21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Entry


19. Clean UP the shoe pile. Shoes, shoes and more shoes! They can get out of control, especially if there’s more than one person living in your house. And especially if you live in a place with actual seasons, not only do you have different shoes for different purposes (outfits), you have different shoes for different types of weather too.

Lots of shoes hanging around in your entry can clog the chi. Read my last post for more about why you DON’T want this. Besides the annoyance you feel when they’re in your way, the energetics of looking at a pile of “anything” day after day will bring your energy down.

They key is to go up; use your vertical space. This idea can help you maximize space in almost any area in your home. But it’s especially important here. Get the clutter up so you can keep your energy up – so it’s not being brought down by piles of stuff.

Vertical Shoe Storage I Like:

2-Shelf Storage Stacker from The Container Store

Peva Overdoor Shoe Bag from The Container Store

Eco-Friendly Deluxe Bamboo Shoe Shelf


And speaking of weather, make sure you also have convenient places for shoes and boots to set and dry in the winter – either a boot tray or rug work well.

Tip: Minimize what you need to store by boxing up off-season shoes and storing elsewhere.

Eco Tip:  Be smart about your shoe purchases - choosing styles that are timeless, or shoes that can serve more than one purpose (outfit) both reduces what you consume, and what you eventually waste.

6 Ways to Enhance the Feng Shui of Your Front Door

By Jessica Hoelzel

As I discussed in my earlier post, it’s important to use the front door of your home, as well as to make sure the energy flow to it – in terms of blessings and opportunities – is not blocked.

 

But going beyond that, what can you do to go one step further – to really make a feng shui statement?

Enhance your “mouth of chi”, and draw attention to it with the following ideas:

1. Paint your front door red, or another color complementary to the house.
2. Place pots of flowers near your door in the summer/plants or tree toppers with lights strung on them in the winter.
3. Hang a wreath or bucket with silk flowers on the door (taking care that the silk flowers don’t get faded or dingy).
4. Place an attractive rug in front of it.
5. Hang a new light fixture over it, or clean and shine your existing.
6. Add a shiny door knocker to it. (Opportunities just might come a-knocking!)

Let me know what you decide to try - and the results you have after. I'd love to hear your feng shui stories; just click "Post a Comment" below...

Why It’s Important to Use Your Front Door

By Jessica Hoelzel

With the modern convenience of a garage door opener, most of us just push the button and pull in. But to have good feng shui, you must use your front door. It’s where chi, or life force energy, enters your home, and where blessings and opportunities find their way into your life.

Not only must you use your front door, but you must also make sure your front door:

• Is visible from the road
• Is well lit at night
• Is unobstructed by overgrown bushes or trees
• Opens easily and fully

If you can check YES to all of the above, you’re in pretty good feng shui shape. But also go to the extra effort to pull out those keys – yes, and even walk around the house or up your sidewalk to enter your home through your front door, at least occasionally.

In fact, this is usually the most pleasant way to enter. And have your guests come in the proper way too. After all, you’re just allowing the house to do what it was designed to do. Invite entrance through the front door and invite feng shui blessings in too.