Elevate Your Pet's Chi

Beautiful design for our furry friends too!

Who says that Feng Shui is just for humans? As our beloved cat Keiki (translation: Hawaiian for baby - awh!) gets older, it seems harder for her to bend down to eat her food. Why not also apply Feng Shui principles for her as well? As she is progressing in years, sadly her Chi seems to be slowly sinking. To help elevate her Chi and make it easier for her to chow down - or now chow up - I came across some really lovely yet functional elevated feeding bowls.

Wall mounted to whatever height you desire  http://www.vurv.ca/

This makes me want breakfast in bed!!  http://www.trendypet.com

Designs from both vurv and trendy pet are sleek and simple. They also allow air and energy to flow under the bowls keeping pets happy and their necks less strained. My only difficult decision now is which awesome design I will choose. Any opinions Keiki?

Bagua Love

Fun paintings by Sophie Blackall www.sophieblackall.etsy.com

I stumbled across this delicate artwork this weekend on etsy.com. Sophie Blackall's paintings appeal to my humorous, light side. Definitely something I'd like to see hanging in our apartment. What do you see when you first walk into your home or when you open your eyes in the morning? Does it make you instantly smile and your heart sing? If not, that needs to change and fast! Your Chi is directly affected by your surroundings, hence, Feng Shui. So make sure what surrounds you is beautiful in your eyes and makes you indescribably happy.

The best part about Sophie's work is that most of them are illustrations interpreting posts from craigslist's "missed connections" section. You can spy on some of the star-crossed lovers declarations below the art. How romantic! Definitely art that can be hung in your Relationship/Love section of your home!

Coney Island Fever

What's not to love about this lounge chair? Besides the fact that it's a pretty nice looking recliner, it's actually made of Coney Island boardwalk planks! No kidding! I know what you are thinking...I'm sure that the creators, Uhuru Design did a thorough job cleaning the planks before the construction. I just love the fact that it reminds me of the Cyclone....cotton candy and hotdogs anyone???

Cardboard Box Trees

Wouldn't it be nice if these kids were not walking through this but.....

photo: margaretalekiccardboardboxes.blogspot.com

This?????? Now it's possible!!!

photo: http://landscapearchiteck.wordpress.com

I deal with cardboard boxes all the time. Probably more than I'd like to. Aside from helping my clients organize, relocate and donate stuff (that's a separate blog entry), we've also moved homes quite a bit in the past 3 years. And during this process, I have obtained cardboard boxes in many different ways, but mostly in ways that hurt the earth in the most minimal way - recycling grocery boxes, purchasing boxes from www.usedcardboardboxes.com where boxes are gently used and recycled (I've used them many times and are great), or inheriting them from recent craigslist re-locaters.

My all-natural sleeping pills

But when I saw this wonderful idea from The Life Box Company, a big smile creeped across my face. I can finally openly admit that I lay awake at night worrying about what happens to the these poor boxes once the last person is done with them. That is if it's not me of course.

So basically this is the recipe - Use your box/es. Reuse em until you can't or don't want to use em any more. Tear em up. Plant em in your garden. Add water and watch. In about 2 months, little trees will start growing! Eureka! I can now finally sleep soundly. I'll just have to resist the urge to plant them on my balcony with my tomatoes.

What are you Thankful for?

Alright, I know the economy is lousy, the unemployment rate is the highest it's been in my lifetime and overall morale is pretty low. But you know what, I feel GREAT!!! How is that possible you may ask? Well I have taking my own Feng Shui medicine and counting my blessings and focusing on what I do have and not what I don't. Yup, it sounds simple but it's not an easy exercise at all. I can fall into the depths of self-pity as easily and quickly as the next person.

I'm finding with regular practice of mindfulness and appreciation coupled with Feng Shui adjustments that my little world is getting brighter every day. I'm not sweating the small stuff like the construction noise outside my apartment or the metro card I lost last week. Seen from this perspective, those are really minuscule things compared to how wealthy of my life really is. So think about it, what are you thankful for today?

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.    - Buddha

The Buddha knows what I'm talking about.

This Isn't a Catnip Garden

My own private garden

This must be a sign that I need to take a break from the big city and head to the country. I am wishing that everyone I know would send me this card so that I can have my very own gigantic indoor aboretum.

Besides bringing some nature chi into our lives, does the words "Chia Pet" mean anything? I'm a kid again! Now if that's not good Chi, I don't know what is. Take a look at this video and you'll see what I mean. Find your/my card here.

Now really, this is too much fun!

Vive La France!

It's been a while. I was able to unplug which was glorious but I missed y'all. Happily though, my eyes and fingers are well-rested. Here are some great images I was able to capture when I was away....Enjoy!

A storefront interpretation of the Bagua