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DIY Candle Project

Hi, there, fellow Goodwill shoppers! It’s Sarah Ramberg of the upcycling blog, Sadie Seasongoods, again. Today, I’m sharing a fun craft project that starts at one of our Goodwill stores but ends up pretty enough to give as a gift!

Candles never seem to go out of style, do they? But they’re easier than ever to make, thanks to craft stores that are filled with supplies! But to make this project extra special and unique, the candle holders start on the shelves at one of our Goodwill stores.

Craft Supply List

Instructions

1. Select your future candle holder at Goodwill. I really wanted a brass container, and the Mooresville store had a big selection! But most glass and heavier ceramic containers will also work.

2. Once you have your container selected, gather the remainder of your craft supplies from the list above.

3. Since I was using brass, I needed to clean it properly before repurposing it as a candle. And believe it or not, ketchup is an AMAZING brass cleaner. After removing the price tag, I simply rubbed ketchup all over the container with my hands. Yes, I’m serious- it sounds weird but it really works!

4. Rinse the ketchup off and dry your container completely. Does it shine beautifully now? Told ya so. Now, before doing anything else, fill your candleholder with wax chips. Leave at least 1/2” of space at the top. Dump the chips in the bowl or melting cup. Now, fill your container another time- just about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way and dump those chips in the melting cup and set aside. The extra wax accounts for the air spaces between chips, etc.

5. Now you’ve measured your wax, it’s time to set the wick!

6. Heat up your hot glue gun and use a healthy dollop to secure your wick to the bottom of your candle holder. Then, use coffee stirrers (or something similar, so long as they’re longer than your candleholder is wide) to hold the wick upright. 

7. Per the directions on your soy wax flakes, melt them in a double boiler on your stovetop. Use precaution when boiling water to not burn your fingers or hands in the process. Use a wooden paint stirrer or something similar (such as a wooden kitchen spoon from Goodwill) to stir the wax periodically as it melts. Once the wax is completely melted, you’re ready to pour your candle!

8. If you are using candle fragrance, follow the directions to add fragrance oil now before pouring the wax into your candle holder.

9. Carefully pour the molten wax into the candle holder, avoiding your wick support system. Again, leave at least ½” of space at the top.

10. Once poured, it’s best to just leave your candle alone (don’t move it) for several hours. This will allow the wax to harden with a nice even surface (i.e., no sloshed wax on the sides, etc.).

11. Once the wax has completely hardened and your candleholder is cool to the touch (i.e., the next day), trim the wick (1/2” above the wax surface) with scissors and add charms if you want! I found some necklace charms on clearance at a craft store, but why not check out the jewelry at Goodwill while you’re there?

12. With my jewelry-making pliers and some larger jump rings, I simply dangled the necklace pendants on the handles of my candle holder.

13. Now you can enjoy your fabulous new candle in your home or give it as a gift.

What a fun and easy way to create a DIY candle that is gorgeous enough to give as a gift. I mean, that time of year is right around the corner, isn’t it? And, of course, half the fun is hunting down unique candle holders at Goodwill, too.

Show Off Your Project

Thank you so much for checking out this trendy repurposing idea with me. I’d love to see what kind of interesting candleholders you find at Goodwill, too- please tag me on Instagram or Facebook to show them off!

-Sarah at Sadie Seasongoods

Happy National Thrift Shop Day! There are so many great things about thrifting, but this year, we’re focusing on one thing – how shopping secondhand is great for the planet! In honor of National Thrift Shop Day, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont partnered with local sustainability and fashion influencer, @akwearsthings, to highlight how secondhand shopping can help the environment. While thrifting is a great way to find unique styles at a low cost, here are some important environmental takeaways to keep in mind the next time you’re tempted to splurge on fast fashion:

⛅ Giving one item a second life reduces its CO2 footprint by 82%.

It takes 1,800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to make one pair of jeans. Buying secondhand jeans significantly reduces your environmental impact.

️ 36 billion pieces of clothing are thrown away in the US each year. Donating your gently used items and shopping secondhand helps keep items out of the landfills.

 

The school year is upon us, and with it often comes new technology. But, what are you doing with the old technology?

Donate your old technology to dispose of it properly while also supporting job seekers in your community! Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont is partnering with Mecklenburg County Solid Waste to host a free electronics take-back event from 9 a.m. to noon on August 28. This event will be held at the Compost Central and Recycling Center. The collaborative effort between the two organizations ensures electronics are reused, if possible, prior to recycling or disposal.

Residents are encouraged to bring working devices such as computers, cell phones, gaming consoles and small appliances that can be donated. Goodwill assesses and refurbishes the items to sell in its technology store, The GRID. The nonprofit uses proceeds from its 26 stores – including The GRID – to fund job training and employment services offered at no cost to the community. Any tech that can’t be refurbished and reused are recycled responsibly, adhering to the strictest environmental policies in place today.

Year-round electronics can be donated at any Goodwill store or dropped off at any Mecklenburg County full-service recycling center.

By: Sarah Ramberg of Sadie Seasongoods

Hi, there, fellow Goodwill Shoppers! It’s Sarah Ramberg of the upcycling blog, Sadie Seasongoods, again. Today, I’m sharing a fun craft project using two unrelated items that you can find at any of our local Goodwill stores! Keep scrolling to see how you can easily make a DIY sweater pillow.

If you’ve ever shopped for throw pillows at home décor stores, then you know how expensive they can be! But making your own version using sweaters and pillow forms from Goodwill is SUPER easy and WAY less expensive. Which means you can switch them around all year long for a fraction of the cost!

Craft Supply List

Instructions

1. Select your sweater and pillow from Goodwill. I find that larger sweaters are easier to work with, but just about any sweater will do. As for pillows, square and rectangle shapes are the easiest to cover (i.e., no fancy sewing skills required!). 

2. Start by turning your sweater inside out, and lay it flat on your work surface. Remove the old pillow cover from the pillow and place it on your sweater. 

3. Cut out your new pillow cover (through both sweater layers) by using the pillow form as a template. Cut about ¾” out from each side of your pillow to allow seam allowances (i.e., margins) for sewing. Without moving the freshly cut sweater pieces, pin three of the sides together. 

4. Stitch the three sides together on your sewing machine, leaving a ½” to ¾” seam allowance on each side. Just make sure you leave one side open! 

5. Turn your sweater pillow cover right-side-out and place your pillow form inside. 

6. Tuck in the open end and pin it closed. Then, use tiny whip stitches to sew the opening shut! 

7. Now, you have a fabulous new pillow and it’s cute enough just like this, right? 

8. But if you want to add a little embellishment, I highly recommend making some yarn pompoms to attach to the corners. Start with a piece of scrap cardboard (even a spent gift card will do) and wrap with yarn. The more you wrap it, the fuller your pom will be – always err on the side of lots of wrapping! 

9. Carefully slip the wrapped yarn off your cardboard and use a separate piece of yarn to tie it off in the center, as tightly as you can. Then, run your scissors through the loops and give your pompom a haircut until it is symmetrical and fluffy. 

10. Make three more poms, and run a needle and thread through the center of each pom several times at the corners of your pillow. That’s it, now your inexpensive sweater pillow is done!

 

What a fun and easy way to create unique pillows that don’t break the bank. I love the idea of being able to switch them out during different seasons or as my style changes. And, of course, half the fun is hunting down amazing sweaters from Goodwill to craft with!

Thank you so much for checking out this upcycling idea with me. If you repurpose one of your Goodwill sweaters into a pillow, please tag me on Instagram or Facebook – I’d love to see it!

– Sarah at Sadie Seasongoods

By Sarah Ramberg of Sadie Seasongoods

Hi, there, fellow Goodwill Shoppers! My name is Sarah Ramberg, and I run an upcycling blog called Sadie Seasongoods. Like you, I absolutely LOVE to shop at Goodwill. My blog is dedicated to all things secondhand, and Goodwill is where I find a lot of the pieces that I upcycle for my blog and my home.

I thought I would share a super simple upcycling idea for you as we get into the holiday season. A picture frame from Goodwill is a great way to create a festive wreath for your front door. You can make it as simple or as decorated as you wish, and any level of crafter can make it.

Craft Supply List

Instructions

1. Select your picture frame from Goodwill. I choose this one because the sides of the frame were wide, which makes decorating even easier (i.e., more surface to glue things to). 

2. After removing any backing or inserts from your frame, wipe it down and prepare to paint it (painting is an optional step).

3. Allow the paint to thoroughly dry before moving onto the next steps.

4. Assemble your wreath decorating supplies! You can find these at craft stores, but check out your local Goodwill, too. You can often find floral stems, other pre-decorated wreaths, and spools of ribbon at Goodwill.

5. Use your wire cutters or scissors to cut down floral stems, ribbon, and other decorations as needed. Then, simply hot glue them on your picture frame! 

6. I kept this one pretty simple for a clean, neutral fall look. But you can decorate as much or as little as you want!

7. Lastly, loop some twine or string around the top of your picture frame and hang on your front door! 

Wasn’t that fun and easy? My mind is swirling with future picture frame wreath ideas now.

Thank you so much for checking out this upcycling idea with me. If you repurpose one of your Goodwill picture frames into a wreath, tag me on Instagram or Facebook– I’d love to see it!

-Sarah at Sadie Seasongoods

The Charlotte Knights and Goodwill® are Spring Cleaning at BB&T Ballpark

The baseball club and local nonprofit will host an electronics recycling drive on March 26

 

WHAT:      The Charlotte Knights are cleaning up BB&T Ballpark to get ready for spring, and are providing a large electronics donation to Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont. Before the first game of spring between the UNC Charlotte 49ers and Clemson Tigers, Homer, the Charlotte Knight’s mascot, will help to load up a Goodwill truck with electronics from around the ballpark! The Knights and Goodwill invite community members and businesses to bring their electronics donations to the ballpark from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on March 26 to support Goodwill’s mission to help job seekers get career-ready and back to work in our community. Fans can also bring electronics to donate on their way into the game, including printers, laptops, tablets, e-readers, game systems, toys, cameras, accessories and more!

 

WHY:        Spring is a great time to look through your home and workplace for items you don’t use or need – and donate them! Proceeds from community donations to Goodwill help to fund training programs in construction, customer service and IT, and career placement opportunities for job seekers here in our community. Have printers, computers, calculators, flat-screen TVs and other tech sitting around? Goodwill has an electronics recycling program that works to refurbish used technology and provide it for purchase at The GRID, its technology store located in the University area.

 

About Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont

 

Goodwill has been serving individuals and families in the Southern Piedmont region of North and South Carolina for more than 50 years. Goodwill operates 25 retail stores and has more than 30 donation sites in the region. Proceeds from the sale of donated goods fund job training and employment services for individuals facing obstacles to employment such as lack of skills, experience or education, and those with criminal backgrounds. In 2017, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont provided employment services to more than 12,600 individuals thanks to donations and purchases from the community. For more information, visit www.goodwillsp.org.

Facebook.com/GoodwillSP | Twitter & Instagram: @GoodwillSP | LinkedIn: Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont

 

Media Contacts

 

Samantha Story | Public Relations & Communications Manager | Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont | Direct: (704) 332-0262 | Email: sam.story@goodwillsp.org

 

Melinda Wilshire | Director, Marketing & Communications | Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont | Direct: (704) 916-1616 | Cell: (443) 540-0593 | Email: melinda.wilshire@goodwillsp.org