Yesterday, I stopped into Goodwill of Central Arizona to look for a Halloween costume. It’s no wonder Halloween is sponsored by Goodwill. There were so many costume options to choose from, it was hard to choose just one.
For less than $15, this is the only way I can be the Wimbledon champion I always wanted to be!
Move over Sharapova!
I’ll never forget the shirt my mom purchased for my from JCPenney when I was in the fifth grade. It simply was a picture of an owl sitting in a tree branch and I loved that shirt. I’ll even admit to making a latch hook rug with an owl on it when I was in my teens! With those two vivid memories, it’s no wonder I’m still a fan of the bird.
This year, I’m using owls in some of my H-owl-oween décor. Here is a sneak peak at one beauty whoo’s taking center stage this year.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
The cooler weather we had in Arizona last week motivated me to do some organizing around the house. The organizing included weeding out my closet of clothing and shoes I haven’t worn in the past 6 months to a year.
Knowing what to donate to Goodwill is quite easy to do with the inventory system I have in place.
First, I start with the hanger hooks hanging over the bar. After I wear a piece of clothing and it comes back into my closet, I place the hanger hook behind the bar. This system helps me keep track of the pieces I wear and which items go neglected.
At the end of the season, or when the temperature goes below 100 degrees here in Arizona, I simply pull the clothing with the hangers facing forward.
My recent donation to Goodwill yielded 10 dresses, 20 shirts, 5 pairs of pants, and 3 pairs of shoes.
After tackling my kid’s closets, I loaded up the car and headed to the Goodwill Donation Center around the corner from my house.
With an organized closet, I’m quite satisfied to know my donation will put people to work and support job training for those in my community, not to mention I feel 10 pounds lighter. Really, it’s that liberating, you should try it!
Signed,
The Goodwill Gal
Did you know you can calculate the impact of your donation to Goodwill? Click HERE to see how your donation puts people to work!
Hi,
Welcome to my House of Goodwill.
I’m glad you stopped in, would you like to join me for some refreshments by the pool?
I’ve made some fresh lemonade.
Okay, so it’s a powder drink, but I put it in a nice, thick glass pitcher and added a few slices of lemons to give it that fresh squeezed, lemonade taste.
Pleasing to the eye and it tastes great too.
Let me pour some for you into a sturdy, mason drinking glass, filled to the brim with ice cubes.
Would you like to add some fresh raspberries to your lemonade?
Go ahead, live a little.
They are like sweet little bursts of joy.
Now, go ahead take a sip from the straw or disregard the straw and guzzle it down, it’s your choice, you’re among friends.
Delicious, isn’t it?
I brought these frozen treats out for the kids.
Who am I kidding, I’m going to reach for one right after I have a cookie.
Please, help yourself.
Okay, okay, so I didn’t bake the cookies.
I believe if I serve them on an adorable apple shaped plate it will make them taste like a million bucks.
It’s got to work, right?
Now let’s just sit back and enjoy each other’s company.
I’m glad you came to visit.
Stop by anytime!
_______________________________
My Goodwill Shopping Guide:
Small lemon napkins. $.69 each
Small apple shaped glass plates. $.99 each.
Small Pail. $2.99.
Heavy Glass Pitcher. $4.99.
Marson Jar Drinking Glasses. $.69 each.
Small Glass Pedistal Bowl. $.69.
While the temperature is boiling outside, I decided this Goodwill Gal needs a little dose of freshness and cheer inside.
When I think of fresh, I think of lemons, do you?
Maybe I’ve heard the term “lemony fresh scent” one too many times.
It has definitely worked on me.
I believe one way to perk up your home and possibly the people in it, is to set the table according to the mood you’re trying to create.
Today, I’m going with fresh and cheery.
I pulled out my yellow and lime striped napkins and matching table runner.
Six napkins and table runner purchased from my local Goodwill.
In my opinion …
yellow and green make a great refreshing combination.
I gave them a quick laundering then a quick press.
When I say a quick press, I mean a quick press.
Let’s not get crazy, the last thing I want to do is linger around anything throwing out heat when it’s 100+ degrees outside.
I have accumulated a nice collection of vintage green glassware and whether serving family or friends, these pieces get their fair share of use.
Each and every piece of my collection came from Goodwill. I really have to be selective about the pieces I fall in love with or else I’ll run out of storage space and funds!
These pieces go great with the lemon and lime theme I have in mind.
Two different styles of glasses will be perfect.
Who says everything has to match?
Of course, the centerpiece needs to speak lemony fresh so I added some daisies to a clear glass vase and filled it with water and sliced lemons.
Pretty and simple.
These make me smile.
I used white plates for my place setting and added a lime, just for fun!
If you’ll notice, I used the solid side of the table runner, instead of the striped side, to add a nice contrast to the napkins.
When I purchased this soup tureen from Goodwill, I had every intention of using it for soup.
Well, hello, it is a soup tureen.
The truth is,
it has not seen one savory spoonful of soup come it’s way.
The soup can wait, today I filled it with juicy, green grapes.
You’ve seen my vintage glassware collection but I happen to love vintage milk glass even better.
Meet the ladies in white.
(White pitcher on first shelf is not milk glass)
Again, these pieces came straight from the shelves of Goodwill and now live in harmony with the greens.
I chose an adorable little milk glass relish tray,
to serve crisp celery, broccoli and pickles.
I added a little dollop of veggie dip right in the center.
I added some green apples here and there
and some limes too.
My fresh and cheery table setting is complete!
Suddenly, Phoenix in August just got a lot cooler.
Okay, a little cooler but it sure does make me feel cheery while I’m stuck inside.
What makes your home cheery?
Have you been day dreaming while flipping though the popular furniture catalogs but your dreams bursts when you look at the price?
I had an empty space in my home which was begging for a piece of furniture.
What I really wanted was something where I could arrange some of my favorite pieces of milk glass, something to display holiday and seasonal decor, or when the mood arises, set out some fun treats for the kids, similar to a window display.
The furniture idea stayed on my wish list, under hutch and affordable, for quite some time until that fateful day when I saw this hutch at Goodwill.
It was two solid pieces with molding detail, cabinet doors with windows, a drawer and storage space underneath.
Marked for $89.99, it was a price I could afford, compared to the steep, retail furniture store prices, which kept me from achieving my desire.
Sure, the hutch was nice in its current condition, but I was looking for something a little more crisp, a little lighter in appearance.
It had a very light polyurethane finish so I decided to forgo sanding, to remove the finish, and headed straight to paint primer.
I removed all of the hardware, gave it one good coat of primer and waited one full day to let it dry completely.
Then, I gave it two coats of pearl finish paint in a creamy white.
I painted the original oxidized brass hinges with silver, metallic spray paint.
To give the hutch an updated, more “clean” look, I replaced the drawer pulls and knobs with nickel finish hardware.
My new hutch went from dark and dated,
to fresh and lovely.
From the moment I saw her, I was lightheaded and dizzy in love.
Ohhh, the possibilities.
I can dress her up and adorn her with anything and everything pretty.
Because she will have different appearances I have named her, Eve.
Just like the character from the classic film, All About Eve, my Eve will have many different personalities.
This is going to be fun!
Who says multiple personalities can’t be fun?
Stay tuned as I post photos for you to watch Eve evolve.
She takes her role very seriously and will entertain you, possibly even inspire you, not to have multiple personalities, but with her many alter egos.
Perhaps you will see the furniture at Goodwill in a new light and create a space where you can have changing displays of your own.
Keep flipping through those magazines, keep those dreams alive, head on over to Goodwill then wait for fate to intervene just like the day it brought Eve and I together.
Do you name your furniture, or is it just me?
Please tell me I’m not alone.
Do you have ideas to bring out the best in Eve?
We are both open to suggestions.
A Recipe for Fun!
1. Find water skis at Goodwill.
There are many to choose from.
2. Pick up a wet suit while you’re already there and save a trip to the sporting goods store.
Those Arizona lakes can be chilly in the spring and early summer.
3. Don’t forget the life jackets.
4. Just add water.
Awesome scenic backdrop: Priceless!
Hi,
I’m The Goodwill Gal, welcome to my blog.
I’m not an interior designer, I’m not a party planner, I don’t consider myself a fashionista, nor do I have a degree in Environmental Studies.
I’m just a gal who wants her home to be a comfortable retreat for family and friends.
I’m just a gal who wants to entertain family and friends in fun, festive, everyday casual and sometimes formal gatherings.
I’m the gal who wants to dress herself and her family in fresh and affordable clothing that represents their own sense of style.
I’m a gal who wants to be a responsible citizen in my community while having respect for the environment.
Shopping Goodwill affords me the opportunity to be all I want to be, interior designer, party planner, fashionista, Environment Specialist and so much more.
I will invite you (my blog readers) into my home and share with you how I decorate with items straight-off-the-shelves of Goodwill and how I transform furniture pieces to match with my own style.
I’ll entertain family and friends, create my own Goodwill fashion runway all the while demonstrating that “Going Green” can be fabulously affordable and responsible.
Let’s design, shop and donate together at Goodwill.
Let’s recreate the clothing and home settings you dream of when flipping through magazines and catalogs.
This Goodwill Gal will help you navigate the aisles of Goodwill that will make your dreams become reality.
Join me in shoping at Goodwill as I would love to see what kind of life you give your new Goodwill treasures.
Goodbye for now,
The Goodwill Gal