December | 2025 | Valentina Expressions

Mirror Energy

December is the month to decorate for the holidays and to prepare our homes for guests visiting during the holidays. Most of the furniture stores I used to visit to get pieces for my clients have closed. This is the case at least in my area. The few that have survived are not even worth visiting. I often see people in charity shops, looking for bargains or unique items.

I like things of the past. They have a style and flair that modern items don’t have. I became a frequent visitor to second-hand stores, where I often find unusual items. Mirrors have caught my attention. Their reflection, if strategically placed, can be interesting and change the perspective on things. But, used mirrors and used clothes still carry the former owner’s good or bad energy.

A good cleansing at the dry cleaner and your used clothes will have a fresh energy. As for the second-hand mirrors, burn a white sage near them. Move the sage around the mirrors to clean them.

The first mercury mirror was invented in 16th-century Venice, Italy. This innovation provided a true, clear reflection as we see it today.

Before the invention of a modern mirror, it was a common belief that mirrors were the door to the underworld. It was the way to talk to the Gods, read the future and communicate with the dead. Oxidian was a black stone that, after it was polished, became highly reflective. The people of the Anatolia plateau, in what is now modern Turkey, used it not to see their reflection. Instead, they talked to the dead through it.

The Egyptians polished copper to create a reflective surface, but the reflection was distorted and never true to reality.

The reflection of a mirror is important to the well-being of the home and to your personal well-being. You want to show beautiful corners that will double the beauty when reflected in the mirror. Never show the untidiness and the uncleanliness. There are many rules about the position of mirrors that I observe religiously. For instance, never place a mirror across the bed. If you are sick in bed, your reflection of being sick will double. This will prolong your perception of being sick and will retard the healing process.

I hope you have a great holiday season. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com

Copyright © 2025 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant. She recently certified as a colour analyst/therapist. She is also an author of 6 published books, a storyteller and a longtime blogger. Her books offer non-fictional, practical ideas. These ideas can be applied in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

High On The Heel

I am addicted to shoes! There, I said it!
I wonder why I keep finding so many women with the same problem. Feet have the difficult task of supporting the whole body’s weight like sturdy platforms, but they are not the prettiest part of the human body. I think, because of that, women want to beautify their feet with attractive shoes. They also care for them with massages and spa treatments. In fact, in Italy, we say “happy feet, clear mind”. If you often have a headache, most likely, your feet are tired and sore, or constricted in the wrong shoes.

When I first arrived in the US, I saw women filling up shopping carts with shoes. To me, that was absurd at least then. In Italy, we bought a couple of good pairs for winter and summer, and that was it. I was new in the country and every custom looked strange or awkward. Still, it didn’t take me long to learn and absorb the culture. Now, I lead the pack of women buying shoes with a shopping cart.
Lately, these colorful brocade ankle boots have sparked my fancy. They lace up in the front through antique hooks. They look like what the French Can Can dancers wore in the 1800th. I bought three pairs. The unfinished wood heels bothered me, the only detail that made these shoes look low-class. My artistic sense told me I needed to paint the heels black. So, I did, I painted them with an acrylic waterproof pen and a coat of varnish. I loved the result, and anyway, these are not shoes for a rainy day.

High heels were not born as the prerogative of vain women. They were mainly intended for men of power in positions of command. They were also made for warriors on horseback. The function was to keep the warriors’ feet firm in the stirrup of the saddle. In the 1600s, King Louis XIV of France, known as the “Sun King” (Le Roi Soleil), designed shoes with red heels. He created them specifically for himself. No one was allowed to wear heels higher than the King’s.

Soon, women fell under the spell of the high heels. The society’s mood of that period was very coquettish and feminine for both men and women. Psychologically, women felt more beautiful in high heels, more attractive, flirtatious, taller and slimmer. Their power was to seduce men to gain power and social status. They started with the feet. Shoe makers started to pay attention to women’s feet. They made very feminine, pointed silk slippers called sabots. These shoes featured small heels. To show the tips of the shoes, furtively peeping out of the long dresses, was sexy and flirtatious.

From then on, we know what happened to women’s shoes. Heels got bigger and chunkier. At times, they became slimmer and taller like a stiletto. Sometimes, heels have become uncomfortable. Still, we will wear them as long as they make us feel and look good. We will keep wearing them even when they hurt. Ciao,
Valentina
https://valentinadesigns.com/services/#fashion-services