apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

prayer flags are wonderful

Upon returning from a trip to France, my mom gave me a porcelain ciccada in which you put lavender branches. Hanging it above your front door is supposed to bring happiness into your home. It's the first thing I unpacked and installed when I moved into my house. When I visited Rwanda, I noticed most of the dwellings had these amazing trees (no leaves just huge red flowers that looklike fuzzy balls) growing in front of them. They were said to bring good fortune. I took pictures and hung one in my entryway.

I have a glass evil eye that I picked up in Turkey hanging on my wall. For those of you unfamiliar with evil eyes, here’s a picture:

http://mellowmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/evil-eye-amulet-300x300.jpg

It’s supposed to ward off bad people. So far it's worked pretty well. Twice someone tried, and failed, to break into my house. Unfortunately, my neighbor (who doesn't have an evil eye) wasn't so lucky.

I have a horseshoe - partly for luck and partly because it reminds me of my days of owning my own horse.

In college my roommate and I decided that we wanted to "Feng Shui" our apartment, but after a little bit of research I decided it was too complicated. BUT, the one thing I took from it was that hanging a crystal over your front door is supposed to help the flow of chi, so I still do that. It makes me smile.

I have a horse shoe (from my old horse) over my front door. Part for luck and part to remember her.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3444/3207374629_8943f608fb.jpg

I have a white gold four-leaf clover with a lucky saying on the back over my front door. I got it from my Mom who has had yellow gold version over her door for as long as I can remember.

I have a glass evil eye (Russian) at one door, brass pineapple over another door and crucifix at a third. I'm not taking any chances...

I just "found" a horse shoe in a bunch of stuff (or junk) my mom sent me from when I was little. It has my name on it, but it is on UPSIDE DOWN. I am not sure if I should bother hanging it... feels unlucky already, but I am probably just paranoid. Maybe I will get an evil eye to go with it.

I try to keep Feng Shui in mind while decorating my apartment - using certain certain colors, elements, shapes, symbols, etc. in certain areas of my apartment.

It not only helps me narrow down the variety of decorating choices but I've also received some benefits over the past few years...

I have a horseshoe hanging over my front door, but it's there more for sentimental reasons than superstition. It was given to me by an old college roommate, originally coming from one of her horses. She gave it as a housewarming gift for my first apartment and its hung in every place I've lived since.

Double boxs springs under a king sized bed cause seperatation between the couple, remedy, lay a red fabric over the split in between the matress and the box spring.

I think the horseshoe is charming.

I guess people do use crosses and prayer flags for luck, but that isn't their intention. Though once one of my icons fell down in the middle of the night, and that creeped me out a little.

When I first read this, I thought, nooo, I've never done that! But then I realized that I arrange our bedroom for, if not luck, then, I don't know... good energy I guess. I realize how flaky that might sound, but it made a difference in how I sleep and feel in the room. And I do try to decorate with positive things that connect me to people I love and things I admire, which I suppose is a form of this.

Since first living in Texas many years ago and getting acquainted with the Mexican people here, in New Mexico and in old Mexico, I've always kept a milagro or two around the house. A milagro is a tiny tin-plated image of something you're concerned about, usually a body part. You see tiny silvery hands, eyes, legs, feet, hearts, etc. hung by a nail in parts of the region populated by the Mexican people.

When you get into it, you start noticing chunky wooden crosses covered with milagros. I've got one covered with "cowboy milagros" next to my bed. Yes, I've been letting go of the knick-knacks, but the milagros stay. I've also got a milagro that is a pair of eyes in the kitchen.

Here's someone who has an overload of luck!

Sorry, I tried to post an and it didn't work out. You'll have to wonder.

when i bought my house last summer, my mother gave me a horseshoe to put over the front door.

and even though the layout of the master bedroom would work better with the bed facing the window, i didn't want to take any chances with luck and have it facing the door instead.

Next to the gate that goes to my backyard, I've hung a horseshoe that my friend and I found while hiking, though there's a "Beware of Dog" sign hanging directly on the gate!

I heard that painting a bathroom purple brings good financial luck. It seemed like a great excuse to have a purple bathroom, so as of this week, my bathroom is a great lilac color. I'll let you know if it works!