Feng shui is an ancient Chinese belief that states that the way your home is organized will, in turn, influence everything else in your life. From your finances to your inner happiness, the aspects that feng shui influences are limitless. If you want to decorate your home in a way that better serves your feng shui, use these basic principles.

• Keep things minimal. First and foremost, improve your home’s feng shui by getting rid of everything that you don’t need—including furniture, clothing and even kitchen supplies. This will leave you with more space for movement, creativity, and positive energy.
• Maximize natural light. Take down heavy drapes and blinds and replace them with sheer curtains that allow in as much natural light as possible.
• Add plants. Feng shui emphasizes the importance of having green plants to clean your home’s air and add a peaceful look to every room. Try options like jade plants and aloe plants that require little maintenance.
• Leave entryways clear. Feng shui says that the doors allow positive energy to flow into your home, so be sure to leave yours clear.
• Face the doors. Important pieces of furniture, such as your desk and your bed, should always face the door of the room without sitting directly in front of it.

Feng Shui 101 for Your Living Space [Wonder How To]
10 Easy Feng Shui Rules You Should Follow [Kris Carr]
Feng Shui Decorating Tips [Real Simple]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr saiberiac

Expand your culinary horizons with some authentic Colombian food at Villa de Colombia. Huge portions, a welcoming ambiance, authentic recipes, and nice prices make this a great stop for lunch or dinner. The lunch special gets you an entree with vegetables, plantains, and rice, plus soup, beans, or salad for a mere $7.95. Favorite dishes are the Bistec Encebollado – steak with onions and mushrooms, Pechuga en Salsa de Campignones – grilled chicken breast with mushroom sauce, Bandeja Paisa – grilled plantains, steak, and pork topped with a fried egg, and Arroz Con Camarones – shrimp with rice. No liquor is served, but you can bring your own – they’ll even make you some sangria.

Public Domain/Public Domain

Uncle Louie G’s Italian Ice & Ice Cream is a one-stop dessert shop for all of your favorite sweet, icy treats. Whether you prefer the creamy flavor of ice cream or the cold, refreshing taste of Italian ice, you’ll find both at this old-fashioned dessert shop. The small chain of ice creameries has locations across the East Coast, but the Bergen County location is one of the best places in town to cool off on a hot summer day — or any day of the year, really.

There’s never a bad time to enjoy a colorful, gourmet Italian ice, a velvety scoop of vanilla ice cream made with real milk, or a thick, creamy milkshake topped with whipped cream and a cherry. The flavors change from day to day at Uncle Louie G’s, and there’s always something new to try. If you’re planning a special occasion, you’ll even find custom ice cream cakes that can be personalized with your own message.

Uncle Louie G’s
111 West Pleasant Avenue
Maywood, NJ 07607
(201) 909-5151
www.unclelouiegee.com/locations/1244/new-jersey-maywood

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr stu_spivack