Happy Chinese New Year To All My Chinese Friends & Clients!
February 14, 2010
Gong Xi Fa Cai!(Mandarin)
GungHei Fat Choy! (Cantonese)
Happy Lunar New
Year to all my Chinese friends & clients
While most of the Western
World is celebrating Valentines Day today, Chinese people the world
over are celebrating the Year of the Tiger.
I have the great good fortune to work with many Chinese clients staging their homes in Arcadia, San Marino and Pasadena. I want to wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year.
Chinese New Year, also know as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is the most important traditional Chinese holiday. Regional customs and family traditions vary widely for the celebration of the Chinese New Year. Traditionally, every family thoroughly cleans their home to sweep away any bad fortune. This makes way for good luck to come in. Windows are opened and rooms are aired out. Brooms and cleaning rags are thrown away and trash is emptied so that no dirt of misfortune is carried into the New Year.
Starting today, Chinese people all over the world engage in a wide variety of traditional customs and practices that involve food and gift giving. Dumplings (sometimes known as Dim Sum) that are shaped like gold bars are eaten. Children receive small amounts of money in red envelopes (Hong Bao). Adults may receive a gift of tangerines, which are symbols of prosperity and happiness, or kumquats, which are another prosperity symbol. Schools and businesses in China close for at least a week.
My nephew, who is an architect in Shanghai, says they don’t get much sleep during this week due to all the firecrackers going off at all hours of the night.
The Chinese Lunar Calendar is set up in 12 year cycles and each year in the cycle is associated with an animal. This coming year is the Year of the Tiger, the third year in the Chinese Zodiac. The tiger is a symbol of Courage, Strength and Prosperity. According to legend, Lord Buddha summoned the animals to him before he departed the earth. Only 12 came to bid him farewell and so he named a year after each one as a reward. It is believed that the animal ruling the birth year of a person has a profound impact on their personality.
Despite diverse customs and traditions across China, and for Chinese living in other parts of the world, the sentiment infusing Lunar New Year is one of peace, prosperity and happiness.
Happy Lunar New Year to all my Chinese friends, clients & business associates. I wish you much happiness, good health and prosperity in the coming year!
Staging Your Closets With Feng Shui
January 20, 2010
If you’re like me, the thought of tackling a major job like cleaning out your closets makes your head spin, whether you’re doing it to stage your house to sell or for better Feng Shui energy.
In Feng Shui, having orderly closets and dressers is a very good thing. Having closets and dressers that incorporate some empty space is desirable because it allows room for new energy (and Jimmy Choos 
) Holding on to old, damaged or unused items creates clutter, which slows down the flow of energy (Chi).
In order to get started organizing your closets, many professional organizers advise you break the project down into small chunks, so its not so overwhelming.
Only have a half hour to spare? Clean out a drawer. 15 minutes? Get rid of all the wire hangers and dry cleaner bags cluttering up the closet.
- Remove everything from your closets. Assess everything and determine if it is really useful. With the exception of some seasonal items, if you haven’t used it in the past year, you should get rid of it (donate, give away to a friend, recycle or throw it away). If your closet is full of outdated, ill fitting items, there is no room for anything new to come into your life and it is a drag on your energy. The goal is to get rid of clutter and make space.
- Vacuum out the closet once it is empty. You will be amazed (and grossed out by all the accumulated dust and dust bunnies you’ll find).
- If you have the time, energy & money ($20-$50 depending on the brand of paint and what supplies you already have on hand) repaint your closet. It will look soooo much better when you’re done.
- Put the items you are keeping back in the closet in an orderly fashion, and in a manner that allows the item to be useful and of service to you. No matter what anyone tells you, if the organizational system is not organic to your way of doing things, you won’t be able to maintain it and it will devolve into chaos quickly. I invested in Elfa type closet organizing systems for all our closets, and I consider it one of the best investments of time and money I have made. I can see everything I own and can choose what I want to wear quickly and easily. Stores like the Container Store will help you design your closets for maximum efficiency and you can install the elements yourself to save money. Need something even less expensive? Check out the closet organizing systems at IKEA or Target.
- If possible use all the same hangers (you can buy nice wooden hangers from IKEA and they are inexpensive)
- Have the hangers facing the same way (most people prefer hooking hangers over the top of the bar from front to back as opposed to under the bar back to front)
- Separate the types of clothes – group shirts with shirts, pants with pants, dresses with dresses
- Organize by style – group all short sleeve shirts with short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts with long sleeve shirts, etc. Go one step further and organize by color (all white shirts together, blue shirts together, etc.)
- Organize by color – after you’ve separated the clothes by type and style, the gold standard is to organize by color – all white short sleeve shirts together, all blue slacks togehter, etc.
- Put all shoes on shoe racks, hanging shoe organizers, or clear plastic shoe boxes.
- Whenever possible don’t keep anything on the floor of your closet except shoes and those should be neatly organized on shoe racks.
Home Staging Tip:
If you are staging your closets because you are planning on selling your home, then the closets should be no more than half full. Pre-pack any clothes that you want to keep but won’t need for the next few months. Put the unneeded items in storage. Label every box well so that you can grab a particular item in the event you need it. Follow the tips above regarding what to keep and how to organize the remaining items.
Charitable Clothing Donations:
If you have women’s business clothing you no longer wear, please consider donating the clothing to an organization like Dress For Success - The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Another great Los Angeles area orgnization is Clothes The Deal. They provide business training and appropriate business attire to men, women and at risk youth job seekers in need.
We’re here to help. Contact us if you need help organizing your closets or for more Los Angeles home staging or practical Feng Shui information.
8 Tips to Stage your Bedroom with Feng Shui
December 16, 2009
Los Angeles Home Stager tips to Stage your Bedroom with Feng Shui – Start 2010 Right!
Here are 8 tips for staging your bedroom with Feng Shui. Invite better sleep, better health and positive changes in the bedroom by staging it with Feng Shui. With the New Year approaching, now is the perfect time to invite positive change into your life.
Recommendations about Feng Shui remedies will vary from school to school and practitioner to practitioner.
Despite the fact that different schools have differing “cures”, following are some basic changes you can make that apply to all bedrooms. We can affect many positive changes in our lives just by applying intention – putting the energy into making a change and welcoming that change into our lives.
In Feng Shui and in life, the condition of the bedroom can influence your health and your relationship with your significant other.
If you don’t have a significant other, but would like one, the condition of your bedroom will effect your ability to “call in” love. Our goal is creating a calming environment that welcomes intimacy and affection. Of course getting rid of clutter to make room for whatever this new energy will bring is always high up on the list.
Follow these steps to increase the quality of your sleep, health, love and general well being:
1. Your bedroom should be used for sleeping, romantic interludes and getting dressed. NO TELEVISION! NO COMPUTER! NO DESK! NO TREADMILL (AKA place to drape your clothes). Read a book in bed if you must, but only when you are alone. Don’t read self-help books or business books in bed. Electronic devices like TV’s and Computers are greedy for your time. They are constantly calling your name… “Watch me, Bill”, “Just one more comment, Janet”. Don’t make your spouse or partner compete for your attention. TVs and computers are very stimulating and they activate your brain. Watching or using them just before bed will prevent you from falling asleep quickly or sleeping soundly. Give your brain a chance to shut off and relax before bedtime.
2. Make sure you have a comfortable mattress….not too firm and not too soft, and definitely not saggy. This is one of the best investments you can make for your health and well-being. If you cannot afford a new mattress, then purchase a high quality mattress pad. Some of the new ones have a layer of memory foam that will turn your bed into a pillow top mattress. If you can afford a new mattress, now is an ideal time to purchase one. There are some amazing sales going on right now.
3. If you recently ended a long relationship with someone who shared your bed, you should replace the mattress so you are not absorbing their energy every night. Send them, the bad memories and the shared mattress on down the road. If you cannot replace the mattress, then strip the bed, open the windows and beat the mattress with a baseball bat, broom stick or your fists, if necessary. This will raise a lot of dust. Wear a dust mask. When you are finished (and feel better) vacuum the mattress (both sides) and box spring and then re-make the bed with fresh new bedding and blankets. Again, there are some amazing sales right now on sheets and comforters. Under any circumstance, dispose of the other person’s pillows – donate, give away or throw away.
4. Purchase the highest quality sheets you can afford – high thread count sheets, preferably Pima, Supima or Egyptian cotton Sateen. Good quality sheets are not inexpensive but they will last a long time. We just got rid of sheets we got as a wedding present 10 years ago, and only because we upgraded to a king size bed. They just got softer and better with age. The more luxurious your bedroom the more you will feel relaxed and comforted by being there.
- Sheets and bedding in the red/yellow family represent warmth, passion and excitement. The stronger the color the more energizing. They are fire colors. This would include the full spectrum of reds, oranges, yellows and some purples hues that are more red than blue. It also includes pinks, pale oranges, pale yellows and pale lavenders.
- Sheets and bedding in the blue/green family represent calm, cool and relaxation. They are water colors. Think of a bubbling brook or the Mediterranean Sea. This would include the full spectrum of blues, greens and purples with a blue cast. It includes the palest blues, pales greens and palest purples. This is my personal favorite and my bedding and drapes are done in pale Mediterranean blues, which is balanced by pale yellow walls.
- White sheets are clean and pure. White is a metal color, although whites can run the gamut from warm white (influenced by fire) or the palest blue (influenced by water) among other elements. White denotes ever expanding possibilities.
- Animal print sheets are very energizing and ‘active’. You probably won’t get a lot of restful sleep on animal print sheets, (and you may not be able to find someone who is willing to share them with you in the long term) but you may have a lot of ‘fun’ of the animal kind! Animal prints are best confined to accents so they don’t overwhelm the restful energy of your bedroom.
5. Position your bed so that you have a clear view of the door (entry to the bedroom). Do not have your feet pointing toward the door (this is the way they will carry you out if you die in bed, according to old Chinese superstition). Ideally, your bed will be positioned against a solid wall and not in front of a window. The head of your bed should be touching a wall. Solid headboards are preferred over open headboards (they give the feeling of greater security)
6. Clean your bedroom from top to bottom. If you have drapes wash them or clean them according to the manufacturers instructions. If they are clean, but just a little dusty, take them outside and give them a good shake. Wipe down the walls. Vacuum under the bed and get rid of all those dust bunnies.
7. Make sure your have two night stands and two working lamps, one on each side of the bed. If you don’t have a partner, but would like one, this creates a space for them in your life. If you have a partner, and want to keep them, this lets them know you value them and are concerned for their comfort.
8. Remove family photos from your bedroom (do you really want them to ’see’ and participate in everything you do?) Photos of people should be limited to you and your significant other. Artwork should be calming not energizing.
The new year is just around the corner. Welcome the new year with a clean, relaxing, uncluttered bedroom. In Feng Shui, the condition of the bedroom will influence your relationships, sense of well-being and good health. Follow the above steps and welcome more restful sleep, more fulfilling relationships, better health and greater well-being in 2010.
For more information about home staging using Feng Shui read Stage Your Kitchen With Feng Shui – Start 2010 Right!
Los Angeles Home Staging Tips To Stage Your Kitchen With Feng Shui
December 13, 2009
Stage Your Kitchen With Feng Shui
Welcome prosperity and good health into your home with sound Feng Shui practices. With the New Year 2010 approaching, now is the perfect time to invite positive change into your life.
Whether you are staging your home to sell or staging your home to live you can use the principals of home staging and Feng Shui to prepare your home for more comfortable, pleasing and prosperous living for you or your potential buyers.
There are many schools of Feng Shui.
Recommendations will vary from Feng Shui school to school and practitioner to practitioner. Here are some tips to get your kitchen in top Feng Shui shape with little or no cash outlay, just an investment of your time. Despite the fact that different schools have differing “cures”, following are some basic changes you can make that apply to all kitchens. We can affect many positive changes in our lives just by applying intention – putting the energy into making a change and welcoming that change into our lives.
In Feng Shui, the condition of the kitchen can influence your level of prosperity and good health.
The goals of both home staging and Feng Shui are increasing cleanliness,functionality and organization and getting rid of clutter to make room for whatever your new prosperity will bring. Follow these steps to increase your prosperity, good health and general well being:
- Clean out your refrigerator and your pantry.Get rid of any out-of-date food or ’science projects’ (all of which hold negative energy, by the way). This includes any outdated vitamins or medications you keep in your kitchen. Wipe down the shelves, clean up any old spills and crumbs. If you use shelf paper in your pantry, and it is torn damaged or worn, replace it. If you are staging your home to sell, your pantry should be half full and very neatly arranged. If the items are awkwardly shaped, put them in baskets.
- Restock your refrigerator and pantry. A fuller refrigerator and pantry equates to prosperity and generosity. It also allows us to be prepared for whatever may come up, be it unexpected guests or a change in employment status. Don’t overfill the refrigerator and pantry. We don’t want them cluttered, just sufficiently full to meet our nourishment needs plus a little extra. Put a small open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb odors. Opening the refrigerator should be a pleasant experience.
- Restock your refrigerator and pantry with healthy food. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. One of the fastest paths to good health is eating healthy food. If your intention is to improve your health, then walk the walk.
- Display fresh fruit on your counter. Abundant fruit is a symbol of prosperity and generosity (yours and the Universe’s) in Feng Shui. Besides, you are more likely to eat it if it is readily available, which will improve your health and well-being.
- Remove everything from your cabinets. Assess everything and determine if it is really useful. With the exception of some seasonal items, if you haven’t used it in the past 6 months, you should get rid of it (donate, give away to a friend, recycle or throw it away). If it is chipped, broken or otherwise damaged, either fix it or get rid of it. That broken toaster that has been sitting in the cabinet since 2004 may be burning off some of your prosperity – send it on down the road. If the item can be fixed (and you are likely to have it fixed) by all means, do so. If it can be repaired, but you are not inclined to do so, label it with the problem (so the recipient know what they are getting) and then donate it. If it can’t be fixed or recycled, then throw it away. The goal is to get rid of clutter and make space for new and better items that will come into your life in the coming year. If you are staging your home to sell, keep your cabinets half full. It allows potential buyers to imagine their things in the cabinets.
- Put the items you are keeping back in the cabinet in an orderly fashion, and in a manner that allows the item to be useful and of service to you. No matter what anyone tells you, if the organizational system is not organic to your way of doing things, you won’t be able to maintain it and it will devolve into chaos quickly.
- Don’t store large or heavy items overhead or you may feel pushed down or weighed down. Store them in a low cabinet if they need to remain in the kitchen. Besides the Feng Shui implications, it is often difficult and sometimes dangerous to remove and replace bulky or heavy items in a high cabinet.
- Carefully pack seasonal items (Thanksgiving turkey platter, Christmas themed plates, for example) in plastic bins and store them in the basement, a closet or the garage. They don’t need to be taking up space all year in some of the most energetically valuable real estate in your house – your kitchen. If you are staging your home to sell, pre-pack these items and put them in storage. This helps you prepare for your move, and helps potential buyers see how much storage space is available.
- Clean off the kitchen counters of all but the most used items that can’t be stored anyplace else. Kitchen clutter (holding on to too much stuff) often manifests itself as excess weight (holding on to too many calories).
- Don’t display knives on your counter or on the wall. The “cutting Chi” they possess may cut your prosperity and create anxiety. The best place for knives is in a drawer, stored with the blade facing down.
- Take care of any maintenance problems. Fix the leaking faucet (money down the drain, literally and figuratively). Replace burned out lightbulbs or broken light fixtures and switches (a dark kitchen is not only dangerous, but also depressing). Replace broken cabinet pulls (if you can’t get to your food easily you will starve physically and emotionally). Broken appliances = broken energy. While the task may be small, the rewards and sense of accomplishment you will reap from the repairs will be large. If you are staging to sell, this will eliminate haggling points buyers might use to justify offering a lower price.
- Throw away your old sponges, dish rags, mop heads and broom. Start the New Year fresh. Dirt is seen as negative energy in Feng Shui. Don’t drag this year’s negativity into the New Year.
- Clean your kitchen until it sparkles – every square inch of it. Pay special attention to the stove and the stove hood. The stove, where your food is prepared, is of paramount importance to your prosperity and well-being in Feng Shui. Make sure all the burners are in good working order and use them all equally. You will be maximizing your ability to call in prosperity from multiple sources by doing so. An make sure your stove hood or extractor is working properly to remove smoke, excess humidity and odors. If you haven’t done so recently, wash the extractor filters. Get rid of old greasy dirt and cut down on the chance of a fire from grease build up. If you are staging to sell, this is a very important step. No one wants to work in a dirty kitchen, and no one wants to buy someone else’s dirt & grime.
2010 is just around the corner. Welcome the New Year with a clean, functional, uncluttered kitchen. In Feng Shui, the condition of the kitchen can influence your level of prosperity and good health. Follow the above steps and welcome prosperity and greater well-being in 2010.
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