This Mother’s Day, Get Creative with a One-of-a-Kind Gift from Goodwill

Every time I happily enter a Goodwill store, I think, “I should be blogging for Goodwill so that I can show people how many fabulous home furnishings they can create from all of these goodies!”  I guess I hounded them long enough, because now I get to do just that!

I’m Shelly Leer, author of modhomeec.com.  I run a DIY teaching studio with the same name, and I write DIY projects for HOUZZ.com, as well as penning a weekly DIY column for my local newspaper, The Indianapolis Star. Through the years, Goodwill has been my main source for supplies of all kinds. Not only have I saved money, but the entire creative process of imagining what I can create out of what’s available holds great appeal for me.  My basement is a literal stockpile of key finds that eventually become a part of some future design.

Having owned my own upholstery business for close to twenty years, and now teaching upholstery and DIY classes, I continue to make regular stops at select Goodwill stores in my area. Sometimes I’m looking for specific items, other times, I’m scouting for raw materials that will inspire me to create one-of-a-kind show stoppers. Since we’re all thinking about Mother’s Day, I thought I’d show you a piece of rescued furniture that most people would pass up.

One woman I helped, Annette, saw the above chair as a diamond in the rough, and bought it for a meager $19.99 at her local Goodwill store. She then transformed it into a custom upholstered, diamond-tufted beauty for her living room.  Of all things, the previous owners had apparently tried to spray paint the fabric!  When you find items like this, you need a keen eye to look beyond what’s in front of you to what the possibilities are.

Not only did Annette end up with a practical, newly upholstered piece, she learned a valuable skill and had a jolly good time in the process.

If you’re feeling crafty this month, swing by your local Goodwill store and look for a piece you might be able to rework in time for Mother’s Day. Even if you don’t want to take on a big project, stores are filled with one-of-a-kind small pieces that can be up-cycled into jazzy little accessories in a few hours. Have a crafty mom? Give her the complete package — a piece of furniture she can get creative on, along with the tools, supplies and a class to learn how to do it.

And remember that a gift from Goodwill is one that keeps on giving — 82 percent of the revenue from your purchase helps women and other individuals build stronger families and vibrant communities.

Stay tuned for future posts, where I’ll be showing you how to imagine, design and create projects you’ll be proud to show off as Goodwill-sourced furnishings.