earth wind and fire
hi guys! i hope you’re still enjoying a long vacation and getting every minute out of it! i’m about to take off for a stroll before sunset which means right now if ever. just wanted to stop by and say hi and wish you a great, short week.
i’m starting to think a lot about feng shui. below is some research i did on it awhile ago. found the pics just now to give it a visual and sorry not all the links are there, i’m having trouble with wordpress tonite. anyway, have a great night, more soon!
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Feng Shui
This 3000 year old practice is based on ancient Chinese philosophies of balancing a space to create harmony. This is done by considering every element begininning with yin and yang and the earth’s five elements. Each these is considered in a home, and more specifically, in each room where we live, work and play. The outcome of the effort rewards us with everything from health to wealth. It’s based on the belief that in order to have what we want, we should first take into consideration the things around us and honor them, and nature in particular. It’s not an exact science and the philosophy is that you can use any of the five elements, even from a picture or a symbol. they take it pretty deep but you can just pull elements that have meaning for you. It’s a fun art and science since it’s open to interpretation and nature’s infinite variety provides an endless source of ideas.
Feng Shui Room Consider the elements needed to create your feng shui retreat: Open windows to invite cross ventilation. Use organic materials like bamboo flooring and a rattan dresser. Think minimalism but go for luxe/organic upholstery in light tones and materials like leather, wool, silk and linen. Add a splash of red in a painting or a lantern. Add a single flower blossom like a lotus floating in water.
The elements are represented by:
1.Wood: Includes trees, plants and flowers, all organic and natural, or any item, made of wood, including furniture.
2.Water: Including bodies of water, even if in a vase or a running tabletop fountain, birdbath, aquarium or bowls of water with floating candles. Mirrors are included in this category since they reflect.
3.Metal: Inludes gold and silver, pewter, brass, aluminum, iron chrome and copper, or rocks such as marble, granite and flagstone or precious and semi precious stones. It can be an iron bed, or something that’s from the mountains and hills. It can even be a silver frame.
4.Fire: Represents the sun has to do with life and can be a candle, statue or sculpture representing man, or life, and also consists of mantles, natural light, animals, pets and people.
5.Earth: Soil, sand or dirt, can be anything including a potted plant, brick, sand, ceramics and earthenware.
Gems, Crystals, Stones and their properties:
Amber: Protection and healing, Agate, Success, joy, Amethyst: Clairvoyance, Aquamarine, Harmony, Citrine: Mental Alacrity, detoxification, Diamond: Strength, pure energy, Emerald: Spiritual healing, creative energies, Garnet: Assertiveness, strength, Hematite: Counteracts negative energy, Jade: Healing, wisdom, Lapis: Intuition, Malachite: Psychic power, healing, Moonstone: Emotional balance, lunar connections, Onyx: Grounding, Opal: Energizes the body, Peridot: Sensuality (Cleopatra’s favorite), rejuvenation, Rose Quartz Crystal: Alignment, childlike trust, Ruby: Passion, Sapphire: Devotion, strength of heart, Tiger’s Eye: Brings ideas into reality, bravery, Topaz, Knowledge, focus, Tourmaline: Purification, Turquoise: Balancing, healing
Woods and its properties:
Alder: Joy, growth, Apple: health, life, Birch: Emotional healing, Cedar: Courage, power, Elm: grace, compassion, Fir: Noble, pure , Ginko: Ancient wisdom, power, Magnolia: Abundance, Maple: Beauty, Oak: Determination, Olive: Peace, Sycamore: Protection, Willow: Healing, transformative
Metals and their Properties:
Brass: Bright, bold, lively, Copper: Revolutionizing, Gold: The sun, plentitude, masculinity, Iron: Grounding, supportive, Silver: Lunar, feminity, intuition
Plants and Flowers and their properties:
Acorn: Nordic Symbol of Life and Immortality, Azalea: Womanhood, Baby’s Breath: Pure Heart, Bluebell: Humility,Buttercup: Riches, Cattails: Peace, Cactus: Endurance, Chrysanthemum: Longevity, self examination, Crocus: cheer, renewal, Daffodil: Youth laughter, Daisy: Happiness, elation, Ferns: Magic, Forget Me Not: Memories, Golden Rod:Success, Grass, Submission, Heather: Admiration, Iris, Sensuality, valor, Jasmine: Joy, Brilliance, Jonquil: Affection, Lily: Perfection, simplicity, Lily of the Valley: New life, Lotus: enlightenment, Mimosa: Friendship, Mistletoe: Sacred plant of India, Magic plant of the Druids, Marigold: Eternity, Rose: Love, Moss: Charity, Orchids: Charm, refinement,Palms: victory, Pansy: Merriment, Peony: Compassion Sweet Pea: Bliss, Sunflower: enthusiasm, belief, Tulip: Elation, sensuality, Violet: modesty, Wisteria: Welcome
Aromatherapy Scents and Essential Oils:
fabbygirl.com/pt/Essential-Oils-for-Hair
Cedarwood: Relaxing and purifying, Chamomile: Soothing, Eucalyptus: Invigorating, Frankincense: clarity, Geranium: Balancing, Juniper: Stimulating, Lavender: Calming, Lemon: Uplifting, Lime: Invigorating, Orange: Refreshing, Peppermint: Awareness, Rose: Emotional relaxation, Rosemary: Exhilarating, Sage: Cleansing, purity, Sandalwood: Release, Thyme: Activate, Brisk, Ylang Ylang: Sensuous
every little thing
hi guys, i hope you’re having a great weekend! it’s really early sunday morning and i’m about to head out for a road trip but wanted to post this real quick. we were busy yesterday building a wardrobe from ikea and painting the headboard. i was going for the gold but liz was totally against it and besides, i already had white high gloss. i was in an easy mood so like many decorating decisions, it was chosen by default which is sometimes best. anyway everything in florida things should be light and airy, n’est pas?
now with the armoire there’s tons of storage with shelves and drawers. and the cream glossy lacquer doors thrill me!
well this was about as un-memorial day a post i could have done so before i go, want to thank all those who serve or have served in our military. come home safe and soon! have a great day everyone!
expect the unexpected
hey guys, happy memorial weekend! it’s so good to know winter is behind us and sunshine’s in our future! hopefully your only plans are to enjoy yourself. my weekend is going to be a mismash of events so i don’t know when i’ll get back but just wanted to post about yesterday’s score (see above).
i took my own advice and went headboard thrifting in the couple hours i had till picking up my guy from the FLL airport. i didn’t really think i’d find something right away but at the same time felt like i was led right to it.
i wasn’t sure what i wanted and started out looking at everything. but in the back of my mind i kept thinking about this picture and the gold headboard. i went to about 10 local places. it was on the 11th and in the way back!
imagine my surprise to see a crown sticking up in a giant stack in the back of the store. when i was just far enough away to be pretty late for the airport pickup!
it was a split second decision and when he said it was a king, i said sold. i haven’t tried it out yet, but it’s fun to have around. it’s got good curves. a paint job is in store for sure and maybe fabric could be coming through from behind in the open areas. food for thought. your thoughts?
i went and got the next part of the book and will post it below. have a great weekend and hopefully i’ll have some downtime and can stop by too!
going by the book
bon soir mes amis! i’m trying to do what i say so i shot around the house and broke out my manuscript.
i haven’t done much decorating other than to get this orchid and the comforter. but they both make me happy. it’s the little things, right?
this bikini oar is still not hung in the bath and it’s the easiest thing i’ll ever do, why do i put it off? ok tomorrow for sure. i may even be in a little rut, wondering what my next move is. i see with the sofa and pillows what a challenge every decision can be.
so this is just between us but below is the intro to the book, boudoir moderne which i wrote long ago. i never shot it so it’s been under wraps all this time. now that i re-read it, maybe i need to take my own advice.
well at least i got the flowers and sheets. now, what’s my current style?
ok that’s it for tonite, i’ll post some more if you’re into it. till then, sweet dreams!
all our bright tomorrows
hey guys i hope you’re having a wonderful week. there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel as we’re getting into a work groove. soon we’ll have it tweaked so everyday has both fun and work in it!
tonight i’m about to stretch out and chill. tomorrow i’m breaking out the manuscript i wrote after the paris apartment. it’s been ages since i’ve read it and liz is going to help me edit. it’s all about moving into a new space so it will be good to take my own advice ! i’ll start with the first chapter/excerpt and give you a sneak peek. also gonna get some flowers and will shoot around the apt. everything looks better avec les fleurs, n’est pas? alors, beaux rêves!
the curated site
hi guys happy monday. the day flew by and i’m well into the night shift. i’m just popping by with what we’ve been up to for the past couple days, the new products being loaded onto the site (we’re still tweaking so don’t mind the typos and shorthand ‘p
the website had taken a back seat till liz learned how to upload products and pictures last week. now her obsession is ‘shopping’ for the boutique and we’re fattening it up. i’m finally going through my vendors both here and in france. we worked on pillows today and are happy to say we added trina turk’s line among others.
not to cut it short but something weird just happened to my computer to i think it’s a good time to shut down. more manana!
a dream or two that may come true
hello my dear and wonderful friends. it’s been a long day and i’m home. the lights are out and my ipod is playing for the first time on a new little bose system. my mom wants me to blog but i know you’d much rather know that i was dancing at home in the dark, lauching and crying to every song and having the perfect night singing loud and bad. at least till the housewives come on! have a great night too, see you in the stars!
getting into the groove
bonjour cheries! i’ve been an absentee blogger for a couple days. time is not making sense lately. i jump out of bed at the crack of dawn and go go go till i collapse. by 8 or 9 pm the last thing i can do is anymore computer time. still, as you know, you’re what makes my world go round so i thought i’d just post a couple of random pics of the apartment and post what we’ve been up to. liz and i have been working every day. it’s the first time i’ve had someone all day to bat everything around with. she insisted we get out thrifting for an hour yesterday and we got a lot of good loot like glasses and mugs, trays and little dishes. and bonus! we found computer bags, a gucci for her and furla for me :)
i wish i could say the apartment is ready or even progressing but mainly it’s just been a work station with bouts of cleaning, planting, organizing files and getting ready for the big pieces to be built and/or bought. i’m so glad you said to take my time. it’s a work in progress and there’s no rush.
blocking the rooftop just beyond these plants has been my only priority. getting them set in the right containers, that’s another story.
we rearranged the config of the sofa and are trying to figure out whether to have skirts made for it and change them on a whim or just use the sofa as is. it’s weird cause i keep feeling like i have to protect it but don’t want to be the lady who covers her sofa with sheets!
so since these were on the mem stick, i thought i’d share the bane of the apartment, the tv entertainment area in the boudoir. the perfect piece has yet to avail itself but in the meantime, i really don’t mind at all.
the closet is a disaster till the armoire is built. hopefully this weekend
le niche
i’m starting to shop my own suppliers and website for furniture and forgot about these little chests. the gold rush from yesterday’s thrift stores really got my gold gene going.
i don’t want to cop out, but this is my solution so far for the tv in the living room.
and these are just some inspirations i’ve been collecting over the past couple days.
just goofing around with the round bed. i already got a square but truth is i do love them!
natural elements
anyway this was just a quick hi to say i haven’t fallen off the planet. have a great friday and i’ll stop by your blog over the weekend. bonne nuit c’est soir!
ps inspiration image from unknown source:
take it as it comes
check out my girl haleigh enjoying her new digs at makingmagique.com
i
hi guys! stopping in while i have a minute and some motivation. i broke down and am posting pics of my apartment as is.
there’s been a lot going on and the last thing i’ve been doing is truly decorating. you know how it is. but i do have a table scape with the few things i own. ;p
i’m still waiting for the armoire to be built and the curtains to go up. in fact i have to get the rods today.
i bit the bullet and got a sofa. it can be separated and sleeps two either separately or together. the backs come off and there’s a corner too so it’s got a lot of versatility. they can go face to face or along the back wall too.
my books are on the floor as the shelves are being planned and debated to the enth degree
but at least they’re with me. some of them anyway. my books are spread between my parents and new york. very few are here and i’l love get them all together.
going thru the linens i found my stash from paris including one with my initials that was long forgotten. (sorry i didn’t iron but it went right into the wash. i tried smudge in photoshop but there’s nothing like the real thing) ;p
i’m trying to beef it up on all fronts including me, my biz, my car, food, work, life. just tightening up in general. i found this shot from coco and kelly and it’s my inspiration for the day.
well i have liz here working so i better put her talent to good use. more soon!
i hope you don’t mind
hi guys! it’s a beautiful saturday and i hope all’s well in your world. try as i might i just can’t be convinced to do anything with my ‘before’ apartment pics while it’s being worked on so suffice it to say that i’m still enjoying these days of wine and roses, looking thru photos for inspiration.
completelytotallymadly.blogspot.com
the shelving is the next big decision to make. the wall they’re going on is about 12 ft across. i’m at crossroads cause unless you do built-ins, the shelves or cubes will all be the same size and i’d like variety.
keltainentalorannalla.blogspot.com
we’re dying to start bringing in wood and natural elements but truth is setting up the bed, sofa, desk, armoire and bath was enough for now.
suddenly i’m not in a hurry and just want to love it all so going slow is fine.
there’s maybe a tiny nook for a vanity
i love the loungy vibe
we want to create a stripe like this for a pair of chairs
i have a shell collection and would love to indulge in my passion for geodes, glass and coral.
browndresswithwhitedots.tumblr.com
my mom says my mirrored wall sounds dated but i was thinking of doing something like this with a bit of antiquing and piecing it together then framing with simple trim.
random inspiration
vineetkaur.tumblr.com above all else i have to practive what i preach: it doesn’t take much to be fabulous.
bestefarsverksted.blogspot.com
simplicity is key.
ok, one shot of me in le habitat. sorry i don’t have a pic of the sofa. the sun is going down but i’ll try to set one up now. actually i have to say the place is just not ready even for before shots so i hope it’s ok to just forget about shooting it right now. i’ll just kick back instead of adding pressure to an already full and long day. i know if anyone understands that it’s you! have a great saturday night and enjoy some RnR too!
ps we found these giant buddahs today and fell in love. so much to think about!
a warm wind’s blowing the stars around
hey guys, happy friday! sorry to have disappeared for a few days. we went into overdrive and i just crashed and burned. guess i needed a break cause at the end of the day there’s been no energy for anything but deep sleep. plus it’s been non stop guests since i got the keys to the new pad. liz and i have been working hard and squeeze in some shopping here and there but the apartment still seems empty, which i don’t mind.
i’m not that into the before pics without the afters but will take some shots tomorrow of what we’ve been up to. shooting, resizing and editing have been foreign concepts this week. plus seeing my shots compared to what’s out there on pinterest! i feel like a slacker but also like taking my time to decorate.
i’ll try to be more diligent (mom and dad)! till tomorrow then. have a great weekend!
loving the little things
hi guys, hope your week got off to a good start! we’ve been full throttle here moving. i can’t believe how much stuff i have and how empty the apartment is. i played around a little decorating but don’t have time to post pics cause someone just called to come over. so i gotta run but thought i’d at least post my new pillowcases. it was hard to take the plunge but i figured these were a good base. there are so many pretty things out there i’ve hesitated buying anything small and focused on the storage, sofa and bones of the apartment. the couches come this week and the armoire is here but needs assembling. it’s a 4 door with two cream lacquer and two mirrored. curtains tomorrow. and tonight! i have to get into hostess mode toute de suite. have a great nuit!
happy mother’s day
The sweetest sounds to mortals given
Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.
~William Goldsmith Brown
happy MD everyone! i hope yours is remembered and treasured. these are the good old days!
thank you for being my mom, mom. i love you more than words can say.
have fun everyone!
by the light of the silvery moon
allo darlings, it’s the weekend! what are you up to?
for the past couple days i’ve been gathering shots for my apartment and today is just one more day of scrapbooking and logging it here.
weblog. i think i was supposed to be doing that all along!
i’ve been completely free associating with the pics and now that i’m seeing everything together realize that there has to be a lot of stone and gems around
something fun to collect!
the tear shots have lots of pops of color which i didn’t expect to see
so many options
fromscandinaviawithlove.tumblr.com
then it gets all subdued again
style-files.com
well it’s 2 am and time to call it quits. tomorrow the cable comes at 8am so the party est fini! bonne nuit cheries!
putting today to bed
bon soir mes cheries. ça va? all i can really say tonight is tgif. the wood floors went in (mostly) today and the bed arrived so it’s almost time to spend the night in the new place…but not tonight. hopefully tomorrow but till then it’s just moving stuff to storage, organizing and staying on top of all the projects going on. still, if you know me you know i love to surf the net trolling thru decor porn pics, i’m addicted to it, it’s soul food! anyway i wanted to keep up with the clip file while having the momentum so without further ado, here’s today’s roundup.
just looking at how little space you need to make a statement on a balcony.
still messing with ideas for the shelves but i know i want em
and how the office will be set up is a mystery
pinterest.com but there’s a bed!
this shot may be totally irrelevant but i like the colors
i
simplicity
neutrality
i haven’t gotten any further on the sofa quest but then, one thing at a time. i’m sure it will show up.
citified.blogspot.com i love this bar and can’t wait to entertain!
so this is not much of a taste of the progress but it counts as a before and after i guess. so tada…presenting…the floor! (they let me change the carpet to wood).
it’s a rental so it was a splurge but i figure witha 13 month lease, i should love my floors. it was investment. like good shoes.
alors, it’s bedtime pour moi so i bid you adieu and hope to see you in the stars c’est soir!
keeping it together
hi my loves! i hope you’re having a great week. it was hectic here, how about you? guess we all hustle a little more in the spring, n’est pas? it’s been a week since i found a new apartment and the floors are going in friday so move in is saturday! not that i have a stitch. yet somehow i have so much stuff!
i’ve been working hard and putting anything fun like blogging on the back burner. it’s easy to get lost and i definitely indulge so going there was just not an option for the past few days. of course there’s always time to save images to the desktop :)
just thought i’d share some with you and get your sofa opinion.
i have no idea how it will evolve but i’m looking forward to living with the elements and using rock, crystal and wood.
and turquoise…bien sur!
we debated light vs dark floors, white won.
i
dieyoungstaypretty88.wordpress.com
trying to hone in on a sofa cause i want all my friends and family to be able to crash comfortably at any given moment.
i’d like to add some decorative and architectural elements
this is from my own collection. i could paint it.
i love how organized apothecary jars are.
i hope to grow fruit trees and herbs on the balconies. one is going to be a zen vibe, the other, hmmm how about …a rose garden!
the floor of the balcony could be almost anything.
liz started looking for art.
for sure it will be au naturel
i’m into super simple stuff right now.
my biggest purchase will be the sofa. i had no idea i’d have trouble choosing one when everything else seems so obvious.
liz found this one at pb. what do you think? two of them making a corner?
pottery barn
i’ve always wanted a sectional, not necessarily this one but the hunt is on. we measured for bookshelves and a mirrored wall so that’s tomorrow.
crate and barrel
trying to keep up with real life so this was a very nice respite.
there’s about an hour left to squeeze out of tonight so i leave you with this old painting from the selby. if you haven’t been to their site and have a minute, it’s a delicious diversion.
alors, bonne nuit!
design star: mother nature
hey guys happy sunday! did the weekend fly by? i’m about to hit the hay but wanted to go to bed thinking of nature and her colors.
turquoise may be her favorite. mine too.
ok well, tomorrow i’ll be fresh as a daisy and will show you some of the stuff we worked on for the apartment this weekend.
sweetest dreams and hope you have a sunny monday!
