The color yellow represents:

Optimism, enlightenment, happiness, energy, creativity, sunshine

"Yellow wakes me up in the morning. Yellow gets me on the bike every day. Yellow has taught me the true meaning of sacrifice. Yellow makes me suffer. Yellow is the reason I am here."

— American Cyclist Lance Armstrong

Garden gold

Stella d'Oro daylily is a great addition to an eastern North Carolina garden border. The easy-to-grow perennial blooms all summer long — and into fall. No wonder it's the most popular daylily of all time! Find it at local garden centers.

Welcome home

someone who's been gone for a long time: “Tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree.”

If you like to wear yellow, you have a sunny disposition and are joyful and young at heart, according to www.sensationalcolor.com.

But not everyone can pull off a yellow outfit.

“Yellow is a hard color for most people to wear — but it's a great accent color,” says Manzer Saad Rowe, owner of Monza's Xtra Special plus-size boutique in Greenville. She suggests adding yellow accents to navy or turquoise.

Try a bight citrus handbag and yellow shoes with a white top and khaki pants. Top a sleeveless turquoise dress with a daisy yellow shrug and chunky lemon-colored necklace. Wear a sunflower yellow top, like this sleeveless version from Erin London, with navy pants and jacket.

Bright beauty

Add some sunlight to your beauty routine this summer!

• MAC's new Surf Baby! limited edition summer makeup collection includes Sun Blonde eye shadow, a color MAC describes as “dirty yellow gold.” $15.50 at Belk at Greenville Mall, 714 S.E. Greenville Blvd., 355-8000.

• And how about a real “Goldfinger”? Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri in Lightening is a bright choice for your digits. Best part: it dries in 60 seconds. $4.99 at Walgreens.

• Corral all your cosmetics in this bright striped Surf Baby! makeup bag from MAC. We love the little surfboard hang tag! $28 at www.maccosmetics.com.

Why are 75 percent of the pencils sold in the United States painted yellow?

During the 1800s, the best graphite in the world came from China. American pencil makers wanted a special way to tell people that their pencils contained Chinese graphite. In China, the color yellow is associated with royalty and respect. So American pencil manufacturers began painting their pencils bright yellow to communicate this ‘regal' feeling and association with China. The tradition continues today.

— Color Psychology

Should you decorate with yellow?

Yes

• The most visible color, it brightens a small, drab space like an entry hall.

• Because of its reflective quality, it adds brightness in a room with little natural light.

• It's warm and cheerful, sparks creativity and attracts attention.

No

• It's a bold color that reflects lots of natural light, so it may overpower a room.

• Bright yellow leads to eyestrain.

• People are more likely to lose their tempers in yellow rooms and babies tend to cry more in yellow rooms.

— Color Psychology

How the color yellow affects us physically:

• Stimulates mental processes.

• Activates memory.

• Sparks creative thoughts.

• Increases metabolism.

Try a yellow:

Note pad

Wall clock

Journal

Workout gear

Coffee mug