"Wing House" takes repurposing to new heights

When you think of repurposed items what do you see? Hand made beauties like barn door desks or mason jar lamps? what the powerful trend of repurposing and an age of environmentally smart thinkers has shown us is that interesting and good looking projects have been reaching new heights, and I am talking sky high!

This beautifully designed home in Malibu was made almost entirely out of a 747 airplane's 4.5 million parts. The home features architectural wonders stemming from the use of the tail and wings, hence it's name Wing House, to construct the roof. The home also contains an art studio, animal barn, and guest house constructed from the plane's fuselage.

To read more about this repurposed wonder check out Design Milk's article, here!

Cheers!

Feeling Crafty? CORK IT!

I try to reuse as much as I can and re-purpose everyday items into cool crafty projects. 

With all of this wine I have been sampling I've acquired a nice little collection of wine corks. Even bfm has started saving her wine corks for my new venture.
My glass bowl of corks looks interesting, but seeing as it has been steadily growing I have begun looking for ideas for what to do with them.  I have seen them cut in half with an opening made on the top and used as place-card holders at a wedding, but with no major event like that on the horizon, I am looking for something else to do.

Makezine.com had a super cute idea on their blog that is definitely share worthy.

 
It is a wine cork trivet!  This is not only adorable and useful,  but made entirely out of a product that would have otherwise ended up in the trash. 

What other projects have you tried or are thinking about trying with corks?  I'd love to hear!
Cheers!

Decorating Trends: Vintage Wedding

Reaching this level of vintage perfection is hard.  From the decor to the guests attire, this at home wedding is the perfect example of someone knowing, when it comes to vintage, it is all in the details.

Vintage Wedding Inspiration - www.iamkristenmarie.com

The beautiful photos of this wedding capture an exquisitely designed home with well upholstered wingback chairs in  modern prints, walls full of vintage frames, and rustic touches of natural wood and antlers.  The bride and groom, the wedding party, and even the guests are wearing vintage clothes making the event seem like a warm memory in a digital frame.  The house and wedding on their own look cozy and impeccably put together, but the photos are truly spectacular.

Check out the rest of Kristen Marie's photos from this wedding and her other photos, here!  They are totally inspiring and this wedding album is jam packed with great vintage decorating ideas!

My personal favorite, the mason jar cups!  Mason jars can be both useful and a nice decorative elemnet.  Using them to serve drinks is a smart idea because once you have your drink in hand, you become part of the vintage setting.  They help set the mood giving your event a down-home comfortable feeling.

Vintage Wedding Inspiration - www.iamkristenmarie.com

Try This at Home:  want to try this awesome idea for your own wedding or even an end of summer party?  If you are like me and are already a mason jar fanatic, then you know some of the coolest vintage jars are from companies like Kerr, Ball, and Atlas.  If you are looking for the real thing you will be able to find them at vintage and antique stores, but if you are up for it, try estate and garage sales for better prices, I have been able to pick up large mixed batches for around $15.  I try to do a little pre-sale research online via craigslist; sometimes people will advertise specific items for sale, like jars.  If you have a larger event coming up on the calender and need a lot of jars you can mix in less expensive reproductions which will still give you the same warm vintage country feel. I have seen reproductions at craft stores like Michael's. 



The key to using these fun jars as drink wear?  Look for jars that have the words "Wide Mouth Mason" on them.  This means they have a larger diameter at the top as opposed to regular mason jars that taper in at the mouth.  This makes them much easier to hold and drink from because they resemble regular glasses. 

Cheers!

License Plate Bowls via blogger Design Fetish

I found this post from one of my new fav bloggers, Design Fetish. This makes my obsession with old rusty license plates and the pile that has been accumulating in my closet seem not so pointless anymore. There is something about the colors, the age, the different fonts and graphics, and the fact that this piece of metal, worn like jewelry on a traveling hunk of steel, represents an evolution in the personal experience of movement across America.  They were once part of giant memory makers and the nostalgia involved in them is hard to pass up.  I like picking one, or two, up when I am in a new city or if the plate has a significant year or state that represents something special for me or my family; it is also a way to mark the creation of new memories.  On my first trip to New York this last spring, while visiting my older brother I found one in a vintage shop that read, "NY Worlds Fair 64" underneath the plate numbers. It is a simple plate with yellow lettering and a black background but that memory of shopping in Brooklyn with my brother will forever be attached to it.  I have always wanted to find a way to bring my plates back to life and these bowls are a great example of something useful and beautiful.

 Read the full post from Design Fetish here,  Licensed Plate Bowls