My house during CNY to welcome an abundance of good luck & prosperity!

Once a year, I will "dress up" my house in bright red auspicious colours to welcome the Chinese Lunar New Year. I try not to go OTT about it, but some little details are necessary, I feel.

My living room all ready for the CNY. I snapped these photos at 1am last night, when it was finally more or less ready!

On my coffee table, my favourite big fern plant on top of a bright red cloth, as well as 福 tissue box, my bowl of golden coins, ingots, and abacus, and also the 3-legged frog with coin in its mouth. 

A close up of my bowl of wealth! Signify loads of money on the way and in the bag!

Sweets and chocolate, during the CNY, we must speak with grace and a nice word for everyone.

Lots of 福福福福福福福福福福 and lantern....

..... the other side is lots of 旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺旺......

My plants are also "dressed up" with a mock plant of mandarin oranges and auspicious characters.

Mandarin oranges in a big tray with the Namgyalma plaque and the Laughing Buddha behind. Mandarin oranges signify gold.

Gong Xi Fa Cai next to a small window in the living room facing Northwest, one of the luckiest feng shui sectors in 2011 with the annual wealth star 8.

Finally my main door outside is ready, with a red banner with auspicious couplets. The red mantra plaque was blessed by my guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche last year. Notice my semi round blue floor mat which is supposed to attract wealth into the house.

Inside my main door, a 大吉 and 6 coins on door knob to welcome wealth (my main door is at the wealth area of the house), as well as more mantras above the door, all blessed and consecrated. Anyone who walks past the door, the mantras have the power to purify many eons of negative karma.

A big 春 at my kitchen door, where part of the wealth area of the house lies. 

A small Laughing Buddha with a kirin and a Nian Gao (sticky cake) in the shape of the gold ingot in the kitchen.

All 发糕 are turning mouldy means 'fa mei', which are supposed to mean "prosperity". 

The kitchen stove is very important in terms of feng shui, as it signifies your career. I pasted a 福 here.

My money plants decorated and rice urn filled to the brim, which signifies never having to go hungry. 

My happy Laughing Buddha and notice the golden gourd (hu lu)?  This year the Sickness Star, a misfortune star has arrived in the South sector. It is a dangerous star that indicates accidents, illness and lost of wealth. That is why the hu lu is placed here, to absorb all the ill energy.

Prune Kueh Lapis in an auspicious box, which I bought as my mom likes kueh lapis.

My living room from another angle. My house furniture is in Zen dark wood colour and white and green theme, as it is a East house, which means wood element.

This year I bought pussy willows which are sprayed red, which saved me the trouble of decorating it. It was so cheap at $1 per bunch!  All my CNY goodies are well hidden from the camera.

In a corner of the living room, a framed up abacus and 6 coins, a golden rooster (no, I am not a rooster), and a golden bowl filled with real rice inside. This signifies the iron rice bowl which means a career with guaranteed job security, as well as steady income and benefits.

My mom bought this bright red radish or something, and planted it in water. The leaves have started sprouting, and the red is gradually replaced by black spots (my uncle claimed that they look like the character 福). Hmm....

My dining area, a round marble table which sits 8-9 people. Notice the auspicious couplets?

My mom's floral arrangement which brightens up the house. My big round lamp in the living room, signifies the Dragon's pearl, which attracts yang energy into the house.

My cosy sofa corner. 

Red red red, everything must be red! 

Not forgetting my simple altar, with fruits, longevity buns, flower and light offerings  to Kuan Yin (the Buddha of Compassion) and Lama Tsongkhapa and the buddha relics.

五福临门 is a chinese idiom which means the five blessings have descended upon the house.

The wealth god is coming, not on the first day of the CNY but on 立春, Li Chun, the second day of CNY this year. Remember to invite him into the house on this day! 

Hope you enjoyed this blockbuster post of my house during CNY. Here's wishing all my readers of LOL8 blog a very prosperous rabbit year ahead!!!  Gong Xi Fa Cai !!!