My Design Secrets

I started My Design Secrets more than a year ago with one goal in mind:  Help people who love home decorating by giving them professional advice and easy access to the best online interior decorating sources.  After receiving a lot of wonderful feedback and learning that close to 100,000 people visted the database last year, I realized that My Secret Database was the answer to many of your decorating prayers!  So, I  was determined to continue sharing my interior design advice and resources.

A couple of months ago, I announced that we would be making some upgrades to the website.  Now, the time has come!  We wanted to make My Design Secrets even more useful, interesting, and fun for all of you decorating enthusiasts. (And for those of you who don’t know, my husband, Tim,  is the what turns “me” into “we”.)

So, here is what’s in store…

Improvements to My Secret Database *

The new database is PHENOMENAL.  When it comes to home decorating, My Secret Database blows any search engine out of the water.  Take that Google!  Here’s why: 

• Search through hundreds of online retailers for the product(s) you need and in the specific style you want.
• View a wide assortment of photos of specific products from the vendors in My Secrets Database. 
• Check out the the handy $-$$-$$$!  These icons will help you stay within your home decorating budget.

*While we wanted to keep doing all this for free, a girl has got to make a living!   With all these great new features, we are confident that you will recognize what a great value it is.  So starting this Wednesday at noon, My Secret Database is going to become a membership only site.  We are sure you will agree that the nominal charge of $9.95 per month is a fair price for access to this incredibly valuable, time-saving database.

Hot New Topics and Inside Tips in the Blog (Free)

The blog will continue to be free of charge and will offer my professional design tips as well as introductions to some of the hottest new decorating sources on the web.  I have lots of great ideas for new topics and, as always, you are welcome to make suggestions.  Feel free to search my existing blog entries covering over 350 decorating topics!

Great New Giveaways

We know you all love a Great Giveaway, so those are definitely going to continue.  We have some great ones lined up for high quality paint, gorgeous home furnishings, and fabulous interior decorating/design books.  And remember, your paid membership will automatically enter you into the giveaways.

Thank You…Thank You…Thank You

I have appreciated your support over the last year and sincerely hope that you will find these upgrades very helpful as you continue to put your personal decorating stamp on your home.

~ Lorrie

This giveaway has ended but keep your eye out for new giveaways every week! ~Lorrie

The winners of this giveaway are:

Deborah Sloan

Chi Shannon

Susan Vandermeer

 

Are you feeling lucky?  Well I hope so!  Because I have a super cool giveaway that might just turn your day around.  We were fortunate enough to hook up with Feng Shui and holistic health expert Ellen Whitehurst and she wants to share her tips and tricks to get the luck flowing in your direction in 2009! 

Many of you probably know a little about feng shui, but not enough to really incorporate any changes or “cures” into your life.  “Make This Your Lucky Day” is fantastic because it gives you fun and easy secrets and shortcuts…now that’s my cup of tea!  The book covers the most important aspects of your life such as Family & Friends, Health and Prosperity. 

 

 

So Ellen has generously donated 3 “Make This Your Lucky Day” books which we are going to pass on to three of our lucky readers. 

Bonus Alert:  With each book she has also included Three Chinese Coins tied to a Red Ribbon.  Here are a few ways that you can use them to get luck flowing in your direction:

• Place the coins under your welcome mat to represent money finding its way to your doorstep.
• Affix them to the upper left hand corner of your checkbook to increase you bottom line.
• Place them near your fax machine or phone to get the good news moving toward you!

 

Want to Win?  Here’s how….

If you would like to win one of three books, this is what you need to do:

Step 1:  If you have not already done so, sign up for My Design Secrets updates via RSS feed or email.

Step 2:  Leave me one comment below.  Creativity and humor appreciated but not required. 

One entry per person.  You have until 11:59PM EST on Tuesday, December 23rd to enter.  A random winner will be chosen and announced soon after.  Good luck!

~Lorrie

P.S.  If you want to order one to give as a holiday gift, click here!

Today I am happy to share a guest post from my friend and Feng Shui expert, Michele Angelo.  Michele is one of the most balanced people I know and tend to think that using feng shui in her environment plays a big part.  She has helped me bring a lot of balance into my home (a crystal here, a fountain there) and I have given her consultations to friends and family as gifts.  I can certainly attest to the value of this ancient art form and Michele’s expertise.  Today she is sharing her background with us and she’ll share more feng shui tips in the future.

Enjoy! 

Feng Shui gained a lot of mainstream popularity after Donald Trump shared the fact that he uses it on many of his projects. Still there are people who don’t know what it is or even how to pronounce it! (fung shway). When you Google it you are confronted with such terms as: black hat sect, classic Chinese, four pillars, ming kwa number, baqua, bazhai, elements, flying star, a zillion cures, what does it all mean and what exactly is feng shui?

Feng Shui (literally means wind and water) is about the flow of wind and the containment (water) of chi (energy) in our environments. Feng shui maximizes or cultivates the auspicious “sheng chi” or positive chi (life force energy). It is the study of the heavens and the earth in relation to human beings. And the goal is to maximize the good and minimize the negative. It can help us to choose a way of life and a place to live that is in harmony with our way of being human.

The first time I was introduced to feng shui was through a continuing education program for interior designers. This program was based on a type of feng shui called “Black Hat”. I found it to be very mysterious, a bit cult like and without much depth. I was told this was a watered down version that made it easier for us westerners to implement and understand. I personally was put off by the hocus pocus kind of feeling I was getting from this particular instructor, but feng shui wasn’t through with me just yet!

A year or so later I was once again introduced to feng shui, however this time something called “Classical Feng Shui” which is based on the compass directions and goes back thousands of years. I was intrigued enough to embark on a 2 year study which included 5 course modules, then a 100 question test and 4 feng shui projects to be completed in a three month period then sent to the instructor in Australia to be graded.

During these two years I studied the relationship of the five elements, wood, water, earth, metal and fire and the energies that are always at work. These energies affect us all and are happening whether we believe in feng shui or not. I will begin to share some of the basics over the coming weeks and today I am going to tell you a little about your ming kwa number.

A person’s ming kwa number is determined by the year of birth and it is calculated differently for a man than for a woman. The number is associated with an element (wood, water, fire, metal, earth) and a compass direction. This specific direction (say it’s north) is known as your most auspicious direction, and there are three other directions (south, southeast, east) that are auspicious for you as well. The remaining 4 directions are then considered in-auspicious and may need to be cured. Your ming kwa number helps us to determine the compatibility of a spouse, room mate, family members and co workers. The ming kwa number also helps me identify which way your working desk should face, the direction of the head of the bed, how your health might be affected. In addition, I can advise on ways to harmonize the inauspicious other four directions in the home.

You might consider a consultation if you are feeling stuck, moving, wanting a new relationship, having relationship discord, work problems or you want to give it as a gift to a family member or friend you feel would benefit. I am available for feng shui consultations which can be accomplished long distance and the fee is $350.00. Feel free to contact me at fengshuiconsult@yahoo.com. 

~Michele Angelo