eHow.com Video: Chinese Home Decorations

Chinese Home Decorations

Chinese Home Decorations

Chinese home decorations bring meaning and symbolism to a space. Coins, zodiac animals and lucky bamboo offer wealth, harmony, growth and more. Add oranges for positive energy. 

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Video Transcript:

I'm Anjie Cho, and today I'm sharing with you the meanings behind using Chinese decorations in your home.

First are the ten Chinese coins of the Ching Dynasty. These are reproductions of coins from the Ching Dynasty representing the ten emperors from that time period. The coins represent abundance of wealth and power. It's beneficial to put these in an area that's easily seen from the entry. It can bring you wealth and money from an upright and legitimate source.

Another Chinese home decoration is the 12 zodiac animals. This is a representation of all 12 animals together on a cord. Each year is represented by a different animal and they are all included here, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Each animal represents an archetype. This decoration combines all 12 of the zodiac animals to represent harmony. This decoration is beneficial to put in the center of a home to represent harmony with all the members of the family.

The third Chinese home decoration is lucky bamboo. Bamboo is abundant in Asia and grows very quickly. It represents upright and honest growth as well as flexibility and adaptability. The bamboo plant does not flower or fruit. Its life span is long but simple. It's also hollow which represents an empty heart of humbleness. Coincidentally in Western culture, it's a symbol for the green sustainability movement.

In Feng Shui lucky bamboo is best when it's straight and not curly or twisted which can represent the opposite of upright and positive growth. Lucky bamboo represents a wood element of kindness, flexibility and healing growth.

Plants also add life energy to a space. Lucky bamboo is great because they can thrive in a variety of lighting conditions and in water or in soil and it's very easy to find. If the green starts to fade into yellow, it probably needs a little bit more light. Just so you know the lucky bamboo you will often find is technically not bamboo but symbolically the plant works the same way.

Finally, the last Chinese home decoration I will talk about is a bowl of oranges. In feng shui, oranges and orange peels contribute positive, fresh and brightening energy our inner and outer environments. Oranges are very auspicious and lucky in Chinese culture. You can always find oranges as decorations at any Chinese festivity. The oranges transform the home with vibrant, life-giving positive energy.

An easy way to incorporate oranges as a home decoration is to get a lovely Asian style bowl like this one, a green, black or white bowl complements the color of oranges very well. In Feng Shui a bowl of fresh oranges adds happiness and brightness to any room.

I'm Anjie Cho, Feng Shui designer with Anjie Cho Architect and founder of Holistic Spaces and today I shared with you the meanings and applications for Chinese home decorations.

by Anjie Cho

Get a happy home with Feng shui

featured last week on Examiner.com

Feng shui is not just about moving furniture around; it’s really a philosophy that looks at how to design a healthy and positive environment that supports and nurtures you. According to Anjie Cho “Today, I will share with you three simple ways to use feng shui to create a healthy, happy and holistic home."

Add Houseplants

When we talk about creating a holistic home, an important factor to consider is the indoor air quality. Houseplants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and remove harmful chemicals from the air. They also add natural beauty to your home, bringing some nature inside. From the feng shui perspective, green houseplants add the wood element. The wood element brings life, joy, and flexibility into the home. Plants create a softer and more vibrant energy in a home and are healing visually and physically.

Reduce EMFs

In this modern world, we are inundated by dangerous electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and radiation emitted by electronic devices such as Wi-Fi, mobile phones, computers and even the electrical wiring found in your home. EMFs produce stress on the body and cause health problems such as fatigue, headaches, and even nausea.

Orange Essential Oil

Unfortunately, many conventional cleaning products are made up of toxic chemicals. Not only do we breathe in the toxins, the chemicals get absorbed directly into our bloodstream through our skin. One of the easiest ways to make your home more sustainable and healthy is to switch to non-toxic cleaners.

Here is a recipe to make your own feng shui, non-toxic, all purpose cleaner:
You need white vinegar, water and your orange essential oil. In feng shui, oranges and orange peels represent vibrant life, affirming happy energy. On a practical level orange oil disinfects, enhances your mood, and it just smells so good and clean. To make the non- toxic all-purpose cleaner, take one part vinegar to three parts water and add 18 drops of orange essential oil in an empty spray bottle. Then shake it up! This all-purpose solution is great for wiping down counters, windows, glass, bathroom surfaces, floors, etc. As a feng shui plus, the orange scent carries with it vibrant life energy to clear space, and in turn rejuvenates you and your home.

There you have it, a happy home in just 3 easy steps! 

by Anjie Cho

eHow.com Video: How to Get VOCs Out of Clothing

How to Get VOCs Out of Clothing

How to Get VOCs Out of Clothing

VOCs,  Volatile Organic Compounds, are toxic and harmful to humans. Learn how to remove these VOCs from your clothing

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Video Transcript:

 

I'm Anjie Cho and this is how to get VOCs out of clothing.

Did you know that conventional clothing off gases VOCs? VOCs stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. Toxins are released into the air by VOCs from synthetic materials found in buildings, in traditional paint, furniture and even clothing. VOCs are found in even what you might consider natural fabric like cotton. Many fabrics are treated with VOCs during the washing, dyeing and printing processes. VOCs can cause health problems such as headaches, dizziness as well as skin and respiratory problems.

Clothing is especially problematic because of the direct skin contacts, and we can easily absorb toxins directly through our skin. So, how do you get the VOCs out of your clothing? First, air the clothing out outdoors, in sunlight if possible.

The most effective way to reduce VOCs is to allow the clothing to off gas in a well-ventilated place in sunlight. This allows the VOCs to dissipate and leave the fabric. If you don't have outdoor space, set a fan up or make sure you have a breezy room. Setup some indoor green plants which will help to absorb the off gas and chemicals.

Second, after you've aired out the clothing, be sure to soak and wash them thoroughly with a non-toxic eco-friendly laundry detergent with an additional cup of baking soda added. I suggest soaking the clothing overnight, then wash and air dry the clothing. Again, make sure you use eco-friendly non-toxic laundry detergent, so you don't add back in more toxins. Repeat these two steps as required, but for most of us one round should be enough.

Although VOCs can be harmful to our health, we can use natural methods to remove the VOCs from our clothing.

by Anjie Cho