Goodwill and Me

It's no secret that I love a lucky Goodwill find. My home is filled with them. 

I think that thrifting is the very best way to create a unique and personal home on any budget.

I was very excited when someone from Goodwill of North Georgia reached out to me last fall and offered the opportunity to collaborate for a big home and garden show at the nearby Galleria. They gave me a budget of $50, a gift card and asked me to create a holiday table scape. You can find that table decor here. My trusty thrifting pal, my daughter Mollie, and I had a great time hunting for the best finds. 

Fast forward to this month and the spring home show season has begun. I'm excited to say that @goodwill_ng invited me to join in the fun again and create two table scapes. 

You can see the videos from the home show here and here. be sure to watch the IG videos to get an overall view of the completed table scapes. I wanted to share the process I use to pull together a thrifted table scape. You will have more time to collect items or to build up your entertaining basics if you wish. If space is at a premium or your event is more of a one time theme then simply donate your items back to Goodwill. I used to do that for Mollie's birthday party decorations. We had an adorable two year old birthday celebration many years ago with a 3 foot talking Big Bird stuffed animal. He cost only a few dollars and looked adorable holding a big bouquet of balloons. After we were finished we donated him back because the investment was small even though the impact was big!

The first table was an "Easter Brunch" theme. Here are a few of the things that I bought, why, and how much they cost. 

I found a pastel plaid tablecloth for $3.99. While it was bundled  up at the store I knew that if it had any stains they wouldn't be large and the table would be filled with plates and accessories so not much tablecloth would show. It only had two small ink pen spots. I washed it and it pulled the whole table together. I bought the huge bunny platter for $7.09, in perfect condition, because it's perfect for the theme and such a statement piece. I will probably donate it right back to GW because I don't have room to store it for once a year use but it was truly a great find. The punch bowl ($4.09) was a great way to display the plastic egg hunt eggs - just a little twist on using a basket. Punch bowls can be used for so many things other than serving punch. They look great filled with ornaments at Christmas or lined with moss and filled with orchids. 

I bought every bunny figurine (less than $5.00 for all of them) I found and then unified them with Rustoleum Leather Brown spray paint. Chocolate bunnies for the win.

 It was very easy to find plates and bowls ($5.09 for all of the bowls and $5.09 for the set of turquoise plates) to match the colors in the tablecloth - so many options. The wicker chargers reminded me of Easter baskets and chargers always elevate the look of a table. The crystal basket was a cute touch and the perfect way to serve jelly beans. The plastic egg plates ($1.69 each) were a great find because we have deviled eggs quite often. The find that gave us the most laughs was the HOP sign ($4.09 each letter). It was actually a set of rustic wood signs that spelled HOPE - I just left the E behind :) I had spray paint and ribbon so giving them a fresh look was inexpensive and easy. I had plastic eggs and paper Easter grass on hand but both of those are very inexpensive. 

The second table scape was a coastal, beachy theme. I found a huge basket of seashells and some very sturdy bamboo trays in perfect condition so I knew I was off to a good start with that theme. Who isn't ready for summery seafood dinners?

Next I found stacks of plastic chargers for 89 cents each and I decided that using my spray paint marbleizing technique to create a watery and unique placemat. 

I found a huge basket of shells for $3.09, a very large conch shell for $3.09 and a bag of starfish and a few medium sized shells for $2.09. That gave me a lot of shells to pile down the center of the table around a fabulous palm tree candleholder that was $5.09.

The sandcastle tea light holder was $2.09 and such a fun addition to the seashell "centerpiece."  I found two narrow blue tablecloths for $1.99 each and used those draped across the table like runners. The blue bamboo look glasses were $3.09 for all four.

But the most fun was creating the DIY marbleized chargers to go under the fish plates. The chargers look almost watery and were a perfect touch of color with all of the neutral shells and bamboo trays.

You can find step by step instructions for marbleizing with spray paint here, and here. 

I hope you try it!