Awaiting The New Year

There are only a few hours left of 2011, and as the world gets ready to ring in the New Year I'm preparing my pad for a small gathering with family and friends. The theme: Black-and-White Chic with an international flair since most attending are from different parts of globe. One thing is for sure, it's going to be a melting pot of New Year's Eve traditions under one roof. Having grown up in Venezuela, I can't receive 2012 without some of the things my family and I used to do. One that is mandatory, is eating 12 grapes 12 seconds before Midnight for good luck—of course with a glass of bubbly to wash them down. But if you're hoping for something more specific from the New Year, there are others that are quite fun. My favorite one is to jump into the New Year with a suitcase in hand hoping for a year filled of travels and new adventures. But if you want to start anew, throwing a bucket full of water from your entry door should do the trick (but look out for people walking by so you don't get in trouble). Others belief wearing something red or yellow will bring good energy in the New Year. But whatever your traditions are, I wish you have a marvelous time welcoming another year filled with fabulousness. Happy 2012 to all!!!

A Handmade Christmas

Image via Sweet Paul 

• Written by guest blogger by Lauren Bailey

Most designers cringe when they think of holiday decor. They’re often garish and bright with a one-dimensional cartoony feel that seems only suited for elementary school classrooms. But believe it or not, tasteful and clean holiday decor does exist; you just have to look especially hard for it. But if you have trouble finding sophisticated holiday decorations, you can always make them yourself. Here are some clever ideas that will make your holiday decorating jolly and fun.

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Sweet Holiday Fun

After months of planning, shooting and designing, the Holiday Issue of Sweet Paul Magazine is finally here. Woo hoo!!! This is their biggest issue yet, with 172 pages jam-packed with tons of eye candy, holiday inspiration, gift ideas, delicious baking and finger food recipes and so much more — all done in typical Sweet Paul style. So if you want to get a jump start on your holiday planning, take a few minutes to indulge yourself with this gorgeous issue Sweet Paul has put together to help you get in the spirit. Enjoy!!

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The Depth of Simplicity

• Written by guest blogger Alvina Lopez, a freelance writer and blog junkie.

I love visually busy rooms. They are far from boring, and I believe they appeal to a subconscious human instinct to take in diverse information. Before we were in neat, organized homes, humans were outside surrounded by the infinite variability and complexity of nature. With this logic, I believe we all like complex patterns in our interior designs. However, as much as we like complex information in our designs, it is entirely too easy to have a room (and its occupant) suffer from over-stimulation. For rooms with gritty urban cement walls or detailed brick patterns, you need to carefully arrange a room with simple, smooth, and minimalist furniture. The furniture then serves as a smooth palette to contrast against the busy walls and floors, thus turning a confusing room into a unified, cohesive one.

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Welcoming Ideas

via InteriorConnector

Today, the web is one the most important tools for interior designers as it gives us amazing accessibility to resources and new products from around the world. In my daily browsing, I came across Interior Connector, a phenomenal site where you can find the most unique, brilliant, exciting and of-the-moment collections of furnishings, and more. It is a hub where we can find inspiration, discover the newest undercover sources and get the latest industry news. A cool feature Interior Connector offers is an array of articles by talented designers, trendsetters and tastemakers lending design tips and highlighting the latest trends. One that caught my attention is a piece on foyers and entryways by Robyn and Sara Karp, a mother-daughter design team from New York. Here's what they have to say about this important part of the home:

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Summer Trends

• Written by UK based guest blogger Daniel Nelson, design writer for mydeco.com.

Trends forecasting is a terribly difficult game to play, especially when new products can arrive and steal the show mid-season — all it takes is a well placed Missoni print and the direction can change. Over the past three months we have seen mydeco.com users in the US steer from their usual hiding place creating 'feminine' and 'classic' interiors and moving over to creating modern, contemporary living spaces. So, what does this say about the changes to interior design for 2011?  Who can say? But we do know that as we're well emerged into Summer, our minds head towards clearing space and creating lighter, airier spaces that make us feel calm and peaceful.

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Color Fest

I love traveling. Besides getting away to relax, visit new places and experience other cultures, for me it's a great source of inspiration. One of the things that caught my eye in my recent trip to Isla Mujeres, a little island off the coast of Mexico, is how Mexicans are not afraid of color. To the contrary, they embrace it and make it part of their everyday life. Everywhere I would turn there was an explosion of bright and happy hues of orange, yellow, pinks, blues, greens and so on. Here are some pictures of my island travels to give you a taste of this wonderful color fest. Enjoy!

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Style Without Rules

Interior design has been undergoing a shift. The rules for decor are being replaced by a more personal and practical approach as people are taking decorating into their own hands. Now there is a publication that celebrates this movement and encourages everyone to inject their homes with personal touches and whimsy. Christiane Lemieux, founder and creative director of the recognized Dwell Studio, has published her first book UNDECORATE: The No-Rules Approach to Interior Design. It's a book for modern dwellers who don't have a lot of time or money to spend decorating their nests, and shows how real life and stunning design can coexist in their home. It's all about “mixing fine antiques with your collection of Cher Barbie dolls; leaving temporary party decorations up for years because they just somehow seem right; wedging antique columns into a suburban house, or parking your cars in the living room,” explains Lemieux. Here's a sneak peek at some of the gorgeous photography inside UNDECORATE — which by the way were taken without a stylist. Enjoy!

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