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www.the-IDEA-store.org
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We're opening the treasure chest!
Another Jewelry Blowout Sale . . . coming up!
April showers bring May ... jewels! That's how that old saying goes, right? Well that's how it goes at The I.D.E.A. Store. So get ready for the next Jewelry Blowout Sale - Friday, May 3 from 4-7 p.m. and Saturday, May 4 from 10-3 p.m.
Besides finished items - from rings to earrings, bracelets to brooches - we'll be offering jewelry-making tools, findings, storage containers and beads galore. There will also be plenty of bits and bobs, odd pieces and deconstructed jewelry that makes perfect fodder for art-making.
New items will be added to the inventory throughout the sale, so come early or late, and come and buy often!
Of course, you can always wear the jewelry you find at the Jewelry Blowout Sale, but if you'd like to exercise your creative muscles a bit, here are some inspiring projects you might want to tackle using your new treasures.
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Last call!
Sign up pronto for denim redesign workshop
There are still a few openings in the rescheduled "ReDesigning Denim" workshop, but if you're interested, you must act fast! Preregister at the store or by calling 352-7878 by 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20. The workshop takes place in The I.D.E.A. Store
classroom on Tuesday, April 23, from 6-9 p.m. A $35 fee includes all materials and take-home information, as well as use of tools.
Instructor Amy Robison will teach participants (16 years or older) how to use denim jeans to make three beginning-level projects in three hours: a purse or tote bag, work apron and double oven mitt.
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Transitions
Service with a smile . . . from start to finish
As anyone who's been around the block a few times knows, our lives are punctuated by an endless series of ch-ch-ch-changes. In keeping with that reality, we hope you will join us in wishing a fond farewell to Assistant Store Manager Ning Zulauf. April 27 will be her last
 day on the job. Ning, who has been the front and center at The I.D.E.A. Store from the beginning - as one of our original volunteers before the store even opened, and later as our first full-time employee and Assistant Manager - will be missed. The I.D.E.A. Store's loss will be the University of Illinois Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Office's gain. Ning will be joining that office's Student Advancement Office staff, bringing to her new position not only the business acumen she developed on the job at The I.D.E.A. Store, but also experience as a former University of Illinois international student, UI graduate, and president of the UI's Asian American Alumni Network. "I will miss everyone - shoppers, donors, team members and all the other volunteers," she said. "I will miss the energetic and always positive working environment at The I.D.E.A. Store - especially all the projects and ideas that people bring into the store. "But I have confidence that the store and the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation will keep growing healthy and strong. And I will continue to support both. I felt that this change will allow me not only to learn more and to help build on my career goals, but it is my hope that I eventually can bring back what I learn to my community here." Meanwhile, the show must (and WILL) go on at The I.D.E.A. Store! Please pardon the dust as it settles during the new staffing transitions that lie ahead in the coming weeks. Best of luck with your new endeavors, Ning! |
The I.D.E.A. Store Village Green: For the birds
Leave nests in place; provide an assist instead
By Carol Jo Morgan, MSW, MS
Environmental Outreach Coordinator
 It's no surprise that the northern cardinal - with its wide habitat range, rich coloring, habit of mating for life and glorious singing - has been chosen as state bird by Illinois and six other states. Cardinals practically trumpet the news that spring is really here. Listen for yourself. Nest-building for cardinals and other wild-bird species is commencing, and there will be new fledglings before we know it! You can help their parents get them off to a good start in several ways. Among them: * Eliminate or discourage predators. Check out the Audubon Society's tips about keeping domestic and feral cats from killing your neighborhood's birds and their young at. Of course, keeping your cats indoors for the coming month is the best bird protection there is, but have you considered establishing an outdoor cat enclosure? A former neighbors' Siamese cats loved theirs! You can also find several styles of "birdhouse predator guards" to keep the hunters away from bird feeders. Humans are perceived by birds as predators, too, with good reason. Sometimes, we kidnap their young! Baby birds are vulnerable when they first leave the nest, either of their own accord or because of being tipped out in bad weather or by predators of several species. It's important to understand that not all baby birds you find on the ground want or need your help. The University of Illinois' Wildlife Medical Clinic website has an easy-to-use flow chart that guides you to a decision about what action - if any - is appropriate to take.  | |
Oriole nest with fishing line
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* Protect wild birds from pollution and disease by washing out any birdhouses. Use a weak bleach solution (one part bleach to nine parts water), rinse well and allow them to dry in full sun for several hours. Birds are sensitive to yard and garden chemicals, especially pesticides, so avoid using them, especially during fledging time. After all, birds will consume some of the insects you don't want around you. Finally, keep your neighborhood litter-free. Birds will build their nests with materials they find in the surrounding area, including plastics, such as fishing line, which can  | |
'natural' nesting materials
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entangle them and their babies. * Provide food, clean water and nesting materials. Of course, birds are perfectly capable of finding these basics on their own, but may choose your area if you give them inviting incentives to nest there. Just be sure to place these resources out of reach of predators! Your nesting materials should be natural, biodegradable, not heavily dyed, free of chemicals and cut into short lengths (under 8 inches) for easy transport. Favorites include dried leaves and grasses, twigs, cotton and wool fabric strips and yarns, pine needles, your pet's hair (unless you've use a strong shampoo on it or treated it with dermal flea chemicals), and shredded newspaper or white office paper. Gather your selection in a plastic mesh bag or a suet feeder and enjoy the show! |
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Volunteer Extraordinaire:
Amy Meyer
Amy Meyer first heard of The I.D.E.A. Store in passing on TV. But she didn't get a real understanding of what the place was all about until her sister, a teacher, suggested she check it out.
The same day Amy entered the store as a first-time shopper, she exited with goodies, but left something behind: her volunteer application. As a crafter, she loved the store's inventory, of course. But she also appreciated that proceeds of store sales support the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation.
Like most volunteers at The I.D.E.A. Store, Amy started out "just doing whatever was needed." But before long, she was coming in not only for a couple of regular weekly shifts, but also helping with special events and activities - from workshops and kids' birthday parties to blowout sales.
Amy is a natural when it comes to working with people and problem-solving. A former wheelchair athlete at the University of Illinois (a car accident at age 21 left her with permanent spinal cord injuries), she worked for 20 years locally as a dialysis social worker. When she discovered The I.D.E.A. Store about a year ago, Amy was actively looking for a volunteer opportunity that would be a perfect fit for her needs, and at the time thought she might like to work with children.
"I'd never really worked with kids, other than babysitting," she said. "I had considered volunteering at the Crisis Nursery, but I also enjoy crafting - especially cutting things out. I was a scrapbooker before I knew there was such a thing."
Those skills and interests are helpful to Amy when working with children at parties and make-and-take events. In addition to assisting with set-up and clean-up, she works directly with children, helping them work through their projects. That can include everything from decision-making support to just providing a second pair of steady, helping hands to hold paper in place or guide inexperienced little scissorhands.
"It's fun," she said. And rewarding.
"The other day a little girl came in to do a make-and-take. I'd originally met her at a birthday party. She made a little picture of herself and me together and gave it to me."
In addition to being one of the store's main "party gals," Amy also literally has mapped out another special-interest nook for herself, of sorts. She's the keeper/organizer of all the National Geographic maps that pour into the store.
So, next time you're sifting through the maps box, you can thank Amy for helping to put The I.D.E.A. Store on your creative-reuse resources map!
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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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