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.

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!

Dear readers,

We are slowly recovering from the amazing opening of our new South Portland store – thanks so much for all your support!

Erin from the blog Domestic Adventure has graciously shared another of her fabulous Goodwill makeovers with us – read below and be inspired!

A Goodwill Eye: Stool Makeover

It is rare that I go into Goodwill actually searching for a specific item or piece of furniture, but sometimes I am looking for something specific and, amazingly, I am rarely let down.  Such was the case when I was hunting for a stool for our first floor bathroom.

There is something about seating in a bathroom that just screams sophisticated to me (seating other than the throne, of course).  You’ve seen the chairs in bathrooms pictured in magazines, and in swanky hotels and restaurants.   Well, our first floor bath isn’t exactly spacious enough for a chair, but I knew I wanted to include a stool of some sort in the budget bathroom makeover that we have underway.

With my new stool and a bottle of spray paint in hand, I had a pretty new-to-me sapphire stool.

It wasn’t always so pretty, of course.  But I knew this dirty old thing had potential.

After removing all of the fabric and giving the piece a good sanding, it was set for a new punch of color that would brighten up the bathroom.

On a gorgeous spring afternoon, I headed outside with my trusty can of spray paint and went to work.  The lawn even got a little blue treatment…

A few days of drying in the basement later and my stool was ready for action.

This stool adds some warmth and color to the otherwise cool and clean room, and its overall style lends a bit of traditional to the more modern touches of the our curtains and paint color.

Oh, and I should mention that this little piece was a steal.  The piece was marked $9.99, but I got it on a 50% off day for that color sticker!  So, with $5.00 for the bench and $4.00 for the spray paint, I spent less than $10.00.

Some days it pays to have a Goodwill eye!

Erin of the Domestic Adventure blog has been so kind as to share one of her latest Goodwill repurposing projects with us!  Please read below for details on how to transform a boring lamp shade into a lamp that fits your style:

I love the look of white ceramic lamp bases and I see them everywhere these days.  Naturally, I can never quite justify the price of these lamp bases, never mind the shades, for something that I just simply want.  Except, of course, when I am at Goodwill!

A few weeks ago I found this white ceramic lamp base and a random shade at my local Goodwill store in Ellsworth, Maine.  For a total of $5.00, the ugly ducklings came home with me for a re-vamping!

The lamp base itself was in pretty good shape.  I gave it a good cleaning and it was ready to go.  The shade, on the other hand, needed to be broken down.  The cashier at Goodwill commented on how pretty the lamp shade was and she seemed disappointed when I explained that I was going to rip the fabric off and recover it.  To each her own, right?

With a few tugs and tears the fabric on the shade came right off.

With some patterned white fabric and white bias tape in hand, I started to recover the shade.  There are probably a gazillion tutorials on the web that explain how to cover a lamp shade, but I was too impatient.

I dug right in, making my first mistake.  I cut a single strip of fabric a bit wider than the shade and tried to wrap it around.  With a cone-shaped shade, that just didn’t work.  So, I got smart and used a large piece of fabric, wrapping it around as I went.

Next I glued the edges and trimmed the fabric down right to the edge of the shade.  It was almost complete!

Then I glued the bias tape in place on both the top and bottom to give a nice, finished look.  I also used the bias tape to cover the glued seam of the fabric.

With a few swipes of my hot glue gun I was done.  I plugged in the lamp and admired my handiwork.  I couldn’t help but feel like I got a great lamp for a total steal.  Here is how the cost broke down:

Lamp base: $2.99

Lamp shade: $1.99

Fabric: $3.50 (for ½ yard)

Bias tape: $1.90

Total: $10.38

Not too shabby considering the lamps I admire elsewhere start at $30.  Plus, I ended up with a custom lamp shade that coordinates with my guest bedroom.

So, be sure to make the lighting section a regular stop when you are in your local Goodwill and you, too, will have creative, inexpensive lighting solutions for your home!

Erin is the author of the Domestic Adventure Blog (http://www.domesticadventure.com), where she documents her adventures in homemaking while juggling life, love and her career.  By day Erin is a fundraising and PR professional for a Maine nonprofit.  Erin lives near Bar Harbor, Maine, with her husband Chris and their dog Frankie.

Dear readers,

I am excited to present a Goodwill transformation project completed by Erin Fogg, who writes the beautiful Domestic Adventure blog.  Read below to see how she turns a thrifted bench into a beautiful addition for her walk-in closet.

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I rarely go into Goodwill looking for something I need.  Instead, I look for something that will inspire, and I am rarely disappointed.

Take this bench for example.  After more than a year searching for the perfect bench for the dressing table in our new walk-in closet, this jumped right out at me at the Ellsworth, Maine store.

Sure, I had seen many benches that I liked online and in local stores.  But, I was looking for a deal, and for a piece that was the right height and style for the room.  This bench was a little bit short and a little ugly, but I knew I could fix it up and customize it.  With a price of $4.99 the deal was done and I brought it home to test it out.

After removing the current fabric to reveal a gazillion nail and staple holes, I devised a plan to recover this old piece.  My plan was to cover and tuft the cushion, add about 6 inches of height to the base, and add a skirt to the frame to cover all of the holes and my handiwork.

With some beautiful silk from Marden’s (a local bargain store) and some styrofoam that I found in our basement, I recovered the cushion.  To create the tufted look, I pulled through some buttons that I ­covered myself.

Next I added some 2×4 pieces of wood to the base to add the necessary height.  It didn’t look very pretty, but it was just the solution I needed.

Finally, I added a skirt to the base by simply stapling fabric to the wood.  After just a few minutes I had the finished product in place at the dressing table!

The total price for my bench was $33.99, which included the bench, fabric and wood.  Best of all, it is completely customized for this particular space!

So, next time you go to Goodwill, make sure to use your Goodwill eye.  Look closely at what you find and use your imagination to think of ways you can re-purpose items for décor solutions in your own home.  It’s fun, and rewarding!

Erin is the author of the Domestic Adventure Blog, where she documents her adventures in homemaking while juggling life, love, and her career.  By day Erin is a fundraising and PR professional for a Maine nonprofit.  Erin lives near Bar Harbor, Maine, with her husband Chris and their dog Frankie.