FENG SHUI FOR THE SOUL

Recently, I came across with a good website which has tons of valuable information on healthy living. Their motto is "Empowering people to lead healthy happy lives!" 

Check it out @ www.glowpeople.com

Today, they did a post on "Feng Shui for the Soul". And I thought that I should definitely share it with you.  

Remember, Feng Shui is not only for your surroundings but can also be applied for the Soul.

Just follow the steps...Here are the details of the post:

http://www.facebook.com/UCanGlow

In some Asian traditions, the following small exercises are believed to create an internally and externally beautiful person...
Once a day, you should:
- Meditate for 5 minutes
- Read at last one chapter in a book

- Do a good deed
- Compliment someone
- Walk for thirty minutes
- Tidy up your home
- Reflect on what you have done
In addition, Once a week you should:
- Go out into nature
- Go to bed early
And finally. once a month you should:
- Donate something
- Attend a cultural event
- Do something special for your children
- Fast

- Buy a gift for the person you love the most 

source: GlowPeople 

"KEEP CALM" PRINTS

I love these "Keep Calm" prints and was looking to get one for my blank walls. Here is a couple of my favorites. You can get these from etsy.com or create your own. You can also ask for customized colors or fonts.
Simple and affordable! 
Positive affirmations are important in Feng Shui...Read them out loud. Put a smile on your face every time you pass by:)

source:etsy

source:etsy

source: etsy

source: digimartheprints from etsy

FURNITURE MAKEOVER FOR THE BEDROOM

Besides being a Feng Shui consultant I love to work on beautiful transformations, furniture makeovers!Here is the work I've done for our bedroom. I've got my 15 year old bedroom furniture spray painted. I was searching to purchase a new bedroom furniture set. But then I decided that we could use it for a couple of more years if we gave it a new lease. Being expats you need to think twice! Relocating quite often- this is totally a different lifestyle!

BEFORE

AFTER

VINTAGE  STYLE TURKISH MIRROR

MY LOVE BIRDS:) 

I got these beautiful handmade ceramic birds with evil eyes from a small gift shop in Izmir,Turkey, Aren't they cute? Objects in pairs is good for your bedroom from a Feng Shui perspective!

BEFORE

AFTER

NEW HEADBOARD

The only major change is the headboard. I purchased this lovely French rattan headboard from Luz de Luna in Al Barsha,Dubai. They also sell their pieces at Home Design store located on the 1st floor of Mall of The Emirates. The price was around US$ 1,000. 

NOW

Velvet, purple pillows & lilac cotton satin bedspread

The velvet, purple pillows are from Ralph Lauren, Harvey Nichols, US$ 250 for both.
The lilac cotton satin bedspread is from Crate and Barrel, US$190. All from Mall of the Emirates,Dubai.


I really like the cotton satin bedspread which is very lightweight and machine washable. The one I had before was a heavy cotton type of bedspread and was impossible to wash, only dry cleaned. 

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Actually, I'm still working on the styling, and balancing the Yin&Yang properties of the room as well as the 5 elements. I don't like to rush choosing the accessories as I want a look that will last for some time...

"HOME is the comfiest place to be." Winnie the Pooh

LOVE SHOES?

Who doesn't?
Lately, I decided that I had to transform my shoe closet. It wasn't functional anymore. I was inspired from
a couple of blogs,magazines and of course my friend Violotte:) She is so lucky to have her own shoe dressing room! 

Violette's Shoe Dressing Room

Violette's Shoe Dressing Room

First, I had to declutter my shoe closet. And then I decided that an open shelving unit would be more functional than what I had. Plus I had enough space. Open shelving makes it much easier to see and choose what to wear. This is what I had before and after.

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER-MY FAVORITES!

These are Billy Bookcases from IKEA. GOD bless IKEA...Not only looks great but is also functional and reasonably priced:)


I tend to organize my shoes according to style and occasion. Oprah organizes hers by how long she can bear to keep them on her feet. "I've gone to parties, wearing shoes that hurt so much, I wanted to come home early"Oprah says. What fun is that?
Oprah's pain-o-meter-rules:

1. Indefinitely: Shoes that she can wear at home everyday, especially after a long day of being on her feet at work (for Oprah, it’s her Prada flats!)
2. All Day: Shoes that she can wear at work, all day (Oprah’s Manolo Blahniks)
3. One Hour: Shoes that she can wear for her entire show
4. Ten Minutes: Shoes that she can wear between commercial breaks while taping her show
5. One Minute: Shoes that can only be worn from the door to the car and then she has to sit down quickly
6. Zero Minutes: Shoes that hurt as soon as she put them on AND caused her so much pain that she had to see her doctor afterward 

source: Oprah's website


Here are some other chic and functional ways of organizing your shoes. Don't forget to declutter first.

ENJOY!

photo: Pinterest

photo:Pinterest

photo:Pinterest

photo: Pinterest

photo: Pinterest

photo:Pinterest

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE?

The Miracle of the Chinese Bamboo Tree

From a Feng Shui perspective, bamboo is the symbol of Wood energy and therefore represents growth, long life and prosperity. It's always green and never changes. The tree stands upright and survives through every season and the worst storms. 

I would like to share a favourite section about Bamboo Trees from the book of 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families By Stpehen R.Covey. 

"In everything you do in your family, keep in mind the miracle of the Chinese bamboo tree. After the seed for this amazing tree is planted, you see nothing, absolutely nothing, for four years except for a tiny shoot coming out of a bulb. During those four years, all the growth is underground in a massive, fibrous root structure that spreads deep and wide in the earth. But then in the the fifth year the Chinese bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet!                                                             

Many things in family life are like the Chinese bamboo tree. You work and you invest time and effort, and you do everything you can possibly do to nurture growth, and sometimes you don't see anything for weeks, months, or even years. But if you're patient and keep working and nurturing, that "fifth year" will come, and you will be astonished at the growth and change you see taking place.

Patience is faith in action. Patience is emotional diligence. It's the willingness to suffer inside so that others can grow. It reveals love. It gives birth to understanding."

So true,right?

The following photos of Bamboo trees were taken from a trip to Sri Lanka. It was my first time to really see the amazing bamboo trees in the nature. Of course I do have bamboo plants in my house which are the ones in big pots. But to see them in the nature feels so different. The nature in Sri Lanka is absolutely gorgeous with flowers, trees and plants growing from every corner. There are loads of more photos to share. Sri Lanka has about 170 different kinds of orchids!  

photo: by Burcu Ungun (Sri Lanka-Royal Botanical Garden)

photo: by Burcu Ungun(Sri Lanka-Royal Botanical Garden)

  

photo: by Burcu Ungun(Sri Lanka-Royal Botanical Garden)

The bamboo tree is also a popular motif in Chinese Calligraphy and Chinese Brush Painting. Here is a painting done by me and the other one by my wonderful Chinese Brush Painting Teacher Violette Posth. Hope you like them:) Violette gives private Chinese Brush Painting classes in groups from the comfort of her home in Dubai,UAE. Anyone interested please e-mail me for her details. 

Painting by Burcu Ungun

Painting by Violette Posth