This year, Persephone, the Greek goddess of spring, has returned to Central Illinois earlier than ever - dotting the landscape with a lovely and welcome abundance of nature's calling cards. And on April 20-21, her lively spirit will be present at The I.D.E.A. Store as we host "Persephone's Treasures."

The two-day DIY bazaar - organized in conjunction with the Boneyard Arts Festival and coinciding with the University of Illinois' Moms Weekend - will feature handmade art and functional designs created from mainly recycled, reused or repurposed materials. Many items will feature a spring theme. Examples of wares for sale at the bazaar are pictured above and include (L-R) a whimsical birdhouse-style assemblage by Melissa Mitchell; cork earrings by Kathy Lan; product-label market bag by Leslie Kimble; and glass pendant with embedded violet by Renuka Kale.

Other vendors - all of whom are The I.D.E.A. Store devotees, shoppers and/or volunteers - are Cassie Brady, Sheila Daniels, Jeanne Genis, Carol Hays, Leslie Kimble, Sarah Meadows, John MacMullen, Ano Ritter, Mary Shelden, the Wild Wimmin Craft Collective (including Anna Flanagan and Felice Kaufmann), and Rachel Witt.

The bazaar, which will be set up in the store's classroom area, kicks off Friday, April 20, from 4-7 p.m. with a festive, opening preview sale (with refreshments!). The event continues the next day, during regular Saturday store hours, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Please note that most vendors will be able to accept only cash or checks, so come prepared to shop! And in the meantime, watch our Facebook page and Facebook event page for more news about "Persephone's Treasures"!

At The I.D.E.A. Store we're all about ideas! Of course, some ideas are better than others, and we are not afraid to toss the not-so-hot ones aside in order to try new ones.

To that end, we're experimenting with a whole new approach to our workshop/class offering beginning this spring by introducing ... Class Match!

Class Match is a more organic process for delivering 

the classes that you - our friends and customers - request. Instead of having us decide what YOU want, we'd love to see your ideas to bubble up from within. Then you can tell us what YOU would like to learn to do or make.

Here's how it works:

In the hallway, just outside the store's entrance, is a board where you can make a class request. Or you can check the board to see if someone else is requesting a class you'd like to take. Then just leave your name and contact information at the front (check-out) counter. When at least five people have requested a class, we will contact you to set it up.

For example, the first class request we received - for instruction in "iris fold"/card-making - just hit the five-person mark. Other class requests currently on the board include papercrete; artist trading cards and crochet rag rugs.

If none of those interest you, just add your own request to the board, and, hopefully, we'll put it together and find someone to teach you some new tricks!

Class fees will vary, but will range from $5-$10 per session.

The Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation saw a need in the community to accomplish several things: 1.  Support the arts and arts education, 2.  Support environmental education in our communities, 3. Impact the environment by reducing the rate of waste disposal, 4. create a place for everyone to have access to quality materials and 5. Support itself in light of the difficult economic times.  So donate your discards and shop re-use.  Its about making a difference!

 www.cuSchoolsFoundation.org