If you live in the Twin Cities area, and you haven’t heard of ArtScraps reuse store, you have to learn about this amazing organization that will happily accept your unwanted clutter.  Located on St. Clair Avenue in St. Paul, this innovative reuse store combines waste management with art making.  If you’re anything like me, and you have dabbled in various creative hobbies, you might have some canvases, brushes, scrap booking supplies, (heck-even paper towel rolls and baby food jars) that taunt you and your failed attempts at collage making or bead art.  ArtScraps will help you declutter your hobby room, by taking your donations of art-making supplies.  I know, I know, they are hard to part with, but it’s time to come to terms with the fact that macrame just might not be your thing.

So what do they do with all of these supplies?  They make them available and affordable to individuals, day cares, scout groups, teachers or anyone on a creative, art-making endeavor.    Click here for a detailed list of what they want and don’t want, as well as a donation schedule.  Maybe your company generates scrap or extra materials that normally get thrown away.  If that’s the case, check out the donation list.  You’d be surprised at what’s on it.  Who knew you could make art out of film canisters, tennis balls and zippers?!  Museum quality creations, no doubt.

Not only does ArtScraps, the reuse store, help you get organized by taking your unwanted supplies, but ArtSmart, the non-profit organization responsible for ArtScraps, provides tons of cool programming options to keep the arts alive in our community.  For example, they do birthday parties, teen camps, spring and summer art camps, concerts and art shows just to name a few.  Check out their website for more information.   A friend had her daughter’s birthday party there many years ago, and it was a big hit.  She said the staff was friendly, patient and knowledgable and the kids had a blast making butterfly crowns or something princessy.  Timeless stuff, right?  That was 11 years ago, and they’re still doing their thing.  They must be doing something right.

If you’ve been procrastinating the self-defeating task of tossing your unused arts and crafts supplies, then you have to stop in, or give this place a call.  It’s a win-win. You free up space in your home, (and your soul–you know, for letting go), you’re supporting the arts and families or groups that may not be able to afford “new” supplies, your throwing less in the landfill, and your donation to ArtStart is tax-deductible.  So, I guess, it’s actually a win-win-win-win-win.

For those of you in Oregon, there is a similar organization called, MECCA, and if you’re outside of our local reach, give us a call, or contact us here, and we’ll do our best to hook you up with the resources to help you declutter, organize and find peace in your space, whatever that may be.