Be Ready. Twinkies are hitting the shelves this Monday.

Twinkies are making a big return Monday.  And if you are a Twinkie fan, we want to help you get ready! A little Twinkie humor, a couple "recipes" and some thrift store serving ideas!

TWINKIE FUNNIES

TWINKIE RECIPES

Deep Fried Twinkie - State Fair Copycat. Click for recipe link.

Despicable Me Cupcakes - See the movie, eat the cupcake. Click for instructions link.

Twinkie Cake - Does adding fruit make it healthy? Click for recipe link.

Special occasions require special treatment! 
Here are some DIY thrift store cake and cupcake stands for serving your Twinkies.

These are quite popular on Pinterest because they are pretty and inexpensive to create.  Find four thrifted plates, three dollar store candle sticks and glue together with glue for glass like E6000. Follow the glue instructions for drying time. 

BTW-These are white chocolate dipped strawberries with sprinkles.

These smaller stands are made by gluing water goblets or wine glasses to plates and then spray painting it with fun colors. Click for link about spray painting on glass. 

And finally, a stand using cups and saucers, simple and sweet! Click link for great directions. 

 Happy Treasure Hunting!

Let's Go Glamping!

Glamorous camping = Glamping!

This is a more extreme glampsite. Note the large spacious tent, the raised floor, and a full bed with a real mattress. But glamping can really be just bringing some comforting items to your camp site to make it more luxurious, pampered, and have a few homey touches. Here is our take on glamping- thrift store style.

The Glampsite:
Make the front of the tent the "porch" with an area rug or two, side tables for lanterns and candles, and throw pillows to add comfort to the camp chairs.
Dress up an air mattress with vintage sheets, comfy throws, crochet blankets, and lots of pillows. Continue the pampering by packing scented candles, handmade soaps, flavored coffees, thrifted dishes, linens for the picnic table and pretty vases for wildflowers.

Glamping Food

Skip the hot dogs, potato chips and regular smores and replace with more gourmet recipes.

Campfire Potatoes
Source

Glammed up popcorn with stir-ins!

Campfire Banana Boats
Source

Glamping Activities

Bring a homemade journal for writing, pressing flowers and leave a few empty pages for pictures you print when you get home. Do a Paint-by-number. Read a classic book.

Source for Journal

Glamping does not have to be expensive.  Find treasure around your home to pack, or head to the thrift store for items. Here is a collections of recently donated glamping items that you may find in your local Southwestern Michigan Goodwill.

 

 

Visit our Pinterest Page "Let's Go Glamping".  We've collected more recipes, activities, and backyard glamping ideas. Even glamping weddings!

Pinterest Link

P.S. Thank you for donating your stuff to Goodwill! Your stuff=Jobs!



Three Cheers for the Red, White & Blue

 

Let's indeed celebrate from one end of Southwestern Michigan to the other!

Here is a little inspiration for your July 4th holiday get together.

 

An inviting setting...

 

To recreate this retro picnic setting, serve food in vintage bowls and platters and pick recipes that would be common from the 50's & 60's like mustard & ham sandwiches, deviled eggs, jello salad, and coconut macaroons. 

 Source

This settings vintage appeal is in the period pieces and adding height with the stacked old suitcases.

Source

Time to eat!

Slice a watermelon and cut out star shapes with a cookie cutter to make these watermelon pops.   

Source

 

Taco salad is a perennial summer favorite.  Use your favorite recipe and just follow the picture to make the stars and stripes.

Source



How about a coke float bar or root beer float bar? Shop garage sales and thrift stores if you need a large number of serving glasses.

 

Red, White and & Blue outfits.

These colors are well loved and plentiful at thrift shops.  Pick up pieces for your whole family. You will wear them all summer long!

 

 



Treasure hunt for picnic items, family outfits and maybe a little vintage flair at your local Goodwill Store. Here are pictures of items we gathered in stores this week.



Kalamazoo Alcott Store



Benton Harbor Store

More ideas to celebrate on our Pinterest Board  Hip Hip Hooray!

Thank you for your support of Goodwill and our Mission!

The business of changing lives....

 

Fashion Trend perfect for Michigan's warm days and cool evenings

Variety! That word probably best describes the type of weather we experience in Michigan. And the beginning of this summer is no exception.  A little cool in the morning, warming up nicely in the afternoon, and back down again when the sun goes down. 

Right now an inspired fashion trend that will work great with this daily fluctuation in temperature is the sleeveless, high-neckline blouse. 

                                                      This pretty blouse is modest yet flirty....

Fun but refined....

                                                                                                                                                                                       Just cover with a sweater, jacket or shrug for cooler mornings and evenings (or air-conditioned offices!)

Treasure hunting will not be too much of a challenge at our Goodwill Stores this summer for this pretty blouse. Here are several that we found in our stores this month.

Alcott Store

Sturgis Store



Sturgis Store (and a couple dresses!)

Treasure Chest Hot Tip:

Our Online Treasure Chest Department has a large selection right now of NWT - NEW WITH TAG - items up for bid, take a look and find a great new piece at a great price! 

Here is the link and type NWT in the search bar:

Shopgoodwill



you're a grand old flag by George M. Cohan

You're a grand old flag,

You're a high flying flag

And forever in peace may you wave.

You're the emblem of

The land I love.

The home of the free and the brave.

Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,

Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

Vinyl Records for Father's Day.

Does your Dad say things like "they just don't make music like they used to" or "back in my day, they knew how to write good songs!" Well, he could be on to something.  Maybe the songs were better, maybe not, but the sound of the songs pressed onto vinyl records and played on a turn table is different and special. And that retro sound is becoming very popular today. Here are a few quotes from around the web that describes the sound of vinyl and why it is attractive again:

 

Take a trip to Goodwill stores to find records from Dad's teen years, or find bands and singers he played for you when you were young.

 

Vinyl is also becoming more than just finding treasures at garage sales and thrift shops. Today's music artists are pressing records like Mumford & Son's "Babel", The Black Key's "El Camino", and The Zac Brown Band's "The Foundation".



So surprise Dad with some music memories. While hunting for albums, keep an eye out for an old turn table. Dad might need one of those too.



Kalamazoo Alcott Retail Outlet, June 2013

 



Sturgis Retail Outlet, June 2013



Visit our pinterest page for more musical Father's Day Gifts Ideas.

Pinterest Board "Musical Father's Day Gift Ideas"