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www.the-IDEA-store.org
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On the 7th and 8th days of December . . .
Makers bring to you . . . many Merry Treasures
  
Some of the handmade items that will be featured at Merry Treasures: (L-R): Carol Hays' "boho scarf"; Anna Flanagan's bling magnets; and Melissa Mitchell's rolly bowly whimsy.
The I.D.E.A. Store's second annual "Merry Treasures" DIY bazaar is coming up THIS WEEKEND - from 4-7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, in the store's classroom area.
More than a 15 vendors plan to participate and offer a variety of handmade stocking stuffers and other small gift items made from recycled, reused and repurposed materials. Items for sale will range from functional design to funkadelic miniature works of art.
For more examples of the types of items that will be offered for sale at Merry Treasures, visit the event's Facebook page.
We hope to see you there making merry and supporting local DIY creative-reuse artists and crafters!
Here are a few more of the practical, functional and just plain fun stocking stuffers available:
 
(L-R) Gretchen Winkler's retablo made from found objects; Renuka Kale's pins, from spoons and fabric.
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Easy does it!
Add some seasonal decor to your front door
 If you missed The I.D.E.A. Store's recent papercraft "Make and Take" drop-in workshop, you'll have one more chance to get in on the fun. Another session will take place from 10 to noon on Saturday, Dec. 15. No need to sign up in advance; just show up! For $5, you'll have access to decorative papers, cards and other materials. The fee also includes use of tools and hands-on instruction. So, stop by and learn to make beautiful one-of-a-kind gift boxes and tags, wreaths, seasonal decorations and more! Children aged 6 and older are welcome to participate, too. But please, no more than two kids per adult. |
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Even more ideas for making DIY wreaths
The winter holidays are packed with symbolism. And there probably aren't too many symbols more powerful and universal than the wreath, which is associated with winter-holiday traditions of many cultures. If you've pined over the fragrant wreaths at garden centers or admired the fanciful variety at home and gift stores, you know they can be pricey. So, why spend a lot of money on a wreath when you make your own - with your own signature style?
 Of course, one idea is to go the traditional route and make a wreath a door would feel proud to display (if doors could feel, that is!) You'll need to start with an actual wire wreath form or an improvised one made from wire, wood or other materials. Then add fresh cuttings from an evergreen tree or shrub, securing the branches with twist ties. Finish it with your favorite embellishments ... pinecones and ribbon or sparkly ornaments for a more predictable look; vintage toys, spools, plastic trophy parts or even doll parts for an unconventional spin. All of the above usually are readily available at The I.D.E.A. Store.
But that's just one route. There are scores of other clever ideas out there for making wreaths from repurposed materials. Here are some ideas to kick-start your creative minds before getting your crafty hands in gear:
* Find a virtual sampler of ideas here, using everything from pom poms to fabric strips.
* Yet another wreath roundup over on another blog; the tie-on-on-wreath is especially fun!
* Paper or plastic? We pick (vintage) paper every time!
* Make a wreath that reuses yet more tools of the domestic engineer: clothespins!
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Call to enter
Attention artists: We want YOU to apply now!
 We are seeking creative-reuse artists and designers who wish to be considered for entry into "Hatch," The I.D.E.A. Store's first-ever creative-reuse art festival, March 1-3, 2013. Most festival activities will take place in and near downtown Champaign. "Hatch" will include a juried art exhibition and juried art fair. Artist information and applications for both the exhibition are fair are available on the festival website, www.AboutHatch.org. The deadline for applying for entry is Jan. 11, 2013. Exhibited work - which must consist of at least 75 percent recycled or reused materials - is expected to range from assemblage, collage, jewelry, fiber and paper arts to reimagined decor for home and garden. Please consider applying for entry to the exhibition, fair or both. And if you know anyone else who would be interested, by all means, point them to the website listed above! We are seeking artists from throughout the Midwest (and even beyond), so please tell all your artist/maker friends about "Hatch"! |
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The I.D.E.A. Store Village Green: Live & give smart
Weighing in on the annual gift-giving frenzy
By Carol Jo Morgan, MSW, MS
Environmental Outreach Coordinator
The busiest holiday shopping time is here! You may think we're party poopers, but my husband Joe and I avoid the mad rush and do just a few thoughtful gifts. Our intention is to have a peaceful, joyful, simple month in the company of family and friends. One benefit is that we don't have to cringe when the credit-card bill comes in January. I'm astounded to learn that the projected "average American" spending figures for the holidays range from $700 to nearly $1,000 - per person.
There are other weighty repercussions of this shopping season. For example, The News-Gazette held an online contest and awarded the winner for guessing correctly that there were 3 pounds and 13 ounces of Black Friday ad inserts this year. Newspapers across the country boast even heftier bundles of "bargains." I hope readers are recycling them! All told, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that from Thanksgiving Day to New Year's Day, waste from our homes increases by around 25 percent, adding another million tons to landfills.
Giving gifts doesn't have to be a stressful burden on us or on the natural world. Key strategies include deciding and honoring the budget, minimizing wrapping and identifying gifts based
 on the needs and interests of the recipients. Joe and I prefer to give friends and family personal experiences rather than tangible stuff, unless the item is good quality, useful and aesthetically pleasing, and locally handmade or made in America. Of course, the first of our two favorite gift recommendations is The I.D.E.A. Store gift certificate, which helps you give recipients a unique experience, with the fun of choosing what they'll use. The second is a simple, personal note expressing the value of your relationship with the recipient, perhaps revisiting a memory from time shared this year, and an invitation for more time together. Either of these eco-friendly choices is worth its weight in gold.
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Volunteer Extraordinaire:
Ann Bergeron
Chances are, when you see fliers posted around town on bulletin boards - in libraries, coffee shops and elsewhere - you don't stop to think about the creative minds behind them. But
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Ann displays a woven wall panel she made that incorporates shredded DVDs. A detail of the panel appears in the top left corner of this newsletter.
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without designers to marry concepts with imagery, it would all just be so many words on a sheet of paper.
Stepping out from behind those images to be profiled here is Ann Bergeron, the volunteer design star responsible for the "Treasures" posters. Ann designed the
original "Merry Treasures" poster in 2011
(and updated it for this year's event), and also created the design for "Persephone's Treasures."
Ann received her degree in graphic design from the University of Illinois in 1976 and has worked all over the country in that field ever since - from Minneapolis-St. Paul to San Francisco and back to Champaign-Urbana. She worked for many years in various units on the University of Illinois campus before retiring in January 2011.
Since her retirement, Ann has continued to do freelance design work but also has more time to devote to her real passion: weaving. Because of her fiber addition, Ann has been a fan of The I.D.E.A. Store since it opened.
"I first heard about the store at a gathering of my craft group, the Wild Wimmin Craft Collective," she said. "In the beginning, I was a shopper not a dropper-offer. I loved the wall with all the tchotchkes."
More recently, the daunting task of clearing out a family estate fell to Ann. The I.D.E.A. Store, she decided, was the perfect repository for those items.
"It was a comfort and a boon to know they would be appreciated and live on (through the creative pursuits its customers).
What continues to draw Ann to the store, however, is the unique inventory, which she incorporates into her fiber art.
"And as a weaver, I like working with recyclables, and often find interesting materials at The I.D.E.A. Store to use in my work," she said. "I've used everything from a bathtub-plug chain to old jewelry and brass zippers."
Billboard fabric is another store staple that she enjoys working with.
"I LOVE that it's so colorful and crinkly ... I love it how it feels and sounds when you crumple it.
Ann's latest project is a special piece she made for an exhibition opening in August 2013 at the UI's Spurlock Museum. For the exhibition (tentatively called "Inspired by ...,"), she and other members of the Champaign Urbana Spinners & Weavers Guild were asked to respond to select items from the museum's permanent collection. Naturally, Ann's contribution features a variety of materials she found at The I.D.E.A. Store.
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Time to stock up is NOW!
Closing up shop for two-week holiday break
 Whether you're making gifts for friends and family or stocking up on craft supplies to stay busy over the holiday break, please note that you'll need to get your shopping done at The I.D.E.A. Store by 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22.
This year, we will be closing our doors the the following two weeksk to give staff and volunteers an opportunity to spend the holidays with family and loved ones. Some of them will also work behind the scenes part of that time to do some annual reorganizing, maintenance and overall sprucing up.
We will reopen for business at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 8. |
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So, What's This All About?
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
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INVEST. DEVELOP. ELEVATE. ACHIEVE.
The I.D.E.A. Store is an earned-income social enterprise
of the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation,
a full 501c3 non-profit organization supporting K -12 education in
Illinois Community School Districts Unit 4 and Unit 116
Phone: 217-352-7878 Store hours: Tuesday - Friday, 2 pm - 7 pm and Saturday, 10 am - 3 pm
28 E. Springfield, Champaign, IL 61820
2nd Floor - handicapped access and loading dock available on north side of building
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