The Montana-based furniture company Vinoture uses reclaimed wine barrels from local wineries create stunning furniture pieces.

The company sources used wine barrels from wine country in Oregon and Washington state, and craftsman Ian Crawford transforms them into furniture pieces. All of Vinoture's furniture is "service industry quality," which means it's built to last. Think about how much a bar stool, chair, or table in a restaurant or lounge has to stand up to. Service quality pieces are much more durable than something you'd pick up at the big box store, which makes them a more sustainable choice.

Here's a quick video showcasing some of Vinoture's wine barrel furniture:

Crawford got started making wine barrel furniture after he threw a party where he used whole wine barrels as part of the decor. When he was left afterwards with 100 empty barrels (that must have been some party!), he decided to see what he could make from them.

He started out making bar stools but now has a wider range of wine barrel furniture and housewares. You can check out the full line on the Vinoture website.

Image Credit: Wine barrel furniture photo via Vinoture.

In many places, bamboo is basically a weed. I mean, seriously, the stuff just...grows. And spreads. You don't need a bunch of chemical fertilizers or a heavy watering schedule to grow bamboo, and it grows fast. That's what makes it such a great, renewable resource.

I'm a big fan of bamboo, and I love cooking, so when the folks at Core Bamboo offered me some samples of their bamboo cookware to try out, I jumped! They were super generous and sent a 9 piece utensil set, a pack of silicone spatulas, and a huge over the sink cutting board.

All of the bamboo they use is 100% organically grown. They use food safe water-based adhesives and finish their products with top grade natural oils. Even their lacquer comes from natural cashew trees. Every product adheres to the standards of the FDA and European equivalent. Wherever possible they use recycled and eco friendly packaging

The spatulas have been super handy when I'm making sauces in my tiny food processor. They came in 3 different sizes and are just the right size to scrape out the sauce that wants to cling to the sides of the container. They're easy enough to hand wash. You don't want to put any of your bamboo cookware in the dishwasher, because it could split in there.

The piece I dug the most, though, was the over the sink cutting board. It has a built in silicone colander that collapses flat when you're not using it but pops down when you put the board over the sink. That makes it super simple to chop your veggies, then scrape them into the colander for a good washing. For a kitchen like mine without much counter space, it also adds a few inches of precious surface area.

It also covers up my super ugly counters, so I can pretend that I have a beautiful butchers block instead. Yes! Much easier than ripping out and replacing the the blue and pink counter top that our home's previous owner thought was a good idea.

Core Bamboo has an enormous line of bamboo cookware, from cutting boards and knives to serving dishes and kitchen storage. You can check out their whole line at corebamboo.com.

Max McCurdo restores and recycles unwanted products into new and well-designed objects, from bathtub couches to washing-machine drum coffee tables. Similar to the work of Ramon Coronado, this cool reinvented shopping cart chair is another great upcycled piece by McCurdo's company, Reestore.

McCurdo's design is not only inspirational, it's atheistically well designed and I suspect quite comfortable. The "Annie" chair takes an ordinary object and gives it a second life, suitable for any living room or office in need of something cute and comfy with a dash of iconic design. Although a bit costly at £550.00, a great inspiration to DIYers and my fellow makers.

I don't know about you guys, but vintage suitcases seem a little bit cumbersome to me for traveling. They're heavy, they're often not on wheels, and for a short gal like me it takes extra effort to keep mine from dragging on the ground when I carry it. That doesn't mean old suitcases aren't useful! They're a great way to add a little personality to your home decor or even add some pop to a craft show display.

1. Use vintage suitcases as drawers in an old adjustable shelving unit to create instant hidden storage.

2. Remove the top, add some legs, and whip up a pillow to fit, and you can trasform your suitcase into a super cute pet bed.

3. A vintage suitcase craft supply organizer looks simple to re-create with reclaimed paper and glue.

4. With a little bit of love, an old suitcase becomes a vertical craft show display. They best part? It's  display piece that doubles as storage, so you have one less thing to pack up when the show's over.

5. I'm loving these upcycled suitcase chairs!

6. Make a vintage suitcase end table by just stacking up old suitcases. This might not work with the curved type of suitcase, so experiment to see what does the trick!

7. Turn a vintage suitcase into a shabby chic ottoman.

8. Use an old suitcase to make a unique floating wall shelf.

Have you guys done any fun crafts with old suitcases? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments!

How freaking sweet are these recycled aluminum tiles?

My husband and I were thinking about re-tiling our kitchen and bathroom, and these came up in my hunt for more eco-friendly options. It turns out replacing our old tile is a little bit out of our price range right now, but it was sure fun to fantasy shop! You can find these recycled aluminum tiles at Eco-Friendly Flooring.

Have you guys found any cool, recycled tile options? I'd love to hear your favorites in the comments!

Need more hidden storage? Hit the thrift stores and track down mismatched vintage suitcases to transform a boring bookshelf into a conversation piece for any room.

I love a good vintage suitcase craft project, and to these suitcase drawers by designer James Plumb are sweet, simple, and functional! You could do something similar with an old bookshelf and vintage suitcases. You'd just need a bookshelf that has adjustable shelves, so you can vary the heights to fit the suitcases. If the bookshelf you're using has seen better days, a coat of paint will spruce it right up!

It might also be cute to make little hang tags for each suitcase, so you can write down what's inside of each one.

We talk a lot about conserving energy, but what about conserving water at home?

Here in the U.S., we take clean safe drinking water for granted. In many places, people don't have this luxury. It's often the women and children who have to walk miles each day to bring water to their families, and sometimes that water isn't the cleanest. Water is a precious resource, and we should be doing out best to conserve wherever we can. Here are some simple ways to cut back on the water use at home.

1. Don't run the faucet while you're brushing your teeth or while you're washing your hands.

2. Reuse your cooking water. Don't dump the water from boiling pasta or veggies down the drain! Let it cool completely, and you can use this water on your garden.

3. If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down. The toilet is one of the most water-intensive fixtures in your house, so don't flush if you don't have to.

4. Don't run the sink while you're hand-washing your dishes. Fill one side with clean water and one side with soapy water instead. If you don't have a double sink, use a bucket for the clean water.

5. Use a shower bucket. Put a bucket under the faucet while you wait for your shower water to heat up. You can use the water on your plants or even to flush the toilet.

6. Skip the half loads. Don't run the dishwasher or the washing machine until you have full loads.

7. Water plants in the morning or evening. When you water during the hot parts of the day, you lose water to evaporation. If you're worried about mold, morning watering is best.

8. Take shorter showers. If you want to get really hard core about this, set yourself a timer. Every minute you shave off of your shower saves you 2.5-7 gallons per minute, depending on what sort of fixture you have.

9. Reuse your dishes. Do you need a fresh cup every time you pour yourself a drink? Pick out a glass for the day, and use it all day long. You can also reuse your breakfast plate for lunch and dinner - just scrape it off in between meals.

10. Reuse your towels (and wear those jeans again!). You really only need to change your bathroom towels out once a week, and you can wear jeans more than once before washing. Not only will you save water, but they'll last longer, since washing causes wear and tear.

What are some of the ways that you conserve water around your house?

Image Credits: Creative Commons Shower Head photo by stevendepolo; Shower Bucket photo by Becky Striepe