Last Minute Thanksgiving Tablescape Ideas

This year I get to host both sides of my family at my home for the Thanksgiving holiday so I have been in full planning mode over the last couple of weeks. As a hostess, I know that often our time is more focused on the food than the decorations, but you need not spend oodles of your time crafting or purchasing a lot to make your table beautiful. In fact, this post shows you that that by shopping your very own home and adding a few inexpensive items from Goodwill, you are just minutes away from the perfect Thanksgiving table. 

Here are six great last minute Thanksgiving ideas to pull together a beautiful time for your holiday feast.

Add Thoughtful Layering

I am seeing so many beautiful layers this year for Thanksgiving decor. Holly Mathis Interiors shows you a beautiful table that you can achieve easily by layering items from around your house or from Goodwill.

A couple of items to note in this shot, you can add backyard leaf branches in glass jars from Goodwill to add a rustic element, flannel throws add warmth to the table without a more formal tablecloth, pumpkins add another natural element, and you can mix and match your chairs or mix in chairs found from the store to create that homey detail that I love. How pretty is that?

Add Unexpected Textures

Once again, I am seeing that people are pulling away from the traditional tablecloth and going for the unexpected texture on table. In Home Stories A to Z, she has used a beautiful cabled throw to add warmth and texture to the table. White linens can be stamped with gold (I love my friend Michael's easy gold foil napkins tutorial for this!)

Check Goodwill for pretty knit blanket throws or white linens for stamping. You never know what treasures you can find in housewares until you go browse!

Additional details like pretty ribbon, personalized tags, and a few well-placed feathers never hurt either, do they?

Make Your Guests Feel Cozy

If I was going to design my perfect Thanksgiving table, it would look just like this. Gatherings of friends in the crisp fall air with cozy blankets are such a beautiful and lovely way to celebrate the season. 

Once again, we see how cozy the mismatched look can be. From mismatched pillows to blankets to chairs, it all comes together beautifully when placed around a table. A glass vase can hold a rustic bouquet from the backyard and pumpkins offer a beautiful detail leading up to the barn. 

This is definitely my dream tablescape and can be achieved just by bringing a few of the items you have from inside your house to the great outdoors. (image source: Lexington Company)

Personalize It

When something has my name on it, it immediately feels special to me. I love this idea for taking a simple Plexiglas circle and adding a little calligraphy to it to personalize each table setting for your guests. 

Is your handwriting as terrible as mine? I sure hope not! If it is though, Almost Makes Perfect provides the template you need to create your names and simply trace them, making this a beautiful and painless craft for the table. 

Add a 5-Minute Detail

Centerpieces can be pricey and feel tricky to pull together especially if you lack that designer instinct. I have found that the simpler the centerpiece though, the easier it is to see and chat with my dinner guests. 

My sweet friend, Julie Blanner, is the queen of beautiful and simple decor and she shares her easy 5-minute centerpiece for the holidays on her blog. With a quick trip to the grocery store and a stop at Goodwill for a platter, you can add a little natural beauty in no time flat! 

I also love these give thanks printables to tuck in your cutlery from Craftaholics Anonymous. That is another 5-minute detail I feel confident that I could execute! 

Put the Leftover Herbs to Work

My kitchen is filled with sage for our favorite stuffing and herbed turkey that I have loved to serve over the years. If you have any leftover, it can add a beautiful detail to your table. Simply place the herbs in a glass jar from Goodwill and tie with a simple satin ribbon to finish. Not only is this pretty to look at, but it also smells so good too! (image source: Buzzfeed)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and I hope these easy last minute ideas inspire you for your holiday meal! 

Fall Wreaths that Wow

I have just been loving our style features this year especially when it comes to Fall decorating. I hope you didn't miss our gathering of Halloween decorating ideas as well as fun items to upcycle for your Fall decorating needs! 

Today I want to talk about dressing up a doorway, mirror, window, wall, or frame in your house. Ever since I began piecing together my first wreath for holiday-giving when I was in high school, I have really appreciated the beauty of a well-dressed door. It doesn't have to cost a lot to create a beautiful wreath and I have a stunning collection to share with you today of unexpected ways to decorate. 

Just as a reminder, Goodwill often has donated wreaths and various floral decor that is donated. It's a great place to start gathering items for your wreath projects and it is always a fun place to check for an unexpected detail. 

Dye Flowers to Match Your Style

Never ever feel limited by the colors you might find at your Goodwill Store because chances are really great that you can utilize a product like Rit Dye or even items in your pantry to achieve the colors you are after. Songbird Blog shows you how she utilized tea to stain white roses into the natural hues she was after. I love this so much that I can't wait to try it on a wreath of my own! 

Fake an Expensive Wreath (Inexpensively)

One of a decorator's best kept secrets is the ability to achieve full wreaths without spending a lot of money by simply stacking them together. I did this one year with Christmas greenery wreaths by wiring the two together to create the optical illusion of an expensive wreath. Ella Claire shows you how to wire two wreaths together to do this with two thin wreaths to make a full and visually stunning wreath for your front door. Consider buying not one, but two wreaths to create the look you are after! 

Add Charming Detail to a Pie

Wreaths don't just have to be on doors, in fact, imagine adding a wreath detail to a wrapped gift or homemade treat. Proper shows you how she takes a beautiful homemade pie to another level altogether with a quick handmade wreath detail to shape over it. What hostess wouldn't be wowed by this charming pie? Be sure to check Goodwill's housewares section for beautiful pie tins that you can place your pies in for gift-giving! 

Add Unexpected Texture

Wreaths don't need to boring and flat, in fact, some of the most beautiful wreaths incorporate fluffy feathers, burlap textures, felted details, and yarn. One of my favorite projects I have done for my own home was to replicate a ridiculously expensive Anthropologie pom-pom wreath into a beautifully affordable handmade detail for our home. You can get the scoop on how I made this with some inexpensive yarn and a few Netflix binges. I still count this as one of our favorite things in our home and love its cozy warmth all year-round!

 

Skip the Wreath, Try a Basket

Not everyone is an arranger of wreaths so I love the idea of adding that floral detail with a basket instead of a wreath form. Four Generations One Roof adds a beautiful floral decoration in a small basket that hangs on her door. Luckily for you, Goodwill always has loads of baskets to choose from that can be spray painted or left natural for your door decorating needs. How fun is that?

Feed the Birds With Beauty

I can't even begin to tell you how inspired I am by this beautiful bird seed wreath made at Study At Home Mama created with her kiddos for their birds. What a thoughtful project to partner with learning about wildlife or for a day of bird-watching. I hope to try making one of these with my kids this winter for our birds!

Add a Pop of Color

There is nothing I love more than a vibrant pop of color with an unexpected texture and The Wood Grain Cottage achieves both with this beautiful apple wreath. I love how she weaves in natural elements to fill out the holes around these apples to create a cohesive piece. This would be one apple gift that a teacher really would love too when thinking of gift-giving for the holiday season. Be sure to check the store for a wreath form that you can repurpose from Goodwill. 

Get Back to Nature

Don't want to spend a lot to create the perfect wreath? Consider hunting around the backyard for the perfect materials. House Full of Handmade made this incredible wreath out of her neighbor's castaways when they had a tree cut down. I love the idea of filling in these details with a little moss from the craft store!  Be sure to head to her blog to see how she secured these heavy materials! 

I hope these ideas inspire you to get crafting for your own front door! Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know your favorite ways to dress a doorway! 

6 Festive Halloween Decorating Ideas

Halloween is just around the corner and with that season comes all of the fun decorating and costume ideas for your home and family. Halloween is always a busy season for Goodwill since it is considered a top source for materials and costumes for most families. Don't forget while putting together your award-winning attire, that our store offers a lot of great materials for crafting a festive & spooky home too!

Gathered here are a few of my favorite ideas for decorating for Halloween that I think you will find both fun AND affordable!

Put a Few Skeletons in the Front Yard

I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this hilarious idea for Halloween decorating from Ruffles & Truffles.  She scored a couple of these skeletons at her local Ross & Target stores and each year has so much fun setting the scene for the Halloween season. With a couple of patio chairs from Goodwill, you have a quick and hilarious way to decorate for the season! This idea is so fun because you could snag just about anything in the store and make it into a funny skeleton tableau. Since I have a black thumb, I appreciate the exposed skeleton left to linger in the dead flower bed.  How fun is that? 

Add Some Spooky Prints

One of my favorite trends right now for Halloween is the addition of a few spooky prints for a tabletop or mantle. The House That Lars Built shows how easy it is to hunt for a free image to download and to print and get it printed as an engineer print for the mantle. You could also go small with these prints and make a spooky mantle gathering with a few Goodwill frames spray painted in black. I love the additions of the black taper candles as a finishing touch to this easy mantle idea!

Make a Candy Corn Treat Bag

I love pillowcases for holding our Halloween treats and I am so inspired by this super cute candy corn treat bag that Rit Dye made on their website. I am such a big fan of the product for transforming everything from table linens to restoring color in my clothing, but I never thought to create a cute treat bag for my kids with the dye product. The tutorial could not be easier and the results are picture perfect for a special trick-or-treater in your life! 

 Add a Witch to Your Fireplace

I feel like a good witch craft is mandatory when it comes to Halloween decorating. With a couple of pool noodles and some shoes purchased from Goodwill, you are well on your way to creating the cutest little witch to peek out of your fireplace. The skirt was made with a little gathering of tulle and these tights can be found in abundance in the Halloween section of your superstore as well as your local costume shop. I love that this is something you can do each year and that it can come apart for easy storage! Visit Crafty in Crosby for the full tutorial on this one! 

Mummify a Throw Pillow

I am a big fan of any cute home project that doesn't require sewing and this mummified pillow is a perfectly cute way to decorate for the Halloween season with just a few simple craft materials. This idea was inspired by Pottery Barn. Material can be found with the table linens/sheets and you could slipcover a throw pillow from the store to keep this adorable craft on budget! Visit handmade mood for the tutorial on this super cute pillow! 

Decorate Your Kids

All of you out there still getting away with picking your child's Halloween costumes, I just couldn't be more jealous. I just love visiting Goodwill for fun Halloween costumes and prop ideas and this list wouldn't be complete without one super cute costume idea for you to indulge in. Skirt As Top has the sweetest little hipster Moonrise Kingdom costume idea I have ever seen. Please tell me this is a favorite film of yours too!! With a few fun props from Goodwill to complete this handmade adorableness, your kids are sure to win all the costume awards (and wow other parents in the process). I will have to be content living vicariously through you this year now that I have a tween and teen on my hands! 

I hope you leave this post feeling inspired to tackle a fun Halloween project of your own with Goodwill! Happy Halloween, friends! 

7 Easy Upcycle Projects for Fall

Do you love decorating for Fall as much as I do? Of all the seasons, this one is my favorite and I love that you don't have to spend a lot to make a beautiful impact on your home during this season. Nature brings so many free and fun elements to your home decorating. Pairing these with a few simple upcycle DIY's, you don't have to spend a lot to make your space cozy and beautiful.

Today I want to share with you seven easy upcycle projects you can try to make yourself and your home cozy for Fall. These projects were selected with your Goodwill shopping in mind and should be easy to execute with some commonly found items at our store!

Transform Book Pages Into a Wreath

Book page projects are always my favorite and I just love this easy DIY Paper Leaf Wreath created by Nalle's House as a whimsical element of decor to a door or window in your home. I particularly love that she uses a fallen leaf as a template to create a rustic feel to the wreath and the addition of fallen acorns really embrace the natural elements of autumn.

Turn Sweaters Into Cozy Legwarmers

Living in Indiana, a girl can never have too many layers in the colder months. I love a good legwarmer or boot cuff to add a touch of color and warmth to my wardrobe. Lucky for you, sweaters are available in every color of the rainbow at Goodwill. As Svetlana HillKovich Photography explains in her easy tutorial, this is a simple no-sew project since no one will ever see what's lurking underneath your boots if you don't feel like making a finished edge. So cute AND easy!

Add a Little Pottery Barn Style

Wouldn't we all just love to fill our homes with everything from Pottery Barn? I know I would, but just can't justify the expense especially when it comes to simple seasonal decor. Live Laugh Rowe replicates these elegant mason jars filled with seasonal filler and votives for families on a budget. Glass jars are always something I can snag at my store and filler for these can be purchased at your local craft store (with a great coupon, of course!) 

Create a Book Page Pumpkin

I am always looking for thrifty seasonal touches to add to my bookcases and shelves. Consider making a simple book page pumpkin out of a book from Goodwill and finish it with a little twine and twig to complete the rustic look. If you select books in different sizes, you could create a beautiful coffee table display for your home! Check out this easy step-by-step tutorial from Red Ember to create one of these (or ten!) for your own home! 

Add a Fall Touch to a Mug

It is rare that I stop in the store and can't find a few white mugs for my DIY projects. I have transformed many a mug into a beautiful gift and I love the idea of adding a fall touch to these Goodwill treasures with a simple stencil. Since these are a rub-on transfer (versus a permanent paint transfer) consider using these as a place to tuck your toothbrushes, to fill with a treat for a teacher, or plant a little succulent to place next to a kitchen window! You can get the scoop on this easy stenciled mug over on Callaloo Soup. 

Add Simple Details to a Faux Pumpkin

Although I love a glitzy pumpkin, my eye is drawn to these simple Baker's Twine pumpkins because they create such a beautiful detail with such pretty lines. If you aren't crafty, this is the perfect DIY project for you and just requires a little wrapping of twine to complete. This project is so easy, you can enlist your kids to help you!  Check out Design Improvised to see how to create these for your own home. 

Add a Tassel Detail to a Cozy Throw

I am absolutely nuts about tassels and how they can transform anything from clutches to necklaces to pretty trims. A basic vintage throw from Goodwill can be taken up so many notches with a beautiful tassel detail. Design Sponge shows you how beautiful this detail can be in cozy neutrals for the fall season. I'm dying to replicate this project for our home, aren't you? Get the easy tutorial over here today! 

What is your favorite upcycle project that you have done for Fall? Feel free to leave your ideas in our comments below!

Tips for Traveling With Kids

I am so excited that summer is finally upon us and with the summer months ahead, family vacations are on the horizon. In honor of this season of travel, I wanted to share some fun tips for traveling with kids to help prepare you for this fun time. Those hours to and from your destinations don’t need to be painful ones though thanks to these great ideas we have gathered up for you for your next trip!

BINGO, anyone?

If there is one thing our family loves, it is BINGO and making a fun game set couldn’t be easier thanks to these beautiful watercolor Travel Bingo cards you can print out from say yes. Simply spray paint some wooden pieces and gather them in a small bag for a great game to take on the go. The best part about these cards is that they are not only gorgeous, but they also are a FREE printable. Yay!

Why Have One Activity When You Can Have Many?

Little hands need to keep busy especially on long flights so head to Goodwill to pick up a simple binder that you can fill with a variety of activities for your kids from shape matching games to craft stick building to creating rainbows from pom poms and snakes from buttons. This activities booklet from Mama Papa Bubba offers a great gathering of activities to keep your little ones busy your entire trip! 

How About I Spy?

One of my favorite games to play growing up was I Spy! The best part about it for parents is that this is a fun and affordable game that your kids can help you create. Have your child gather small objects from Goodwill and at home and fill a plastic container with these small trinkets and rice to cover them. Print out a small picture of all of the goodies they can find and hand it to your kids in the backseat to see how many objects they can find. To get the full instructions on this easy (and affordable) travel activity check out say yes!

Eating is Entertaining, Right?

Raise your hand if you count eating as entertainment in the car? Of course it is! The balancing act of activities and food can be a tricky one though, especially in the backseat of your car. Take a tip from Lookie What I Did and utilize a basket with holders to create the perfect spot for holding all of your road trip food and to cut down on messes and spills created from the balancing act of trying to balance food in your lap. This would even be quite handy for the messy adults in the front seat, wouldn't it?

What's More Entertaining Than Magnets & Chalk?

In case you didn't know, I am obsessed with chalkboard paint and one of our activities for my kids is still our outdoor chalkboard door that keeps my kids entertained for hours outside. To keep kids entertained on the go, a simple cookie sheet from the housewares section of Goodwill makes the perfect base to a travel chalk and magnet board for the kids. Check out this simple craft tutorial from Sunny With a Chance of Sprinkles for keeping your kids busy for hours with this adorable activity tray! 

Have a Builder on Your Hands?

LEGO blocks will always be a family favorite activity for the kids and adults in our house. Of course, transporting LEGO blocks can be a bit complicated especially when looking for somewhere to build with them. Consider creating a travel kit of LEGO blocks out of a donated tin lunchbox from Goodwill. This portable LEGO kit from Mama Papa Bubba is a great way to get your kids building on their road trip and even has a place where you can build right in the box. 

My kids love LEGO Quest for inspiring their builds and this would be a fun one to take ideas from for a future road trip together! 

What are some fun ways you keep kids entertained when traveling? Leave your ideas here and inspire others!  Happy Trails, from Goodwill! 

DIY Graduation Party Ideas

It's hard to believe that graduation season is upon us! Congratulations to the proud parents of those amazing grads this year! To help you celebrate (and keep that bash affordable), here are a few fun DIY graduation party ideas to try this year with items you can find at your local Goodwill store!

Serve Up Drinks in a Fun Way

I love to share drinks with my friends in unique ways. Look at items at Goodwill in  new ways and consider using an item from the store as a unique drink display. Old dressers can be made into a fun drink station, a rusty wheelbarrow is just perfect for putting your drinks on ice, a tool cart can be made into a family-friendly bar cart, or an old wagon can be the perfect spot for making your drinks perfectly portable on the patio. In fact, here are 82 ideas that BuzzFeed has gathered up for your drink displays for the perfect party! 

Create a Mason Jar Centerpiece

Centerpieces can be expensive, but can be made affordable and easily with mason jars, a commonly donated item. Pear Tree showcases an easy DIY Mason Jar Centerpiece that you can create with a little fabric, ribbon, glitter tape, personalized tags, and a few beautiful blooms. 

When on the hunt for fabric, consider beautifully printed clothing items, tablecloths, or vintage sheets for beautiful textiles on a budget.

Use Old Suitcases for Table Displays

Old suitcases can be the perfect addition to any party whether it is adding height to a table or for smart displays and storage. With a theme like, "Oh, the Places You'll Go," for your graduation party, you can easily pull together a beautiful display with old maps, suitcases, and a pretty table banner honoring this easy travel theme. 

Hunt around your house for suitcases or picnic baskets that can be used for your table display and round it out with a few fun finds from Goodwill. The bonus? Transporting items from the table to indoors couldn't be easier! Check out LoveFeast Table for lots of fun party displays for this easy-to-execute theme! 

Serve Up Treats in Champagne Glasses

Balancing treats while mingling is always a challenge as a party guest so consider hunting for fun glassware like champagne or wine glasses that can be used for plating your treats. I love when party displays feel more homey and eclectic so, in this case, mixing and matching of glasses can be a fun way to create a beautiful food display for your party without spending a lot of money! Consider these glasses a cute way to create mini fruit salads, individual trifles, or a pretty way to serve yogurt parfaits for a brunch-themed event. The possibilities are endless with this one! (picture source unknown- pin found here)

Create a DIY Photo Booth

Nothing is a hit at a party quite like a photo booth and what graduate wouldn't want to have this available to take pictures with all of their friends with them on this special day? This photo booth set up from Little Leopard Book is such a cute idea and so budget-friendly. Visit Goodwill for loads of props and create a photo booth for your favorite graduate and their pals with this fantastic tutorial! 

We hope these ideas offer loads of inspiration as you honor a special graduate in your life. Have any tips for parents preparing for their first party? Leave them below in the comments section! 

DIY Lampshade Ideas

One of the quickest ways to update a room is to spruce up a lamp in your home and today I wanted to show you some easy and affordable ways to transform a lampshade from Goodwill. I love these ideas so much, in fact, that I have plans to add a new lamp or two to our space now for Spring! I hope you will be as inspired as I am by these bloggers and their incredible lampshade makeovers.

Add a Fun Print With Leggings

You can find a pair of leggings in just about any pattern or color combination right now at just about any store. Consider snagging a pair of inexpensive leggings and using this material to stretch over a lampshade in your house to add a trendy color or pattern to your home without a big financial commitment.

Head over to Vintage Revivals to get the scoop on how to update a lampshade with this inexpensive fabric. 

Add an Adorable Ping Pong Detail

I am a big fan of ping pong craft ideas and love this detail on a lampshade. You can use fabric paints to match a room in your home and then glue on this three dimensional detail for a fun look for any game room.

Get the scoop on this DIY Ping Pong Lampshade from I Love to Create here.

Go Industrial

Goodwill is the perfect place to hunt for lampshades that have beautiful bones underneath their fabric exterior. A simple removal of the fabric can create a beautiful industrial lampshade and the edition of an Edison bulb really completes the look on this easy DIY project. Check out this industrial lampshade makeover on Blythe Ponytail Parades.

Add a Fabric Detail

If you aren't a fan of the industrial look, but have a great lampshade base to work with, consider adding your own unique touches with scraps of fabric. If you are a sewer, you may have a mystery bag of materials to work with to create this adorable scrappy fabric lampshade for a corner in your craft room like Pen's Nook! 

Add a Feminine Touch

Nothing says Spring like floral and that is why I love this fabric flower lampshade. With simple fabric circles, glue, and a little shaping, this is the perfect craft to work on while binge-watching all of your favorite shows on television. Since you are covering the entire lampshade in flowers, it can really breathe life into a lampshade that may have seen better days thanks to a camouflaging of rosettes. 

Add a Unique Embroidered Touch

I love, love, love the look of embroidery and this DIY Constellation Lampshade from Transient Expression is jaw-droppingly awesome. I have been seeing constellation projects popping up on table runners and wall murals, but have fallen in love with this lampshade for my small home. If you can't find a navy lampshade for your project, consider covering it in navy leggings (as I showed you in our first project listed here) or hunt through the t-shirt section of Goodwill for the perfect navy shirt to use!

What are some ways you have transformed a lampshade? Feel free to leave a comment below! We love hearing your ideas!