When a friend discovered chalk paint as a quick way to paint furniture without having to sand it first, Shelley, a Goodwill customer for 40 years, had no clue how it would evolve. From the very first piece she painted – a mirror – she was hooked. She even took a chalk painting class to learn different techniques, including waxing …
#12MonthsofThrifting Challenge: Colorful or Printed Flat Shoes
A lover of colors and bright things, April’s 12 Months of Thrifting prompt is naturally one of my favorites. This challenge is designed to help you build a wardrobe of essentials at a fraction of the cost and a pop of color on your feet is one of the easiest ways to add an interesting element to your wardrobe. We …
5 Ways to Dress Your Kids this Season
Recently, my husband pointed out the fact that we’re in the second quarter of 2017 already…so, in other words, we’re nearly halfway through the new year! That sure went by fast! Welcome to spring 2017! Pastels are the “it” shades and the Goodwill is the “it” place to get your kids their springtime and holiday outfits! I have to admit, …
DIY: Updated Dresser Set
Happy spring! My son sent me pictures of this (could be) adorable dresser set he saw at Goodwill. I had just finished redesigning his living room for him and he wanted to get me something as a thank you. Totally unnecessary, but he insisted. What can I say, the kid knows the way to my heart – used furniture. …
Eight Steps to De-Clutter
Does this picture look like a space in your home? With my client’s permission, I am sharing a before photo of his basement. This is 50 years worth of stuff piled into a room and forgotten about. He put it off for many years and finally was ready to get things sorted out. There is hope to getting an …
Thrift Store Heroes: Shopping At Goodwill Is Sustainable, Creative and Charitable
There’s an anonymous quote that says, ‘recycling turns things into other things, which is like MAGIC.’ When reviewing all her upcycled craft projects and fashion sense, Abby Drennen, author of a DIY blog for Goodwill since November 2014, and a personal fashion blog titled, ‘Les Bottes D’ Eleanor,’ is quite a magician herself. With one wave of her creative wand, …
4 Ways to Dress Kids for St. Patty’s Day
This is the time of year when we start to see colors and patterns emerge. Spring is just around the corner and so is St. Patrick’s Day! Now, we’re in March and for kids we’re seeing all things green and multi-colored…or rainbow, as my young one likes to point out! What’s more refreshing than that? While shopping for St. Patty’s …
#12MonthsofThrifting Challenge: Denim Jacket
Spring is the ultimate transition season, and spring fashion is no exception. This is the time of year where light jackets and layering should be key players in your wardrobe. With that in mind, we assigned a denim jacket as this month’s prompt for the 12 Months of Thrifting Challenge. A nice, durable jean jacket in classic blue should last …
Spring Trend: High-Low Hem
You can be an early style adopter, and make amazing statements, in small doses. You will feel fashion forward making simple style adjustments, and your peeps will take notice! New fashion trends can be overwhelming! You may say – I can’t pull that off …and, I’m not spending the money to try something completely new. Solution. My take on …
The Not-so-secret World of Donated Art
We’ve all heard the stories: The Goodwill shopper in Massachusetts who found a Flemish painting that ended up selling for $190,000. Or the Virginia Goodwill employee who suspected a donated piece of artwork might be valuable and was correct, having a rare painting by 19th century Italian painter, Giovanni Battista Torriglia, worth $12,000! Most of these rare finds are purchased …