Taking recycling a step further.

Today I will stop in at my favorite local thrift store, The Opportunity House. My new friend, Francine, who works there (that's where I met her actually and we're not really friends but it's fun to say anyway) is bringing in a stash of used canning jars for me to buy. I am so excited. I have no idea the sizes...I only know they're "wide mouth". I wonder if she's implying something?

Shopping used is not a new concept to me. I have been a thrift store, yard sale, flea market shopper for a little over 20 years now. I was first introduced to the flea market by my friend, Melissa. Her father owned a junk yard (that I actually worked at for a time...but that's a whole other story!) and they would go to the flea market looking for used auto parts to sell at their shop. Occasionally I'd go along, finding treasures like vintage women's hats with moth-eaten netting, wooden shoe forms, old mirrors and fire extinguishers...all of which I still have today. I was definitely bit by the bug...and it stuck.

What I'm finding is that recycling is more than tossing paper and plastic into a big, blue bin. And don't get me wrong...this is good, too. I do it everyday. I am just challenging myself, and you if you're feeling up to it, to take it to the next level. And start small. I am. Every little bit helps, right? Instead of running to one of the large home centers for a flower pot, try the local thrift store and use your creative eye to find something unique to hold those flowers instead. An old willow basket? An old rubber boot? An old rusty pot? The possibilities are endless.

And while you're doing that, I'll be picking up my boxes of used canning jars...