Simplify NOW for Holiday Season

The calendar doesn’t lie, we are heading into the Holiday season fast and furious!  With the hustle and bustle of the holidays comes stress and chaos. Say Yes to Less now and simplify your life so the holidays are less stressful.  This will allow to enjoy more time with friends and family. …and isn’t that what the holiday season is really all about?

5 ideas to help you start decluttering BEFORE the holiday season takes over:

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  1. Holiday Decorations.  Throughout different stages of our life, our decorating needs change as does our taste in decor.  Have you recently become an empty nester?  Donate the kid-focused decorations to Goodwill and try a new color scheme. Your local Goodwill Store is also a great place to start your new holiday decor collection; or if you are crafty, look in the aisles of Goodwill for things you can paint or #repurpose or #upstyle and make your own.  Just got married?  Time to start building your holiday decor collection!  Be sure to only keep what fits in your storage space.

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  1. The Kitchen.  Ask yourself how many things in your kitchen you really use.  If you haven’t used the turkey platter in 20 years, donate it to Goodwill and free up room in your kitchen.  Have a set of holiday dishes you love, but are missing a few pieces? Goodwill is a fantastic place to search for those random pieces to complete your collection.

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  1. Kids Stuff.  Now is the time to go through all the toys and games and pare down by donating gently-used toys to Goodwill.  Why not brighten someone’s day when they find that treasure you’ve donated?  Since I know many of you will have a ton of this kind of donation, here is a helpful tip:  did you know you can also use a Goodwill Drive-Thru to get help with unloading?

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  1. Closets.  As you change your closets over for the new season, it is the perfect time to access those out-of-season things.  Did you wear it over the summer?  Is it showing signs of wear?  Donate what you don’t love and what doesn’t get worn to Goodwill.  And when you are filling your closet with your current season clothing, make a shopping list of the things that are missing.  Maybe you don’t have a scarf or mittens to match your winter coat?. When you are at Goodwill donating, take a look to see if you find something perfect to add to your closet!    

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  1. Garage. Over the summer, we all drop things in the garage when we’re busy having fun during the warmer months.  Now that the weather is changing, clean up that clutter!  Bring in all the outdoor planters and pots, organize all of the storage areas in your garage and fill your car with those things you really don’t need cluttering up your garage…and donate them to Goodwill.  In the Spring, you will be so happy you did this now!

Say Yes to Less and have a less stressful holiday season!

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6 Festive Halloween Decorating Ideas

Halloween is just around the corner and with that season comes all of the fun decorating and costume ideas for your home and family. Halloween is always a busy season for Goodwill since it is considered a top source for materials and costumes for most families. Don’t forget while putting together your award-winning attire, that our store offers a lot of great materials for crafting a festive & spooky home too!

Gathered here are a few of my favorite ideas for decorating for Halloween that I think you will find both fun AND affordable!

Put a Few Skeletons in the Front Yard

I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this hilarious idea for Halloween decorating from Ruffles & Truffles.  She scored a couple of these skeletons at her local Ross & Target stores and each year has so much fun setting the scene for the Halloween season. With a couple of patio chairs from Goodwill, you have a quick and hilarious way to decorate for the season! This idea is so fun because you could snag just about anything in the store and make it into a funny skeleton tableau. Since I have a black thumb, I appreciate the exposed skeleton left to linger in the dead flower bed.  How fun is that? 

Add Some Spooky Prints

One of my favorite trends right now for Halloween is the addition of a few spooky prints for a tabletop or mantle. The House That Lars Built shows how easy it is to hunt for a free image to download and to print and get it printed as an engineer print for the mantle. You could also go small with these prints and make a spooky mantle gathering with a few Goodwill frames spray painted in black. I love the additions of the black taper candles as a finishing touch to this easy mantle idea!

Make a Candy Corn Treat Bag

I love pillowcases for holding our Halloween treats and I am so inspired by this super cute candy corn treat bag that Rit Dye made on their website. I am such a big fan of the product for transforming everything from table linens to restoring color in my clothing, but I never thought to create a cute treat bag for my kids with the dye product. The tutorial could not be easier and the results are picture perfect for a special trick-or-treater in your life! 

 Add a Witch to Your Fireplace

I feel like a good witch craft is mandatory when it comes to Halloween decorating. With a couple of pool noodles and some shoes purchased from Goodwill, you are well on your way to creating the cutest little witch to peek out of your fireplace. The skirt was made with a little gathering of tulle and these tights can be found in abundance in the Halloween section of your superstore as well as your local costume shop. I love that this is something you can do each year and that it can come apart for easy storage! Visit Crafty in Crosby for the full tutorial on this one! 

Mummify a Throw Pillow

I am a big fan of any cute home project that doesn’t require sewing and this mummified pillow is a perfectly cute way to decorate for the Halloween season with just a few simple craft materials. This idea was inspired by Pottery Barn. Material can be found with the table linens/sheets and you could slipcover a throw pillow from the store to keep this adorable craft on budget! Visit handmade mood for the tutorial on this super cute pillow! 

Decorate Your Kids

All of you out there still getting away with picking your child’s Halloween costumes, I just couldn’t be more jealous. I just love visiting Goodwill for fun Halloween costumes and prop ideas and this list wouldn’t be complete without one super cute costume idea for you to indulge in. Skirt As Top has the sweetest little hipster Moonrise Kingdom costume idea I have ever seen. Please tell me this is a favorite film of yours too!! With a few fun props from Goodwill to complete this handmade adorableness, your kids are sure to win all the costume awards (and wow other parents in the process). I will have to be content living vicariously through you this year now that I have a tween and teen on my hands! 

I hope you leave this post feeling inspired to tackle a fun Halloween project of your own with Goodwill! Happy Halloween, friends!