The price of silver keeps rising. What's a southern girl to do if her pattern will never be completed? Go to eBay, of course. Sterling looks better with age, like you've had it for a while and you know how to use it. But the prices on eBay aren't really any better than anywhere else... unless you aren't afraid of monograms.

KitchenAid stand mixers have a devoted following, and those who have one say it's totally worth the splurge. If you have a mixer, love your mixer, and find yourself squealing every year over the new 2013 KitchenAid mixer colors, then do we have a treat for you: fabulous, colorful, oh-so-cute gingerbread cookies in the shape of that beloved KitchenAid mixer!

I love washed linen napkins. They are incredibly soft and absorbent and their rumpled look suits my casual style. They can be ironed if you want a crisper look, but they are truly beautiful if you just smooth and fold them when they come out of the dryer (or off the line). Their only downside is the price, which can run as high as $30 each. But if you're like me and also appreciate frayed edges, then you can have six linen napkins for half that price, with no sewing involved. Read on for how to make this happen.

Q: I'm going to college soon and looking to buy my own knives. Should I buy a knife block with knives or buy the knives separately from the block? I'm looking to spend around $100 total. The three knives I use the most are a paring knife, a chef's knife, and a bread knife.

Sent by Heejung

You know what's great? Bringing home an armful of fruits and vegetables from the market, all bright, fresh, and ready to be tossed into salads, soups, and stir fries. You know what's not so great? Having a busy week and realizing later that the produce is wilting and rotting in your refrigerator. Properly storing fruits and vegetables is key to extending their shelf life, yes, but even that only goes so far. 

So when the editor-in-chief of The Cooking Lab, the culinary research team behind the Modernist Cuisine books, said he'd found a better way to preserve fruits and vegetables, we knew we had to listen. (Hint: it doesn't involve any chlorine, irradiation or peroxide baths, and it's not blanching.)

There was nothing quite so angsty in my kitchen renovation as the countertops. Maybe it's because I was coming from a rental kitchen with truly awful laminate countertops, countertops that were not only dirty cream in color but textured with deep wrinkles, like rhinoceros skin, never clean and never smooth; but I was convinced that the countertop choice would make the kitchen. Countertops are the difference between easy cleaning and dread. Countertop material changes the light in a kitchen, and is the surface under your hands and food. For me, kitchen renovation meant finally having countertops that were beautiful, bright white, and easy to clean. And not too expensive, my husband added. 

Marble was the natural choice. Right? Right! Here's the story of how we overcame our fears, and found our honed marble countertops. 

A few years ago I was looking for a simple, classic tablecloth I could use for both everyday meals and informal dinner parties with friends. I found it in the grey and white stripe tablecloth from Fog Linen Work. The tablecloth is kind of rustic, but lovely in its simplicity. And it washes beautifully.

Dinner parties can be messy affairs: a wine glass topples over; a small plate of appetizers gets knocked off the coffee table; an enthusiastic guest bumps into the beverage cart. That's what happens sometimes when you gather a group of people together to enjoy some good food and wine. To minimize the stress (and your guest's embarrassment — because, let's face it, we've all been there) here's a handy tip: prep a cleaning kit beforehand to have at the ready for quick cleanups!

This schoolhouse-inspired dining room is so fun, with its floor-to-ceiling world map, vintage chairs, and purple (!) dining table. If this inspires you to paint your own dining table (or other piece of furniture) consider this tip from Jenny Brandt, the table's owner...

I've had appliances on my mind, as you know, having recently bought an entire set appliances for my kitchen. Yesterday I shared some of my chat with Thomas Johansson, the Design Director of Electrolux, who talked about how he thinks that the refrigerator is the appliance that needs the most rethinking. Well, take a look at this idea from one of the 2012 Design Lab finalists: is this the fridge of the future?