I started making these eco planters for gifts a year ago and haven't stopped. They are simple, stylish and downright lovable. Each pot is unique and has an organic, handmade feel. It is not an instant gratification project and you will have to commit, but the results are well worth it. I like to make about six at a time.

You know how that rack next to the door finally solved your family's problem of draping their coats all over the kitchen chairs? Or how that toy bin in your five-year-olds' room allows you to hide his mess away in about two minutes when someone pops by unannounced? What if you could do this same kind of thing for your finances -- create simple solutions that help you stay organized, permanently? Actually, you can.

You can start seeds in almost anything these days... peat pots, seed trays, toilet paper rolls, newspaper rolls, paper towels, or even that good old-fashioned thing called the ground. But have you tried to start seeds in eggshells? It almost seems like an urban myth, with rumors that it's possible, but little proof of people who have actually done it successfully. Well, I can say with absolute certainty that it works, it's ridiculously easy, and yes, it's even practical.

Here's a little financial Apartment Therapy to get you going this spring. You've probably already started thinking about switching out your closet for the new season, tackling the boxes looming in your garage or dealing with the "junk" drawer in the kitchen that's become far too full.

Sarah Pinneo is a food writer and a mom. This month she branches out with the publication of her debut novel Julia's Child (Plume 2012). The book is a comedic story about a foodie mompreneur who starts her own organic toddler food company. Since the book--and real life--are full of challenging moments in the kitchen with kids, Sarah drops by to share a few tips she's learned along the way.

"I'd always seen myself as someone who welcomed her children into the kitchen... And yet here we were wrestling for the rolling pin." --Julia's Child, p. 117.

Inviting preschoolers into the kitchen can pay off, because kids who help with the cooking are more likely to try new foods. In an ideal world, during that witching hour between four and six pm, you'll have them contributing to the effort instead of clinging to your leg while you try to get dinner on the table.

Fast on the heels of the popular faceted, geometric, cut crystal trend in furniture design, origami-inspired shapes push the intricacy and beauty of angles to the next level. Origami, from ori meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper", is the ancient Japanese art of paper folding in which a single sheet of paper is folded into complex designs without the use of cutting or gluing. Now designers are adopting this practice and turning thin metal sheets, cardboard, felt and even leather into practical and beautiful furnishings doubling as impressive works of art.

Room for Color 2011 is here! Room for Color is our annual search for beautiful, colorful interiors. We welcome rooms of all sizes and styles as entries - small or big, traditional or fashion forward, found in homes that have been years in the making or in first apartments. If you have a fantastic, color savvy room to share, this is your contest. Enter today!

If you caught our tour of the Marimekko factory, then you know what we're talking about. Oversized prints are making their way into all of the catalogs this year, and they're adding bold statements to rooms of every style.

From books to walls, store bought contact paper surely brings with it a bang for your buck. A cheaply purchased roll will cover 1/2 of an eight foot wall. Pull out your paints and create a custom design on the wallpaper. In an afternoon you can inexpensively cover any wall with whatever your heart can imagine!