Dear readers,

With many of us heading back to school in the next few weeks, there are many questions on our minds – what is the class schedule?  What do my kids need for winter?  Do I need new work clothes?  Goodwill offers clothing, accessories, and school supplies to help you be ready and look your best.

And that’s what we are wondering – what recent finds have you made for back to school?  What fall work outfits have you found?  Any early Halloween finds?  Any coats for winter? Send us a picture of your recent finds and we will share them all the blog.  We would love to have a fantastic collage of all our shoppers – please contact us if you have questions.

Dear readers,

The end of summer is the perfect time to start planning and preparing projects to get us through the upcoming winter.  I have been reading about a number of inspirational projects the last few weeks.  Here is a sampling:

DIY School Supplies

One of my favorite things about school was putting the brown paper grocery bag on all my schoolbooks – I could then decorate it any way I wanted.  Why not go DIY with all your needed school supplies?  Reuse binders, bring in a reusble snack bag, and more.  Crafting a Green World has some more ideas…

Sheets into Tanks

One of our favorite blogs, New England through Yummy Mommy’s Eyes, recently featured a great project on how to take bed sheets and transform them into comfortable tank tops.  This is a great idea for those vintage patterned sheets you often find!  The tank looks super comfortable and is perfect for hot weather.

Dreamcatchers

Apron Thrift Girl shared a beautiful dreamcatcher her daughter made using an old embroidery hoop, yarn and odds and ends.  This is a great project for kids and adults and allows you use anything you have around the house.  Imagine how nice these will look in your windows all winter!

Toothpaste Caddy

I LOVE THIS PROJECT!  Crafting a Green World featured this very easy project.  It is a great way to reuse old toothpaste tubes.  Though the project calls for Colgate tubes, use any tubes you have around the house.

Dear readers,

It has been too long!  We apologize for the delay in postings, it has been a busy summer.  We are working on a lot of exciting projects for the fall, so please stay tuned for some announcements.

But for today, I would like to feature a recent donation that we are currently selling on eBay.  It is a 14KT yellow gold ring featuring citrine/topaz stone and tiny diamonds.  It is a size 9 and we are fairly certain it has never been worn.  It weighs .12 oz.  There are already two bids, so be sure to get your bid in today!

It’s been awhile since we have focused on repurposing projects – we have been busy with events and other happenings here at Goodwill.  However, I recently spent some time browsing our favorite blogs and found some great summer projects – enjoy and remember to check out Goodwill for your all your craft projects!

Repurposing Old T-Shirts

Crafting a Green World had a great post last week on “Memorable Ways to Repurpose Old T-Shirts.“  No need to get rid of that Nirvana t-shirt – simply turn it into an upcycled pillow or quilt.  Not crafty?  They even point out some services that will make a t-shirt quilt for you -  just send in your t-shirts!  You can also make scarves or turn them into wall decor.

Need Kid’s Projects this Summer?

Check out Apron Thrift Girl’s idea to create a thrifed stash basket – she includes rulers, markers, graph paper, shells,  candle-making kits, and various odds and ends she found while out thrifting.  She also advices looking for sea glass, blocks, drawing paper, rubber stamps, corks, and wool sweaters for felting.  Now you have plenty of supplies to keep your little ones busy all summer!

Reusing Old  Mason Jars

Though I’m not sure how this is done, I really love these mounted mason jars used as vases – take a close look at picture – if you can’t figure out how to make them, they are available on Etsy at Post Road Vintage’s Shop.  Enjoy!

We have been receiving a myriad of great musical donations lately – for those looking for more creative musical outlets, this week’s feature will not disappoint – we are featuring an African Kalmiba Thumb Piano.  The kalimba (“little music”) is said to have originated in Zimbabwe more than 1,000 years ago.

The website AfricanTreasures notes that the kalimba “consists of a set of tuned metal or bamboo tongues of varying length fitted to a board, box or calabash resonator, their free ends being twanged by the player’s thumbs and fingers. Board mounted kalimbas are often played inside gourds or bowls for increased resonance.”

According to the website, Kalimba Magic, the kalimba was brought to the western world by an Englishman, Hugh Tracey.  He “fell in love with African music over the course of his 50 year stay in Africa, started a company in the late 1950′s called African Musical Instruments (AMI). AMI began shipping kalimbas with the western “Do-Re-Mi…” scale in the early 1960′s, and now people all over the world are building and playing kalimbas.”

Listen to the kalimba here – it has a very beautiful sound – almost a deeper, more robust version of the harp.  Bidding is now open! Opening bid starts at $14.99 – many kalimbas on the market start at $30 or $40, so this is a great opportunity!