Transforming Your Containers:

When I was at the used book sale recently, I found these two great books:

I don't know if they are still in print, but they were written in the late 90's, and are published by Leisure Arts.  Here is the website for that company: http://www.leisurearts.com/default.aspx

These books fit in wonderfully with my recycling plans.  I have have been recycling good containers: things like wine bottles, spaghetti sauce jars and even plastic juice bottles.  I am not putting these items outside next to the garbage can though, oh no.  I am reusing them ... for food storage and/or art projects.  I put my recyclables that I want to keep in a tote, after they are all cleaned up:

The books above help with the art projects.  They even show you how to make "kitchen angels" out of liter plastic pop bottles.  I didn't make her, but when I do make one, I'll show you how I did it:

I plan on using the wine bottles for homemade syrups and homemade kaluah.  The plastic juice bottles, and the spaghetti sauce jars will be filled with rice and beans at our house.  If I had more freezer storage, I would fill them with water and to freeze and use in the ice chest during the summer. 
 

A small bag of beans and peas will fit perfectly into a small spaghetti jar, with room for the bag they came in.  I like to keep those, because they give you instructions and recipes. 

I also save good boxes, large and small.  The larger ones I use for mailing gifts at Christmastime.  The smaller ones, I use for storage or gift wrapping.  These books have inspired me to cover my favorite boxes in fabric and use them as decorative storage containers.  
 
So many ideas, so little time to get everything done that I want to do!