I have no use for bottle caps. I don't even like the looks of them on crafting blogs about such. But I can certainly think of uses for a plastic shower curtain that I would & have used them for; covering something outside that you don't want exposed to whatever, using it as a painting or refinishing drop cloth, putting it under a kid's high chair to catch the mess, blocking off one room from another while renovating...

I don't buy plastic shower curtains anymore though. Mine for an unknown amount of time now have been poly/whatever cloth that I can throw in the washer time & again without having to worry about them getting shredded on the cotton cycle, anywhere from the 1st to 3rd washing. And they go straight into the dryer, whereas the plastic ones cannot & have to be hung back up immediately. That was just lovely; walking/running a running/dripping wet plastic liner through the house to hang it back up. NOT

I notice a lot of fad recycling, I get interested & then they come up with some crazy idea, just throw that part out!! I think it was on Martha or Rachel Ray they had just talked about recycling,& threw out whole inside of loaf of bread being used for a bowl!!I just dried the leaves on my celery this morning & put them in 2 packets in ziploc bag in fridge. DD found them 1 time & said"MOM" I said, open & smell!! That way when I have forgotten to get celery or don't have enough I add some dried leaves & gives casserole great taste. I save bottle caps for school teacher so kids can learn to add since this is Ca & some kids don't speak English or they don't "get math" using bottle caps helps them "get it"! I went & bought a clear heavy shower curtain & cut it down the center. I then put 4 floral wires through my heavy steel security door & ran wire through to hold the curtain in place on inside of door, cuts down on lot of cold & wind on each of my 2 doors. Can't be seen from the street. We are going on water rationing, I've been doing that for yrs. Same with lights, I've had 13-22 watt bulbs for yrs. So I guess I'll have to sit in dark.(I was widowed young,I had to save or starve)We just had several rains, I had bought trashcans to use for recycling, I took lids off & they are full of water!! So some of us do recycle for real!!! Jan

I love your celery leaf saving Jan. How do you dry them?
Necessity is the mother of invention and you are very inventive! I think the truth is that people like you should be on tv showing people how to recycle and reuse, not Martha who doesn't have to save anything ever and therefore has no clue. I was brought up not to be wasteful as was my dh, but we haven't had a lot of luck instilling it into our foster dd (now grown up.) I suppose she may have been even more wasteful without us. I am so thankful that there are thrift stores for me to give things that I don't need anymore (and to buy things that I do need.) Back in the 80s when I ran one for a non profit we advertised for donations as a way for people to recycle. Its really true.
kathy

Kathy, I just pull off all the celery leaves & be sure not to have any stems,just the leaves(stems,even small ones don't dry well) I throw them in a colander run cold water over them while I mix them around little with my hand. Drain & dump on paper towels or absorbant terry dishtowel & when you can't see any moisture spread out on foil.Tend to turn very dark brown if wet. Should look light green with a few light brownish when dry. I have gas oven so I turn it on long enough to heat bottom metal & turn off oven & THEN place the foil on the metal bottom of oven, if you are in a hurry you can remove them in 30 mins & reheat (only takes couple of min.) Then TURN OFF & put in again. Sometimes I do this 3 times total.I've also put oven on at lowest setting & put the foil up on top shelf for 5-15 min. that's at 150%.Have to watch! They will be crisp & crumble when cool. Then I just breakup some & dump(make a v in foil to pour them into plastic snack bag. Put in 2nd ziplocbag, label & store in fridge. Good in all stews, soups, sauces, anything you want a celery flavor in. Well, I use celery seed in potato salad if I don't have fresh celery which I prefer. Talk of recycling GF actually carefully folds each plastic bag & gets it about 4 in sq & pops it in a large Kleenix type box.I think she said she could get 500 in 1 box but not sure! Is it ever neat at a yard sale, you just pull 1 out shake & put the items customer bought in it. I always have bags & even buy a few marked down bags of toys & wash them up so that I have toys for babies to teens. Parents & grandmas love it that the toys are washed & sealed in plastic bag with masking tape. Don't make any money but teaching lot of kids how to shop & make purchases & lots of happy smiles as they walk away with their "treasures" The parents are happy as kids looking at bags for them on their round plastic tablecloth on driveway & parents buy more as kids arn't whining. Been known to ask parent if fussy little one can have a cracker also!!OK, Yes I've had lot of YS & I have tons of stuff from an older lady that will call & tell me the closet pole broke, I go over & she starts giving me stuff like trunkfuls Then her roof leaked & they had to put new roof on, garage wasn't leaking but needed to match rest of roof so I ended up taking 9 carloads home. She isn't as much of a shopaholic as she used to be but sure got me through some lean days before I got on widow's benefits. With downturn tho people want things almost free!!Strange as TS prices just keep going up!! Oh, what does she give me besides clothes, well, new in box stuff, great for gifts, lots of expensive makeup(I take what I want &sell the rest) down comforters,King size sets for a bed,shoes(size 7-my size)fancy candle holders, pots & pans,tablecloths & napkin sets,musical Santa, angel, dolls.She gives me xmas paper & tags, suitcases, duffle bags,purses, belts etc. Any money over few cents in change I give back to her. I don't have much good stuff to sell right now except new sweaters & we are both small size 8 or 6 depending on company she got it from. She shops catalogs,QVC etc & other shopping channel. My house is looking like her house!! Drowning in good stuff but how can you say no to stuff I never in my life would buy. Now I live in jeans,GV has some great ones,Jones of NY. Some "wild" things I cut the beads off of & used on crafts!! Jan

You have quite the sales it sounds like! Good hint about the things to amuse children while the parents shop. I think that could apply to craft shows as well. I will definitely start drying the celery leaves.
kathy

I didn't make myself clear up above. If I find money in her clothes or purses that she has used or suitcases I take it back to her. I don't feel right keeping it. I'm just happy to get all the nice stuff! She used to get a couple hundred catalogs but since she doesn't shop as much now it's down to about 50. Fun to look at them, she had new 1 at xmas, I had never seen called Cabela's. You could check their site if you are interested in cold weather clothes, hunting stuff, lodge type signs for your den of family room. German cuckoo clocks, kids snow clothes ,etc. $10 for tin 11x16 tin lodge type sign up to hundreds for serious snow removal equip.www.cabelas.com If you want to take a look. They are located in Nebraska. I'm from S.DAk, never heard of them before. They are in Sidney Neb. don't know where that is. Anyway good luck with your saving & drying the celery leaves, best of course to do it soon after you buy the celery so it is nice & fresh! Jan

Thats funny. I know about them. We get their catalog around Christmas. I don't think I've ever ordered tho.
kathy