For folks who are into cross-stitch or weaving, the texture of a wire waste basket begs to be fancied up with stitched or woven fiber, and Poppytalk did an awesome job transforming a wire waste basket into a lamp! They used strips of fabric, but you could also use yarn or grouped strands of embroidery thread - this is a great project for busting that fiber stash. You can check out the full instructions on how to do it over on Poppytalk!

The folks at Poppytalk used a new waste basket, but you can hunt at thrift stores for a second hand one to make this an upcycled project! The trick is cleaning that waste basket well because, well...it's a waste basket!

How to Clean Your Waste Basket

Wire mesh is not a joy to clean, but with the right tools on hand, you can make it easier on yourself. Here's how!

1. Get scrubby. Use a scrubby brush and hot, soapy water to get any gunk off of your basket.
2. Rinse. Rinse it out under running water. Your bathtub is a good place to do this, if you don't have a hose in your back yard.
3. Soak that sucker (optional). If you feel like it's still not totally clean, grab a bucket that's larger than your basket, fill it up with water, add a generous squirt of dish soap, and submerge. If your basket wants to float, use a brick to weigh it down. Soak for around 30 minutes, then rinse.
4. Dry. Set your basket out to dry. You can dry it in the sun, if it's warm and clear out or just set it upside down on a clean towel to drip dry on the bathroom or kitchen counter.

Ta-da! Easy peasy, and you're ready to make an upcycled lamp!

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There are numerous benefits that come with heating your home with wood, some of which are obvious, and some not quite as prominent. This is especially true if you have never had the joy of sitting next to a toasty wood stove as you warm yourself up after a trip out into the cold.

Today's wood stoves are much more energy-efficient that those of yesteryear, and they now maintain efficiency of 70 percent or more. Here are the most important reasons you might consider a wood stove for your home heating needs:

1. Self Reliance

Using a wood stove is a step in the direction of self-reliance. Heating choices like coal, oil or gas are non-renewable and beyond a person’s control. However, a sustainably maintained forest is a renewable, healthy, and self-propagating alternative.

Home owners can cut and manage their own firewood and know exactly where it came from. With other heating options, you have no clue how it is handled and are at the mercy of the large utility companies. Well-maintained forests can be a source of heat practically forever.

2. Get in Shape

Taking a dip into the wood heat pool comes with the added benefit of gym-free, vigorous exercise. After all, wood doesn’t cut, split, stack and move itself, does it?

The winter months offer a great opportunity to feel some invigorating fresh air as you work up a sweat splitting your wood. By the time you're done stacking your wood inside the garage door, you may be warm enough that you won’t need to burn as many logs to feel warm in your house.

3. Save Money

In general, heating with wood is cheaper than fossil fuel. If you can gather your own wood, then it can be as cheap as the tools to chop it.

Even having wood for our stove delivered still cost under 100 bucks a cord. That is a significant savings over typical heating costs through the major utility companies. Even better is that your money spent on firewood is money invested into your local community.

4. Heat More Efficiently

With typical heating setups, a large amount of energy goes to waste. Do you really need a baseboard heater in the bathroom when the door is open 95% of the time? Do the bedrooms need to be the same temperature as the rest of the house? Of course not, and with a wood stove you can directly heat the areas that you want to be the warmest, such as your living room or kitchen. Heating only the spaces where you need it is good for your wallet, and our natural resources.

These are just a few of the many benefits to using a wood stove to heat your home. Besides the obvious, a fire just warms a home, both literally and figuratively.

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Kentishman

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Everything has a computer these days, even simple household appliances. Some wonder whether our homes will soon become giant computerized environments as well.

In an era of technological innovation, we’re seeing more and more infiltration of high tech gadgets into the home. These new technologies promise to make our home lives easier, more comfortable, safer, more energy efficient, and even more fun.

Although it might feel like we're being taken over by Big Brother (don't worry, it's just Google), building more intelligent homes can actually help save energy and reduce environmental impact.

Instead of just being able to program your HVAC system or appliance to switch on and off at certain times, these systems may soon be able to sense human presence, and determined whether or not they need to be ready to serve.

The following infographic explores some of the potential technological possibilities we may see in our homes over the next decade.

Brought to you by The House Designers, offering a wide selection of quality house plans

Image Credit: Flickr - Howard Dickins

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Despite the fact that we had new snow less than a week ago, the weather in Colorado is slowly beginning to look and feel more like spring. Soon, all that cold and wind will be just a distant memory as we look for ways to escape the dry, persistent heat of the Rocky Mountain West.

It's estimated that the average American home uses over $2,000 of energy every year. Almost half of this amount is spent on heating and cooling costs alone.

Understanding the ins and outs of your home’s heating and cooling equipment can be an essential part of helping to insure your home is operating at maximum energy efficiency.

This WellHome graphic shows how HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems heat and cool your home so you can achieve a comfortable temperature without wasting too much energy.

Image Created by Wellhome.com Insulation and Energy Audits

Top Image: Flickr - nblumhardt

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Many people think that making your home more energy efficient means investing in expensive upgrades to major fixtures and appliances. While it's often overlooked, home lighting is one of the systems that can be made much more efficient without spending a lot of time or money.

Your home's lighting can have a big impact on both how much energy you use, and how comfortable or cozy your home feels. Understanding the differences between the many choices in lighting will help to lower your energy bills, while at the same time giving you the knowledge to pick the lighting most appropriate for your illumination needs.

This  infographic from our friends at WellHome Energy Audits is a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about home lighting, from light bulb type to accent lamp placement...enjoy!

Created by Wellhome.com Insulation and Energy Audits