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Bob (lovely husband) and I are off on another adventure this week, YAYAYAYAYAY!  We’re headed to Tennessee to tromp around the Great Smoky Mountains for 9 days. Annnnnd, that’s the extent of the plan--well, we did get a hotel room in Nashville for the first night--we watch the weather, do whatever feels like FUN, go with the flow and spend as much time as possible outdoors. The best kind of vacation for us! In other news, Kelly and I met with Jim, or favorite contractor, for breakfast last week. We chatted about a couple of projects in the works and the subject of wallpaper came up… “Is wallpaper back IN?”, he asked, with a confused look on his face... Jim, I’m so happy you asked! Recently, I have found myself recommending wallpaper and wallpaper murals to clients for these specific reasons--maybe they will apply to you, too! 1.Cozy up a large room~ Wallpapering a large room is like throwing a huge quilt around it! Wallpapering a room like this takes care of a vacant or cold feeling and gives you warmth, comfort and FUN!  2.Bring ZING to a forgotten space~ Wallpapering the back wall of a closet gives an instant AHHHHHHH! (or squeal of delight) every time you open the door. (Could be used as your incentive/celebration AFTER editing the space.)  3.Bathrooms are Boring~ It’s FUN to put up some wallpaper in small rooms that typically feel utilitarian. The small space lends itself to whimsy, or a bit of extravagance.  4.Correct for a Missing Feng Shui Element~ Sometimes we need help enhancing or balancing the elements. An example: The Feng Shui of ANY entryway corresponds to CAREER and WATER is its corresponding element. Imagine a very small entryway (real life example) with room for only one wall mirror and big wooden doors on the other three walls. A tight squeeze, at best! To enhance this entry, we’re adding this wallpaper (called “Waves” by Schumacher) as a WATER enhancement. Fresh! Beautiful! And going up TODAY!!!!  5.Weak or Missing Art~ Add a wallpaper MURAL or one wall of wallpaper as a replacement for art. This gives you the abundant feeling of art in a BIG way for a fraction of the cost. Used behind a bed to extend the headboard energy:  These are the top 5 reasons I use wallpaper with my Feng Shui clients. Let me know if you are interested in your own energy upgrade--you never know, it may involve wallpaper! PS: (Attn: Apartment Dwellers) Look for strippable wallpaper that comes down in minutes--I’ve got you covered--HAHA, covered, get it? I’ll be on vacation next week and back in your inbox on March 29th! Lots of Love, XOXO  SUCCESS STORY:
“Grateful to you Jane. Thanks for your vision and amazing design skills. I feel like our home is getting a bump up in positive energy, beauty and love.” ~Anne W. PHOTO CREDIT: Dining Room--Janice Laufenberg Bathroom--Dan Malone, installer AND photographer :)
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First of all, welcome to our new subscribers, we are so happy you’re here! As you know, I’ve been ISO Spring for awhile…  Bob and I on our recent CO visit... Found these--a very good sign!  This month we have a Feng Shui question from Matt, a business owner and resident of Princeton, WI. If you haven’t been to Princeton, it’s worth the trip! It’s an adorable little town...including Matt’s cool store: teak & soxy, his food truck, Horseradish...and many other delightful shops. Also, a KICK-ASS flea market on Saturdays--as soon as Spring arrives! Matt is a fun-loving, hard-working, creative business owner and all around cool guy!  This month he asks a Feng Shui question that gives us the opportunity to explore the 5 Feng Shui Elements and apply them to his new apartment (WooHoo!) in Princeton. Q: "We are moving into a new apartment, with a view of the Fox River out of the windows in the back. It's a space that's TALL and NARROW. I'm wondering what Feng Shui principles would apply to this space?" A: Hi Matt! I’m so happy to hear from you! First of all, Congratulations on your move! Always fun to shake things up and have a fresh start. Living by the water is auspicious--so, a wonderfully good beginning! Thank you for your question; this is a FANTASTIC opportunity to balance the elements--a cornerstone of the science and art of Feng Shui. To set the stage... The five elements are the building blocks of Feng Shui. The elements are water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. If your home or business feels “off” or uncomfortable, it’s quite possible that the elements are out of balance. In a perfect Feng Shui world, you’ll find all five elements present and balanced in a space. This helps to keep your home or business feeling comfortable, harmonious and stable--thus making you feel energized and in the flow more of the time.  In your new apartment, Matt, the tall, narrow space, including tall windows, narrow doors and rooms, corresponds to wood energy (think trunk of a tall tree). Other ways to identify WOOD energy in your space:
Too much wood can cause you to feel rigid, creating arguments and fiery tempers. It can also slow your creativity--NOOOOOOOO! So, let’s get started right away...because there are many ways in which we can control the wood energy and balance your space. The biggest FIX for too much wood energy is to add metal energy--this will “chop” the wood (picture an axe) and balance its overpowering energy. METAL energy comes in many forms:
Any or all of these will keep the wood energy from causing you to feel out of balance. Give that a try and see what happens--I would love to hear back from you :) Also, Matt, I don’t think you have clutter, but ALWAYS pay attention to items you have around that you do not love or need--even if you have some of those items stored in a storage locker, garage or at someone else’s house. You are in relationship to ALL of it and it does affect your personal energy. Moving is an awesome opportunity to take stock and clear out that which does not serve you. Good luck, I’m excited for your new opportunity! If you are interested in balancing the elements in your space, I would love to assist. Give me a call or send me a message and we can get started right away! Lots of Love, XO  PHOTO CREDIT: Morgan Simons, “ISO”
January--Master Bedroom February--Kitchen We are going to spend March taking a good look at the Family Room. Media, Books, Games, Photos--they all need to be gone through and edited to create a space that beckons you to play and relax. Are you ready? Remember, set yourself up for success by collecting some bags/boxes for your cast-offs and powering down your phone, laptop and family :) Week #1: MEDIA--Music, movies, including all video games. If there are pockets of these items around the house, gather them ALL and go after this category as one. Get SERIOUS about what you and your family still love and choose. Maybe this will be a family activity--with a favorite movie and popcorn afterwards as a big celebration! The cast-offs can go to a donation center or library to enchant another family. Be ruthless--these items often have their moments (or years) of glory and then sit for decades collecting dust. You can give your family a huge boost by letting go of the movies, music and games that no longer spark interest. Then, containerize them, using a shelf system, specially designed media bins, or containers to organize by type.
Bonus Points: Digitize your Music and say buh-bye to the 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs and LPs. Double Bonus Points: Let go of old electronics (and tangle of cords) that are no longer needed. Week #2: Magazines, Newspapers, and Books are another category of items often found in the family room. Reading material that never gets touched or opened is one of the biggest ways to trap energy (or chi). Are you familiar with the smell of old books deteriorating? Each page is ONE THING. If books or other reading materials do not ever get opened or read, eventually the energy becomes stagnant and deteriorates the pages. Mother Nature will take care of the book “situation” if you don’t!  So, get brave, let go of items in this category that no longer serve your best and highest self. Donate to the library or closest donation center. Someone will LOVE your old books! Wipe out the bookshelves, organize the keepers by type and enjoy the refresh--AHHHHH!  Week #3: Toys and Games--A possible family work session followed by a family game night (since the movie edit + movie night went so well a couple of weeks ago...)  Pull out all of the games. Those with missing pieces, games outgrown by the kids or no longer used AT ALL, are an easy addition to the DONATE pile. Save only the games that you LOVE and CHOOSE on a regular basis--maybe even brainstorm a list of new possibilities to add to your updated game collection. If toys are part of your family room fun, consider a rotation so that they don’t “take over” the space. Keep out a few bins at a time and store the rest in your child’s room, or in another storage area altogether. It keeps playtime a little more fresh and fun to rotate categories of toys every so often. Legos anyone?  Week #4 Family Photos look amazing on display in the family room. Collect the ones that give you a BIG SMILE and put them together, either on a shelf:  Or in a collection on the wall:  There, sit down and put your feet up--call everyone in--it’s time to CELEBRATE! You have just hit the refresh button on your Family Room. If you would like assistance in making your family room feel irresistible with a good clear out of your clutter and/or Feng Shui Design, Email me--we would love to help. Lots of Love, XO Jane SUCCESS STORY:  “My wife WON the Organizing session with Jane and Kelly at the Women’s Expo this year!!!!! A few years ago, she won a trip to Cancun (obviously, she’s a winner!) We had a whole morning POWER SESSION in the basement storage area...if I had to choose...the session with Jane and Kelly was A BETTER PRIZE than the trip to Cancun. We got through so much of the tough stuff and came away with a plan for the rest. Awesome results--just can’t believe it’s the same room!”
~Mike (husband of super-winner, Tiffani) |
Jane Antonovich
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