A prototype for a new type of zero-energy-consuming house is on display in Los Angeles, and of course it’s very impressive. But you know what I love about it? It’s poofy!

Blah blah blah zero footprint, yadda yadda solar energy. Did I mention it’s poofy?

They also modified an X-Box Kinect so that all you have to do is wave at lights to turn them on and off. It’s like the clapper, but silent.

It’s an award-winning design from students at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and it’s actually an amazing design that I wish I could implement today. Here, let me show you around.

No, I'm not planning to decorate a nursery again, but I have several friends with growing bumps who are in the midst of deciding on all the sweet details of rooms just for baby.

I love putting together a nursery because you can have fun with it and be a bit brave in your choices. Here I've rounded up six gorgeous nurseries that all have something in common: eye-popping patterns on the walls. I love them and hope you do too. 

My sister and I used to share a car, and I was always amazed at the panache with which she would do car maintenance and repairs, like top off the oil and windshield-wiper fluid.

"Oh my God, you’re like a mechanic," I’d say, watching from our stoop as she strode purposefully from trunk to engine with mysterious bottles.

"It’s not hard," she’d inform me.

Maybe not. But despite the fact that I can negotiate a car purchase with terrifying efficiency, cook amazing meals that'd make Emeril Lagasse say "BAM!", and share the stage with male improvisers without fear, I was convinced that if I'd attempt such tasks, I’d somehow end up with oil spurting across my windshield on the New Jersey Turnpike.

But when I got a fix-it ticket last week and looked at our dwindling bank account, I knew I had to try a few simple car fixes, including fixing my broken tail light. And you know what? It wasn't hard. My sister’s right.

I hate when that happens.

Okay, for those of you who didn't feel the last nursery I featured was girly enough, I hope this one pleases your desire for pink. Yvonne decorated this nursery for her little baby girl with a splash of bright green on the walls and pink accents throughout.

I love that it all looks so doable -- in case you wanted to replicate some elements for yourself. See what I mean with more photos below.

January always brings a feeling of renewal, but I find that it quickly fades once February hits. So this year I'd like to make regular changes to my space that keep me inspired, and keep me feeling like the first of January never left. Here are five fairly easy ways I hope to freshen up my space in 2012.

Freshen up tip #1: Add color. Whether it's dining room chairs, a painting, or a throw pillow -- color always brightens a space. 

This serene nursery created by Christine proves two things: First, just because your decorating for a girl doesn't mean you have to douse everything in pink, and, second, a DIY project doesn't have to be difficult to be effective. Take a closer look at the details to see what I mean. 

I just can't get into shows like Hoarders and How Clean Is Your House? They terrify me and stress me out. But I understand how some people like to watch them in the same way they can't help looking at a car accident as they drive by. The disastrous images on that show are enough to invoke fear in the hearts of anyone even remotely organized. 

In what appears to be a commentary on a "hoarder's life," artist Carrie Becker recently used her commercial photography skills to shoot 1/6 scale miniatures to create a project called "Barbie Trashes Her Dreamhouse." Being that Barbie has been around since the '50s and worked hundreds of jobs and collected tons of clothes, makeup, hair accessories, it wouldn't be a total shock if her home looked like this.

There's nothing quite as pleasant as a leisurely breakfast on a sunny morning. Maybe it's because it's very much a rarity here or because maple syrup is so delicious, but I would be content if that was my Christmas present this year. Of course, I would ask for one of these breakfast nooks to go along with it. Don't they look wonderfully cozy?