As always, there's so much happening at The I.D.E.A. Store AND beyond our walls, in the community. True to form, your favorite creative-reuse store's staff and volunteers will be here AND there in full force, spreading the eco-love! Here are a few of the activities coming up in October and November:

* Oct. 6, Champaign's first annual "Midtown Fall Festival." The I.D.E.A. Store will be one of the sites on the event's "Find a Ghost" scavenger hunt. So, attention ghostbusters! Stop by the store to locate the ghoul lurking among the reusables. And be sure to make time to shop, too! More information about the festival is on the Champaign Center Partnership's web site.

* Oct. 13, "Tree for All" event, downtown Urbana. The I.D.E.A. Store volunteers will be there from 11-2 p.m. to lead a make-and-take project for the kids: transforming Mardi Gras beads and spools into colorful wind chimes for your trees!

* Nov. 2-3, Jewelry Blowout Sale. We'll be kicking off this popular sale from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2. The sale continues on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. And don't worry if you're not able to shop until Saturday; we'll be refeshing the stock as we go. ****Please note: The sale dates listed in the last newsletter are incorrect.

We'll also be announcing news soon about our second annual "Merry Treasures" creative-reuse bazaar. AND we're hatching plans for a fairly fantastic event coming up next spring. So, keep your ears to the ground and your eyes peeled here and on our Facebook page for more news -coming soon - about these exciting developments!

Remember all those slide shows your Dad used to subject the family to on a Saturday night back in the day? Well, even if you don't, or he didn't, we've got the perfect project for you! Don't be camera shy, now. Just jump on a carousel - a slide carousel, that is, and try your hand (well, preferably, both of them!) at one or more of the repurposing projects we've highlighted for you below.

You can usually find these relics in stock at The I.D.E.A. Store. So, come on in to your favorite creative-reuse store, then slide into home with project fodder! Check out some of the groovy ways others have come up with to make these carousels functional again. Or come up with your own ideas! And don't forget to post your results on our Facebook page!

Tick tock ... it's a clock!

Time for another clock project? This one puts your old CDs to work, too.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall ... what's the fairly easiest project of them all?

Voila! Instant business-card holder.

A so-simple way to organize your embroidery thread.

The I.D.E.A. Store celebrated its second anniversary Sept. 28-29 with two events emphasizing just how sweet it has been to accomplish so much since Gail Rost and Carol Jo Morgan co-founded the business in fall 2010 as a social, earned-income enterprise of the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation.

We'd like to send out a big, virtual thank-you note to everyone who has supported this enterprise over the past two years. We couldn't have come this far without fabulous donors, shoppers and workshoppers, party hosts, community partners and, of course, our dedicated and creative volunteers! THANK YOU!

Also, another round of applause to those of you with the insatiable sweet tooths (teeth?) who stopped by Fannie May's Community Night fundraiser on Sept. 28 to support us. With 20 percent of all sales generated by the event, more than $200 will be donated by Fannie May to CUSF in support of our local schools.

Metals are very desirable in both the recycling market and our reuse marketplace. You can recycle steel and aluminum food containers at your curb, and a wide range of metal products at local commercial/industrial scrap yards. If you'd like to see an example of the items accepted by a professional metals recycling facility, check out the web site for Marco Steel, The I.D.E.A. Store's neighbor just west of the railroad tracks. Contamination prevents some metals from being accepted for recycling because it can taint loads, endanger the health

Sometimes even the most basic objects - such as these metal chair springs, stripped of upholstery fabric and hung on a wall - can be reimagined as art or artifact.

and safety of workers during metals processing,

or could damage machinery. Metal contaminants range from food, paint, oil and batteries to mercury, cadmium, asbestos, explosives and - no kidding - radioactivity.

At The I.D.E.A. Store, you can find interesting metal odds and ends in several areas. Be sure to check out the cabinet dedicated to small hardware, lettering and "boutique metals." Popular metals include wire and chain, keys and padlocks, tabs from food and drink cans, watches and costume jewelry, fasteners of all types, boxes and tins, and those special, one-of-a kind pieces. Metals are sold by the pound and by the piece.

For inspiration on working with metals, I like three books in particular: "The Fine Art of the Tin Can" (available at the Urbana Free Library); "Making Connections: A Handbook of Cold Joins for Jewelers and Mixed-Media Artists" (Champaign Public Library); and "1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse" (at Champaign and Urbana libraries).

Although the October soldering workshops are fully enrolled, you can look forward to more metalwork learning opportunities at The I.D.E.A. Store in the coming months. Mark Nov. 2-3 on your calendar for the next "Jewelry Blowout" sale, featuring finished pieces of all values, eras and tastes, as well as odds and ends for making your own found-object adornments.

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