Dressing a skeleton?

We have a Team Member here at Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan that really has the Halloween Spirit at her house. Over the years she has had fun dressing up her Halloween skeletons in Goodwill dresses and such. Have a look!....
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A rather debonair look! 

 Getting ready for a girls night out. Fancy!

 Ready for a ride in a antique wagon. 

 This witch would surely be scary in the dark....

Have fun shopping for prom dresses, formal dresses, and wedding dresses at Goodwill for Halloween. And if you spot one for yourself to wear... you may want to check out this previous post:

awesome round up of halloween costumes featuring prom dresses! (you know you want to wear a prom dress again!)

Happy Halloween! 

5 Fall Ideas with Goodwill and Southwestern Michigan....

Falling in love with fall all over again in Southwestern Michigan......
We have gathered together a few ideas that mix the autumn season and Goodwill.

We hope you are inspired to make something, do something, and enjoy the blessings of living in Southwestern Michigan.
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Refashion a sweater....
Take a look at this amazing sweater refashion. Take your time shopping at Goodwill and find two sweaters and then follow along with ehow.com tutorial.

Source - ehow.com

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Try a pallet sign....
Recycled pallet projects are Hot Hot Hot. If you have been wanting to try one, here is a simple one to get you started. themagicbrushinc.com has the tutorial with video.

We love pallet projects here so much at Goodwill that we started a new event called PalletPalooza! Check out our event website at palletswmi.com and see the winners of PalletPalooza 2016 and get ready for PalletPalooza 2017!

Source: themagicbrushincc.com

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Collect plaid blankets from Goodwill...
When you are shopping through the year at Goodwill, be sure to always take a quick look at the blankets... you could have a basket full in no time! (we always thank you for shopping and donating to Goodwill... our stores are our main fundraiser for the programs we provide to the community!) streetscenevintage.blogspot.com has so many yummy and cozy ideas for fall picnics and bonfires.

Source: streetscenevintage.blogspot.com

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Yes! You can make this Apple Cheesecake breakfast in your quesadilla maker! lemontreedwelling.com has a delicious recipe using farm fresh fall apples. Find more unusual recipes to use in your quesadilla maker on a previous post Yes! You can make that in quesadilla maker!  - and if you don't have one, you can often find them at Goodwill!

lemontreedwelling.com

Southwestern has so many places to pick apples. Check out michiganappletours.com and plan on going apple picking with your family and friends.
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Plant these forever flowers.... Garden flowers are fading... but you can make these recycled dishware flowers and they will be a bright spot all year long.  birdsandblooms.com has step by step instructions and of course, Goodwill is the place to treasure hunt for the perfect dishware!

Source: birdsandblooms.com

Happy Fall and Happy Treasure Hunting! 

Are you dressing up your Pet for Halloween?

Dressing up your pet for Halloween? Why not! We put together a few fun and funny ideas and links for Merry Halloween pet costumes.
Let's start with a couple quick videos and start smiling-

Not sure if this cat is quite into the whole dressing up thing, but he sure is a cutie! 

Pet goat? How about an Elsa costume! LOL!

Cheerfultimesblog.com has a simple tutorial for turning a (thrifted) shirt into this cute Dress Shirt Collar!

Source - Cheerfultimesblog.com

Two sweeties from Cattire.tumblr.com

Source - cattire.tumblr.com

Source - cattire.tumblr.com

Follow this post link to see dogs dressed up as other animals. Cute! 

Source - Buzzfeed.com

If you never thought of Goodwill costumes for your pets, just remember - you never know what you will find at Goodwill! Follow this link to Goodwill.org for more suggestions. LINK

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.

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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

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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

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

Source - TheGoodwillGal.com

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

Source - thekissoflife.com

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!) 
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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

Make Something Today - Upcycling Popcorn, Candy & Cookie Tins for Spring

You have probably seen lots of ideas for upcycling popcorn, cookie, and candy tins. And what is not to love about recycling these containers? They are sturdy and it is a shame to just throw them away.  We have a special round up of ideas focusing on ways to upcycle them for Spring.
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Create garden containers with tins and chalk paint.

indooroutdorrspace.org

 LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea of old wood with a tin and a rusty bird.
(Be sure to look at the whole website for more beautiful ideas.)

driftwoodramblings.blogspot.ca

Road trip coming up this spring? How cute and useful are these little containers?

craftfoxes.com

This is a lovely, shabby chic style project from our favorite graphics website - thegraphicsfairy.com

Thegraphicsfairy.com/diy-cookie-tin

Sisal rope, lots of hot glue and a large popcorn tin! This would be decorative and useful indoors or outdoors.

homemadeintheheartland.blogspot.com

Don't toss the lid! This cute button clock would be at home in a child's room or a craft room. 

   

Marthastewart.com

Ready to try one of these ideas? We have lots of tins waiting for you!

Three Rivers Store

When you shop at Goodwill, you help us with our mission to provide employment, education, training, and support services to individuals and families so they can achieve self-sufficiency.

Happy Treasure Hunting! 

Make Something Today - Tea Cup Gardens

So cute! Tea cup gardens are easy and pretty and sweet, and why not make a few? Treasure hunt for tea cups and saucers of all varieties at Goodwill. Maybe make a couple to give away to friends?

Kitchen Herb in a Tea Cup
Found vintage spoons can be stamped or use a sharpie to write the name of the herb in each cup.
         

thecottagemarket.com

A collection of cacti in tea cups. 
A little prickly and a little sweet... very nice.

goodwillhoarding.wordpress.com

Colorful Gardens

The tutorial at campmakery.com includes how to make the mushrooms.

           

campmakery.com

Two Fairy Gardens....

themagiconions.com

mylittlefairygarden.com

Sophisticated Tea Cup Garden

(or coffee cups!)

       

epherielldesigns.com

Have fun Treasure Hunting for tea cups!