If you’ve spent any amount of time on the web lately, you’ve most likely heard of Pinterest, a new socially driven site that allows you to save images of craft projects, home décor, outfit ideas and other things to a virtual pin board.
At Goodwill®, we’re particularly excited about Pinterest since so many of the projects and outfits people are pinning can be easily completed with items that you can find in our stores. We recently launched our Pinterest page to curate some of the best ideas.
Keep scrolling to find out about five easy DIY projects we first learned about on Pinterest that you can take on this weekend. And don’t forget — doing projects with items from Goodwill is more than a sweet deal for you; your purchases also help people in your community get the training and support they need to find jobs and provide for their families.

1. T-Shirt Shag Rug
If there’s one thing Goodwill stores never run out of, it’s t-shirts! We recently pinned a tutorial on how to make an easy shag rug with cut-up gently used shirts. All you need to get started is one XL shirt to serve as the base of your rug, a handful of colored shirts to cut up and use for the ‘shag,’ and a pair of cloth scissors. For a step-by-step tutorial, head on over to the M K Arts blog.

2. Cloth-Covered Flower Pots
These cloth-covered flower pots from Christine Chitnis are perfect for a last-minute Mother’s Day project or a fun way to help your garden grow in style. You’ll need a terracotta flower pot, mod-podge, brush and a fabric of your choice. If you’re looking for flower-print fabric, swing by Goodwill’s dress and bedding sections for some easy options. Don’t have mod-podge? You can make that too!

3. Book Wreath
Invest a few dollars in a book from Goodwill and an hour or two of your time to create this chic book wreath. To get started, you’ll need a wreath form, which can be obtained inexpensively at a local craft store or in the crafts section of your local big-box retailer. Detach and roll the pages, then attach them to the form with hot glue. Feeling creative? Cut out leaf shapes or other patterns from the pages to give the wreath your own unique spin.

4. Picture Wall
Have a blank wall in your house or apartment that you don’t know what to do with? Turn it into a photo wall. Snag some inexpensive picture frames at Goodwill, paint them all the same color — or, for a more eclectic look, different colors — and use them to display photos, prints, postcards mementos and more.

5. Magnetic Puzzles
Personal gaming systems and in-vehicle TV screens aren’t the only way to keep kids engaged on a long car trip. Stop by the toy and game aisle and pick up a kid-friendly puzzle, then glue magnets onto the back of each piece. Put these pieces on a cookie tray and voilà, an easy way for children to do puzzles on the go without losing the pieces.
Have you incorporated items you found at Goodwill into one of your own DIY projects? Share the details and links in the comments section below.