My favorite haunt is a place in St. Paul, Minnesota called Art Scraps.

My kids would leave off the "s" when I told them we were going there. They knew it meant mom would be in the store for hours while they fogged up the car. (In those days we just let kids fend for themselves.)

Anyway, for an art person it is a dream place because it is a recycle center for used art supplies and all very cheap. I would come to the car with groceries bags full of bulk items from adhesive backed foil papers to paper sample books.

Madison, Wisconsin has a similar adrenalin rush for the art junkie. It is an annual art exchange hosted by Absolutely Art Gallery in late June. Businesses, artists, and crafters donate art related materials and anyone can grab whatever they want for a small fee. It is a fantastic way to keep stuff out of the landfills and artists and teachers creating. Let's face it, this "junk" has a temporary detour to studios and eventually does make its way to a landfill but the process is enduring.