Martha, Martha, Martha!!!

I'm often asked if my tips are actually my own, and yes, for the most part they are. Sometimes I pass along a great recipe from Joe, an idea I heard from my mother, a cool item I saw in our favorite magazine, etc. and when that happens, for those litigious lawyers that might be reading, I give credit where credit is due. So, what am I to do when I open my Martha Stewart Living magazine today only to find one of her GOOD THINGS was something I did weeks ago?? Last weekend I went camping with Joe's Aunt Peggy, and the prep work that went into our little jaunt to the Catskills was exciting on many levels. I think one of the reasons I've loved trailers and RV's for as long as I have is the notion of living on a smaller scale, taking your home wherever your heart desires, and enjoying the great outdoors while your mobile villa sits just steps away. The hunt for great camping dishes (I'll share those with you tomorrow), fun tablecloths, coming up with easy to make fireside recipes, is all part of the fun. What on EARTH does a campground have to do with Martha Stewart, you may ask? I'm getting there. Like Martha, I enjoy collecting many things, old and new. From Fiestaware and Jadeite dishes to yellowware and McCoy pottery, milk glass to silverware, reading the pages of Living over the past twenty years (oh God, did I really type that...20 years....lordie) have taught me a lot. The designer in me often finds great shapes in the most random places. Jelly jars, for example. I have a new found love of collecting jelly jars. What will I do with them, I don't exactly know, but before our camping excursion I thought to take a few, pop holes in the lids and fill them with salt, pepper, sugar, etc. Flash to today and Martha...with the same, exact GOOD THING suggestion of using empty jars for outdoor entertaining, filling with salt and pepper, etc. Humm, look at that. I learned something from an ex con! Next time you think about tossing out an old jelly jar, think again...really hard...and you might come up with a creative use for it; like hanging fishing wire around the top, adding a votive candle and stringing at various heights in a tree, use smaller jars as juice cups, or my all time favorite...use it as a TIP jar!
TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: No time at all
COST: Free
STRESS LEVEL: Finally figuring out how to use my new collection: LOW