Charlene Storozuk - Burlington Ontario Home Stager

Whether you are selling your home, or improving it for your own enjoyment, Feng Shui can play an important role.

In Part 5 of our Feng Shui It! series, we will be looking at the Wealth & Prosperity area of your home. In these challenging economic times, anything we can do to make improvements there is very important. Some Feng Shui Practitioners will tell you that if you are selling your home, you should make sure to pay special attention to this area as you may get more money from your sale. It sure can't hurt!

If you have read Parts 1-4 of this series, you should be able to locate the Wealth & Prosperity area of your home by using your Bagua Map. If you are just joining us, please refer back to Part 1 to learn about the Bagua Map and how it is used to divide your floor plan into the 8 life areas addressed in this series.

As you can see from your Bagua Map, the Wealth & Prosperity area is located in the upper left hand corner. Which room does this section apply to in your home? In my home it falls between the guest bedroom and the bathroom. Hmmm, the bathroom is associated with money troubles in Feng Shui. Not off to a good start from where I'm sitting. Oh, and by the way, if your home is located close to water that is very good Feng Shui as water represents wealth. There's a reason why those waterfront properties are so expensive :-).

Here are a few tips for improving the Wealth & Prosperity area of your home:

• The colours purple and green are very good for enhancing this area of your home. Try to incorporate them into your colour scheme.

• The complimentary element to Wealth & Prosperity is wood. Include some objects representing the wood element in this area of your home. Examples of wood elements are plants, trees, natural fibre textiles and, you guessed it - wood.

• Since the bathroom is viewed as the area of your home representing financial difficulties, keep your bathroom door closed and loosely cover the drains in your sink and tub when not in use. This will help keep your money from draining away.

• Hang artwork that displays wealth in some way.

• Take a look around your backyard. If your lot dips down in the back, it is believed that your wealth will slide away. Level out the back of your lot with a load of dirt and try planting tall trees across the back of your property. This will help support your home with good Ch'i.

• Most importantly, keep a positive attitude.

As in Parts 1-4 of this series, these are just a few tips to get you started in the right direction. ** Stay Tuned ** Part 6: How to Improve the Creativity & Children Area of Your Home.

Dezigner Digz^TM does not guarantee any results from the implementation by readers of these suggestions. The Feng Shui It! series is provided for entertainment purposes only and to offer a glimpse at the principles of Feng Shui.

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Dezigner Digz^TM is a professional home staging and interior decorating company located in Burlington, Ontario and servicing Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Waterdown, Stoney Creek, Bronte, Oakville, Milton and surrounding areas. The Owner, Charlene Storozuk is a member of the Real Estate Staging Association and currently serves on their Executive Committee as Regional Vice-President, Canada. For more information about us, visit our website at www.dezignerdigz.com

Whether you are selling your home, or improving it for your own enjoyment, Feng Shui can play an important role.

In Part 4 of our Feng Shui It! series, we will be looking at the Fame & Reputation area of your home. Everyone would like to be famous to an extent, some more than others. However, it's even more important to have a great reputation, especially in business. Benjamin Franklin was once quoted as saying: "It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.". That statement is just as appropriate today as it was way back then. While the tips provided in Part 4 may not make you the next Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, or [insert your favourite here], let's take a look at what we can do to help you with this area of your home.

If you have been following along since Part 1 of our series, you will now be able to locate the Fame & Reputation area of your home by using your Bagua Map. If not, please refer back to Part 1 to learn about the Bagua Map and how it is used to divide your floor plan into the 8 life areas addressed in this series.

As you can see from your Bagua Map, the Fame & Reputation area is located in the centre of the top row. Which room does this section apply to in your home? For me, that area falls smack dab between the master and guest bedrooms. Erring on the side of caution, I decided to kick it up a notch on the master bedroom side, which I guess means that our guests will have to fend for themselves. Just kidding of course, I'll be happy to help them with their own homes, if they ask.

Here are a few tips for improving the Fame & Reputation area of your home:

· Use red in this area as it is associated positively with Fame and Reputation. A red feature wall, red furniture or red throw cushions will work well here.

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· Display any awards you may have received here. If you have any certificates of merit or diplomas for completed courses relevant to your career or your intended future career path, include those as well.

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· Is there a famous person that you aspire to be like? Is there someone you hold in high esteem that you would like others to compare you to? Try placing a picture of that person in this room. A small picture will do. A shrine is not necessary and may be considered by most to be over the top :-).

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· Fire is the natural element of the Fame & Reputation area and is associated with passion, leadership and communication. These are all great characteristics that will enhance this area. Incorporate a fireplace, or if not possible, add some candles.

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· Avoid water in the Fame & Reputation area as it is destructive to the fire element. Instead, include some articles made of wood.

As in Parts 1-3 of this series, these are just a few tips to get you started in the right direction. If you'll excuse me now, my phone is ringing. Could it be HGTV asking me to be their next star? Probably not, but hey, a little Feng Shui can't hurt!

** Stay Tuned ** Part 5: How to Improve the Wealth & Prosperity Area of Your Home

Dezigner Digz does not guarantee any results from the implementation by readers of these suggestions. The Feng Shui It! series is provided for entertainment purposes only and to offer a glimpse at the principles of Feng Shui.

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Dezigner Digz is a professional home staging and interior decorating company located in Burlington, Ontario and servicing Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Waterdown, Stoney Creek, Oakville, Milton and surrounding areas. The Owner, Charlene Storozuk, is a member of the Real Estate Staging Association and currently serves on RESA's Executive Committee as Regional Vice-President, Canada. To find out more information about us, visit our website at www.dezignerdigz.com

Spring is in the air - finally! After a long, cold winter, everyone is now coming out of hibernation and winter survival mode. Spring is a time for new beginnings. For some, new beginnings will include purchasing a new home.

Since it just happens to be a buyer's market at the moment, what better time. There will be plenty of people out there looking and if serious, buying. If your house is on the market, are you prepared for this?

Here are some things that you can do now to get your home ready for the spring housing market:

- Pack away Christmas lights and wreaths. Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but if Santa hasn't arrived by now, he's not coming.

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- Winter planter displays consisting of holly, pine boughs, and other festive greenery should now be taken apart. If you have a decorative urn near the entrance to your home, on Open House day, tuck a couple of potted tulips into the dirt to give a quick spring kick to your entrance way.

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- Put away the snow shovel.

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- Clean out the flower beds. Get rid of dead branches and annuals from last year that were not removed before winter.

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- Go to your local garden centre and find out when and what you can plant in the garden to add some colour to the front of your home.

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- Bring your patio furniture out of storage. Set it up to show buyers the potential for entertaining that your property has. If your Open House is on a nice, sunny day, put the cushions out on your furniture as well.

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- Bring out the barbecue, especially if your kitchen has easy access to your outdoor barbecue area. This will show potential buyers that you have an ideal setup for summer cooking outdoors.

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- Clean all exterior windows and doors. Don't forget the garage door as well.

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- Hose down the driveway and give it a good cleaning to remove salt and grime.

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- Polish exterior light fixtures and house numbers. Make them shine.

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- Don't leave a dirty, salt-covered vehicle in your driveway. The first impression buyers will get is that the interior of your home may be neglected as well.

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- Clean up after Fido in the backyard. Potential buyers don't want to be doing hopscotch through your yard.

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- Consider hiring a professional cleaning service to do a thorough spring cleaning of the interior of your home.

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- Liven up the inside of your home by adding some fresh cut flowers for Open Houses.

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- Open the windows and air out your home. It's time for some fresh air.

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- A light room deodorizer can be used prior to Open Houses. Choose a soft, spring-like fragrance.

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- Go through your closets and drawers - get them organized.

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- Clean up the mud room. Tuck away all winter boots, scarves and mitts.

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- Give your living room a hit of spring by changing some of your throw cushions. Replace them with bright, spring colours - just make sure that they don't clash with your existing furniture.

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- Last but certainly not least, if the exterior photos of your home were taken in the winter, have your Real Estate Agent take updated shots. If potential buyers see snow when viewing your property online, they'll get a sense that your home has been on the market for a while.

All of these suggestions will help get your home ready for spring. You know what they say, "In spring, a young man's fancy turns to love". Why not have that love directed at your home.

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Dezigner Digz is a professional home staging and interior decorating company located in Burlington, Ontario and servicing Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Waterdown, Stoney Creek, Oakville, Milton and surrounding areas. The Owner, Charlene Storozuk, is a member of the Real Estate Staging Association and currently serves on RESA's Executive Committee as Regional Vice-President, Canada. For more information about us, visit our website at www.dezignerdigz.com.

Whether you are selling your home, or improving it for your own enjoyment, Feng Shui can play a very helpful role.

Welcome to Part 3 of our Feng Shui It! series. Before reading on, you will need to have a basic understanding of the Bagua (pronounced "Bogwa") Map which is fundamental to the principles of Feng Shui. If you haven't already done so, please read Part 1 of our series which will explain in some detail how to divide your home (based on your floor plan) into the 8 life aspects necessary in order to read the Bagua Map.

Today we will be talking about the Health & Family area of your life and how to improve it through some simple adjustments in your home. As I have mentioned before, remember that these tips must be applied with good intention. If you are doubtful and negative while performing them, don't expect positive results.

As you will see from the Bagua Map, the Health & Family area of your home is located on the left hand side of your floor plan in the centre row. On my floor plan, the Health & Family area is located in the kitchen. Where is yours located? Once you have determined that, it's time to move on with a few tips for improving this area:

• The colour green is considered good Feng Shui for the Health & Family area of your home. Try painting this room green or for a quicker fix, introduce some green accessories that are appropriate for the particular room that this area falls into on your Bagua map. For example, if the Health & Family area of your home is located in the bathroom, perhaps a decorative throw isn't quite the look you're after. (I haven't found one yet that would look good draped across a toilet tank!)

• The complimentary Feng Shui element for the Health & Family area is wood. Try incorporating some wood in this area. Some ideas might be a nice wooden carving, a decorative wooden box or something else that has meaning to you that is made of wood.

• Add some green plants. They will also help to enhance this area.

Back to the bathroom for just a moment; in Feng Shui, the bathroom is a problem space that is linked with bankruptcy and poor financial status. If the bathroom happens to be the Health & Family area of your home, you should try following some of the general principles for putting a bathroom into good Feng Shui standing. Here are a few:

• Put rubber stoppers over the drains in your sink and tub as it is believed that your wealth can drain away if left uncovered.
• Keep this room very clean. The bathroom is a place that clutter gravitates to. Make sure your cupboards are kept well organized.
• Keep the toilet lid down.
• Keep the bathroom door closed.

As in Parts 1 and 2 of this series, these are just a few tips to get you started in the right direction.

** Stay Tuned ** Part 4: How to improve the Fame & Reputation Area of Your Life

Dezigner Digz does not guarantee any results from the implementation by readers of these suggestions. The Feng Shui It! series is provided for entertainment purposes only and to offer a glimpse at the principles of Feng Shui.

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Dezigner Digz is a professional home staging and interior decorating company located in Burlington, Ontario and servicing Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Waterdown, Stoney Creek, Oakville, Milton and surrounding areas. The Owner, Charlene Storozuk, is a member of the Real Estate Staging Association and currently serves on RESA's Executive Committee as Regional Vice-President, Canada. To find out more information about us, visit our website at www.dezignerdigz.com

Whether you are selling your home or improving it for your own enjoyment, the principles of Feng Shui can be very useful. In Part 1 of our Feng Shui It! series [How To Improve The Career Area of Your Life], we discussed how to divide your floor plan into the 8 life areas as represented by the Bagua Map. If you haven't read it yet or want a refresher, you should probably read it now before continuing with Part 2, so that you'll have a better understanding of how this translates to your particular floor plan. I'll wait here while you do that.

Welcome back! I hope that you found Part 1 to be informative - now to carry on.

In Part 2 of our series, we will be looking at the Love & Marriage area of your home. You will see from the Bagua Map that this area is located in the top right hand corner of your home. So, how does your Love & Marriage area stack up? If you think it could use some improvement or you want to add even more spark, here are some things you can try:

• Add the colour pink to this area of your home. Pink is believed to enhance the Love & Marriage area of your home. Unless you and your partner both really love the colour, I probably wouldn't go so far as to paint all the walls pink. If your partner is not fond of pink, this might be counterproductive to improving the love area of your life (if you know what I mean). Try adding a few pink accessories instead.

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• Speaking of accessories, the Feng Shui element of Earth is very complimentary to the Love & Marriage area. Try adding accessories that represent the Earth element such as items made of clay pottery, tile or stone.

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• Hang a picture of you and your loved one in the Love & Marriage area.

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• If your relationship is going stagnant, try adding a mirror to the Love & Marriage area of your home. Mirrors help to move good energy (Ch'i) through your home. Don't put mirrors in your bedroom though, if that happens to be part of the Love & Marriage area on your Bagua Map. Their energy can cause sleep problems.

These are just a few tips to get you started. There is much more to know about Feng Shui and how it can help improve certain areas of your life.

P.S. For any gentlemen reading this, jewellery also works wonders to enhance this area of your life - not a Feng Shui principle, just an observation ;-).

** Stay Tuned ** Part 3: Tips on how to improve the health area of your life.

Dezigner Digz does not guarantee any results from the implementation by readers of these suggestions. The Feng Shui It! series is provided for entertainment purposes only and to offer a glimpse at the principles of Feng Shui.

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Dezigner Digz is a professional home staging and interior decorating company located in Burlington, Ontario and servicing Ancaster, Hamilton, Burlington, Waterdown, Stoney Creek, Oakville, Milton and surrounding areas. The Owner, Charlene Storozuk, is a member of the Real Estate Staging Association and currently serves on RESA's Executive Committee as Regional Vice-President, Canada. To find out more information about us, visit our website at www.dezignerdigz.com