Fresh off of showing my fireplace decorated for Winter, it's time to bring in some color!

There's nothing like color to brighten up your thoughts and emotions during the Winter months, so if you're wondering what you can do to lift your energy at this time, it's easy! Start by bringing in some fun colors to your room!

One of my favorite yearly celebrations is coming up! It's Mardi Gras. The Colors of Mardi Gras are Purple, Green and Gold. Purple represents justice, green is faith and gold represents power.

Beads in these colors are thrown to the crowds as the floats pass by in the parades. It is said that if you catch the beads, the color represents the type of good luck you will receive this year. Remember it's bad juju to steal beads from someone else who caught them, that's only going to reverse that fortune and bring the bad upon you, such as loss of power, faith or justice for you.

I've added some of these colors to my fireplace here with the addition of my carnival mask along...

My Winter look on the fireplace...

• The stark Manzanita branch is bare but painted gold with the reminder that the light always returns.
  
  
• Hints of Neoclassic design and ancient wisdom hold court with the Greek goddess bust.
  
  
• The Scottish Law books in the middle are over 100 years old, a reminder of justice and balance.
  
  
• Black and white checks in the vase represent the duality in this world, masculine, feminine, light and dark, yin and yang, cold and hot, positive and negative. What path do you follow?
  
  
• And of course, the gorgeous peacock feathers are lush and green in their beauty symbolizing awakening.

Winter is the time where we go within and rest, restoring our energy so that we can bloom in Spring.

I could go on describing the spiritual meaning and purpose of every item placed here on the mantel, as it is carefully cultivated and selected to create and amplify this energy in my home with the intent to support, uplift and inspire.

Is your home in tune with the seasons and...

Here we are on the eve of an entire New DECADE.

It's exciting on a "global consciousness" level.

First, let me explain how energy works within and around us…

In a nutshell, what we think, we create. We are co-creators with the Universe.

Your thoughts gather in the energy field around your physical body known as the aura. 

The more you focus on a specific thought, the larger it grows in size and strength in the mental field of the aura bubble around you.

If you combine that mental thought with the emotional energy field in the aura surrounding your physical body, the thought then accelerates and magnifies even greater.

Each person does this on some level every day. If you wake up every morning and have the same thought, it soon becomes part of your belief system and eventually it becomes part of your reality. This is why so many coaches, therapists, thought leaders and inspirational speakers spend so much time explaining what negative self-talk can do to you and...

It's fun to watch my clients newly decorated homes continue to redefine themselves throughout the seasons of the year.  As I work with each client to "redesign their homes and their lives from the inside out", transformations occur both within the home and the client themselves.

In a project I did earlier this year, we transformed my clients dining room into a space that reflects her love of wine and the Tuscany region.  The beautiful blue and gold tones anchor this space and are reflected boldly in the gorgeous rug from Grandin Road.

The new Hooker Furniture Archivist round table and chairs invite all who enter a place of welcome and honor at the table and the canvas artwork depicting Lake Como announces the mood and intent of the room. Lemons placed on the table runner and and an olive tree set in a deep blue planter complete the mood of this space.

I'm delighted to share some holiday decor photos of this room, with one of my client's adorable cats playing host for this...

If you've followed my writings for a while, you know that I love the holidays. I love celebrating them, decorating for them and sharing rituals and inspirational thoughts on how to connect with holidays on a deeper more meaningful level.

During the month of December, I celebrate the Holiday Season. What I love most is that no matter what religious or spiritual belief you connect with, they all focus on a return to light at this time. I think it's important to honor this special time of year as a season, meaning a collection of days over a period of time, rather than a focus on one day. This allows us time to have a conscious connection engaging with the sights, sounds, smells and scenery around us, as well as the time to reflect on the deeper meanings of the season.  We can take in the joy of the season, putting up a tree, hanging garland and decorating with shiny colorful objects, ribbons and of course, lights! The smell of pine, cinnamon, sugar, orange, and many other...

Sophisticated, elegant and strong, the color black, whether it's a little black dress, the sleek color of a car or in the décor of a home, exudes confidence and success.

The most important rule to remember when using this color in home décor, is that a little goes a long way... 

There's a trend happening now with black in interior design and I'm already seeing it used in an overkill and suffocating kind of way where the entire room is covered in black.  

Much like the color grey, which I wrote about earlier, black, when used too much, can have a negative effect, instead of the desired intention.

Where I think black goes too far is when entire kitchens or bathrooms are designed in black, the cabinets, walls, toilets, etc. The effect can feel depressing as the color dominants the room and creates a heavy depressive feeling. How does the photo above of the black kitchen make you feel? Are you ready to cook and enjoy your time in this room?

But Kala you...

Today's question is:

"Dear Kala, I had an experience recently that keeps presenting in my thoughts and I am hoping you can help me make some sense from it.

I’m a photographer by profession, and on a recent shoot at a client’s home, her daughter kept tagging along with me, even though her mom asked her not to, and her clearly being a well behaved kid. I stated that I enjoyed her company, and she said “I like to be with you.”

When I asked her why, her reply was this: “because of the lights.”

I thought she meant the external flash, so I asked if she wanted to hold it or push the button to fire it. She looked at me and started...

Holiday Tablescapes are fun to make and often you can use what you already have in your home and add to it with a fun new item each year.

Here's an example of a tablescape that I made for my dining room table this year.

First I lay a runner on the table. The runner (a beige linen) here can't be seen by the time I'm done, but it's great to anchor and support the garland.

On top of the runner, I began with my Southern Magnolia Gold Leaf garland from Ballard Designs.

Next, running through the garland, I added the Suzanne Kasler Red Plaid Ribbon, which this year, I'm pretty much using it everywhere! I love plaid so much and Suzanne's ribbon, available at Ballard Designs, is great quality, wired and able to twist and bend any way that you want it.

Next I added some sprigs of berries, tucking them into the garland. You can find these anywhere at craft stores, these in particular here are from Martha Stewart and are available on QVC.

The white Light Up Lanterns and Gold Moravian Stars are...