I do believe that we can very strongly enhance moods and mitigate moods we want to get rid of. I thought I said that pretty clearly, but a lot of people seem to think I said that we can't affect moods at all. What I did try to say and what I do believe, is that we can not create a mood from scratch. Maro, if you relax through gardening, I would suggest that the physical motion, sense of accomplishement, or the distraction relaxes you from your description. That is much different than having someone enter a garden and having their mood changed by what they experience by being in it. It is, however, creating a place through design that gives you an activity which you do with the purpose of gaining a certain experience. Anyone remember the three things that I mentioned were taught to me - activity, experience, requirement by a very brilliant professor (James Kuska). It took him a half year of beating us over the head with it until only some of us got it. Activity = gardening Desired Experience = relaxation Requirement = x SF of garden space, full sun for most of the day,... Relaxation is the mitigation of the stress. In order to relax in a garden you need to have brought stress to the garden in the first place, I think. (dark vs. light, Eric) If the cops chase the violent criminal through a well designed peace garden, does he give up? If you are sad and blue and sit in a beautiful colorful quiet garden that feels private and to yourself, do you feel better? Of course. Are you completely elated and turned around completely by it? I don't think so. The design enhanced a littlebit of your good feelings and reduced some of the bad. It did not create a mood from scratch. Planning activities that you already know evoke certain feelings are a great place to start. Don't dismiss the actions of looking, smelling, hearing, ... as not being activities. Some activities are very passive, but they are important activities. The physical landscape that you build will effect the experiences that people get out of whatever activity they do. Predefining what that experience should be certainly frames what the physical landscape should be like to attain that experience. Does that make sense to anyone, but me?

I worked once at a christmas shoppe who sold the battery powered candles. This was sixteen years ago, and things have come a long way since then. One young fellow invested a small fortune in them, and he told me he was going to use the rechargeable batteries in them. Sounded like a good idea to me, coming from a young teen. They're using things like halograms and LEDs in many fake fire items and they're very realistic.

MizAnnThrope, I too have little family left....all of the immediate family on both DH's side and my side, siblings and in-laws, are gone and we never had any children. I was feeling down about it. (We had spent a number of xmases alone.) I wanted to share my house and my decorations with people but everyone kept putting me off until January. I kept trying though and now I've had friends over a couple of times already, there will now be 10 of us for dinner on xmas day, I have more friends coming over for dessert after xmas, plus I have another few coming over maybe between xmas and new years, another couple on the sat after xmas and another couple the following weekend. Another friend reached out to us and invited us to join his family for xmas dinner, and I had to turn him down, but I was so touched, nonetheless. So I went from a dearth to an abundance with a little effort and putting it to the Universe to provide what I need....I'm thinking now what I need is a little more refrigerator space! ;) While there is sadness with having no family, there is something wonderful about being able to create your own new "family" with friends and neighbors. Each of these events is like a holiday to me, spreading my holiday cheer over a whole month instead of just on a single day. Xmas to me means children, and since I don't have any, every year, I do a "secret santa" thing where I sneak presents onto the front porch for the neighbor kids late on xmas eve....I have more fun doing that, I think, than the kids have receiving the gifts. You are not alone. If you choose, you can reach out to those in need. You can contact a food bank or a place that provides meals on the holiday. You can put together care packages (combs, lotions and the socks with the rubber grippers on them are always needed...even small teddy bears are welcome) and take them to a local nursing home. You can contact your local hospital and see if there isn't something you can do there. You can reach out to neighbors ...make batches of cookies and deliver them. Contact your local senior center and see if they can recommend visiting people who are shut-ins. Or you can choose to be alone and find the peace and comfort you need in your solitude. But even in that, know that you are not alone. That you are part of the cosmic wonder that is the universe. That every cell in your body is made up of atoms that came from the stars. That when you walk, the entire world is under your feet, supporting you. And that an abundance of gifts surround you every moment. All you need do is notice them. I'm wishing you the very best for the holidays, and asking that you receive that which you need the most.

I created the mood board in MS Word. I just copied and pasted pictures from the web and sent them forward or backward depending on how I wanted it to look. Then I opened the document in paint and saved it as a jpg.\ The table is quartersawn oak from the 1920s so I think I will stain it in a classic craftsman dark brown, without any red tones in it. I want it to stay classic and neutral so I am able to use it in a different setting in the future. Here is the room with the curtains and rug. We still have to connect the two sides of the room with bookcases that go over the window. I also need to style the bookcases better. My sofette will be here in a couple weeks. And I also need to add task lighting and switch out the current light fixture.