I’ve been so busy the last few weeks that I feel like I’ve missed out on some fun thing’s that are going on!  Eileen from BlueBirdLux just did a Pay It Forward post (I had no idea what this what) but apparently both Shannon from Happiness Is and Brandi from Not Your Average Ordinary did ones already too (how did I miss that 3 of my blog posse were all doing this fun little project!)

Instructions (if you’re like me, you need these):

• I will make a handmade gift for the first 3 people who comment on this entry (and lucky you, I plan to launch my Etsy store on the 20th and you’ll all get a special preview product!)
• I have 365 days to send this gift
• My gift will be a total (well kind of) surprise
• You keep this going by doing a Pay It Forward Post!

If you missed out on being in my top 3 comments, least you get to visit 3 of my favorite (they’re in my posse) blogs!

One of the continuing trends that is occuring in 2010 is whimsy. 

Trend Details:

• Romantic patterns which includes large florals. 
• Bringing nature in doors. 
• Warming up industrial, modern furniture with whimisical accessories

Always on par Anthropologie has picked out some fantastic wallpapers that are right on trend. 

What are your thoughts on whimsical decorating?

It was such a lovely spring weekend here in NYC this weekend which helped to inspire today’s palette.  There is something about pinks that just scream spring!  And anyways, that bright fuchsia is one of my favorite decorating colors!

Image Diary: 1, 4, 5. Irini Graewe, 2. Cantilever Design, 3. Lisa Bengtsson, 6. Jeffers Design Group

It’s so appropriate that today’s color palette perfectly matches my new iphone (I got a teal case that is just too cute!)

Hope you all have fun weekend plans!  I will be attending the Hoboken St. Patty’s day celebration tomorrow!

Image Diary: 1. Turquoise Interiors, 2. Cy Twombly, 3. From the Right Bank Blog, 4. Lucas Allen, 5. Inspace, 6. New York Times

That’s how How about orange… had their March 1st post classified as.  I on the other hand would tag it as “Awesome, Very Accurate, How did they know that?!#@?!”

Sometimes my readers want to know a little bit about me.  Well this quiz NAILED me to a tee!  Read my results below!

Best Occupational Category:  You’re an ORGANIZER

Keywords: Self-Control, Practical, Self-Contained, Orderly, Systematic, Precise, and Accurate

These conservative appearing, plotting-types enjoy organizing, data systems, accounting, detail, and accuracy. They often enjoy mathematics and data management activities such as accounting and investment management. Persistence and patience allows them to do detailed paperwork, operate office machines, write business reports, and make charts and graphs.

2nd Best Occupational Category: You’re a PERSUADER

Keywords: Witty, Competitive, Sociable, Talkative, Ambitious, Argumentative, and Aggressive

These enterprising types sell, persuade, and lead others. Positions of leadership, power, and status are usually their ultimate goal. Persuasive people like to take financial and interpersonal risks and to participate in competitive activities. They enjoy working with others inside organizations to accomplish goals and achieve economic success.

To take the quiz, click the How about orange… link above!

Now that I said I DON’T like yellow, I find myself exploring its subtleties more and more!  I can openly say at this point that I really like the mustardy tones of yellow, and maybe over time I’ll open up to it’s other shades!

I also wanted to thank everyone for leaving such insightful yellow comments so far!  I really love what Lucy from Four Walls and a Roof said recently:

I used to hate yellow too. I figured out the problem though. It’s about understanding what kind of yellow works with the natural light you have where you live. When I lived in London I painted a north facing room a pale buttery yellow – it just looked drab. I should have gone for something deeper and warmer. Then when we moved to California, I painted a south-facing room a gold color – I was aiming for the color in the beach house in Something’s Gotta Give. But I forgot that the light on Long Island is completely different to here. It was so cloying in there I simply had to paint over it (pale gray). Now I’ve added some bright yellow accents and it’s perfect. The light has a huge effect on yellow walls and I think that’s why it’s so hard to get right.

I never even thought about this!  My walls in my apartment are so dark so there is very little shade difference between different types of light.  Thanks for teaching my something Lucy!

Image Diary: 1. Amoroso Design, 2. David Duncan, 3. Amoroso Design, 4. Flickr: Paper Sparrow, 5. Lucas Allen, 6. Patrice Cowan Bevans

Well I feel like a huge loser now.  I thought I was going to have a fun freebie that I designed but then Brandi from Not Your Average Ordinary has to go and leave me the below comment yesterday:

If the freebie is that I get to ride on a moped, I’m in. Better yet, if I can take photographs with said moped and a small doxie named Bailey. Now that would be awesome.

DARN IT!  If only I had thought of that as my freebie instead of what I came up with!  Click the image to download the pattern!

Too busy today to put some quality time in to a post for you all, BUT have a fun freebie coming out tomorrow!

My only hint is that a bright orange moped is involved…

Have a few ‘Find the Baileys’ (aka a dachshund) in the pictured decor scheduled for the new few weeks.  There are actually TWO Baileys in the below decor, can you find them?  Click the image to find out if you got it right (look for the pink Bailey paws after the jump!)

And no, no one sent this to me.  I can’t help perusing the web for fun rooms and immediately identifying dachshunds in them (crazy dachshund lady, check!)

For a long time I was a yellow hater. I think because my mom is a yellow fanatic and *everything* in our house growing up was this sickly pale yellow color. But lately I’ve started to change my mind. We’re incorporating a mustard color in our wedding palette, and I’ve bought a few little things for our house lately in a bright, bold yellow and they’ve really brightened the room. I probably still wouldn’t paint a whole room yellow, but I’m warming up to it.

How wonderful is today’s palette (I’m pretty sure my love of neons is directly correlated with being a child of the 80’s)?  And it almost perfectly matches my new blog header!

Speaking of new blog header… I want to thank you all for hanging in there with me as I’ve adjusted SYL’s look and content over the past couple of weeks.  I’ve been getting some great feedback through my Blogging Your Way Class with Holly of Decor8 (if you have the chance to take this class I highly recommend it!).  The main feedback I got on my header was that it was pretty, but didn’t really reflect who I was (bright colors, re-done furniture, etc.)  I also made the template wider to accommodate large photos, added a new pictorial blog-roll and cleaned up a lot of the extra ’stuff’ I had that was just cluttering up SYL.

Image Diary: 1. Lucas Allen, 2 – 3. Irini Graewe, 4. Lucas Allen, 5. Ryan Ford, 5. Jeffers Design Group

Abigail Ahern’s new website has just gone live with an updated bunch of products, an expanded interior design section and new press page.  First discovered her through her fantastic book, A Girl’s Guide to Decorating, and have been the biggest fan ever since!  A lot of the images below are included in her book.

She true interior design style setter!  Make sure you check out her shop while your perusing the new site.  Can’t wait to see her new Flower Shop launched in Spring of 2010!

Have you seen the most recent House Beautiful issue yet?  Editor in Chief Stephen Drucker said that he always wanted to do an issue purely devoted to one color and when they finally decided to, blue was the obvious choice!

Now blue isn’t my first choice when it comes to decorating unless it’s a bright turquoise, but I have to admit, it’s a fantastic color option that can very often be used as a neutral.

Image Diary: 1. Sally Conran, 2. Flickr: Anja Mulder, 3. Brian Park, 4. Brian Park, 5. Lisa Bengtsson, 6. Rachel Smith, 7. Rachel Smith, 8. Ryann Ford, 9. Sibella Court

YAY!  After entering what feels like about 200 blog giveaways I finally won!  It couldn’t be a more perfect one to win either as it’s from one of my favorite blogs, BlueBirdLux AND the giveaway is a series of these beautiful thread/posy prints by Jennifer Dickerson.  I hope your jealousy of my win won’t stop you though from heading over to Eileen’s blog and reading her fantastic interview with the photographer.  It is one of my all time favorite posts by Eileen and Jennifer (the photographer) is quite talented!

My winnings…

With all my traveling this week, and most likely another canceled flight tomorrow, I needed a fun and bright color palette today.  It also gave me an excuse to include on of my all time favorite artists, Cy Twombly!

Image Diary: 1. Cy Twombly, 2. Flickr: Plaidponyvintage, 3. Flickr: dsbrennan, 4. Flickr: Jek in the Box, 5. Cy Twombly, 6. Rachel Smith, 7. Etsy: O’Reily Ink, 8. Rachel Smith, 9. Flickr: Picnic By Ellie

Right now I am writing this from my laptop in Charlottesville, VA.  I SHOULD be writing this from my cozy Upper West Side apartment BUT both the Philly AND NYC flights out were cancelled today so we’re forced to spend the night.  To top things off, I don’t have a dachshund to go home to because I’m traveling all week so Bails is at her ‘country home’, aka my parent’s house.

Well I’m sure you can imagine how happy I was to head over to Brandi’s Blog, Not Your Average Ordinary (see the adorable V-Day Card Brandi sent me here) and see doxie art!  If you’ve ever been to SYL before, you probably know I’m a self-proclaimed dachshund lover and thanks to Brandi, I have a little bright spot in this otherwise stressful day!  Check out the other dog breed themed art at Gemini Studio!

This has to be one of my favorite color palettes to date.  I’d be more than pleased with the two dark colors plus the neutral gray BUT this also includes my two favorite colors to add pop with; turquoise and orange!

YUM!

Image Diary: 1. Simon Archer, 2. Flickr: Mic Stolz, 3. Philip Harvey, 4. Flickr: fdecomite, 5. design dc, 6. Purl Soho Fabric, 7. Ryan Ford, 8. Etsy: O’Reily Ink, 9. J Morgan Pruett

Doing some housekeeping over here at SYL so no normal post today but expect me to be back and raring to go tomorrow!

And no, I didn’t spell Monday incorrectly.   I have a serious case of the Mun-day’s (spent about 42 hours watching the Olympics this weekend) but THANKFULLY not one, but TWO fantastic blogs contacted me about their current giveaways (I have yet to win a giveaway but if Bode Miller taught me anything this weekend it’s to not give up!)

Click on the images below to check out these two great giveaways!  See you all tomorrow!

Still lifes by Johnny Miller (continuation of yesterday’s post).  I love his composition and use of dark backgrounds.  I’m currently working on some still lifes of my own and am not at the point composition wise to do it all on my own without some external inspiration; everything that I’ve seen so far though uses stark white backgrounds so I was beyond pleased when Rachel from Raenovate shared Johnny with me!

I had to do it.  Team USA just rocked too much last night for me to not acknowledge it.  I stayed up until about 2am watching the late late interviews and recaps, and then got up early to watch all of the early morning interview.

I am beyond Olympic Crazed!

Image Diary: 1. Lisa Bengtsson, 2. Flickr: sam.d, 3. Etsy: Why so Serious print by throughkylieseyes, 4. Etsy: Vauxs Swift Linocut by loadedhipspress, 5. DecorPad Blog, 6. JJ Locations, 7. Flickr: Drogonflysky, 8. Angie Hranowsky