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D.I…Why?

. DIY . , , ,

DIY Crafts

Sometimes in the world of crafting, I bite off more than I can chew. This is a pattern even from when I was a kid.  I’d start projects and then leave them lying around after being distracted by something else…as my parents like to remind me.  But no more! After seeing this amazing vintage lamp at a nearby arc thrift store (for only $6.99!!!) I knew I wanted to rewire it and had to see it through.  There were several vintage lamps that caught my eye but this one won my heart :). Untitled1

The lamp has such beautiful shades of blue and green and I LOVE the 1970s drip glaze.  The only problem was that the plug was bent and the wiring looked rough.  Usually I’d let a little thing like fear of a painful shock turn me away from such a beautiful lamp-but not today! I figured rewiring a lamp couldn’t be that hard, could it?  Could it?!  I’ve seen so many amazing vintage lamps at arc, but I’ve never known how to rewire them-now I will!

The first step was buying a lamp kit from a local hardware store (around $10) so that I could figure out what all of this entailed.  Then when I couldn’t read the miniscule print on the back of the package I resorted to the internet.  Here’s what I had to do (the abbreviated version):

I unscrewed the ornament at the top of the lamp and then popped the oval harp off. Untitled3

After that I flipped the lamp over, pulled off the cardboard bottom and unscrewed the nut on the underside of the base that holds it all together.  With that undone I slowly took the whole thing apart and then threaded the new cord all the way back through the base up to the socket.  So far so good!

Things got a little trickier once I had to strip a bit of the wire at the top in order to actually rewire the socket.  I’d like to tell you that I did this no problem and then easily wired each side of the wire to the correct screw.  But that would be a lie.  I needed help! Untitled5

I was so worried that I wouldn’t do it correctly and would somehow make something explode that I wimped out.  I don’t even have a picture for you of me completing the job with help.  I should be ashamed…but I’m not.  Because as soon as I plugged this puppy in it lit up beautifully!  (Sorry for the lousy picture, though.)  Another arc treasure to satisfy my love for vintage, and for such an amazing price; I’ve seen drip glaze lamps like this being sold for tons in antique stores.  Arc always hooks me up with fabulous vintage wares for super low prices.  Plus I never feel guilty shopping because it goes to such a great cause.  Now all it needs is a lamp shade.  Wonder where I might find one…

Julie W.

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arc University Awards 94 Graduates with Diplomas

. Our Mission, Volunteering . , ,

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In grand style before an audience of cheering families and friends, 94 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities proudly accepted their college diplomas Wednesday evening from Arc University. Arc University, formed in 2012, is the vision of the management team at Arc Thrift Stores of Colorado. Through a $100,000.00 grant from The Daniel’s Fund, Arc developed “Arc U” to provide an education in life skills for team members with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  The 94 graduates received a variety of degrees including Certificates of Participation and Doctorate Degrees.

Arc University is a 12-month program, which consists of monthly sessions covering various topics from financial literacy, music appreciation, pet care, transportation mobility and food preparation. The program is managed much like a university including lecturers, course work, study guides and exams.  “The Arc University program allows individuals in the developmental disability community to achieve what so many of us take for granted,” stated Lloyd Lewis President/CEO, Arc Thrift Stores. “They achieve a sense of independence and accomplishment. With the skills learned, they increase their self esteem allowing them to effectively and actively participate in the Colorado community.”

At age 60, class Valedictorian, Dennis Schwed, addressed his graduating class with the following advice, “Do the best you can with what you have and enjoy life to the fullest.”

Radio talk show host Angie Austin delivered the commencement speech. Former First Lady of Colorado and Arc Thrift Stores Community Relations Director Frances Owens, along with Penfield Tate, Faye Tate, Cleo Parker Robinson, Tamra Ward,Stephen Burg, Lynne Valencia and Patti Dennis were also in attendance.

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arcs and Crafts

. DIY . , ,

I really like to shop.  I especially like to shop for vintage items.  I get more excited over vintage pyrex than most people do on their birthdays.  I also enjoy crafting and bringing creativity into my life in any way that I can.  Combining these interests means that by default, I LOVE ARC THRIFT STORES!  They’re pretty much my favorite places on earth.  If I’m not at home or at work, there’s a good chance that I’m at an ARC.  Not only do they provide my vintage shopping fix, but they also do wonderful work in the community for individuals with developmental disabilities.  ARC provides advocacy on behalf of these individuals at the local level, as well as in state public policy.  They also provide family support, employment opportunities and a host of other services for people with developmental disabilities.  This is a population that I love and it makes me want to support all that ARC does.

Being creative can look a lot of different ways for me: sewing, writing, knitting, really anything crafty that shuts my brain off and allows me to create.  I don’t have a creative job so I have to fill that creative hole in my free time.  Lately, I’ve been finding ways to be creative and to hit ARC for some vintage wares, which also means that I can be crafty on a tight budget.  These are exciting times for me, people!

The other day at one of my favorite ARCs, I came across this beauty:

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A vintage crewel embroidery kit for $1.99!!! Can you feel my excitement?!  I snatched it off of the shelf before anyone else spotted my good fortune…though no one was nearby at the time.  I get a little bit too excited about a great vintage find.  Or so I’ve been told J  One of the main tips I give to people that initially get hooked on thrifting is to dig deep.  Sometimes the truly great treasures are hidden in the bottom of the pile or on the back of the shelf.  But these treasures are absolutely worth the effort.

With this crewel kit, I quickly set to work figuring out the different crewel stitches.  I love to cross stitch but I’ve never learned any other “real” stitches.  I typically make up my own.  But not this time!  This time Jiffy Stitchery was going to instruct me properly.  The kit had great instructions and all of the yarn and cloth I would need, as well as an embroidery needle.

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This was the perfect craft for me because it was relatively quick, and had such a great vintage retro feel to it.  ARC came through for me again, big time.  After just a few hours, spread over the course of a couple days, I completed my first vintage crewel craft.  Drum roll please…….

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TAA-DAA!!!  I love it! I was going to frame it but I think I’ll just trim it and hang it up still in the embroidery hoop.  It’s so kitschy and retro; the bumble-bee is my favorite part.

You’d think now that I’d gotten this out of my system I’d be on to a new creative endeavor, but I’m afraid all it’s done is fueled a fire.  I am on the hunt for more of these fabulous vintage crewel kits!  And there’s nowhere else you’d find me out hunting than at ARC.

– J

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Melissa, 10, is an American Girl

. Get To Know.... . ,

We are so happy to share this video with you all about this sweet young lady.

 

Pennsylvania’s Melissa Shang, 10, is asking the toy company American Girl to make a doll for girls like her, with disabilities. Melissa has a form of muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, and she credits the American Girl dolls with helping her to understand “what it’s like to be someone else.” Now, she wants other kids to understand what her life is like. In her petition, she writes:

Being a disabled girl is hard. Muscular Dystrophy prevents me from activities like running and ice-skating, and all the stuff that other girls take for granted. For once, I don’t want to be invisible or a side character that the main American Girl has to help: I want other girls to know what it’s like to be me, through a disabled American Girl’s story.

The company seems primed to listen. This year they added hearing aids and allergy-free lunches to their accessories list, furthering a mission to create empathy. Normalizing disabilities is a step we’d like to see taken. Go, Melissa Shang! Watch her video, above, and sign her petition here.
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Burlap and Berries

. Christmas . , , , ,

ImageA year ago my husband and I bought our country vacation home in Kansas, a dream we have had for years. In just a few short weeks we will be hosting the first large family Christmas gathering in the house. Wanting it to be very festive but on a budget I went to work.

I love all things rustic and vintage. In order to save money I looked around the house for things that I have and could use as part of the décor. Then a trip or two to arc Thrift was in order. Trying to add a touch of Christmas to every room in the house would be the challenge.

Some of the ordinary things I gathered up included mason jars, cookie cutters, red bandanas, vintage red pyrex pieces, galvanized and metal containers of all sizes and old Christmas light bulbs. On hand I also had craft paint, raffia, miscellaneous wood letters and an assortment of ribbon and Christmas ornaments.

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In the kitchen cookie cutters and some gingham check ribbon added a little touch of Christmas to the cabinet handles. Adding red towels also added pop and a Christmas feel.

The hutch in the dining room was super fun to pull together. My dinnerware is an assortment of different patterns but all white. It’s so easy to change the look of the table with white as the anchor. I added a few vintage red pyrex serving pieces and bake ware. White hobnail candy dishes, 50’s era Christmas angels and some ornaments gave it a festive look. Using cotton kitchen towels as napkins, placemats or runners is another great way to save a few dollars.

On the mantle candle holders were given a touch of Christmas being surrounded with evergreen garland and burlap ribbon. A red bead garland was taken apart and the beads used in a candle holder for a pop of color. Wooden letters were painted red and tied to the stockings with ribbon to identify which family member the stocking belonged to.

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Mason jars have been put to use in so many different ways. They make cute snow globes using epsom salt as the “snow”. You can fill them with old Christmas light bulbs, ornaments, bells or pine cones. One of my favorite uses is as luminaries. They are beautiful and very sturdy even standing up to wind.

I found so many great things at arc Thrift that helped me create a rustic and vintage Christmas in the country. Merry Christmas everyone!

 

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Decorating for Christmas a Much Needed Distraction

. Christmas . , , ,

arc is thrilled to introduce our brand new guest blogger, Lian.  Lian enjoys being thrifty and crafty as a CSU college student.  We look forward to many more ideas and great finds from her at arc Thrift Stores.

It’s finally December, and do you know means?  Well, at least for us college students it means finals and usually stress. There is one consistent way I have found to help make it all more bearable:  bringing Christmas cheer to your very own dorm room! I went over to my local Arc Thrift Store in search of such cheer.  I had some great finds such as Christmas lights, a wreath, Christmas ornaments (CSU colors, of course), some gold bows and some alphabet letters. All of these decorations only cost me $17 dollars! I had a great time crafting this stuff together while listening to Christmas music.  I proceeded to glue on the CSU letters onto my wreath and took the gold bows and glued them on as well; a very simple but festive result! After I finished, I had a grand ole time hanging all of the Christmas lights in a crisscross pattern across my ceiling and staging my homemade wreath on the outside of my door. All of a sudden, my room was now a winter wonderland!  Thanks to arc for making this cheery moment possible during a stressful time for a poor college student.

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arc Thrift Stores – Top 10 White Elephant Gifts

. Christmas . , , , , , , ,

Laughter danced through the offices at arc Thrift Stores as team members selected their top choices for the annual white elephant gift guide. Traditionally “White Elephant” gifts are items that are useless, but humorous. For the last 12 months, the marketing team at arc Thrift Stores has been collecting items that fit that bill.

Following is a preview of the 2013 “Top Ten” White Elephant gifts that are sure to be a conversation piece.

Let the gag gifting begin. Over a million other White Elephant gifts can be found in arc Thrift Stores 22 Colorado locations along with vintage Christmas treasures and “Ugly” Christmas sweaters.

About arc Thrift Stores: arc Thrift Stores http://www.arcthrift.org operates 22 thrift stores and 9 “donation stations” throughout Colorado. arc Thrift Stores provides funding to arc Chapters, which in turn provide advocacy for people with developmental disabilities. arc Thrift Stores is one of the largest employers of individuals with developmental disabilities in the state of Colorado.

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Thrifty Thanksgiving Table Decor

. DIY, Thrifty Tips

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By Stephanie May of MayDae.com

I’m so excited to be a guest blogger for the ARC this week!  I absolutely love thrifting, and on most weekends, you can find me at the ARC with a coffee in hand, grabbing treasures as fast as I can. With Thanksgiving coming up, I’m thinking about Thanksgiving decorations just as much as I’m thinking about the food.  A beautiful table makes any party or event feel fancy and special, and it doesn’t take a lot to achieve it. 

Before I went to the thrift store to pick out my supplies, I first came up with my color palette.  I chose black, white, brown, and metallic for my theme and set off looking through the store.I started thinking about a tablecloth, and I knew I wanted to do something non-traditional.  I headed over to the stationary and office supply aisle (one of my favorite sections of the store) and found black paper, brown mailing paper, a roll of wallpaper, and a really cool black and white calligraphy practice pad.

To make the table cloth, I used the back of the wallpaper as a base on the table, and then taped it on the bottom where the seam is.  I cut up the paper into squares and triangles (small, medium, and large pieces) and used plain glue to adhere them to the wallpaper.  I did some of the pieces side by side, and some of them overlapping.  This takes a little while to glue them all down, but if you have a helper or two (this is a great project for kids!) it will go very fast.  I wanted the pattern of the table to be unique and different from something that you could just buy at the store and I really like how it turned out!

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For the rest of the table, I was also able to thrift some black ribbon, white candle holders, dried white flowers, a black vase, beads and gold jewelry, black and white fabric to make napkins, and a metallic fluted pan.  I used the ribbon around the base of my wood crate, and for napkin rings.  The gold jewelry and beads were also used on the napkin rings, and I used the fluted pan and black vase to create height in the center for the dried flowers.

I hope that my table has given you some inspiration of how to use thrift store finds to decorate for the holidays!  I love that you can easily choose different colors and textures, and get a totally different feel and look.  I really enjoyed putting this together – thanks so much to the ARC for having me as a guest blogger! 🙂

www.maydae.com

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Lloyd Lewis

. Get To Know...., Our Mission . , , ,

Lloyd Lewis

“When Lloyd Lewis goes to work as president and CEO of arc Thrift Stores, he is inspired every day by his son, Kennedy, who was born in 2003 with Down Syndrome.”  Read more of the great article written by Lynn Bronikowski of ColoradoBiz Magazine.  We are proud to have such a visionary leader captaining the arc Thrift Stores ship!