It’s quiet here this morning. I can see my breath and feel a freezing sensation in my nose when I inhale. In the sky, there is nothing but an icy blue. A fog snuggles tightly into the edge of the valley as I walk over to the hangar. I want to hurry to keep warm; I want to slow down to enjoy the beauty of outside.

Journals have been flying off my shelves and right under so many Christmas trees. It’s an incredible experience to build all of these holiday packages for all of you! My work comes with a lot of chaos and noise. There isn’t much silence.

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All of the guest writers that have dropped by to say hi on Making This Home these last few months have just AMAZED me.  This next guest maintains that awwwe factor with a million awesome tips.  Jane from The Borrowed Abode is here to talk about used furniture.

I’ll be honest; two months ago, I had no idea how much furniture cost in the US.  I started fearing that Martin and I would be using cardboard file boxes for tables.  Then I saw Jane’s living room…. Jane’s $750 living room.  I just had to know…

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Today we’ve got another special treat.  Christine from the blog, Simple Savvy, is here to share some peeks into her bedroom with all of us.  (You might remember Christine from last summer when she shared her beautiful and simple wedding with us.)  Not only is she letting us into her home today, she’s also sharing some really amazing insight into the internal conflicts with what we think society says we need and what we actually need.   Or as Christine found out – what we can actually fit into our homes!

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Guess what!  The world is getting some more earthships!

Mike Reynolds, the man who designed tire house living (like our own tire house) is helping Haiti rebuild their country.  He’s the gray-haired man in the center of the photo above.

The earthships in Haiti are made from old tires, cardboard, bottles, Styrofoam, and all sorts of other “junk”.  Isn’t that just perfect?  In a land so badly destroyed, they’re salvaging the scraps.  Reynolds and his crew aren’t just surveying the area and drawing up plans.  They’re rolling up their sleeves and HELPING.

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If we were to hang a little sign on our door, I think we’d have to say something like, “Welcome to our home sweet tire.”

Our home for the summer is made out of old, discarded tires.  And in case there is any confusion about this fact when guests come to visit, here’s the front door:

Tire houses are officially called Earthships.  They are designed with natural materials from the area (such as stones from the valley) and hundreds of recycled tires.  You don’t know how many tread patterns there are on tires until they make up your walls!

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Everyone dreams of a romantic, fairytale adventure right after getting married, right?  Today we have a fabulous guest visiting us.  Lisa and Drew – two fabulous Americans moving to Germany as I write – thought their adventure into a new home and new world would be oh-so-dreamy.  But oh the irony of our dreams!  I think you’ll just absolutely love what Lisa has to say.  Take it away, Lisa…

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