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Using Goodwill Materials in Your Handmade Holiday Gifts

 

There are no hard and fast rules on re-gifting Goodwill treasures or merely using "gently used" materials as building blocks for your handmade, made with love, tremendously creative holiday gifts. Most people aren't tickled to have your  oodwill bargain passed along to them, however, if you've commited to giving HANDMADE this season AND you are the one hand making the gifts, where you buy your materials is up to you. You can save more than a little money by picking up discarded basics, or "found" objects.

1. Make sure every material you use in a handmade gift is perfectly clean and in top notch condition.

2.  Use used items only as materials for your art or repurposed creations. Don't anticpate someone will be thrilled with receive used throw pillows from Goodwill.

3.  Be very careful not to insult the recipient of your repurposed or restyled gift. Make it personal and special.

4.  Only give a gift that you would be happy to receive.   

5.  Do your very best work. 

6.  Be very creative-it will be evident and appreciated when received.

7.  Be very proud that you took the time make a handmade gift.  It is priceless.

8.  Start planning your handmade gifts early.  You want enough time to do your best work.

9.  Before running out to buy materials, new or used, see what kind of building blocks you already have.  Take apart things you don't use anymore.

10.  Wrap your gifts with beautiful handmade paper, handstamped fabric or write a clever poem to accompany your gifts.  The entire packgage will be a labor of love and it will be well received.

Cheap, plentiful wooden stool from Goodwill-

turned into a Friendly Monster TimeOut Stool for your favorite toddler.

 

My Biological Clock tutorial from The Indianapolis Star , was made with a used wall clock from Goodwill.

The Time Out Stool tutorial from The Indianapolis Star, was made from a basic, used wooden stool.

 

Tagged : goodwill, repurposed, Holiday, recycled, Materials, art, sewing, modhomeecteacher, IndyStarcom, RecessionBusters