It's the age of the artful, playful mall. It is being recycled.

Susan Blandford likes to build this dream this over and over both for individuals and on a bigger canvas. In this case, it saves an entire roof, not just a single shingle.

The St. Louis Teachers' Recycle Centers, which she started in 1993, have found a home in reworked spaces at Crestwood Court (formerly Crestwood Plaza) and Chesterfield Mall. They are equal-opportunity resources for both adults and children who generate new artistic uses for products otherwise destined for the landfill. The benefits are doubled, as teachers choose materials donated to the centers to use in their classrooms.

"I've always had a vision, but not a studio. This is a place to exercise that muscle, your brain," Blandford said. "This is a different mentality than the old mall. It's not about buying stuff when you come in here (to one of the centers). It slows people down. You don't know what you are going to do when you come in here."

The recycle center in Crestwood is on the west end of the court along Watson Road. Like other art-centered tenants, the center in Chesterfield Mall is nestled among established shops and stores, big and little, in the entrance area between Sears and Macy's.

Recycled mall space generates new business with multi-generations, adults and children of all ages, gifted artistically or not, who find they can make one thing out of another. Malls connect people nostalgically, too. Blandford, executive director of the teachers' recycling source, added, "I grew up in Crestwood Mall. My wedding ring was bought there. It still provides the same purpose. A family can take in a show, go out to eat and come play here."

The purpose behind that play for Blandford, a certified "play coach," is to unplug people from hectic daily schedules. Families and groups have creative fun together. The centers have extended open time for kids during the summer. Senior citizen groups and developmentally disabled students have booked time to play creatively. Corporations invite Blandford to teach them how to lighten their work environment. She teaches teachers how to engage "Hands, Hearts and Minds."

Besides regular summer hours for kids to come "Play Your Art Out" at the Crestwood Court ArtSpace, children age 7 and up enjoy projects ($5 per hour) developed by artists Marilyn Calahan and Sonia Slankard on Wednesday mornings. Blandford arranges dates for groups. With 24 hours notice, she will provide a two-hour destination for a child when rain is apparent or a shot of creativity needs to be injected in a group of pals. Barrels of "stuff" and shelves of hats wait to be adorned.

Teachers are eager to reuse excess materials she has gathered from industrial sources for almost 15 years. She travels in "Van-Go," a vehicle funded by the St. Louis- Jefferson Solid Waste Management District, to provide creative opportunity to kids and materials to teachers.

Each month the St. Louis Teachers' Recycle Center recycles electronics to fund its effort. From 10 a.m. To noon, alternately on the first Saturday of the month at Crestwood Court (on the parking lot by the Pasta House Co.) and on the second Saturday at Chesterfield Mall, small desktop electronics and computers are accepted. A donation form, with nominal cost for destroying items, can be filled out online.

There is a bonus in recycling electronics. People who bring them can earmark their donation to schools and youth organizations registered on the website.

The centers also accept items to share. Blandford lists clean baby food jars, paper towel rolls and buttons as "always needed."