Sunday, February 19, 2012

Week 6 ~ Room 6

This week was a super crazy week for me so all I really did was just dust and straightened up. I just cleaned the fish tank last week and I need to clean out the bird cage this week. So there won't be anything extraordinarily different about this room as far as design but oh well - the point right now is just to clean it.

Before~not bad ... just messy
 After .. nice and fresh




This room falls in the Fame/Reputation section (just like the living room) I seem to have a lot of black elements here ~ light fixture, vase, both the fish and bird stands and all the picture frames are black. I do have my pets in this area so that should help and I sometimes do keep candles on the table but I might need to add some more elements ~ red runner or candles, maybe a vase with red flowers or a red plant here (this room has some light but not a lot) hmmm I need to think this through.
Well this coming week is a bit slower, which is a blessing being that this weeks room is the dreaded kitchen *o* Which, like the front door and patio, falls in the career section. This room is going to be the biggest hassle ~ I have left over b/day party items (I think the last time I decorated and strung up the house with b/day ribbons was for My Prince's 18th b/day .... 2 1/2 years ago!!), and food items that we didn't like or haven't eaten when we switch our diets or a holiday passes and let's not get started on the amount of containers without lids (no matter how often I go through and match things up - I always end up with all these lids without bottoms *_* it is crazy) OK enough venting or I'm going to talk myself out of cleaning this room. The challenge for me this week is to go through the kitchen a bit at a time so I don't spend my whole weekend cleaning.


Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Weeks 4 & 5 ~ Rooms 4 & 5

Gosh me ~ I forgot to post week 4  =[  so I am going to combine week 4 and 5 on this post.
Yup - just like I thought this was a simple room to clean up, so there isn't too much difference between the before and after shot.
Before

Before
I did do a super detail cleaning on the couches and after taking the pictures I drapped some towels that match the couch so I can keep it clean. Both the cat and dog sleep here when we are at work so it gets messy quickly *_*
After

After
 I don't like anything on the coffee table since it blocks my view of the fireplace (yes - it is electric, which is fine since it doesn't get cold enough here to justify a real one). This part falls in the fame section so the fireplace, candles and the red (maroon) couches do well here but be careful not to over do it on the red since fire can over consume. Your fame can be more like a burst (a quick spark with a quick fade) rather than a steady smolder. Also if this is the room that your family spends alot of time in - arguments can arise quickly here so I try to keep some black around (which is the water) so that the fire doesn't spread and get out of hand. I have been looking at getting the beige couch from Ikea and just using red as an accent. If you have small children and having candles around can be tricky you can have a picture with red in it on that back wall. You can even put any trophies or awards here ~ they can be great conversation starters but it can be weird ~ like you are being vain, so if you have letters of recognition from your volunteer group those can definatly go in this area and still get the same results. Recognition for your hard work is a good thing.


~ ~ ~

Next is the entry/front door and I also added the front patio too - this falls in Career section of the pagua.
                                                                         Befores 
This bar area is my catch all (mail, phone charger, etc)
The front door ~ yea kinda sad




AFTERS
Ahhhh ... clean
Living room and bar view

Inviting Front Door

Welcome Home  =D

I will start from the bar area since it is between the front door and the living room. This area vexes me. I wish I didn't have it (since I never use it as a bar ~ it seems as if I could put it to better use if it was different) but we ALWAY are putting things there and I HATE it. And I know I am the worse offender. My phone charger is there and all the unread mail (which in Feng Shui is just postponed decisions).  It looks kinda silly with flowers and candles sitting on it so I like it best clean and cleared. Also, this bar area is in the middle of the house which falls in the Self/Health section ~ having it cluttered makes you unfocussed. One of the worse things I can have there is hanging on the wall on the left and that is a clock that needs to be serviced. A stopped clock doesn't tell you the correct time so you are always off your schedule or like you don't have enough time. Make sense. If I don't know what time it is, how am I going to be able to keep my schedule?

The next room is the entry way (which I don't have a 'before' picture for ... sorry) - this room isn't messy so I just cleaned the walls and scrubbed the floors. In this section the colors blues and black is what is used ~ also anything inspirational should be here. When you walk through the door you should see something that inspires you and a  messy entry way just says 'nope you are not done with your day - you still need to clean house' and who wants that to be the first message they have after a day at work/school (or both). I used to keep a small water fountain here but I got a slightly larger fish tank that I keep else where. Symbols of your chosen career path should go here ~ for now I have a few of my Mr.'s work awards (I know they belong in the living room and I might move them over but he has A LOT so maybe I will only add a few and just the most recent to symbolize a current recognition and not something he did 10 years ago) I like having flowers here (not enough light to put a plant here)  ~ I just haven't gotten around to getting some together, this will symbolize career growth. I also will bring back a black lamp that I have in the guest room in a few weeks when I get a lamp to replace it (it is the last room to clean). Also I have been thinking of repainting the front door ~ just a fresh coat of white (it is currently the green in my craft room) between fingerprints and where the dog scratches on the door ... it looks a bit scruffy. But I really like my green.  Dilema .... dilema.

From there it is off to the front porch. After Christmas I have just left it blank and that isn't good ~ there is nothing welcoming about a blank front porch. So I got a new front mat (black and in a scroll design to symbolize water), added windchimes (this activates the Chi), a black chair (I could use it to put down a bag or groceries so I can get into the house) and put the cage back here (I love seeing this cage ~  my good friend Janet gave it to me and I think of her every day and it makes me smile) You can add a small water feature here, also flowers, little flags/windsocks, bird feeders/baths are great here ~ anything that would make it inviting.

Next room ... the dining room ... bumm bumm bummmm! No it's not scarry at all but the room after that is ~ the dreaded kitchen. I could cry just thinking about it.

Friday, February 10, 2012

WOW - Another Year!

Princess 1 1/2 years and Prince 10months
I can not believe another year has passed.
My bundle of joy turns 22 today.
All I can think about is the book 'Love You Forever'
'I love you forever - my baby you will be'
'A Doll' for Halloween
There is my sassy girl =D
She reminds me of Janet from 3s Company