I enjoy crafting, but the holidays are a special time to develop new pieces to feature in my home. This year, I decided to recreate some crafts I saw at a high-end antique store, and I ended up doing a little remodeling on a ceramic tree.

Having seen some fancy, decorative bottle brush trees at a store, I knew they’d be easy to replicate with glass candlesticks. I spent a few trips to my local Goodwill Keystone Area stores gathering some interesting pieces. I also encountered a dated ceramic tree I knew I could rehab to modernize the look.

I ended up with two trays, a ceramic church, a candle from Opalhouse, glass candlesticks, decorative mesh ribbon, and a ceramic tree. Starting on the tree, I soaked it and scrubbed it with a wire brush to remove the glittery coating. I then painted it with a forest green acrylic paint and added two coats of triple thick glaze. It gave it an almost kiln-fired shine.

All that was left was assembling and staging the two pieces. After rehabbing the tree, I staged the scene with the mesh ribbon, ceramic tree, and candle. The church did not have a light, but I added a clip-in lightbulb to illuminate the scene.

For the bottle brush trees, I removed the bases and used wine corks to attach them to the glass candlesticks. After placing them on the vintage aluminum tray, I scattered corks around and added battery-operated fairy lights. This would make an excellent gift for a wine lover in your life.

I was thrilled with how each project turned out. I spent less than $20 at my local Goodwill and a few more on items from my local craft store (paint, fairy lights, clip-in electric light, and bottle brush trees). Staging a small scene on a decorative tray is an easy way to add some instant interest to a table in your home. You can even keep the gray up year-round and change out the seasonal elements.

Get crafty with Goodwill Keystone Area this holiday season!

From my home to yours,
Kirsten

About The Blogger

Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.

When you’re known as a thrifty fashionista, people expect you to show up at public events in your finest thrifted outfits and often ask you how much you paid for what you wear. I am never offended by this, and in fact, I find it a compliment.

Recently, I attended a non-profit awards event, and knowing I’d see lots of my friends and colleagues, I saved a new dress and boots to debut for the occasion.

Animal print is always in season, and this teal Loft dress with a self-tie belt was appropriate and comfortable – and the best part was that it has pockets – which have become a new obsession of mine. They make life so much more convenient. When new, the retail price of this dress was around $79. I paid $7.99.

I got a huge shock when I researched the black suede sock booties. They were from an unfamiliar brand to me – Tamara Mellon and the original retail price was $345! I paid $9.99, and the bonus was that they were extremely comfortable. I would look again for this brand at my local Goodwill Keystone Area store.

Friends asked about my outfit and proudly showed me some of their thrifted items. I enjoy that secondhand shopping has now become mainstream and popular.

I saved 97 percent off the retail value of $425 and paid less than $18 . Wear your thifted outfits with a badge of honor, knowing you are cultivating your unique style, saving money, and helping your local community and the environment!

From my closet to yours,
Kirsten

About The Blogger

Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.

I was tasked to make awards for a staff pumpkin carving contest at my school. Or maybe I volunteered – I’m not quite sure – but I was up to the challenge!

Knowing I’d need some thrifted supplies, my sister and I searched our local Goodwill Keystone Area stores for old trophies. I see them there all the time – remnants of someone’s past triumphs now donated and on the shelves. Of course I looked for weeks and nothing, but my sister discovered a huge cache of them and she grabbed several for me. They ranged in price from $1.99 – $2.99.

After experimenting with some supplies purchased at a big box store, I decided on small lightweight pumpkins and sparkly spiders to complete the trophies.

I gave each trophy a good cleaning and then antiqued them with a coat of black paint. I wiped most of it off to highlight the brass features but painted the green bases a solid black. This left them looking aged and spooky.

After coating them with clear spray paint, I used hot glue to add the pumpkins and spiders. I’ll use my work’s label maker to add the names of the winners.

Pinterest has plenty of ideas to repurpose old trophies – from making wine bottle stoppers out of the tops, or using the marble stands to make lamp bases, there are lots of ideas to be creative! Goodwill Keystone Area always comes through when I need to be super crafty and creative. Maybe at Christmas, I can add tiny sweaters for our ugly Christmas sweater contest!

From my closet to yours,
Kirsten

About The Blogger

Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.

One of these photos is not like the other. Do you notice the small but subtle change?

Often, dresses come with matching fabric belts attached in a predetermined location with small fabric loops. Sometimes, these belts make it through the donation process intact, and sometimes they are missing. Either way, there is so much room for improvement with a new belt!

The loops are often not placed at the best spot on your body for maximum appeal. A belt should often sit at the smallest part of your waist to flatter your figure. If you use the ones that came with your dress, it may not be the right spot for you. With small, sharp scissors, it’s easy to snip off these little loops and free the belt.

Next, hit up the belt section at your local Goodwill Keystone Area and find a bolder belt that makes a more significant statement. It could be wider, a different color, or even metallic. You could even use a thinner scarf. Be creative! I chose a patent leather belt that was about 2” wide. It cinches in my waist and adds a pop of color.

Just because an accessory is included with your purchase, it doesn’t mean you have to use it. Make an outfit more personal by changing something as simple as the belt. Try it and check out the belt section next time you are thrifting!

From my closet to yours,
Kirsten

Loft dress $7.99
Belt: $2.99
Sandals: $7.99

About The Blogger

Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.

National Thrift Shop Day is August 17! This day is dedicated to celebrating the art of thrifting and the joy of finding affordable, one-of-a-kind items!

When I was younger, thrift shopping was not something anyone talked about. I remember telling my friends my clothes were hand-me-downs from an older cousin or vintage. But now, thrift shopping is the epitome of cool, and finding something for $5 earns you a thrifting badge of honor! I’ve introduced many friends to the joy of thrifting.

According to a census.gov article “Sixty-two percent of Gen Z and millennial consumers said they look for items secondhand before buying new.” And those numbers will rise as people become more aware of the detrimental effects of fast fashion and the urgent need to keep items out of landfills.

Here are my top four reasons for shopping at Goodwill Keystone Area stores:

Save money. I never pay retail prices when thrifting.

Be more sustainable. Secondhand items are much more eco-friendly.

Supports my local community. Goodwill Keystone Area trains and employs people from my local area.

Find one-of-a-kind items. Check out my find below!

On a recent visit, I saw this fabulous homemade side table. My oldest daughter, an engineer in the auto industry in Michigan, had just commented she needed a small table for her new apartment. I quickly snapped a few pics to send since I thought it was perfect for her. I carried it to the front, and luckily she wrote back (as I was checking out) that she loved it.

Finding something unique like this is one of the best parts of thrifting. I would have never thought to have made this myself, but I’m sure glad someone else did, and it eventually got donated to Goodwill Keystone Area! I’m pretty sure this is my best find of the year!

Happy National Thrift Day!
Kirsten

About The Blogger

Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.

I enjoy thrifting ready-to-use items at Goodwill, but crafting something new and creative from individual pieces is exciting. For #nationalupcycleday in June, I created an original piece of art for my daughter’s new apartment. Her sister had picked up the fabric at the Goodwill Keystone Area Outlet bins in Reading and it had been tacked to her bedroom wall.

To give it a more sophisticated presentation, I decided I wanted to frame it. I wasn’t sure how, but a visit to the art section at my local Goodwill provided some options. There were large wood frames and some stretched canvas prints. After another trip home to measure the fabric, I purchased an unframed canvas print that was exactly the right size.

Since the canvas had color on it, I painted it white. I also removed the mounting hardware. Then I began (with help from a staple gun and my husband) working my way around the canvas and stapling the fabric to the wood frame. Start in the middle of each side to get even tension. And take time with the corners to get neat folds. After reinstalling the mounting hardware, it is ready to go!

This project cost less than $8 and a little research led to the artist (Helen Webber) revealed that she was a textile artist and created unique mid-century modern pieces – some original works sell for well into the thousands of dollars. Goodwill always keeps surprising me with what I can find there!

To end, here’s a quote from Helen Webber on why we need art everywhere:

“Art brings a uniqueness to a space whether it’s a public place or a home. The presence of art speaks of humanity. It personalizes even the coldest space and above all it is a subliminal message to the casual passerby of the imagination and possibility of the human spirit.”

From my home to yours,
Kirsten

About The Blogger

Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.

I’ve long been a fan of the Life is Good brand. You probably have seen their apparel and not realized it. Their t-shirts, sweatshirts and a variety of other goods feature funny, happy or motivational messages. They were founded in the late 1980s by two brothers who sold t-shirts out of a van in Boston. Asking friends and family to contribute designs, one submission featured a smiling stick figure with the phrase “Life is good”. It became so popular that other designs followed, and by 2007 they had achieved $100 million in sales.

While I typically haven’t bought new products from them, my daughter used to buy one at vacation destinations as a souvenir. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate their optimistic outlook and have started searching out their pieces at my local Goodwill Keystone Area stores.

I’ve easily found over a dozen pieces in the last few years and recently I snagged this new-with-tags hoodie. It retailed for $54, but Goodwill’s price was $11.99. Not bad for a brand-new item.

After doing a little research for this blog, I discovered that 10% of their net profits are donated to the Life is Good Kids Foundation to support the Life is Good Playmakers foundation, which works to mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences and that during the annual Life is Good Festival they have raised over 1 million dollars for the Life is Good Kids Foundation.

According to their Wikipedia page, “To this day the Life is Good Foundation inspires optimism and receives emails and letters from customers who were inspired by them. Their website shares stories about some of these individuals who found hope and joy through the Life is Good company.”

Now that I know a little more about their philanthropy, I will be even more optimistic when wearing their apparel!

From my closet to yours,
Kirsten

About The Blogger

Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.

How to help your slumping sales, according to Old Navy? Add pockets. I’m not kidding. According to many news outlets, Old Navy is adding pockets to 50% more dresses this year. Why? Because it’s what we want!

Men have the luxury of having pockets in almost 100% of the shorts, trousers, and jeans they wear. And it is expected and normal. At the same time, girls and women are at the whim of designers who may or may not add pockets to dresses, skirts, or even pants and shorts.

This insight came from a survey Old Navy conducted in February of more than 500 women (aged 18 and older), of whom more than half said their favorite dresses have pockets. The reasons why they prefer pockets ranged from keeping hands warm to pockets being convenient for holding small items, thus allowing women to forgo handbags. Some cited pockets as safe havens for hands in awkward social situations.

And, if I find a dress with pockets, I’m 50% more likely to purchase it, and if I find it at Goodwill Keystone Area store, I’m 100% more likely to buy it. Like this dress, I found from the Universal Thread brand sold at Target. It retailed for $30, but my cost was $6.99. It’s the perfect summer dress – it’s lightweight, and fun, AND it was thrifted and has pockets. It’s a win-win!

From my closet to yours,
Kirsten

About The Blogger

Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.

Earth Day (April 22) is everyday at Goodwill Keystone Area! According to the Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries, here are 5 surprising facts about fashion and the environment:

Fact #1: Our landfills are full of textile waste

According to the most recent EPA statistics, Americans created more than 16 million tons of textile waste in 2017. Of this total, 11 million tons ended up in landfills instead of being recycled or reused. While food trash takes only a few hours or days to decompose, clothing can sit in landfills for years. Synthetic fabrics like polyester, lycra, and nylon can take 30 to 40 years to break down fully. That’s a great reason to donate used clothing and purchase gently-owned items instead of buying brand-new from a traditional retailer!

Fact #2: It can take more than 700 gallons of water to make a single t-shirt

It takes a lot of water to grow, manufacture, transport, and wash cotton, which is one of the most popular fabrics used in today’s clothing. It’s estimated that producing one pound of cotton takes 1,320 gallons of water. That equals over 700 gallons for just one t-shirt! Extending the lifecycle of clothing, especially cotton clothing, can reduce your total water footprint and help protect the environment.

Fact #3: The average lifetime of a clothing item is about 3 years

Fast fashion is a term used to describe new styles of clothing that are manufactured quickly and sold at very low prices. While fast fashion makes clothing affordable for consumers, it comes at a big cost to the environment. Trendy and cheaply-made clothing has a short lifespan in people’s closets, often leading to more clothes ending up in landfills.

Fact #4: Clothing and textiles are almost 100% recyclable

Clothing and other textiles can be recycled and used for a variety of other purposes, from carpet to home insulation to “new” fabric made from the clothing’s fibers. It doesn’t matter if the clothing has rips or tears — it can almost always be converted into something else. Because textiles do not degrade easily, they should not be disposed of in the garbage. Donate your used clothing to Goodwill instead!

Fact #5: It’s easy to shop more sustainably

The harmful cycle of clothing waste can be broken. We can all work to reduce textile waste and lower the impact the fashion industry has on our planet by shopping sustainably and recycling clothing responsibly.

Shopping at your local Goodwill Keystone Area, not only helps the environment, but according to their mission “For 75 years, Goodwill Keystone Area has built a strong legacy of helping people with barriers to employment build skills, find jobs and grow their careers.” Help, the earth, help your neighbors – shop at Goodwill!

About The Blogger

Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.

Finding great thrift finds doesn’t take luck. It takes patience, timing, and hard work. Thrifting is like hunting for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s a treasure you are trying to uncover each time you head into a Goodwill Keystone Area store.

My most important tip for finding good deals is to have an open mind. You can’t go in always expecting to find items off of your wish list. You might have to be flexible if you’re looking for a particular style of shoe or a specific picture frame.

Being flexible when shopping is critical, as is frequently visiting your local Goodwill stores. Inventory changes constantly, so you never know when something special will be placed on a rack.

Shopping at different times of the day can also be beneficial. Or you can take a friend – having an extra set of eyes when shopping for clothing can be helpful! They may pick something out to would have never thought to try on. Don’t forget to check the return racks in the dressing rooms – what didn’t work for someone else, might be perfect for you.

Some days you may leave empty-handed, and that’s ok. And don’t forget to return the favor – make sure you bring unworn clothing and unused housewares to donate. Complete the cycle of thrifting, and maybe your donations can be someone else’s treasure.

About The Blogger

Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.