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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

2012 Color Trends: Bellflower


This is Part Three of Cocoon's 2012 Color Trend Series for Spring.

This week our color sets are inspired by the color Bellflower - one of the ten Spring 2012 colors (as declared by Pantone). Here is the set I put together, followed by a set put together by Tracy.

What is your favorite piece in this set? What in your closet or home would you pair it with?

Here's Tracy's version of Bellflower. I love her "hippie" slant inspired by the flower buckle!


Do you have a set you'd like to add?

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

$20 Tuesdays: Pink & Teal Earrings



Today's Deals and Steals - a bright and cheerful set of earrings. Only one pair available. Click here to make them yours and receive FREE shipping!


Monday, February 27, 2012

A Few Things I'm Passionate About





Just having fun with Polyvore and Pinterest. Inspired by my friend Jen and her Word Of The Month: Passion!








Monday Meditations: Purifying Fire


In this week's Monday Meditations, fire is the focus - burning away regrets, shame and bad habits so you can clear a path for healthier living. Here is Madonna Gauding's take on it, from her book, The Meditation Bible:
No one is free of negative, undermining habits. Perhaps you smoke, or spend too much money, or you have a habit of blowing up in anger at people you love when you really don't want to. Maybe you drive too fast and have had a few accidents nearly harming someone. Perhaps you have consistently cheated on your partner. You may still be caught up in your bad habits or you may have given them up but still carry shame about them. This meditation uses visualization to help you overcome current negative habits and release some of the shame created by past and present habits.

Friday, February 24, 2012

$40 Fridays: Blue Daiquiri Necklace



Happy Friday! For the next 24 hours you can buy this for $40! (Regularly $59)
Click here to take advantage of this Deals and Steals offer.






Thursday, February 23, 2012

$30 Thursdays: Blueberry Swirl Ring



I absolutely adore this ring - so soothing. Regularly $49, today only $30
Get it here before someone else beats you to it!
Remember, free shipping on all Deals and Steals items and automatic entry in our $50 giveaway!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

2012 Color Trends: Margarita

This is Part Two of Cocoon's 2012 Color Trend Series.


This week our color sets are inspired by the color Margarita - one of the ten Spring 2012 colors (as declared by Pantone). Here is the set I put together, followed by two sets put together by Tracy. Enjoy, and dress with inspiration!
Source: polyvore.com via Suzanne on Pinterest



Tuesday, February 21, 2012

$20 Tuesdays: Springtime Necklace

Spring is almost here - and this pendant is ready! There is only one, so be quick to click!



Monday, February 20, 2012

Opening Your Throat to Hear Your Heart


Valentine's Day has just passed - but for some, it's not always a happy day. This week's Monday Meditations is being replaced with a very personal account by a yogi and blogger on how she overcame heartache through yoga. Thank you Red Lotus Mama for contributing! Here are her words:


I started practicing yoga in 2000 to help improve my physical health. I tried step classes, cardio,weight lifting, and kickboxing. But yoga is the one exercise I am passionate about and motivated to do almost every day. For one hour I would think of nothing other than how my muscles and organs were working together. All the stress and worry of the day would melt away with my sweat and breath.
For five years I practiced yoga as often as I could; but after I had my daughter, my practice suffered. My life suffered as well. I went through a nasty divorce. I gained a lot of weight. And, later suffered a difficult break up with a man I thought was the love of my life. For months after the break up I was depressed. Every day felt like a struggle to get through. My heart was heavy with memories and unanswerable questions, so I turned to the one thing I knew could help me get back on track…yoga.
A new studio had opened in my neighborhood, and I couldn’t find any more excuses not to sign up for a membership. During every yoga class, I went through the motions of focusing on clearing my mind, being present in the moment on my mat, and how all of my body parts were working together. One day my instructor had us working on opening our throat chakra which would allow my mind to hear my heart. Whatever inspiration or passion I had been ignoring would be given a chance to be heard and focused on. 
But, no matter how much I leaned my head back in my Urdhva Mukha Svanasana pose (upward facing dog) I couldn't hear anything. Either my heart or throat (or both) were completely closed up, preventing me from moving forward in life.
After a few classes of trying to open my throat chakra I realized what was blocking it - ANGER! I slowly started to let go of my anger and began to forgive. After every class my heart felt lighter, and I was thinking more clearly.
Now I find there is room in my heart for new experiences and possibly new love. So, if you are also aching to let your heart be heard, give this a try: Spread your arms. Arch your upper back. Lean your head back in space. Let your heart and throat open. 
Then breathe. 
And listen.

About Red Lotus Mama
Nicole is a “thirtysomething” year old single mom. She is a California native who grew up in the LA Valley, went to college in San Diego, and started her career as a website producer in San Francisco. In 2003 she returned to San Diego to be closer to family and friends. She daydreams about getting paid to write, taking photographs, practicing yoga daily, and living in a beach front cottage. In reality she works full time while trying to finding nirvana in the midst of motherhood. Read her blog here.

Friday, February 17, 2012

$40 Fridays: Lime Green Buckle with Stripes




Do you like bright? Then you'll love the Deals and Steals sale for today. A vibrant green buckle with thin stripes of blue, purple, and black.  

Wear belt over a shirt, over a dress or tunic, or inside the belt loops with tops that are shorter or tucked in
Regularly $99, today only $40 (including strap of your choice!)
Click here to make it yours! 

Normally buckles from my Harmony Collection will not be on our Deals and Steals sales because of the amount of time each of these takes to create. However, this one has a slight hairline scratch on a corner (see detail photo below) so I'm offering it at this incredible price. 




Thursday, February 16, 2012

$30 Thursdays: Raspberry Ice Ring



Our Deals and Steals sale for the day is this mouth-watering ring
on a sterling silver band. It shimmers and wows, and instead of the
normal $49 price tag, it can be yours for only $30!
Get it while you can - only 2 available!!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

2012 Color Trend: Tangerine Tango

This is Part One of Cocoon's 2012 Color Trend Series.

The first of ten of Pantone's Spring 2012 Colors also happens to be the number one color of the year throughout all the seasons. It is Tangerine Tango (Pantone 17-1463). Not everyone can get away with it in large quantities, but if used as an accent piece here and there - it is an eye catcher!
"Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it," says Leatrice Elseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "Reminiscent of the radiant shading of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy."      (To read more from Pantone about this vibrant color click here.)
We had a ton of fun clipping pictures of clothing, housewares, lifestyle shots, etc. and creating these color sets to help you visualize how you might incorporate Tangerine Tango in your life. Of course, we'll always include a Cocoon product or two so you'll know just where to go if you need it! And if after looking at these inspired boards you feel you must own the ring, click here.


Here's the board I did:


Tuesday, February 14, 2012

$20 Tuesdays: Orange on Red Earrings


Regularly $45, these sweet little earrings add a pop of color to your day for
only $20!
These are the only pair, click here to make them yours!
As always, no tax and no shipping - couldn't be simpler :-)



Monday, February 13, 2012

2012 Color Trends

See Pantone's color report here

The fashion market in New York just ended and the colors for Spring 2012 have just been announced. Every year, Pantone puts out the colors that are trending for the seasons. Huh? Never heard of Pantone?
Pantone is the world-renowned authority on color and provider of color systems for the accurate communication of color across a variety of industries.
This is fun stuff - so I am going to do a blog a week on how you can make each of these colors work for you - in your wardrobe and in your home.

And to make it even more fun, I am enlisting the help of Tracy Petrucci, who is my go-to girl for marketing, and her mother, Marie - a super creative designer in all areas. Between us we span three generations and will offer varied perspectives on how the color of the week can work in your wardrobe or home!


Look for a different color to be highlighted over the next 10 weeks each Wednesday. If you don't want to miss it, you can sign up at top to receive my blog via email.



Monday Meditations: Making Peace with Money

Courtesy of Free Digital Photos
Money - making it, having it, wanting it - is central to most people's lives as well as a source of great anxiety for many. It is the main medium of exchange between people. Money determines the value of our time, the value of our possessions, and the value of our work. Collectively, as a culture we have bought into this tendency to measure every aspect of life in terms of money. But there is more to our interactions and in our being than money. 

This simple meditation can help free you from a limited and materialistic view of life, and help you make peace with money. It will help to write down what money means to you and what role it plays in your life.

Let's Meditate!

  1. Begin by sitting on a cushion or chair in your meditation space. Make sure your space is private and quiet. Breath deeply for a few minutes to clear your mind and relax your body.
  2. Review what you wrote down in preparation and put it aside. Explore how you feel when you have money. Do you feel more real or substantial? Do you feel you exist more solidly than when you don't have money?
  3. Now imagine how you feel when you are broke. Do you feel diminished, deflated and less valuable as a person? Notice you don't become more solid or less substantial when you have or don't have money. Contemplate how money functions as an idea, causing you to feel more or less valuable.
  4. Think of ten things that are not measured in monetary terms. your list might include the loving gaze of your partner, a wonderful conversation with a friend, the laughter of your child, or the playfulness of your pet.
  5. End your meditation by affirming that you are valuable with or without money. Repeat this meditation when you feel the cultural message of materialism is negatively affecting you. Seek out and value those precious experiences money can't buy.
This meditation was adapted from The Meditation Bible by Madonna Gauding. 


Friday, February 10, 2012

$40 Fridays: Plum Swirl Sterling Cuff


Better act on this quick - this is the only one!
Today only $40!! (Reg. $69)
Click here to own it!

(Oh yah, it's literally only $40, meaning no shipping charges and no tax!!!)


Thursday, February 9, 2012

$30 Thursday: Heart Suncatcher

These heart suncatchers are an everyday reminder that you are loved.
Hang in a window to let the sun pass through - so beautiful, so simple.

Normally $22 each, today they are two for $30 including tax and shipping. 
Get one for yourself and one for a loved one!
Available online here

Happy Valentine's Day!


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Concepts in Design: Eliminating the Refrigerator


courtesy of mocoloco.com
Do you ever think about your relationship with food? I have to admit, besides when I am writing out my grocery list or planning what to cook for dinner, I don't think much about my "interaction" with food. On the contrary, Korean designer Jihyun Ryou has thought about it a lot. For her thesis project at Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands she interviewed people of older generations and researched the methods people employed to keep their food fresh without refrigeration. She says:
"[Today] we hand over the responsibility of taking care of food to the technology. We don’t observe the food any more and don’t understand how to treat it. My design looks at re-introducing and re-evaluating traditional oral knowledge of food. Furthermore, it aims to bring back the connection between us as human beings and food ingredients as other living beings. I believe that once people are given a tool that triggers their minds and requires a mental effort to use it, new traditions and new rituals can be introduced in our culture."
Ryou's has designed "Knowledge Shelves" that borrow from traditional methods to keep fruits, vegetables, and even eggs, fresh, nutritious, and delicious for longer periods of time. Her wall mounted shelves are designed to utilize natural preservation elements such as: 
  • water for cooling and maintaining humidity
  • darkness for ripening
  • chemical exchanges between organic matter to quicken or delay ripening processes
  • sand to honor the natural tendency of root vegetables to remain upright so their energy isn't depleted fighting horizontal storage
courtesy of mocoloco.com
I am in love with her Knowledge Shelves and how they adhere to one of the most influential design principles of 20th century modern architecture and industrial design: "Form follows function". The minimalist look belies the natural "technologies" going on, while also creating an artistic expression of fruit and vegetables - a piece of art that changes daily through colors ripening and quantities increasing or decreasing as they are eaten or replenished. 

Check out this great video where Ryou explains her motivation and concept so beautifully. I would love to see these shelves become commercially available so I am not forced to either eat food that the refrigerator has sucked the flavor from or throw fruit away that ripened too quickly before I could eat it!




Tuesday, February 7, 2012

$20 Tuesdays: Shadow Cufflinks


It's the last week before Valentine's Day - help your guy look sharp!
Regularly $35, only $20 today!
Click here to get it while it lasts!


Saturday, February 4, 2012

Art or Football?

Or maybe both! The Talmadge Art Show is tomorrow 10-4. Cocoon will be there along with many talented artists. Come take a break from the Superbowl madness, browse, shop, and "be moved by the creative spirit"! 

Details below, $10 off coupon here.


A Zombie-Proof House?


Zombie Proof House PictureMy background as an interior designer causes me to gravitate toward articles on beautiful homes, new ideas in space planning, and cool designs in furniture. I can remember in one of my interior design classes at the Design Institute of San Diego we got to come up with an imaginary client with imaginary needs and wants, whose budget was the sky.

We came up with some crazy and seemingly unlikely designs based on the bizarre circumstances or specifications our "clients" required. The designs we all came up with were well thought out and feasibly possible; and although they brought out a few giggles among us, the exercise made us realize that thinking outside the box makes anything possible!

Nowadays, design pushes the edges in all areas, especially architecture. But I never dreamed I would come across a Zombie-Proof house! Designed by KWK Promes, the "Safe House" seals itself shut at night, and unfolds itself in the morning. This monolithic, concrete structure in Warsaw, Poland is complete with:
  • drawbridges
  • moveable walls
  • over 6,000 s.f. of luxury living
  • floor-to-ceiling windows (when "awake")
  • indoor swimming pool
  • panoramic views
I mean, I guess the usefulness of a zombie-proof house did cross my mind while watching "I Am Legend" a few years ago, but...

Zombie House Design
The "Safe House" designed by architectural firm KWK Promes 
Just goes to show that anything our little hearts desire IS possible. Sometimes though, you just gotta think outside the box. See pictures and read more about the objectives and the mastery behind the "Safe House" here.


Friday, February 3, 2012

A Cufflinks Craze


Guys n Gals listen up! Facebook fans get free shipping plus 10% off our cufflinks for writing on our wall! Make sure you like our page and simply write us a message on our wall to qualify!

Ladies, grab a set for your favorite stud this Valentine's Day.
Men, try these to add a little more style on your special date!
Handmade in Cardiff by the Sea.



$40 Friday: Candy Stripe Belt


This buckle can be worn with anything! Choose your strap color and you're good to go. There are only 2 available for this deal. Click here if you gotta have it! Regularly $89! Today it's just 40 bucks flat.



Thursday, February 2, 2012

$30 Thursday: Shimmering Orchid Ring


This is a great statement ring! The shimmering Orchid Ring is regularly $55 but today it's $30 flat! Includes tax and shipping. Buy it here.

Choose either a size 7 sterling tapered band, or an adjustable sterling wiggle band. There is one of each, that's it! See photos of bands as reference only. The ring for sale is the shimmery top photo- Good Luck!