Happy Chinese New Year & Valentine's Day!!

Sorry it's been so long since posting!  2015 ended up being a bit of chaotic year filled with much sadness in the endings that occurred & ending the year with much happiness as it felt that everything finally fell into place.  So, on that note, 2016 has been off to a great start, so it's fitting that the first post of the year is on Year of the FIRE Monkey!

Here are some Feng Shui tips that you can implement to get your New Year off to an auspicious start....
From Ellen Whitehurst's facebook page: .....Here are a few suggestions for making this a prosperous and loving New Year! Make a resolution and write it in red but make it a seemingly impossible dream. The first day of this Year of the Monkey will bring good fortune the whole year through if you hang some faux firecrackers immediately inside the front door and leave them there for the first 15 days of this year. On the second day go visiting and gambling - generally setting a precedent to have BIG fun for the year. And whenever you meet anyone today and want to wish them fortune and luck say this :"May you live in interesting times." This is considered a stronger wish than a prayer. Cook a wonderful meal on Day Four while also acknowledging your Kitchen Spirits as you ask them to nourish you in every way possible. Lastly, give away mandarin oranges to friends and family as they represent immortality and good fortune. 

From Feng Shui London, this is a WONDERFUL article on how to apply Classical (compass) Feng Shui for the Fire Monkey/2016, color & to various rooms.  Check it out here.

AND....if Chinese New Year celebrations weren't enough...here comes Valentine's Day right around the corner!!  Make sure to listen to the upcoming Valentine's Day episode on DeAnna On Design podcast found here.
  Feng Shui quick tips include:

• Display items in PAIRS
• Engage ALL the senses when setting up the kitchen/dining area for a romantic dinner or the bedroom for a romantic evening.
• Activate with FIRE & EARTH. 
• Decorate with items, scenes or go to a place that is romantic to YOU!  This is your day/night with your significant other, NOT a commercial telling you what you SHOULD like or do.  If you want to picnic & hike...go do it.  Want to have a quiet movie night w/pizza...do it.
• Most important, even if you're not part of a "romantic couple", do something with friends, your dog or even by yourself.  1 year I wasn't dating anyone & all my friends were either with someone, working or very anti-romance....so I spent the day doing exactly what I would have wanted to do if I was part of a couple...bought myself flowers & chocolate covered strawberries, had a wonderful meal, complete w/the candles & then watched some tv to end a quiet, perfect night.  Some laughed at me for doing this...but I ended up having the better Valentine's Day than some of my friends who went out doing what they felt they "should" be doing...paying too much for dinner at a "romantic" restaurant & not enjoying it & some even fought because they didn't like flowers (or didn't get any) or were just disappointed because the day didn't live up to the hype.  Don't participate in the SHOULDS of the day!

One of the BIG initiatives that I launched this year is the Healthy Year, Healthy Home, Healthy YOU consultations.  Encompassing clutter-busting & a healthy home analysis, these 1 hour consultations will feature the client's choice of a Life Area goal to focus on (if a client wants to work on more than 1 Life Area, the subsequent choices will be billed at 25% off HYHHHY cost). 

Learn more on this initiative by listening to these episodes on recent DeAnna on Design podcasts:
Know Your Labels  
Allergies, Mold & Mildew
Universal Design Tips

Interested in learning more?  Contact us here to schedule your consultation.  And remember, we offer consultations via video & Skype so geographical location is not an issue!

Lastly.....

We have got the DeAnna on Design youtube page up & ready to view interviews, designs & Feng Shui design minis!  We are also on instagram & pinterest.  Make sure to follow us for all updates & to be inspired!

I've also been honored to part of the inaugural program w/NKBA, due to the success & popularity of my KBIS Voices of the Industry talks & sessions, to teach & offer exclusive workshops to NKBA chapters here in the US & Canada!  I got to travel up north to Ottowa Canada to present to the #NKBA chapter there on Feng Shui tips in the kitchen & bathroom, as well as presentation skills.  Check out the Speaker Info page for pictures.  :)  So looking forward to traveling more & visiting more chapters.

....while Ossie & I currently live in Charlotte, I'm not a Panthers fan.  Can't take the green & gold out of THIS WI girl!  However, I do love football & congrats to the Broncos & Peyton Manning for an entertaining game & going out on a high, record-setting note.  Class act all the way!