So I have some exciting news- for me, at least, and hopefully for you, too! Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina has re-vamped their blog with an entirely new team of writers, including yours truly. We are a wonderfully diverse team of bloggers– fashion thrifters, DIYers, foodie writers, and home decorators who will bring you new projects and ideas throughout each month. Goodwill is obviously our thrift shop of choice, but it’s just a great idea to spotlight the idea of thrifting and buying secondhand goods. You all know I’m a big believer in it- and a lot of you are, too- so I’m definitely looking forward to yet another way to keeping the “buying used” movement going!
I want to make sure I bring my Goodwill projects to my blog as a way to chronicle everything I make. I encourage you to visit the full Good Life Blog, too, of course- but since my blog is my “journey of making”, it’s important to showcase those projects here, too. Hopefully you won’t mind and I promise to bring you a brand new project next week- and it’s one I think you’ll really like!
For my first Goodwill blog project, I really wanted to focus on store sections that are always FULL of merchandise- so, I decided to create something from the Book Section and the Picture Frame Section. If you frequent thrift stores, you know that these sections are usually overflowing with opportunities.
And I say “opportunities” because that’s what thrifted merchandise is to me- opportunities to save money, opportunities to create/upcycle, and opportunities to support good global practices.
But back to the project- I know the book department isn’t always that exciting. But let me tell you, there are a lot of wonderful secrets on those shelves. Take this wallflower for instance…
Doesn’t look like much, does it?
But when I opened him up, I found that he was chock full of amazing illustrations! Turns out he’s a nature atlas from 1952.
HELLO, BEAUTIFUL PICTURES!
Thanks to the internet, people are unloading their old encyclopedias and similar-type books. But a lot of them are a treasure-trove of gorgeous photos, drawings, and illustrations that are begging to become wall art. Speaking of which, I needed a picture frame.
Since the illustrations were on the small side, I wanted one of those “collage” type frames. You know the kind I’m talking about, right? The kind that come with that paper photo divider in different sizes and shapes? Well, I see them all the time at thrift stores, and snapped one up.
That’ll do quite nicely. And it was never used!
When I returned home, I was so excited that I got to work right away. First things first, I took apart the frame. I wasn’t super excited that the photo divider was cream and gold…but when I flipped it over, it had a lovely bright white finish- perfect!
I went through my atlas and selected the illustrations that I wanted to use- saltwater fish species. So, I started to cut them out and taped them carefully to my photo divider.
Isn’t that fantastic? Worked like a charm.
I loved how it looked! And when I finished filling all the gaps, I ended up with this.
Gorgeous! Beachy, coastal, and pretty.
Since the fish illustrations had great hues of blue and green, I chose a deep lagoon teal to paint the frame. I knew it’d pop against the white photo divider, too.
Ta-da!
How great is that? I just love it- the perfect gift for someone who loves fishing…or in a beach house…or to personalize an office.
So there you have it- my first Goodwill blog post. And I’m already working on September’s project…here’s a hint: Think Caffeine.
Craft on!
S
PIN ME!