Category: Upcycle

Creatively Wrapping Gifts With Goodwill Items

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Christmas is quickly approaching and this is the holiday where the crafter in me rejoices not only for the Christmas crafts I get the opportunity to create, but the opportunity to package those gifts beautifully under our tree. Goodwill can be a great place to check for, not only your gifts, but also items to creatively package those gifts in a unique way.

Yarn Embellishments- It is rare to stop at Goodwill and not see craft supplies that have been donated. Yarn is one of those inexpensive craft supplies that I love to use when packaging my gifts. Whether it is a yarn pom pom in lieu of a bow, multiple colors of yarn that have been woven together to create a unique packaging detail, or even knitted or crocheted embellishments can make beautiful gift toppers. (Image Source: Persia Lou)

Gift Card Snow Globes- Gift cards can often feel impersonal, but are often just what the recipient has asked for or needs. Package those gift cards creatively by vising the Housewares section at Goodwill and hunting for jars that can be used to create your very own gift card snow globes. Little ones can participate in the fun in creating these adorable craft. Look for small items to decorate the inside of your snow globe and spray paint those thrift store lids with a festive green or red spray paint to spruce it up. (Source: The Creative Mama)

Fabric Flowers- Visit Goodwill on the half off days or select items that are on sale that week to find material from clothing items that can be used to creatively embellish your gifts. Cut scraps of fabric to create homespun bows or cut the fabric into easy circles and create a fabric flower that can be personalized with unique buttons or costume jewelry for creatively topping them. Even items like t-shirts can be used to make elegant flowers for a unique addition to boxes or kraft paper gift bags. (Source: MomAdvice)

Book Page Rosettes- Book pages are the ultimate in frugal craft materials and are a fantastic resource for creating your very own gift toppers. With a simple pair of scissors and a little glue, you can top your gifts beautifully and inexpensively with rosettes made from book pages. (Source: Under the Table & Dreaming)

Beauty Gift Additions- Gifts of beauty items like sugar scrubs or bath salts can be a fun and thoughtful gift to give and made with materials in your pantry. I love to add a simple addition of a vintage spoon and package these items in a mason jar found at my Goodwill store. Find a jar you love, but can’t find a lid? Simple bands and jar lids can be found at your local discount store and freshen up a jar with a tired lid or be the perfect topper for a jar that might be missing one. (Source: MomAdvice)

Salt & Cinnamon Dough Toppers– Remember making simple salt dough ornaments or cinnamon-filled dough ornaments for the holidays? These are still a fun way to top gifts and can be made from some simple ingredients in your pantry. Grab a salt dough recipe here or look for the cinnamon dough recipe over here. Tie these on with scraps of fabric from Goodwill items. The best part about these toppers is that they later can be used as an ornament to adorn your tree. (Source: Simply Savannah Events)

What are some creative ways you love to package your gifts? I would love to hear from you! 

Easy DIY Halloween Costumes

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It’s only a couple of short weeks until Halloween, but if you haven’t found a costume yet, have no fear! Today I want to showcase eight easy DIY Halloween Costumes you can create using items found at Goodwill. This list of easy DIY Halloween Costumes will hopefully help you gather some great ideas for throwing together a great last minute costume and save you money in the process, thanks to Goodwill!

Baby Aerobics Instructor Costume

Holy cuteness! This easy baby aerobics instructer outfit looks like an easy DIY to put together and I promise, it will be a memorable costume. Create a baby headband from a goodwill t-shirt, cut the bottoms off of a pair of socks to create baby leggings, and use your baby’s onsie and leggings to complete the look. This mom created an adorable boombox out of felt to complete the look.  (via Homemade By Jill)

Book Fairy Costume 

A couple of hardback books from Goodwill can create a unique and adorable book fairy costume. Using a hot glue gun, book pages, and the covers of the books to create your fairy wings you can create an entire costume from simply rolling paper for an adorable skirt! You will love this one (via Lilliedale)

Paper Doll Costume

Short on funds for Halloween costumes this year? This paper doll costume can be created using the free template provided, poster board, and a little foam core. Add your daughter’s laciest socks and a pair of Mary Jane shoes from Goodwill and you have a real-life paper doll to trick-or-treat with. What little girl wouldn’t love that?  (via Family Fun)

Mary Poppins & Bert Couple Costume

Couple costumes can be challenging, but with few things from your closet and a little help from Goodwill, it can be easy to create your look for less. My husband & I created this costume for less than $20 and absolutely had a blast putting it together. (via MomAdvice)

Homemade Redbox Costume

I had to laugh at this adorable Redbox costume that this family created! The Redbox costume was created using spray paint, a box, and snagging some of the Redbox images from Google. I absolutely love this idea and it cost the family less than $5 to create. The best part is that the whole family can jump in on the creating (Coolest Homemade Costumes)

Baby Cabbage Patch Doll

Looking for a costume that can work around pushing your baby in a stroller? This Cabbage Patch Doll costume is simply genius and wouldn’t cost a lot to create. Head to Goodwill to grab a green fitted sheet to cover your stroller, create the Cabbage Patch box, and then cover your baby in yarn pigtails. (Via Costume Works)

Will Work 4 Candy Costume

The best part about the, “Will Work 4 Candy Costume,” is that you need not buy any supplies at all to create this look. Paint a beard on your child’s face, dress them in their most tired looking play clothes, mismatch their shoes,  and add a cardboard sign from your recycle bin. (via Coolest Homemade Costumes)

Child’s Superman Costume

Leading a double life can be tough, but it doesn’t need to be expensive. Head to Goodwill to pick up a tie, shirt, and heavy glasses for Clark Kent, and dress him in a Superman shirt underneath. This costume is adorable and affordable! (Via Think Geek)

What is the best DIY Halloween costume you have created? Feel free to share your links and ideas below!

10 Unique Ideas for Projects to Do With Goodwill T-Shirts

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Goodwill is one of my favorite places to visit for craft supplies and to find ideas for upcycling donated items. If you have ever been in a Goodwill store, one thing you will notice is that there is an abundance and plethora of donated t-shirts in every size, style, variety, and color.

The next time you visit your local Goodwill store, don’t just visit the t-shirts in your own size for ideas. Look in the Men’s section and in the larger sizes to find t-shirts that will offer you extra and a generous amount of craft material for the same amount of money as your smaller t-shirts. Try to select t-shirts that are not as faded or that have fabric pills on them for optimal material for your projects.

Today I wanted to share with you ten of my favorite projects that I have found to do with old t-shirts from your Goodwill store from some very amazing bloggers. I love that all of these ideas are extremely unique and that most require no sewing skills at all.

1. T-Shirt Scarves– I have seen lots of varieties of t-shirt scarves on many different blogs, but I absolutely love this DIY Dish episode you can watch to discover three different varieties of scarves you can make from an old t-shirt. My favorite is the one, pictured above, with a bright pom-pom trim.

2. T-Shirt Bibs– If you are looking for a fast sewing project that would make a fun baby gift, then these t-shirt bibs are the project for you. For little boys, you could look for their dad’s favorite sports teams and for little girls you could look for a fun t-shirt with sparkly letters or flowers. Don’t forget that these could also be embellished with rick-rack, ribbon trim, or an easy t-shirt rolled rosette flower.

3. T-Shirt Bracelets– There are many varieties of cute bracelets that I have seen using t-shirt materials, but this one has to be one of my favorites. This twisted knot bracelet can be made from just a single t-shirt or it could be made with a mix of prints or a mix of solid colors. I can’t wait to make some of these for myself and my daughter this summer. Nothing could be cozier than a gently worn t-shirt bracelet on your arm!

4. T-Shirt Produce Bag– Nothing could be greener than carrying your groceries in a cloth grocery bag…until you start using recycled materials for your bag. Even if you are a beginning sewer, this simple produce bag can easily be created for a visit to the grocery store of your local farmer’s market. I think these would be fun to make in a variety of pastel colors or to give as a gift to someone special in your life.

5. T-Shirt Pom Poms– Looking for a fun way to dress up your home for the warmer months? I absolutely love these adorable t-shirt pom poms for a fun way to add a pop of color to your mantle, as a fun adornment to a wreath, or hung in a gathering on a door handle or front door. The best part about this project is that no sewing skills are required for this one!

6. Petal Tees– I have seen many, many refashions of old t-shirts, but I think this Petal Tee is simply genius because the petal trim on this t-shirt is made from a variety of t-shirts, adding a cute pop of color for the Spring. Visit Goodwill on their half off days and stock-up on a fun mixture of colors for a fun addition of color to your wardrobe. If you are looking to add a little of the fluorescent color trend to your wardrobe, this would be a great way to do it without having to commit to an entire fluorescent piece!

7. T-Shirt Yarn– My favorite craft in the world is knitting and I love the idea of using Goodwill t-shirts to create fun yarn for my projects. This would be a fun gift to give to a friend that knits or crochets. If you can use a pair of scissors and cut in a relatively straight line, then you can do this craft and use this yarn for a variety of projects!

8. T-Shirt Aprons– I have a true affection for aprons and have a little collection of my own thrifted aprons that I have acquired from Goodwill and other antique shops. I had never thought to use t-shirts to create aprons, but I think this t-shirt apron is the cutest thing I have ever seen. This would be a cute craft to make for yourself or for your helpers in the kitchen. The best part? No ironing required and it can handle the messes that you might make in the kitchen.

9. T-Shirt Necklaces– I love t-shirt necklaces for adding a splash of color to your neckline. This rolled rosette t-shirt necklace is a fun way to add some feminine details to your outfit very inexpensively. I think it would be cute to make the t-shirt bracelet in a coordinating color and one Goodwill t-shirt should more than cover both of these cute projects.


Our tenth project is actually a fun t-shirt project we did here on the Goodwill blog. Be sure to visit my tutorial on creating a cute t-shirt flower pin made from an old t-shirt and spray painted clip-on earrings. This is so cute and would be a fun addition to a Spring top or jacket.



What are your favorite craft projects to do with old t-shirts?


All photos featured in our collage were gathered from the blogs that were featured. Please visit these blogs for tutorials and instructions on completing these projects!

How To Make T-Shirt Flowers

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Today I wanted to share with you an easy and fun project you can create from some common items that you can find at your local Goodwill Store. Today’s inspiration came from a bag of clip on earrings that I found when browsing through the jewelry section of the store and the sea of endless t-shirts in every variety of color that you can find on their racks.

For this project you will need a t-shirt (any size), spray paint in a contrasting color, clip on earrings, hot glue, glue sticks, scissors, a piece of card stock to make your template, and one piece of felt.

  1. To begin, you will need to cut out eleven circles out of your old t-shirt. I used a large circle punch and created my template out of scrap card stock. You could also just trace a lid to a canning jar, if you don’t have a circle punch handy.

  2. Grab your piece of felt and cut a heart out for the base of your flower or you can cut a simple felt circle.

  3. Let’s make some flower petals. Fold your circle in half as shown.

  4. Fold up one side of the circle that has been folded in half.

  5. Fold up the other half of the halved circle and have it meet with the other side to form a petal.

  6. Now hot glue the seam just a tiny bit together where the petal is gathered and then hot glue the end of the petal to the felt heart.

  7. Repeat this with all four ends of the heart.

  8. In the spaces left, fill in with three or four more petals.

  9. Spray paint your clip on earrings in your favorite color. Allow this to dry.

  10. Remove the back of the earring with a pair of pliers. Hot glue the earring to the center

  11. On the back of your fabric flower, you can attach a simple jewelry pin that you can find in the jewelry section of your favorite craft store.

  12. Wear your thrift store pin proudly!


Have you ever done anything fun with thrift store t-shirts? Feel free to share your ideas for ways you craft with Goodwill supplies here. We would love to hear them!