A little Feng Shui for the holidays...

Hi Everyone-
I hope that you're getting your shopping done, attending some fun holiday gatherings & getting your 2012 plans set/scheduled for your business!!!  (I'm in the midst of that right now...& boy do we have some good stuff coming up!!!).  First off, here's a list of media from last week in case you missed:
DeAnna on Real Milwaukee talking Healthy Nursery Design:  http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/4882699
(DeAnna will be on again on Monday, December 12th to continue the discussion!)

DeAnna in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on 2012 Design Trends: http://www.jsonline.com/sponsoredarticles/kitchen/135026563.html

Feng Shui Fabulous year-end episode w/guest Alicia Cramer on the importance of setting a positive INTENTION to achieve your New Year's goals:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bante-design-llc

CasAVerde radio show "Having a GREEN Christmas":  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/casaverde

OK...want to amp up your FAMILY vibe for the holidays?  Want to help ensure calm & peace at family get-togethers?  Here are some  Feng Shui tips for holiday decorating AND gift-giving, so you give GOOD energy & not negative...(this was published a few years back for

Have a Happy Feng Shui Holiday!
Some great tips and gift ideas to add an ancient twist to your holiday celebration

By DeAnna Radaj
Bante Design LLC
www.bantedesign.com

Are you getting tired of the same old red-and-green decorations? Would you like to add more meaning to some of your holiday rituals? How about adding some Feng Shui principles to your holiday gift giving and decorations?

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese science of placement and living in harmony and balance with your environment through the use of color, space-planning and accessorizing. About 5000+ years ago, the Chinese developed these principles and applied them to choosing auspicious gravesites. It was thought that the better your gravesite, the better the fortunes of your descendants would be. There are 3 schools of thought practiced worldwide today: the Form School, the Compass School and the Black Hat Sect School. The latter is the one most practiced here in the US. To learn more about Feng Shui or any of the above-mentioned schools of thought, check out books by Lillian Too or www.dragons-gate.com for some great information to get you started.

Now, how do you apply Feng Shui to your holidays to usher in positive energy, new opportunities and abundance for you and your family? Let’s start with the focal point of most homes during the holidays…the Christmas tree. Follow these guidelines and enjoy a beautifully transformed home.

Use plenty of green. The holidays can be very stressful, so it goes without saying that using green, the most relaxing color, can have a cooling and calming affect on you and your home. In Feng Shui terms, green will also help to absorb all of the “fire” (action) energy of the lights, activity and red décor that is abundant in your home.

Angels and cherubs are lucky symbols. These items will help fill the room with good will and peace.

Start a tradition. Ask every family member and guest who enters your home to place something on the tree to put their mark/energy into the gathering and increase the sense of family and community.

Remember the Chinese phrase “five colors blind”-which means too much color, sound, and activity can create a numbing and exhausting affect on you and your family. After awhile, you will tend to look past and not notice things. Don’t put up decorations or play holiday music too early (We’ve all tuned out “Jingle Bells” and its 20+ versions usually by December 5th, right?)

Shake up your holiday color schemes from the traditional red and green, and try to incorporate some of these colors.

Gold & Silver: can strengthen your intuition and represents ostentation, money and fame. Use it if you want more recognition in the community, line of work and/or family.

Red: one of the most auspicious colors as it represents energy, passion and action. Word of warning-too much red can increase tension, anger and anxiety. If the holidays cause you stress and your blood pressure to rise, stay away from a red color scheme!

Blue: represents spiritualism, thoughtfulness, consideration, faith and aids in communication. Use blue to encourage more open conversation with family and friends. Also, it is a very calming and cooling color-great for helping you unwind after a crazy day at the mall.

Purple: considered the most auspicious color, as it is associated with high ideals, loyalty, royalty, truth and love. The color is used by high nobility and indicates power, riches and fortune. It adds a great touch of luxury and abundance to your home.

White: the color of mourning and loss in Chinese culture. Although our society views this color as representing purity, innocence and naivety, according to Feng Shui principles, you should not use this color.

Pink: a healing color also associated with love and romance. A soothing color that represents joy and happiness and lends a warm glow to the room.

Multi-colors: represents a union of all colors. Make sure to use on a green tree to balance and bring about an order and harmony to all of the colors. If you are unsure about what colors to mix, look to Mother Nature where green is a neutral. If you see the color combination outside, it will work on the tree.

Now, let’s examine tips for the rest of the house and tips on gifts to help bring about auspicious reunions, gatherings and events for the season and New Year. If you are hosting an event, make sure your entryway is warm and inviting. Can you enter without tripping over something? Does the door fully open? Remember that less is more here. Stand in the doorway and see what your guests see upon entering…do they see a festive room with lights and Santa or a jumble of wrapping paper and boxes? Keep this area neat, spacious and smelling nice (a natural candle or incense in pine, cinnamon, or vanilla is sure to set the proper mood). Your guests will feel welcome and ready to experience “glad-tidings!”

Adding some crystals, clear quartz or any other light refracting objects to your room will help add “positive energy” and light to the space. Hanging crystals from ceiling fans and lights is a great way to ensure this energy be spread throughout the home and the rainbows and prisms created by the refracted light will always bring a smile to your guests’ face.

Pictures can also help to enhance the holiday atmosphere in your space. Photos of family and friends taken at previous holiday parties will bring back happy memories (if not, don’t display them)! Displaying happy photos is a great Feng Shui practice that can help to nurture harmony and goodwill. Avoid decorating the home/room with artworks and pictures of sad events, overt gore and violence or anything negative, as this will create bad, undesirable energy. It should be noted that this tip goes for all the décor throughout your home/office all year round!

If you are planning on giving gifts this season, here are some items to stay away from:

Sharp Objects- Swords, knives, scissors and letter openers are not Feng Shui-friendly gifts since you can inadvertently send negative intentions, or “cutting” energy, towards the recipient with a sharp-edged gift.

Empty Wallets and Purses- If you wish to gift one of these items to a loved one, you can but remember to slip something inside such as coins, a few dollars and/or a picture. This will help to bestow auspicious “wealth” energy to the recipient.

Roses- These flowers are actually bad Feng Shui as they denote “thorny” love prospects! It’s better to stick to other sweet-smelling or romance related flowers with no thorny stems. Examples are peonies, jasmine, chrysanthemums, narcissus and lilies.

Timepieces- Watches, clocks or other timepieces are never a good idea as they represent a limited life span and always “watching time go by”.

To all of you and your family, have a happy and safe holiday season!