Another Trip to the Scrap Exchange

Today was another beautiful cloudy day, perfect for heading over to the Scrap Exchange for another perusal. I collected more of their information and took tons of pictures this time. I spent more time noticing and examining things even if I didn't have any plan to take them home with me. Because who doesn't love an interesting time? 

The woven floral mural outside the front entrance is made with pieces of trash, old markers, and ribbon woven into a chicken wire fence for some great three-dimensional art. 

This hexagon bag is really sweet. It's fully lined and pretty thick, so nothing you carry is going to make it look lumpy. It's made from an old quilt. Aren't the colors beautiful?

A welded metal tulip (art for your house or garden, perhaps). 

Reclaimed clay pottery.

There was a set of china from the area that the Scrap Exchange sells products from local artists that focus on creatively reusing materials. The set of floral china had lawnmowers, 18 wheelers, violins, and telescopes drawn onto them (Reinvented Pottery by Rebecca Newman from Granville County). 

A tower of hand knit and crocheted baby caps (presumably from recycled yarn). 

Welded metal fish with keys, washers, and silverware. 

This was one of my favorite pieces in the artist's section: a scrap quilt. 

This was one of many interesting bins. This blue bin is filled with assorted puzzle pieces. 

There are tunnels between the aisles at a child's height made from old film canisters, plastic boxes, and ancient computers.

Their collection of stamps is great. Lots of selection, most of them are brand new. The stamps on the left were some of my favorites that I thought could be cute for card making. 

The fabric section is quite inspiring. So many possibilities! So much to try! Everything from 75 cent fat quarters, to gorgeous rolls of decorating and knit fabric for only $3/yard. I got two pieces of knit fabrics to make some more maxi skirts. Pictures of those will follow. 

The steamer trunk is filled with large fabric scraps. The trunk even has a name and old address written on a tag on the side (the address is in Pennsylvania). 

 

I am pretty convinced you could build a house almost entirely from material found at the Scrap Exchange. There are windows, mirrors, chandeliers, pieces of wood, strange things seeking new purpose in life, and tiles.

Over an archway leading to the room they use for hosting crafting birthday parties is a group of mannequin legs wearing hand knit leg warmers in all these different stitch patterns.

 Being around other artists and artisans who create and craft from recycled materials is always exciting. It encourages me to look beyond what something is now and think what could this become? I would never have looked at a key and thought, I should weld this to a metal fish. Or looked at antique china and thought I should draw a lawnmower on this.

For your own exciting, creative discoveries, you should stop by the Scrap Exchange. They are constantly getting new donations and changing what is on sale, so everything is always rotating. 

Happy Crafting!

Crafting, Moving, and Decluttering :)

These past two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind for me. I decluttered and packed everything, I moved in with a friend and her family (she has the cutest little kids), reduced my crafting boxes to a bag of fabric and this little box, and went to the park and the Museum of Life and Science with the kids. 

My favorite part of the Musem of Life and Science was the butterfly house. Aren't they beautiful?

My friend has a dog (Charlie), a golden retriever/chow mix, who is a lot of fun. He just wants attention and his really sweet. 

Before I moved out from home, I made a lot of progress on a quilt I was making with purple and green scraps from all the other purple and green quilts and sewing projects I have done. It was enjoyable to go back through each fabric and remember what I used it for. My mom always thought I was crazy for saving all those bits and bobs of fabrics, so I finally decided to do something with it. I don't currently have my own machine, though, so the quilt is just going to have to hang out and wait for a while to get finished. 

I've reduced my crafting piles to this little box which I found at Target a few weeks ago. It's perfect for organizing the different pieces I have: buttons, stamp and ink pad, stationary, favorite knitting needles, and two balls of yarn. 

You knitters will probably think I'm crazy, but as part of my cleaning out, I threw away almost an entire cabled sweater that I had been working on for two years. I had a back, one completed side of the front, and most of the second front. The pieces weren't going together, it was no longer something I could see myself wearing, my gauge (tightness of knitting) had changed throughout the years I'd been working on it, and it was starting to be a source of frustration and guilt that I had let it sit in the back of the closet for so long. It was really freeing to tear it off my needles and toss the whole thing in the garbage, swatch, pattern, and everything. 

I donated to Dorcas an entire sack of yarn that just wasn't my favorite and I didn't have huge aspirations for. It was mentally freeing to de-clutter and stop saving all the yarn and glassware that I was saving. I had this idea that I was saving it for my future house, but I realized saving it all indefinitely was not feasible. I kept my favorite things from my grandmothers, but donated the rest. It was time to de-clutter and it was great!

 

(before)

 

(after)

I also got a haircut at a fun, artsy place in downtown Durham called Rock Paper Scissors, http://rpssalondurham.com, on East Chapel Hill Street. I hadn't ever been to an artsy place to get my hair cut before, so it was a good, new experience.

One of my sweet friends from college, Martha, drove over to visit me today and we went to Blend Cafe (http://blendthecafe.com) on East Main Street. I would highly recommend this cafe. I had a great roast beef sandwich and some amazing decaf coffee (and not many people make great decaf). It is located in the Golden Belt building next to the Scrap Exchange and several art studios and a hair salon called Moshi Moshi. It is a great area to go exploring. 

I hope you all are doing well. Happy Thursday!