Thursday, January 9, 2014

The color red in fashion and decoration

In the English language, the word red is associated with the color of blood, certain flowers (e.g. roses), and ripe fruits (e.g. apples, cherries). Red is for the amorous, outspoken, and optimistic. They say people who love red, love life.
Colors can affect us mentally and physically. Red fuels enthusiasm, stimulates energy, encourages action and gives confidence. 

Red is the big favorite in two major holiday color: Valentine's Day and Christma's Day. I always loved this color. When I was a child I asked my mother to dress me red from head to toe. I use red a lot when I create designs because it's a warm, powerful and elegant color. Red's positive connotations include: love, passion and festivity. (Red also have negative connotations like war, revolution and danger!

Do you wear red? Red clothing gets noticed. The color red can make a clear statement of power. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations.

Red gemstones can be used to strengthen the body, promote will power and courage and add vitality. Carry a gem or jewel or place red gemstones around your home or office to stimulate vitality and energy.

The secret to wear red is finding the right tone for our complexion. Red is a bright color that compliments most all skin tones. Women with porcelain skin and blonde hair, can wear true reds. Deep dramatic reds look good on brown-eyed women and sultry dark-brunettes. Wines and plums look good with tawny browns and grays. Those with olive and darker skin can wear scarlet. If you are not someone who is comfortable wearing red every day, the holiday seasons are great to try on the color and just have fun wearing red. Red is certainly a fashionable color for Valentine's Day


Feng Shui recommends painting the front door of a home red to invite prosperity to the residents. For the house decoration, use red as the main hue for rooms that are meant for entertaining (dining rooms). Consider that lots of restaurants use this color. Do you know why? It is said that is stimulates appetite. It makes people hungry by increasing our body's metabolism.

Use it to draw attention to certain points in the room, certain walls. Don't paint an entire room in bright red or you'll find a hard time to rest there. It's counter productive for relaxation as it increases pulse rate and breathing and causes blood pressure to rise Now, if that's your love nest it will be pretty cool!


To illustrate this postage I picked just a few red/magenta tshirts - and one black! - from Zazzle. These designs are inspired by Valentine's Day. Have a look! Do you like it? All these products are available at Zazzle's marketplace. You must click on a product to know details.

Don't Waste Energy Shirts
Don't Waste Energy Shirts by itshappybunny
View other Happy bunny T-Shirts at Zazzle.com
Hangin' Hearts T-Shirt
Hangin' Hearts T-Shirt by Lotacats
Make your t shirt custom from zazzle.com.
Im with Cupid Tshirts
Im with Cupid Tshirts by GoodToGoTees
Check out other I'm T-Shirts at zazzle.com
I Love You Heart (white) Shirt
I Love You Heart (white) Shirt by 220Luxe
Shop for Heart T-Shirts online at Zazzle.com
I am loved. tshirts
I am loved. tshirts by SeraphNoctum
View more Robins T-Shirts at zazzle.com
Cute Cupid Helpers Tee Shirt
Cute Cupid Helpers Tee Shirt by Kakigori
Browse Saint valentine T-Shirts online at Zazzle.com
Valentine's Day Hearts T-Shirt
Valentine's Day Hearts T-Shirt by jamiecreates1
Design your own photo t shirts online at Zazzle.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

The difference between empathy and sympathy


What is the best way to ease someone's pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities.

Voice: Dr Brené Brown
Animation: Katy Davis (AKA Gobblynne) www.gobblynne.com

Red is delicious and good to your heart


This is the month to write about the color red. Why? Because Valentine's Day is coming. Because red is the color of love. You disagree? That's ok. We don't look at color with the same eyes. But one thing we can agree. It's about food and plants we eat. Plants like apples, strawberries, cherries, tomatoes, peppers and pomegranates are often colored by forms of carotenoids, red pigments. One can usually identify a strawberry by its red flesh. Strawberries look like a fruity heart-shaped valentine! They are filled with unusual phytonutrients that makes them a heart-protective fruit.

Red raspberry is most often the source of ellagic acid. This substance found naturally in raspberries belongs to the family of phytonutrients called tannins, and it is viewed as being responsible for a good portion of the antioxidant activity of berries.

Cranberries are rich in antioxidants that are essential to optimizing health by helping to combat the free radicals that can damage cellular structures as well as DNA.


Meat gets its color from the iron found in the myoglobin and hemoglobin in the muscles and residual blood.

Red wine it's heart-healthy, it stands-up to full-flavored and full-bodied foods, it makes dining more interesting. Red wines can be plumy, or jammy, peppery or spicy. It is the grape skins that are responsible for the red wine's distinct color spectrum. The skins are in contact with the grape's juice during the fermentation process, allowing the dispersion of both color and tannins. Moderate amount of red wine lowers the risk of heart attack and can raise HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and prevent LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) from forming.


One way to celebrate Valentine's Day is to organize a good dinner. Or even a party. Or maybe go out to a special restaurant if you hate cooking like I do! Either way, when returning home you can always get some delicious chocolates and homemade cookies on a colorful melamine plate and a couple of good expresso mugs with hot coffee inside...Then  find a nice placemat to cover that tray and take it all to your special place in the house. Get a nice movie. Romantic or not. And enjoy some time together! (Probably that's what I'll do myself!)

Here's some ideas for Valentine's Day. Melamine plates to fill with tasty cookies, chocolates, fruits or whatever you like; colorful Expresso mugs also from Zazzle. And some placemats you can use on your Valentine's dinner table or on your favorite tray.  You don't have a tray? You can always improvise. Just get a Zazzle placemate on top of it and your ready to go. All these suggestions can be found at Zazzle's marketplace. Just click on each product and learn more about it. 

All Valentine's Day objects in this post were inspired by the color red. A couple of nice things we can display in our kitchens or dining rooms, why not? Let's celebrate love and passion just for one day or every day!




Big Heart Plate
Big Heart Plate by madotta
View other Valentines day Plates at Zazzle.com
Cute Couple Party Plates
Cute Couple Party Plates by madotta
Look at more Madotta Plates at zazzle
Red heats party plates
Red heats party plates by dimkaspb
Create unique custom plates online at Zazzle.
Cupid Icon Dinner Plate
Cupid Icon Dinner Plate by Thisisnotme
Check out Cupid Plates online at zazzle
Valentines Day Serving Plate
Valentines Day Serving Plate by reflections06
View more plate designs from Zazzle.
Vintage white and red roses party plates
Vintage white and red roses party plates by Silvianna
View more plate designs from Zazzle.
Hearts Explosion Plate
Hearts Explosion Plate by Perzpektiba
Browse more Hearts Plates at Zazzle
Red hearts Espresso Mug
Red hearts Espresso Mug by Silvianna
Design unique personalized mugs for kids online at zazzle.com
Fun Hearts Espresso Cup
Fun Hearts Espresso Cup by TheNewEden
Check out other Red hearts Mugs at zazzle.com
Happy Valentines Day Placemat
Happy Valentines Day Placemat by bonfirevalentines
Check out other Love Placemats at zazzle.com
Red Hearts for Valentine's Day Place Mats
Red Hearts for Valentine's Day Place Mats by susanmossart
View Red heart Placemats online at zazzle
Pitchfork Devil Love Placemats
Pitchfork Devil Love Placemats by holidayme
Find other Valentines Placemats at zazzle.com

Red is the color of love - red as a symbol

Yes, Valentine's Day is on its way. It's time to write about love. About love and color. In his 1973 book The Colors of Love, John Allan Lee compared styles of love to the color wheel. Just as there are three primary colors, Lee suggested that there are three primary styles of love. These three styles of love are Eros, Ludos, and Storge. I know nothing about love theory. But for me, red is the color of love. And passion. Love empowers us and makes us better in so many ways. If you are in love - or if you have been in love - you know that I am right! Celebrate L-O-V-E on Valentine's Day! But first learn some more about the color red. A stimulant, red is the hottest of the warm colors! Prepare yourself to discover amazing things about the color red!


- Red is used as a symbol of courage and sacrifice in many country national flags including the ones from United States and Portugal.

- In Roman mythology red is associated with the god of war, Mars.

- In politics, a red flag is a symbol of left-wing politics; in particular, of Communism and Socialism. In Russia the Bolsheviks used a red flag when they overthrew the Tsar. The flags of several communist states, including China, Vietnam, and the Soviet Union, have red backgrounds.

- The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party (GOP) and associated to red color.

- Business people and ministers from government are often seen with red ties because red means power. Same reason justifies the red carpet for celebrities and VIPs.

- The red color means power and honor. Kings loved to wear it. Also Popes and the Cardinals and Bishops.

- Protective powers of the color red against evil influence made warriors painted their axes red to endow the weapons with magic powers. Some of the Australian aborigines abide by this custom up to the present times.

- Red rose is the symbol of love and fidelity. According to the Greek legend red roses arised from blood of Adonis who was killed by a wild boar on a hunt. Red rose is dedicated to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.

- Red color carries a largely positive connotation in China, being associated with courage, loyalty, honor, success, fortune, fertility, happiness, passion, and summer.

- In Chinese cultural traditions, red is associated with weddings - brides traditionally wear red dresses and are carried to the ceremony in a red litter. The bride walks on a red carpet and is greeted by the groom who lifts her red veil.

- Chinese New Year is celebrated by wearing red clothing and decorating the house with red. Red envelopes with "luck money" are given to unmarried children to bring good fortune to them for the rest of the year.

- In other parts of Africa, however, red is a color of mourning, representing death. Because of the connection red bears with death in many parts of Africa, the Red Cross has changed its colors to green and white.

- In England, red phone booths and red double decker buses, are national deared icons.

- In Portugal the national post office symbol and street boxes for collecting letters are also red.

- In India, a red mark on the forehead is said to bring good luck.

- Roman brides were wrapped in a fiery red veil, the flammeum, which should warrant love and fertility. Greek, Albanian and Armenian brides wear red veils even today.

- Red garlands and red scarfs were part of wedding customs in many cultures. Red wedding gown was en vogue in Nurnberg of the 18th century.

- A red ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness and for the American Red Cross.

And now, here's some great Valentine's Day Greeting cards from Zazzle big marketplace! What is the predominant color in it? That's right - red!

Sweetie Pie Valentine's Card
Sweetie Pie Valentine's Card by flopsock
Look at more Pie Cards at zazzle
Red Ornate Heart Card
Red Ornate Heart Card by valentinetshirts
Check out Hearts Cards online at zazzle
Can You Feel the Love Cards
Can You Feel the Love Cards by StuffOrSomething
Browse more Hearts Cards at Zazzle




Dreams About You Valentine's Card
Dreams About You Valentine's Card by zlatkocro
Look at more cards from Zazzle.
Red rose greeting cards
Red rose greeting cards by gavila_pt
Shop for Red Cards online at Zazzle.com
Love greeting card
Love greeting card by Medusa81
Shop for more greeting cards online at Zazzle.
Stitched Valentine Cards
Stitched Valentine Cards by IconDoIt
Check out Love Cards online at zazzle
Greeting card Love's embrace
Greeting card Love's embrace by Medusa81
Check out more Love Cards at Zazzle
brush heart card
brush heart card by RoannDesigns
Add your photos and text to blank greeting cards at Zazzle
Happy Valentine's Day Roses Cards
Happy Valentine's Day Roses Cards by TheNewEden
Browse Red roses Cards online at Zazzle.com
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