Joyful Home

Hi, sisterhoney61. Welcome to the board!

Yes. I have applied feng shui principles to my home for the last 15 years ... perhaps longer. I borrowed MANY books from my local library before deciding to purchase a book by Terah Kathryn Collins.

http://tinyurl.com/ycvqsb7

I started slowly ... applying the principles to a desk top ... a night stand ... then a room ... then the entire first floor ... second floor ...basement ... and lastly the outdoors which is still a work in progress.

I was a teacher for 35 years before retiring and "feng shui-ed" my classroom, too. I believe that both my workplace and my home were more orderly and serene as a result.

Do some reading first and then if have any questions, give me a shout.

Good luck when you move to your first place!

Francine

to the Joyful Home Board, Nancy.
Nice to have you here.

It's so exciting that you'll be moving to your own place
and especially that you are thinking about Feng Shui.

I used the concepts of Feng shui in my home , when we were building it.
For me, it's restful and I totally feel that it helps move the good and bad chi around the home , in and out as needed and required.  I'm a minimalist at heart (modern, cold hard surfaces, st/st you name it) so adding softening edges and introducing the proper colors really helped .   I also used it where I could but was not upset in those places where I missed the point of it,,  LOL .

The simplest book that explains it that I have read is and that I refer to when arranging furniture and painting or alterating any section of my home to include the garden, garage, basement etc.. is 

Home Design with feng Shui A-Z by Terah Kathryn Collins http://www.amazon.com/Home-Design-Feng-House-Lifestyles/dp/1561707880

Again welcome to the board, I'm sure we'll be talking much more about this topic... 

Pets! Yes. I believe it does.

An orderly and safe home eliminates opportunities for children and pets to get into difficulty. I have an almost 17 year old dog who is almost totally blind ... we think she may still see shadows in VERY bright places ... BUT she finds her way to her water/food bowls because there is a unobstructed path for her to follow.

It might mean your getting down on all fours and "walking" the walk your pets will take and assessing the dangers.

There is no room in feng shui theory for "hoarding" and for clutter so when you start packing to move, keep ONLY what you can use now or in the very near future and only keep what you love. Give away, donate, recycle, or toss EVERYTHING that doesn't fit into those categories. By doing so, you will eliminate negative chi ... by allowing someone else to "love" and use what you no longer love or have use for.

I have some great ideas I'll share for bed position and use of crystals and such. Buy a little packet of smudge for when you first move into your new place to "clear it".

I've uploaded a bagua map for you to play with. There are lots of color and materials hints. Start with a desk top.

Fun times ahead for you!

Francine