Monthly Archives: January 2014

gather round the fire

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This 1950’s fireplace had the look of a frumpy overweight couch potato. With low ceilings the two toned effect of the white upper portion and grayish stone lower half made the room look even more compressed than it is. Solution: Paint it all one color (I chose a bright white).

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Not For Navigation art work by © Katy Allgeyer 2014

Not only does the room seem to have taller ceilings, the white bounces more light into an otherwise dark corner of this home. Prior to painting, the actual fireplace interior would disappear. Now you know it’s there and the slate hearth provides a welcome bench to sit by the fire. The only caveat is make sure you want to paint your brick or stone because once it’s done, there’s no turning back without a lot of trouble.

In feng shui terms, these elements are represented here: fire (d’uh!), earth (the slate and brick), metal (the white color paint), wood (the logs), and the painted scene of water and air complete the spectrum for good feng shui balance.

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Filed under Architecture, Creativity & Future Projects, Design, Feng Shui Home, Fun, Getting Organized, Uncategorized

stinky pink to power pink: bathroom makeover

I have one of those 1950’s houses with the original sugar almond pastel bathrooms. Mine are a blue one and a pink one. When we bought the house, my boyfriend and I never did anything to it. Saving the pink bathroom was always the plan. But the sink stand and the multicolored paint job with wallpaper border around the ceiling? Ugh. Here are a few pictures (I was so excited to get started I forgot to take “Before” pics until I had already begun!).

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In order to get a clean fresh look without spending much money I decided to go to Home Depot with my Cheap & Ch’i- ful checklist:

*Embrace the Pink: The wall color is Behr Pink Ginger. By keeping the walls and the ceiling monotone with the tile, it feels like a more spacious bathroom.

*The sink stand was refreshed by attaching stainless steel peel off tiles to the sides and partial detail on the front. Martha Stewart Living Specialty Metallic Paint in “Thundercloud” was used to match the Aspect Peel & Stick Matted Tiles in Square/Stainless pattern.

*The window had plenty of ug-factor, too. Not seen here are the home made “old lady curtains” and the chrome towel bar that kept falling down. I removed those and found a paper folded “Redi-Shade” for under $5 at Home Depot. (Yes,it will probably unfold with the bathroom humidity—that remains to be seen!—but for now it gives me the look I want until I can replace it with a really nice shade or blind. Plus, I can always take baths in my pink bathtub to avoid steaming up the room!). I painted the trim in the same metallic paint.

*I searched my own art collection for pieces that would fit into the Art Deco-ish space. These may evolve into other art work but for now I think it looks okay.

All for less than $200. Here are the pics:image_4

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STILL TO DO:
I have painted the inside of the door Pink Ginger, too. The current trim is white but I plan to paint it metallic silver to match the window. The toilet seat is white. I searched around the internet and found Bemis has over 95 retro shades at their website. There are 4 possible matches to my commode so I ordered samples ($1 each) and will order the $85 seat that goes best. I need to replace the caulk around my pink bathtub and scrub up the chrome sliding doors, too. I may rethink my towels but for now these’ll do.

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I realize this ‘renovation’ is the equivalent of buying a new lipstick instead of getting a facelift. But have I improved the feng shui? Yes! By transforming something ugly into something vibrant and fresh I have created lots of happy energy. And for now, I can live with that.

PS: Sorry the photographs are not the greatest. My beloved partner/photographer passed away in September. Find out what happened at the Going to Goa Blog.

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Filed under Architecture, Creativity & Future Projects, Design, Feng Shui, Feng Shui Home, Fun, Getting Organized, Interior Design

year of the horse 2014

© Po Ping Lo 2014

© Po Ping Lo 2014

Kung Hei Fat Choy! That means Happy New Year to you. January 31st rings in Chinese New Year. The beautiful illustration above was done by my dear friend Po Ping in Hong Kong. We’ve been friends for 36 years but who’s counting? See some of her previous illustrations by searching this blog for CNY posts.

The Year of the Horse comes galloping in with action and forward motion, so get ready for big changes in your life! You won’t have time to graze in your pasture until the holiday season at the end of this year. Whether you are an elegant show horse or a wild pony, you’ll have a prosperous year if you get off your butt and JUST DO IT! No excuses. Finish that project, meet that fitness goal, get a fresh start. This is the year you can make great strides in anything you set your mind–and your body–to.

Have you been wondering why there were no posts by fishgirl on this blog for a loooong time? Check out my other blog: going to goa to find out what happened.

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MLK ART SALES TO BENEFIT UNCF Campaign for Emergency Student Aid

Feng Shui By Fishgirl

I’m a big dreamer and belong to a couple of wonderful dream circles. Martin Luther King appeared to me in several dreams over the years. In one of my dreams, I actually heard Dr. King reciting his famous “I have a dream” speech. I’m not sure if it was a flashback memory for me…I was 8 years old when he made that speech. In any case, I felt compelled to honor that vision with one of my super large paintings (48″ x 60″) in my Location Series. Above is the result: mixed media acrylic paint, oil sticks, road maps of Atlanta, ink on canvas, paper artist’s palette. The original painting is a central focus in my dining room right now and is available for sale ($4,500). 25% of sales of this painting will be donated by Feng Shui By Fishgirl to the United Negro College Fund Campaign For Emergency Student…

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