Described in my last post, Creation Station is a great place to find small-scale paper and fabric "upcycle-ables" in the Seattle area. For larger items -- like doors, hardware, and plexiglass -- I travel to the south end and visit two stores that specialize in recycled building materials.
Second Use (7953 2nd Ave S, Seattle) reclaims building materials for reuse, keeping them out of the landfill and offering all kinds of cool treasures for artists and upcyclers. Store staff glean materials from buildings destined for destruction. You can search their large inventory (currently 4637 items) online, but I recommend visiting the store in person. Just think what you could do with this cool gear!
A few miles away you'll find Earthwise (3447 4th Ave. S., Seattle ), which specializes in reclaiming historical building materials -- that means doors, vintage windows, radiators, wrought iron fencing, and much more. One of my best finds at Earthwise was a set of sold-wood cupboard doors, selling for a few dollars each. I used them as backdrops and frames for several different projects, including this domino photo mosaic.
Second Use (7953 2nd Ave S, Seattle) reclaims building materials for reuse, keeping them out of the landfill and offering all kinds of cool treasures for artists and upcyclers. Store staff glean materials from buildings destined for destruction. You can search their large inventory (currently 4637 items) online, but I recommend visiting the store in person. Just think what you could do with this cool gear!
In a bin of antique faucet knobs, I found a cool hot water spigot, which I threaded through a ball chain and turned into a unique (if heavy) necklace:
It looks kind of steampunk, don't you think?