Connect with us & share the mission of Goodwill!

Treasure Chest is a division of Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan. When you shop at Goodwill Stores and Shopgoodwill.com, your purchases support the mission of Goodwill.

Our mission is to provide employment, education, training, and support services to individuals and families so they can achieve self-sufficiency.

There are so many ways to connect with us and share the mission of Goodwill!
____________________________________
YouTube
Learn about our Mission, our services and special events on Youtube.

Goodwill YouTube Channel

Facebook

Always filled with the latest news and information about Goodwill! Fun giveaways, the latest on our services, special events & store sales. You can even shop for treasures!

Facebook.com/GoodwillSWMI

Twitter
Another great source for quick info and see what we found to retweet! 

twitter.com/GoodwillSWMI

Pinterest
Your "Go-To" place for thrift store ideas DIY projects, upcycling ideas, shopping tips, and more !

Pinterest.com/GoodwillSWMI

Follow us on our Goodwill Stores Social and see what is new on the sales floor!

Follow our 11 Stores on:

Instagram.com//goodwill_swmi_stores
Facebook.com/GoodwillSWMIStores
Twitter.com/Goodwill_SWMI_

 Thank you for connecting! 

Have you seen this idea? Glass Garden Angels

These glass garden angels are beautiful! Many of these angels can be crafted from thrift store plates and dishes and what not. Create these angels for your garden and make more for gifts.
__________________________
fleamarketgardening.org has a tutorial (and so many more ideas!)

SOURCE

__________________________
No tutorial - we see dishes, a glass orb, a vase, light fixture?

SOURCE

__________________________
Spotted this lovely angel on ADelicateTouch1 Etsy Shop

Another shining example of a Garden Angel found on Pinterest.

SOURCE

__________________________

Find More Thrift Store Garden Ideas on our Pinterest boards Thrift Store Gardening and For the Birds

6 Goodwill Finds Upcycling Ideas for Spring

It is still February - but when the temperature outside is reading 50 degrees then our corner of Michigan is going to have spring fever. 😃
Here is a round up of ideas that will get you ready for spring using commonly found items at our Goodwill store:
_______________________________________
This thrift store tissue box cover is pretty in pink! See how Diane at inmyownstyle.com transformed her find perfect for her house and her style.

SOURCE - inmyownstyle.com

_________________________________

You can find plenty of baskets at Goodwill - why not try this Tribal painted style? Follow diycandy.com for step by step instructions.

SOURCE: diycandy.com

______________________________________

How about a pop of color? erinshakespear.blogspot.com added paper flowers to her painted thrift store vases. 

SOURCE: erinshakespear.blogspot.com

___________________________________________

What is not to love? Re-purposing a vintage umbrella, thrift store flowers, and a fun twist for a front door wreath! sadieseasongoods.com has the idea (and more!)

SOURCE: sadiesseasongoods.com

______________________________________

Gorgeous! Just Gorgeous! Learn how to create a beautiful brooch wedding at deerpearlflowers.com  

And see below for a HOT TIP! 

SOURCE: deerpearlflowers.com

A great source for bulk sorted jewelry is ShopGoodwill.com Search keywords like Broken, Scrap, Jewelry, Grabbag

________________________________________

This super cute denim journal is a good upcycling project. Instructions are on lifemadecreations.blogspot.com

Winter snow will surely be back here in Southwestern Michigan, but it has been nice to Think Spring for just a little bit. 

Happy Treasure Hunting! 

Treasure Chest Etsy Store

The Treasure Chest Etsy Store is no longer on hiatus and we are filling our shelves with pretty things. Take a look!
________________________________
Antique Petit Trianon Collection of 3 of Books. 

These 3 books are works of art in their own right. The colors and graphics are beautiful. Part of the Petit Trianon Series published in 1901-1902. They all show wear from age but are still intact for reading. Each book measures 6.5" X 4" Etsy Link

Etsy

________________________________

Set of Six Vintage Enesco Japan Hand Painted Shabby Cabbage Rose/Floral Nut Dishes

Here is a sweet set of 6 Vintage Enesco Nut Bowls. Hand painted with shabby cabbage roses/florals in green & pinks.
This set has no chips or cracks, however each piece does need a gentle soapy soaking! Etsy Link

Etsy

________________________________

Lot of 3 Vintage Silver Charm Bracelets with Charms

3 Vintage Charm Bracelets. Two of them are Sterling Silver the other is a Monet (not sterling silver). A large assortment of charms, most of which are Sterling Silver. Etsy Link

Etsy

Ugly Christmas Sweaters at Goodwill

For the third year in a row we have had an Ugly Christmas Sweater Afternoon Party with our team members at Goodwill. We have a lot of fun creating and wearing our Ugly Christmas Sweaters and having popcorn. We give a little prize for "Best" Ugly Sweater but mostly it is bragging rights! 🙂

Here is our Party!

This year's Winner is Stasia and her ode to the movie "A Christmas Story".

Hot Tip: Like our background? It is a shower curtain! 

There are lots of easy and inexpensive festive holiday shower curtains out there, and they make a great backdrop for photos! 

Find your perfect ugly sweater at Goodwill. Visit our website for store information: goodwillswmi.org/our-locations

Happy Treasure Hunting! 

Five Upcycling Ideas for Winter from Things You Might Find at Goodwill.

So the winter months are upon us. This is the time of year when a lot of people reach for their knitting needles and crochet hooks, dust off the glue guns, and dig out the craft paints. We have a round up of fresh ideas to use your crafting skills and upcycle a thrift store find.

 _______________________________________________________
ONE - This vintage planter pin holder is one of those "why didn't I think of that" ideas! So cute! Get a step by step tutorial on bluewillowhouse.com

Source - BlueWillowHouse.com

 _______________________________________________________
TWO - This is a labor of love - but, WOW! You can find a dollhouse that needs a make-over like this at Goodwill, you might just have to treasure hunt for a while. Go to penny-pennystreasures.blogspot.com to see how she did this incredible transformation.

Source - penny-pennystreasures.blogspot.com

_______________________________________________________

THREE- There are many ideas for upcycling thrifted salt & pepper shakers on Pinterest. We love these little ponies with a touch of gold. Find full instructions on blog.etsy.com

Source - blog.etsy.com

_______________________________________________________

FOUR - This is a beautiful winter wreath - so unusual and stunning. (And it was found at a Goodwill store!) Visit stacynashprimitivedesigns.blogspot.com to see many more of her ideas.

Source - stacynashprimitivedesigns.blogspot.com

FIVE - Upcycle a cheese dome. These are called water-less snow globe, great name and what a fun idea! Visit sadieseasongoods.com

Source - sadiesseasongoods.com

_________________________________________________
Looking for unique vintage items? Have you visited Goodwill Industries of SWMI on ShopGoodwill.com?You will find amazing treasures, antiques and colletibles. And often new items! Find things like:
Bulk Vintage Jewelry Bags

Vintage Pyrex

Vintage Portable Aircraft Receiver

Check out ShopGoodwill.com today! You never know what you will find! 

9 Goodwill Makeover Ideas for Fall

What happened summer? We hardly knew you! We hope you had a wonderful summer and were able to take some time to enjoy your friends and family and the great outdoors here in Southwestern Michigan.

But it is fall y'all! And we have a round up of great ideas for fall decorating with items you can commonly find at Goodwill.

___________________________________
Cheese Grater Pumpkins from katiedidit1.blogspot.com

So cute and simple! Paint a few found cheese graters orange and add a little green ribbon or fabric tied in a bow for the stem. Can we suggest adding a pumpkin spice latte scented candle for the votive in the center?

Source - Katiedidit1.blogspot.com

_______________________________________________________________

Apple Mason Jar Pencil Holder from tillysnest.com
Yes - this would make a lovely teacher's gift, but why not make two and keep one?

Source - tillysnest.com

_____________________________________________
Milk Glass for Fall Love Milk Glass? Go to thegoodwillgal.com for a beautiful fall display inspiration.

Source - TheGoodwillGal.com

 _____________________________________________
DIY Solar Lights Wow - what a great idea! You can always find lamps at Goodwill. Follow theekissoflife.com to learn more.

Source - thekissoflife.com

_____________________________________________
Typewriter Vignette Blesserhouse.com has beautiful pictures of her fall home tour. This vintage typewriter idea is our favorite. Why not keep the typewriter out for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day and right on to spring - just changing your message with each season?

Source - blesserhouse.com

_____________________________________________
Owl Update 2modern.com calls this modern piece a 5 second DIY! Turn that 70's owl into a modern piece with just a little white spray paint. Other ideas - spray paint it gold or silver. How about neon green or bright pink for a pop of color? Or all black and paint the eyes red or orange for Halloween.

Source - 2modern.com

_____________________________________________
Wooden bowls with gold leaf. See the tutorial at thisheartofmineblog.com Wooden bowls are another commonly found item at Goodwill. Why not look at other wooden pieces that could benefit from the gold touch?

Source - thisheartofmineblog.com

_____________________________________________
Basket Centerpiece Isn't this centerpiece divine? And Goodwill has baskets galore! See this and all of the dreamy tablescape ideas preppyemptynester.blogspot.com has gathered on her blog.

Source - Preppyemptynester.blogspot.com

 _____________________________________________
Fancy Chalkboards  Check out confessionsofaserialdiyer.com idea for upcycling picture frames into chalkboards. Have fun making yours and make several more for gift giving too!

Source - confessionsofaserieldiyer.com

(Side note from me - Susan, Goodwill Marketing Assistant - I recently hung a large chalkboard in my kitchen and it has been an endless source of fun for my teenagers - lots of games of hangman, pictionary, drawing cartoons to entertain little nephews, and inspirational quotes. It has been a great interactive addition to our kitchen and I highly recommend every kitchen or family room have a large chalkboard!) 
______________________________________________________

Happy Fall Everyone! Thank you for supporting Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan. When you donate and shop at Goodwill you are helping people find jobs! 

goodwillswmi.org

A home coffee bar

Why not create a coffee bar in your home? You could have all of your favorite coffee indulgences in one cozy corner. We have a few ideas we found around the web, and then we thought it would be fun to take a one stop photo hunt at our Goodwill Store to see what could be found to create a coffee bar - thrift store style!

___________________________________________________________

Visit Noplacelykehome.com and see how she created her "cafe corner"! We love it! 

noplacelykehome.com

______________________________________________________________
We are sweet on The Scrappy Cottage.blogspot.com coffee bar. Love the red coffee maker!

TheScrappyCottage.blogspot.com

____________________________________________________________

We appreciate Beccachristensen.wordpress.com desire to repurpose used furniture. This coffee bar has a vintage retro vibe. Sweet!

BeccaChristensen.wordpress.com

______________________________________________________
XOXO to the The Long Awaited Home! A farmhouse style coffee bar, with purple!

The Long Awaited Home

We pinned these ideas plus more on our Goodwill Style  Pinterest Board.
_______________________________________________________
Now for some more fun! We headed down to our Alcott Retail Outlet in Kalamazoo to see what could be found for setting up a coffee bar in one shopping trip.

First we found three pieces of furniture that could be our "bar".

A Baker's Rack. This item needed a little cover up of some scratches, maybe a dark stain to match the metal patina?

A Secretary. You could leave the top folded out all the time with your coffee items arranged, or keep them tucked away. If you repainted this piece, what color would you choose?  

                   
A dresser with a fold down top. Again a piece like this has the option to stay left open or not. The drawers could be filled with extra mugs, linens, plates etc. Or keep your Christmas cups and such tucked away in one of the drawers.

We found a couple of shelves to hang your mugs, hold sugars, flavored syrups, and display knickknacks.

And of course the coffee makers;

A carafe, thermal coffee holders or a vintage thermos?

And Goodwill always has lots of mugs. These mugs would be great with a rustic coffee bar or art house style. What do you think?

And how about a free coffee art to print? Download this at Whatelsemichelle.com (and be sure to look around her site, it is full of inspiring ideas!)

HAPPY TREASURE HUNTING!