Maximum recycling

At The Highlands and Langley Builders, we work hard to bring as many recycled products and processes into each of our homes as we can. This week we're installing Bliss carpeting, made from recycled soda bottles, in an Erin cottage and feeling very good about it. But it's always inspiring to see the clever things people do when they set out to make a real statement.

Here's a group that collected leftovers, scraps and by products of all kinds and used them to build a house.

I love the cork wall and the ceiling, which appears to be made of picture frame samples. I've often thought, while choosing frames at my favorite frame shop, Catherine DeWitt Framing, about what I could do if I could get my hands on her cast-off samples and scraps.

The fireplace is nothing short of spectacular. I love seeing beautiful architectural pieces like this given new life - though I'm sure the venting system would never pass inspection in Langley.

While we timid, mainstream types may never get up the guts to build an entire recycled house, projects like this push us to try a little harder to find recycled content products for our own homes.

Another holiday syndrome - PHW

The folks at Inhabitat have identified another holiday related syndrome - Post Holiday Waste, the condition we fall into when trying to decide what to do with the mountain of wrapping and packaging we're left with after the gift tsunami.

At my house this could also be called Post Holiday Waist. The two are often related, as we seem to give each other an awful lot of food and candy gifts.

Either way, here are some tips for dealing with the leftover paper, tree, unwanted gifts or items being replaced.