Thursday, March 20, 2014

8 Fun Sweater Craft Ideas from Goodwill


Although those warmer temperatures seem like they are just around the corner, here in Indiana it is still sweater weather season for awhile. Whether you are looking to switch-up your winter wardrobe staple or looking for an easy craft to beat those last-days-of-cold-weather blues, Goodwill has you covered with these fun sweater crafts you can create for a fun pick-me-up! 

Sweater crafts are the types of crafts that anyone can do and the possibilities are endless. I had the best time demoing some of these fun crafts at the grand opening of our Warsaw location and now I am sharing eight more ideas with you, for fun crafts you can try with items from your own store! 



Make a Cute Cowl


I love to knit up cowls for the cooler months, but I know not everyone loves to knit. That is why I love this cowl made from a sweater that you can create with just some simple stitches on your sewing machine...no knitting required. Check out this fun and easy tutorial from Madigan Made

This would also be a fun one to create with light and Spring-y prints and lacier knits to create a beautiful scarf or cowl for Spring!


Make a Sweater Bag


One of my favorite gifts that I ever got was an adorable sweater bag that my best friend found for me at a boutique. You don't need to pay boutique prices though to create a cute sweater bag. Look for sweater prints in fresh Spring colors and follow this adorable tutorial for by Lana Red Studio to create a cute sweater bag of your own! 


Cozy Up a Pot

Indoor plants and terrariums are a fun trend that I am seeing pop up in all of my favorite catalogs like Pottery Barn & West Elm. Even though I lack a green thumb, I have found myself picking up pretty indoor plants for my home as I await seeing our grass buried under the snow.

Consider visiting Goodwill to find a sweater that matches your home decor to dress up a pot. Not only would this be a cute addition to your own home, but it would also make an adorable housewarming present! Check out A Cultivated Nest for this easy tutorial. 



Make a Sweet Plushy

Does your child have a favorite sweater that the just can't bear to part with? Consider transforming their most-loved clothing item into a sweet plushy that they can sleep with at night. I love this idea for creating a toy by Leigh Laurel Studios and she even includes a PDF that you can use to create your own toy. 

Consider saving this sweet item for your child's Easter basket this year! Wouldn't that be a fun surprise?


Embrace the Fox Trend

Foxes are a fun woodland animal trend that is happening both in clothing and in home decor. Not only do I have an adorable fox locket from one of my sweet blogging friends, but we also found a beautiful fox print for our home. 

Add a nod to this adorable trend by dressing up a Goodwill sweater with fox elbow patches. Check out this fun tutorial from Adventures in Crafting and add a cute fox embellishment to your favorite sweater today!


Make Some Cozy Sweater Boots


It does not matter if it is the dead of winter or the dead of summer, I always have cold feet. That is why I absolutely love this fun tutorial for creating cozy DIY Slipper Boots from a sweater. 

Head to Goodwill and find a sweater that offers lots of warmth, but is not itchy against your skin. Use this sweater as material to create your own slipper boots using this easy tutorial from Drawings Under the Table




Add a Feminine Detail to a Spring Sweater

When I was a child, my mom always stressed that things should be just as pretty from the front as from behind on our clothing. You would always find our Easter dresses with an unexpected buttons or a beautiful bow in satin or a contrasting fabric in the back.

As an adult, this philosophy towards clothing still applies and I love beautiful sweaters with feminine backs and details. Look for a lightweight and delicate Spring sweater and add a satin bow detail using this tutorial from love maegan





Sew a Sweater Skirt

Last, but not least, consider transforming your sweater into a skirt to dress up your wardrobe as we await the warmer months. Look for a sweater that you love in a great basic color with cabling and use this easy tutorial from My Poppet to transform that sweater into a new skirt for your wardrobe. Pairing these with leggings, a short sleeve basic-t-shirt, and a pair of ballet flats, would be absolutely adorable! 


Monday, March 17, 2014

Little Black Dress Model Search starts...NOW

This time every year, we start our intense search for a group of models for the Goodwill Industries of Michiana Little Black Dress.

This year, our search will begin on Wednesday, March 19th! 


This is an open call which means all that are interested are invited to come and express their interest.  Kathy Friend, our fashion guru and producer of this event, will be on-hand to answer your questions and tell you all that is involved with being a Goodwill Model.

Those will be seen by Kathy on a first come-first served basis.  Each interview will take about 10-15 minutes. During your interview, you can expect:
  • Learn about what the team from the Style and Image Institute will be looking for in a group of models for the show
  • What you can expect from the fitting process
  • What to prepare for if you are chosen to be one of the models
  • You will be asked to sign a release document
  • Your photo will be taken 
Everyone interested in being a model must attend one of our Open Call events.  There will be one more Open Call on Wednesday, March 25 from 2pm - 4om.  








Monday, March 10, 2014

What is Goodwill?


Normally you see information here about fashion on a budget or how to decorate your home by repurposing items from Goodwill. However, for this post, I would like to take time to tell you Goodwill’s story.


Many know us as a great place to shop or a great place to donate your gently used merchandise. But did you know that when you shop and when you donate, you are changing a life? Each year we have thousands of individuals who come to Goodwill in need of more than just a job. They need hope!  Most are unemployed with barriers that are keeping them from actively achieving their hopes and dreams. It may be an individual with a disability. It may be a parent who has been trapped in the welfare rolls and is looking to break free of that cycle. It may be others whose choices took them behind prison walls, but now they would like to turn their lives around. Or, it could be a woman who is unemployed or underemployed and is looking to get her career on the right path.


No matter what brings an individual to Goodwill, the barriers we most often have to work through are desperation and self-doubt. Many do not realize the potential they have hidden inside. Through life skills training, job readiness classes, work experience opportunities, job search and job retention services, we are able to help individuals start realizing their potential and what they can achieve through hard work and dedication.

Last year, thanks to you, we helped over 1,000 individuals go to work. They are now taking care of their families, paying taxes and seeing their dreams come true.

Without your support – shopping, donating gently used goods and making monetary contributions, we would not be able to make dreams come true.  

On behalf of the men and women that we serve – thank you!  

Debie

Monday, March 3, 2014

Get Your Home Organized With Goodwill


At the beginning of the year, I get the strong urge to donate everything in my house and start fresh. I am also always on the hunt to find new strategies for organization in my home that don't cost a lot. Thankfully at Goodwill, you can organize your home and declutter it all at one store!

Today I am featuring some great ideas for organization from commonly found items at their store. I am so inspired by these bloggers that I have a trip to Goodwill planned for myself this week to try to snag a few of these items.



Get Your Desk Organized


This last month I spent the month organizing my office and craft space. One thing I really hate is desk clutter and I have been using a thrift store mug to organize all my writing and cutting tools. I love this fresh idea for using a broom head as an office caddy for organizing these item in a fun nod to  industrial-style  and to add a little whimsy to your desk. Grab the inspiration for this project from merry thought.


Get Your Bathroom Organized

One area I always struggle with organization is our bathroom. You can always find an abundance of white dishes at Goodwill though and this painting tutorial from Fruetcake shows how to turn plain white dishes into copper vanity bowls with just a little spray paint. This would be a fantastic way to organize things like bobby pins, cotton balls, or even as a small jewelry holder. 


Organize Your Photos


One thing I have vowed to do this year is to print more photos. Of course the dilemma always is where to hang and display these items. Luckily for me, I found this adorable cabinet door photo display that you can create with just a few items for decorating the top of your dresser. If you are an Instagram-addict like me, this is a must-do project for displaying your favorite pictures. Check out the tutorial to create your photo display on Making Home Base.



Organize Your Jewelry Collection


Vintage plates and china can be adorned or just allowed to show their original vintage beauty in this adorable jewelry display that you could create from plates at Goodwill.  I love that this organizing project not only organizes, but it also doubles as a cute way to decorate a wall or the interior of a walk-in closet.

To round out this display, check Goodwill's sheets, linens, and kitchen towels for fabric to add to these embroidery hoops. If you are a woman that isn't as fully accessorized (pity the thought!) you can even add to your jewels with items found in their jewelry department. You can find the tutorial for this vintage plate jewelry display on Craft a Doodle Doo



Organize the Bookcase


Bookcases can become untidy quickly especially in my kid's rooms. Consider whittling down the book collection into a more manageable size and then create these adorable bookends from your child's old action figures and toys. With a quick mount and a little spray paint, you have a unique bookend that can tidy those stacks. Grab the tutorial for these easy DIY Bookends from Canadian Family today! 


Organize Your Menu Plan


If one of your goals this year is to save money, the one place I always recommend starting is with your grocery shopping and menu planning. I am a visual person, so I love my chalkboard in my kitchen as a reminder of what we have in store for the week and to prompt me to prep and thaw ingredients for the days ahead. 

If you don't have a chalkboard in your kitchen, making one is very easy thanks to chalkboard paint. Check your Goodwill Store for a frame, canvas, or serving tray that you can use to get your menu plan visual. Grab the tutorial to make your own vintage chalkboard tray on by wilma.



Organize the Paper Clutter


We talk a lot about book page crafts on the Goodwill Tips Blog because this is an item you can always find at your local Goodwill Store. Did you know that you can transform a donated book into an organizer? On the 3 R's Blog you can find an easy folding technique for creating your own business card organizer. As someone who frequently has a pile of cards and tiny notes to myself, I love this thoughtful storage idea for these items! 


Organize the Toys


After the holidays, the toy clutter always seems to get out of control at our house. Thankfully, you can find lots of jars at your local Goodwill Store that can be transformed into adorable containers to house those smaller toys in. With a little spray paint and a figurine, car or train, you can create an adorable accent to your child's bookshelves or to tuck away in your toy storage closet. You can get the scoop on making these adorable toy corrals on Simplicity in the South

What are your favorite things to use to organize your home from Goodwill? Have you upcycled anything into the perfect storage solution? Feel free to share it here!