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Feng Shui Decorating Tips for a Peaceful Home

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In these troubled times your home should be your sanctuary. Feng Shui, which translates from Chinese to mean “wind-water” is an ancient art that teaches us how to arrange furniture, belongings, and other parts of our home to enjoy better health, prosperity, comfort, and a higher quality of life overall.

Here are some tips from the realm of Feng Shui (the ancient art of object placement) to give your home a more harmonious and peaceful vibe.

CLEAR ALL CLUTTER. You have probably heard this advice again and again when it comes to Feng Shui but it really is true that good energy does not generate in a messy home. Clutter is negative because it traps Shar Chi (negative energy) in places and this can manifest itself in conflict amongst family members and visitors. Clutter also causes boggled thinking and confusion.

CLEAN YOUR DRAINS. Water represents emotions in Feng Shui so if your drains are clogged then it symbolizes old repressed feelings like resentment or jealousy overwhelming the psyche. Make sure your drains work properly so that people are not holding onto negative things in your relationships. Flooded sinks, bathrooms and toilets mean a personality that is also flooded with negative emotions.

GET RID OF SHARP OBJECTS. Don’t leave sharp objects like scissors, pliers or knives just lying around. Put them away and make sure they are sheathed. Don’t hang knives on the wall or put them on display in the kitchen either. You should also not have decorative swords or knives hanging on the wall. Sharp objects symbolize harsh words and the cutting of ties in important, intimate relationships.

PUT UP PICTURES OF NATURE. Pictures of flowers, birds or peaceful landscapes help set a peaceful tone for the room and create calm and quiet. Cityscapes and ships sailing on stormy seas create an opposite effect. If you put up pictures of flower buds or birds in duos you encourage the sustaining of a relationship and fidelity. If you are single pictures of birds or blossoms in duos can help you meditate on the goal of finding a true love.

PAINT ROOMS IN A SINGLE COLOR. Painting a room too many colors can cause disruptive energy. To keep a peaceful atmosphere about the home paint each room a single color or in a single color palette. Some colors are definitely more calming than others and this may depend on personal taste. Pinks are calming for some individuals and yet others like dark earth tones and greens. Loud colors such as bright red are not that calming for most people but once again the color may depend on the context of the room.

How to Decorate Cocktails With Creativity II

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Here are some more tips for making a cocktail look absolutely great.
A great substitute for the maraschino cherry in a cocktail is to make your own brandied cherry. All this requires is soaking your favorite type of cherry in a bottle filled with brandy. These brandied cherries can also be used to garnish desserts. You can also try Queen Ann cherries that have been soaked in dry French Vermouth.
To make a cherry tomato flower simply dissect a cherry tomato by cutting it into four slices from the top downwards. However don’t slice through to the base of the tomato. This allows you to fan the “petals” of the cherry tomato. They look great dropped into the bottom of a drink.
Red clover is an edible flower that really goes well with lamb. This is because it has a bit of a licorice flavor. The flower also makes a nice garnish for a glass of Sambuca or Pernod,
Making Sambuca flavored Martini? Try garnishing it with a strip of licorice. Licorice also goes well with milk cocktails.
To add a peppermint twist to a mug of alcoholic hot chocolate or coffee try garnishing it with a candy cane. You can also grind up a candy cane in your food processor until it is powder and use it a rimming powder for your mugs.
Honeysuckle flowers make a beautiful and unusual garnish for just about any type of drink!
A cranberry ice ring can be floated in a punch bowl or simply placed on a plate to keep other items chilled. To make, fill a ring mold with an inch or two of water and freeze. Once frozen, place a pound of cranberries on top of the ice and cover with more water. Freeze until solid and then unmold on a platter or into a punch bowl as desired.
Violet blossoms also look nice frozen in ice cubes to give a drink a dash of purple.

To add a dash of glamour to a glass of champagne sprinkle a bit of edible gold glitter into the glass. Add a strawberry to make it extra elegant.
A smoked oyster paired with a black olive makes a super modern garnish for a modern day vodka martini. In adventurous bars in L.A. the trend is to serve a raw oyster at the bottom of a martini made with pepper vodka.
The next time you serve a rum Collins or any kind of tall rum based drink consider using a long tall stick of sugar cane as a swizzle stick. The sugar in the cane also adds natural sweetness to the alcohol.