The Fourth of July is almost here. Can you believe it? Before you start shopping for fireworks, I’m sharing my guide to creating a chic Fourth of July table setting. Make your friends and family feel like they escaped to a backyard oasis. Your holiday table can be more than just red, white, and blue.

You all know I love throwing dinner parties. My courtyard is one of my favorite places in my home to host dinners with friends and family. People gather around the table for good food and even better conversation. But my favorite part is decorating the table. Read below to find out how to set the perfect table for the July holiday.

The holiday of Juneteenth celebrate the day Texas enforced the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862. President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation to free slaves. Unfortunately, took over two years for the news to reach Texas. The federal holiday, also known as “Freedom Day” celebrates the day African American slaves were officially freed.

The COCOCOZY team rounded up some of our favorite black-owned brands to celebrate Juneteenth. We’ve also included organizations that give back to the black community. The holiday is this Sunday, June 19th.

I know it is late…but thought I would give you a little glimpse of what holidays have looked like for me and my family.  The picture above is the mantle at my sister’s house.  I am using that as the featured image because I designed her living room and it is so much fun seeing her elegant but subtle holiday decor in it. She had several parties a few weekends ago and it was brilliant to see holidays in full swing at her house.  For me, it is going to be all about the table and tree…

Here is another gift guide to help you this holiday season! Today is all about candles – a classic gift that you can give to anyone. Perfect to add ambiance to any home. I always enjoy adding a new scent to my collection. It can transform the atmosphere in any room. And who doesn’t love making a room smell sugary and sweet during the holidays?

Whether it is used for added decor, or to add a fresh scent to the room. This guide features both candles just for the holidays, along with those perfect everyday candles. Again, I included the luxury artisan hand-poured candles (small and large) from the COCOCOZY x etuHome collection. It’s a blog about candles. How could I not! 😉 Don’t forget to use the Chirpyest browser extension to save $$$ this holiday season. Earn up to 15% cash back from everything listed below!

Tis the season of candles.  The COCOCOZY team is planning a round up of 17 candles for the holiday. (that’s coming later this week or next) ..but I am picking just one collection to spotlight – it is my own. 😉 As part of the COCOCOZY x etuHome collection, we developed a pair of candles.  Hand poured in France. Bergamot and mint.  Wonderful aroma.  Clean and long burning.  Comes in small and large.  Perfect, in-stock, gift idea for you.

Another gift guide is here during this hectic holiday season – today’s guide is all about tech! It’s Cyber Monday and what better holiday guide to have than a one all about tech gadgets? Grab these gifts for the techie in you life. Feel free to even use this Cyber Monday to treat yourself! Grab that air-fryer you have been dying to add to your kitchen, or a new desktop for your home office.

Not sure where to start? Shop all things Apple for the techie who is always on trend. And don’t forget to spoil the gamers in your life to add to their collection. From kitchen gadgets to office or recreational, we have covered it all. Follow along below to shop and gift one of these amazing 37 tech items!

For the last six months, I’ve been working out at StrongHouse Fitness, which is a black-owned gym in Los Angeles. I wanted to shed some of my quarantine lbs and just get into better overall shape. It became a daily therapeutic activity. I actually really enjoy going. Working out helps keep you energized and motivated. And I always enjoy buying new fitness apparel. My trainer has given me the nickname “COCO Ninja”….LOL. My goal is to be consistent with my workouts throughout the new year too.

Today’s holiday guide is for all you fitness buffs out there. Or for those of you who plan on working out more come the new year. The COCOCOZY team has prepared a strong list of workout essentials. We have covered it all with 62 items to choose from. Shop for apparel that is both comfortable and fashionable from brands like Lululemon, Athleta, Nike, and more!

It’s time to focus on the women in your life for the holidays. Shopping for a mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend or co-worker?  Well I am.  I’m currently looking for the perfect gifts for my mom, sister, my aunt and some cousins and friends. I won’t say what I’m getting them since they read my blog LOL. I know how overwhelming holiday shopping can be, which is why I wanted to create a holiday guide. It has everything from luxury fashion finds to gourmet sweets. And I have even included luxury artisan hand poured candles (small and large) from the COCOCOZY x etuHome collection. A little something for everyone. I even selected some must-have home decor. They will compliment every room. A thoughtful gift will lift anyone’s holiday spirit. Shop my luxury holiday gift guide “for her” below.

I have an early holiday gift for you from Chirpyest.  For a limited window, we are giving everyone who uses Chirpyest double cash back from over 800 retailers.  Yup.

Chirpyest is a shopping tool that helps get you cash back on your purchases from hundreds of retailers.  Chirpyest also gives you money for sharing product recommendations too.  Our mission is to get women the recognition and money they deserve.

For those of you who hadn’t heard, I started another company named Chirpyest. Without any experience, for two years, I worked with software developers to build the Chirpyest platform. Just this summer we launched the site’s prototype and it works!!!  (still a work in progress for sure…) For those of you who joined early this year, and found a glitchy website and browser extension, we were testing then and it wasn’t pretty.  Now things have changed…we did it…Chirpyest now works and we are getting cash back for users everyday.  So try again please!!!

Many of you still might be confused on what Chirpyest is and how to use it. Well, DIY blogger Orly Shani made this easy “how Chirpyest works” video…watch the video.  Then you’ll understand why double cash back is a big holiday gift for you! (BTW, My mom, cousin and friend Nicole all said Orly does a better job of explaining Chirpyest than I do…they may be right!).

Orly’s “what is Chirpyest? video” is next (it is in her video on how to transform a jean jacket into a fab new trend)….

If your family is anything like mine, then they’re always gathered around in the kitchen for Thanksgiving. It doesn’t matter the occasion. I always try to create a beautiful tablescape to host my guests, but they somehow always end up in the kitchen. Does this happen to anyone else? It makes sense since a kitchen is the heart of the home. And it’s also where the food is…LOL.

I’m starting to prep for Thanksgiving. I’ve been looking for tablescape essentials, home decor, and last-minute kitchen accessories. I was thinking about setting up a coffee, espresso, and tea bar in the kitchen. People always enjoy a treat after dinner. Personally, I love a warm cup of tea at night. It’s the perfect way to end my day. While shopping for myself, I’ve gathered some Thanksgiving essentials for all of you.

I woke up to some amazing news yesterday! My serving boards from the COCOCOZY x etúHOME collection are featured in Oprah’s Favorite Things 2021. Just when I thought I couldn’t be more proud of this collection…something new comes along! This is so incredible! Thank you to Stacy Borocz, founder of etùHome, and her team for making this happen! We wanted to design a new board to add to our collection for the holidays. The new long rectangular board with my signature Link pattern on it makes for a beautiful centerpiece. Style it for the holidays to serve delicious appetizers and drinks. It even makes for the perfect gift for every fabulous host.

Pick up the Winter O Quarterly issue of Oprah Daily on Nov 9 and shop our products at etúHOME & Amazon.

I’ve already started to do my own holiday shopping – at least a little of it.  Since I’ve been so busy with work, for the first time ever, I figured I should get ahead and start finding gifts for my friends and family members. I even started to find some gifts for myself.:)  To my detriment, I often think about myself when shopping for others. I know. Not cool. Not only is it selfish but this can also be a very problematic way of holiday shopping as it increases the volume of items you are buying.  One for them, two for me.  One for her, three for me.  The picture of my patio above features some of the giftable items I bought on my latest supposed holiday shopping trip –  items to either keep or to gift. For example, loving these cute baskets, napkins, mugs, and even a coffee maker.   Do you do that too?  Spy items that could make good gifts and then buy them for your own home?  Well here’s what I found on this holiday season online shopping trip…

Christmas is this week! I’m sure I’m not the only one who is shopping for last minute holiday home gifts. Finding that perfect gift for your friends, family, and/or co-worker can be hard. Walmart made it so easy! I love their large collection of cute and affordable items that are perfect for gifting. I found so many fun and stylish home gifts from Drew Barrymore’s new collection with Walmart. I love their other home gifts too!

My suggestion…if you are like me and still struggling to find that PERFECT gift then check out Walmart now.  Since I am into all things house and home, I of course gravitate to home gifts. There are so many fast and easy ways to order or pick up your items. I placed my order and it was delivered within two days! And if that’s not quick enough for you, then you can select same-day delivery. Walmart has a large selection of affordable and quality products. They have an awesome “Gift Finder” tool that makes online shopping so much easier. I was looking for spa and beauty items to give to my sister. The tool made it so easy to navigate their site for the right gift.

They have something for everyone! Yes, even those who are hard to shop for! We all have one of those. There is nothing better than getting all of your holiday shopping over with before Christmas.

I put a few gift ideas together for you…in my last minute holiday gift guides!

During this holiday season, I want to highlight some fabulous black owned brands. There are so many black entrepreneurs and businesses out there that deserve a spotlight. And the holiday season is the perfect time to explore new black owned brands to try. Also, make sure to check out my style guide for the holiday season.

Estelle Colored Glass

Estelle Colored Glass is a luxury black owned brand of hand-blown colored glass cake stands and stemware. These pieces made in Poland are vintage inspired, with a modern twist. Created in both jewel tones and soft pastels, these pieces are a must have to add to your collection. The founder Stephanie Summerson Hall, was inspired by her grandmother, Estelle. And her love for colored glass pieces.

Today is all about holiday serveware and a handful of great recipes. How are the holidays right around the corner? I find myself trying to prep everything now to get ahead before all of the craziness hits. It’s perfect timing to get your holiday menus figured out and make sure you have all of the proper serveware and dishes to display the meals. There is nothing quite like a gorgeous meal displayed on proper serveware. It really lets the food shine!

The gift guides just keep on coming – today is all about the best gifts for book lovers. I still can’t believe how fast the holidays are sneaking in. I feel like fall just started! Get ahead and start thinking about gifts before it’s too late. From gifts that include books to gifts that aren’t books, I cover something perfect for every book lover out there.