Oh, Scrap!

Yes, that Glamour Don't (DO wear pants) greeted me inside the front door of The Scrap Exchange. I knew right then it was going to be a great and fun shop! Their motto is "We Collect, You Create." I'm all about that. And collect I did, from old dental x-rays (cool! yuck!) to paper spools, brocade trim, test tubes and more.

Set up as a not-for-profit, this organization has been collecting industrial and paper scraps and other funky materials to be reclaimed and repurposed through their store, gallery, workshops and parties. They are open seven days a week and feature a gallery of finished art for sale as well as not just aisles and aisles of scrap, but rooms and rooms of scrap. It IS altered art heaven.

Imagine all the cast-off floppy disks you could ever want, pounds of paper, tubs of old keys, film cannisters, spools, lids. What about an entire "science" aisle? I was ecstatic with the bins of test tubes, beakers, pipettes, and lots of weird medical stuff.

There's also true vintage stuff intact, like old games, suitcases and clothing, as well as newly-made cool jewelry from scrap and vintage scrap. Check their Web site by following the link at top for an Iron Crafter challenge, event calendar and other activities, or visit their blog here.