Winter is so taxing on kids and their imaginations. Sure, they've got plenty of time indoors to hone those skills, but it's easy to run low on places where they can exercise. I mean, the family room and their bedrooms are only exciting for so long. Unless ... unless you've got a killer built-in playhouse in their rooms. What kid wouldn't go bonkers for that? 

The one pictured above is from an amazing Brooklyn apartment designed by Incorporated. Kind of ridiculously awesome, right? Click through below to see 6 more indoor playhouses below:

Whether it be used for homework or for coloring the next great masterpiece, every kid needs a spot where they can get creative! Of course the kitchen table will do in a pinch, but I've found that having a designated space available certainly helps foster a bit more focus, so why not have some fun with it?

I've put together some rather delightful inspirations (like that spiffy little nook above, a renovated closet if I'm not mistaken). Click through to see 5 more below!

The winter months can be painful for many, many reasons, but one of the most enduring (and difficult) is also the heart of the season: the cold. We all hate it. We all turn up our heat to 75 and hope for the best, and then we are horrified by the bill.

I know this pain because last month, my first month as the owner of a single family home, my heating bill came to a whopping $500. Is that crazy or what?

This month my husband and I are bound and determined to get our heating costs down by a lot, which means (gasp! Shiver!) we have to turn down our heat. Now our heat is at 68 during the day and 65 at night, so I asked for as many ways to stay warm as I could from my smart friends, many of whom grew up in New England and other Northern climate regions. Here are 10 ways to stay warm and STILL save money:

Blehhh, winter can be so ugly some days. It's an incredibly gray day here today and I think the sun itself has seasonal affective disorder and is hibernating. I've almost forgotten what green plants look like. Remember summer gardening? Your yard a riot of reds, yellows, greens of every shade? Those were the good old days. Spring seems so far away.

Well, if you're feeling the winter blues, I have a perfect cure for you. No, I'm not giving away trips to Fiji. (I wish!) But you can do this right here, right now. Have look at these glorious gardening Pinterest boards and indulge in a little daydreaming. Here are 9 garden boards you should follow now.

Well, here are my two cents: this is the craziest decorating decision I have seen in awhile. A Chicago couple has glued 60,000 pennies to their bedroom floor.

Instead of forking over thousands on new flooring, they decided to make a change with ... well ... change. And yes, it looks as crazy as it sounds.

Goodness knows I am a sucker for modern design, but I totally get how it can seem a little ... sterile at times. When I spotted this nursery done for baby Alice, my heart skipped a beat because it seems to have a magically wonderful mix of warm and welcoming modern style with a vintage flair, things not often found existing together in the same room!

Click through below to see more of what I mean! 

Knock knock, it's Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year! Why not take some time to craft up your own holiday wreath to deck those halls? There's nothing like the smell of fresh pine to make your home into a holiday haven. Scatter in some star anise like the beautiful wreath above, and you've got something that not only smells good, but looks amazing too! 

See 5 more inspirations below.

Advent calendars are such a fun tradition for the holidays, and they're surprisingly easy to DIY. There are so many pretty examples and tutorials to be found that I thought it would be a treat to put together a few of my favorites (like the gorgeous one above found at The Marion House Book).

Click through to see 4 more below!