Goodwill's second-hand chic fashion show!

Please join us for our first-ever second-hand chic fashion show event featuring Goodwill's finest affordable fashions. This night of fun will feature wine provided by Shurline and The Right Bottle, light hors d'oeuvres and a show you will never forget!

Models and fashion designs will be provided by UDress. Hair and make-up designs for our models will be provided by Coulor Roxx Salon and Spa.

For more information or to register please click here.

Savvy Shopper Event!

Don’t miss out on your chance to participate in our Savvy Shopper Event, tomorrow Wednesday 15th from 6:30 - 7:30 at the Goodwill Center 300 E. Lea Blvd. Wilmington, DE 19802.

Activities include how to shop smart at thrift stores and resale shops, and how to stretch your shopping dollars through couponing! Free parking,... snacks, door prizes and a “look for less” fashion show!

The event is free but registration is required call toll-free 877-307-6858 or visit www.delawaremoneyschool.com....

2010 Golf Outing!

Yesterday Goodwill of DE had our first annual Golf Outing! And it was a major success! We couldn’t have asked for better weather and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I know I did.

I learned several things that day.

#1 Golf carts are the best invention in the world and can reduce me to laughing tears while barreling down a huge hill.

#2 When you hear FOUR on a golf course, duck

#3 There are some great people out there who are willing to support awesome events like this, so thank you to everyone who made this outing possible.

By participating in the Golf Outing, you help us kick off our fund raising campaign to create an educational scholarship fund, known as our Family Strengthening Through Education Program. Once fully funded, the scholarship fund will assist an estimated 40 to 60 people each year with the opportunity to earn their high school diploma or a two-year associate’s degree in any area of study in which they have an interest. The scholarship program will be open to all whose lives are touched by Goodwill. We will also work with established community partners and with current programs to remove barriers and provide critical support such as career counseling, prepayment of fees and tuition, computers and books, offering of flexible scheduling options and transportation assistance.

So thanks again to all of you who had a hand in the 2010 Golf Outing. And we will see you again next year!

Here are some pictures from the event!

New DIY refurbishing project!

I found this perfect side table in the trash! Can you believe it? Yes the neighbors trash. So pitiful. I waited till dark to sneak over and snatch this baby. The only thing wrong with it was a nail polish stain, other that that it was in really good condition. Now its sitting pretty in my casa! Life is good!

Step one: Find a cute petite table at a Goodwill or in the trash.

Step two: Sand it down with a fine grain sandpaper, remove all bumps, the reasoning behind sanding furniture is to create a surface that the spray paint can stick to. And believe me that it makes a huge difference in the longevity of a paint job.






Step three: Spray a few coats of primer, I used white because I wanted the gray to really pop. If you are going to paint furniture a bright color a primer is a absolute must. It makes the colors so much more vibrant. If you wanted the design you cut out to be a different color you would spray the table with the new color and wait a while before moving on to the next step.







Step four: I looked high and low for a cute stencil and I could not find one that I liked. Then I came across a tutorial where they used painters tape to make patterns!






Step five: Cut out the pattern that you want to be on your table. I chose to cut out tiny triangles that took forever to cut out. But it was worth it.






Step six: Make sure that your primer coat is completely dry! If it isn't dry you risk the painters tape ripping off the paint and you would have to start all over! Place your painters tape design where you want it. I chose to make the triangles trail down the leg of the table, but you can do anything really. Make sure, and I can not stress this enough, the tape is affixed to the table! When I took my tape off at the end a few of the triangle edges had gotten a tad messy because the tape wasn't completely stuck to the table. I would use a card to rub over the tape to really get it on there.






Step seven: Now spray the table with the top color you picked out. It is easier to spray multiple coats rather than being impatient and getting drips everywhere. Spray painting is a really Zen craft. Take your time, relax, enjoy being outside! Just think, if you take a few minutes now, later it will pay off!

Step eight: Spray a top coat of clear lacquer. Don't skip this step or the paint will be so easy to scratch off.






Step nine: Peel off the tape to reveal the design!






Step ten: Stare at it and make your neighbor jealous that you took their plain old table and made it beautiful!






Here it is in my room! I think it looks pretty good for something that came from someones trash. I saved this table from a life in a landfill! So when your walking around a thrift store or a flea market don't think about what it looks like now. Think of what you can make out of it!!!!! And a little side note, don't throw good stuff like this out. Its so wasteful and bad for the environment! Donating it so someone else can get use out of it is so much better than just chucking it. Right?

Spring cleaning comes early this year!

I watched an episode of Hoarders last night. For those of you who don’t know what the show is about, it chronicles the clean up process of someone whose house is overrun by clutter. Some of the people on the show have stacks and stacks of everything you can imagine, clothes, newspapers, toys. They are extreme pack rats. By the time the show is over I am itching to go into my closet and do a major clean out.

A few months ago we got all new carpets in our house and we had to pack up most of our belongings away to make room. After we were done I loved how empty my room was I just left a lot of what I had packed away in their boxes. Over the last few weeks I have been looking through the boxes and I realized how much stuff I really have. I am a shopaholic! Ok, so it isn’t that bad, but I do have waaaaay more than I need. I have like three boxes full of shoes I have worn once. And I have enough sunglasses to open a small store. Why do I need all of this stuff, when I don’t even use any of it anymore? It is just taking up space in the top of my closet!

Well no more! I am making it my mission to go through what I have and make a keep pile, a donate pile, and a trash pile. I see no reason to hold on to things that I know just bog down my room and make me stressed. And I work like 10 feet from a Goodwill donation bin so I have no excuse at all. I am not waiting for the first day of spring to get on this. I am going to start now! Who’s with me?

Featured picture from http://is.gd/aKFRM

Welcome!

Welcome to Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County’s brand new blog! It is our first post and we are raring and ready to go. Our plan is to show you how to reuse, recycle and reinvent. We have so much going on here, special events, training, really good sales, and you will be in the know if you keep up with our blog.

We also wanted remind people that we are really “More than the Store.” All of our retail stores and donation centers fund our mission, to improve the quality of life for people with barriers to self-sufficiency through the Power of Work.

So beware, reading this blog may induce involuntary needs to craft, to shop and to reinvent!