Hi fellow last minute shoppers. I have been trying hard to ignore this whole buying gifts thing, and have mostly succeeded. Where I have purchased gifts (or still need to), I've tried to make them edible, sustainable, or at the very least, handmade. So, here are my 7 picks. Hopefully they help you if you're joining me in a mad dash to the 25th. More

Choosing kitchen countertops can be an eco headache, considering that many natural hard surface options are traveling from a quarry thousands of miles away. That's why I was intrigued to learn about a quartz product called Cambria, which is mined right here in North America. More

If you are looking for color inspiration for your home and especially your child's room, we think there is inspiration to be found in every room in the Small Kids, Big Color contest and we were thrilled to be able to share these rooms with you. But a contest isn't a contest without a winner so warm your hands up for some applause…

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Here they are...your top nine favorite rooms in the Small Kids, Big Color contest. Some bright and bold, some with a lighter touch. Which one will take home the color crown this year? You have 24 hours to cast your vote for your absolute favorite...

VOTING ENDS TODAY AT NOON!

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For the first time ever, we have an all Canadian international final! Here are your three favorite, colorful rooms in the international division. You have 24 hours to cast your vote for your absolute favorite...

VOTING ENDS TODAY AT NOON!

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Name: Lila (2 months) Location: Silver Spring, MD

Color Inspiration: We knew that we wanted a bright nursery, full of fun primary colors. I selected a neutral color (Behr's Burnished Clay) for the walls, to create a neutral backdrop that could be punctuated with colorful furniture and accessories. I also painted one of the walls with chalkboard paint, which gives us a place to draw pictures and leave little notes for Lila. (Her cousins have a lot of fun with that wall, too!) We really wanted a space that could grow and evolve as Lila grows up.

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Name: Samantha (5) Location: Fairlawn, NJ

Color Inspiration: When I asked my sister-in-law to design a "big-girl" room for my daughter, she suggested an Alice in Wonderland theme because it's so fitting to Samantha's adventurous, crafty, clever and overall unique personality. The room was originally the bright yellow color of the stripes. My sister-in-law suggesting toning down that yellow by painting stripes of a lighter shade over it. All the ideas stemmed from the book's themes: the bright colored and abstract furniture, the chandelier, crown moldings, etc.

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Name: Spencer (7 weeks) Location: Northridge, CA

Color Inspiration: We wanted a room that would work for a boy or a girl, because we decided to wait to find out the sex of our baby until delivery; we felt like green was gender-neutral enough, and chose a green that was vibrant and fun. The hearts above the crib are from my own nursery and I knew I would be using them in the decor, so they set the mood for a bright, colorful space. The yellow pin-stripe in the wallpaper was inspired by the John Deere tractor quilt that our son got as a gift when he arrived in the NICU, where he stayed for 5 weeks after being born 2 months early.

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Name: Lars (6 months) & Ida (3) Location: Washington, D.C.

Color Inspiration: The color palettes in the books "Peter's Chair" by Ezra Jack Keats, "The Runaway Bunny" by Margaret Wise Brown & Clement Hurd, and "A Good Day" by Kevin Henkes all speak to me for a kids' room.

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Name: Cory Benjamin (3 months) Location: Englewood, NJ

Color Inspiration: The color inspiration came mainly from the rug that I fell in love with even before we found out the sex of our baby. Knowing baby #2 probably won't be far behind, I wanted to choose baby furnishings that would be appropriate for a baby boy or girl. This room soaks up the most sun in our whole condo, so I was comfortable using a strong bright color, and muted a bit by the clay color on the walls. For many reasons other than this decor, it's the happiest room in our whole home.

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