes with lace details, or a lace hair accessory. For a look as decadent as chocolate mousse, pair a velvet skirt with a simple silk blouse. Although this look is a bit more sultry in nature, it can be made more demure with a straight blazer, or emphasized with a pair of stiletto heels.  Many fashion runways use this pairing in their velvet collections, so runway shows can be a great source of inspiration for how to pair velvet and silk. Pay attention to the cut of your skirt when pairing with silk. If your skirt is loose, use a tight silk top, but if your skirt is tight (say, a pencil skirt), pair it with a flowing silk blouse. Emphasize your velvet with your jewelry. Using jewelry, you can lend either a formal, classic look to your skirt, or you can create a more vintage vibe.  Pairing your velvet with pearls will instantly create a classic, elegant appearance. Vintage accessories create more of a boho air to your outfit. Shoes make all the difference in creating an outfit, particularly when you are trying to cross the line from casual to formal. Pumps automatically lend a sense of formality to an outfit, so try to pair your velvet with at least a small heel. Stiletto heels are statement shoes and can range from sexy shoes to classic shoes. A velvet mini is not going to scream “formal,” while a velvet maxi skirt offers a heavy, luxurious appearance. When you are working toward creating a more classic, formal silhouette, opt for knee-length or lower skirts, as these are taken more seriously and create a hint of mystery.
Summary: Pair with intricate fabrics. Choose a classic color for your velvet skirt. Pair velvet with classic pieces. Add a feminine touch with lace. Pair velvet and silk. Make a statement with your jewelry. Play up your ensemble with heels. Choose a skirt that is knee-length or longer.