9 for 99 Cents Finds 2/19/16

Hello Packers!

     One of my favorite deals is finding the clearance section or holiday section at 99 cent stores on sale for a price that makes your head turn. The 9 for 99 cents deal that goes about at the 99 cent stores is one of my favorites. You find things that should obviously be there, like webkins figurines and floss picks that no one is going to use/buy but still, they push to find some way to make little to any profit off their products. Some things, however, make you wonder just why no one has bought the items or why you are the only one to be stashing them into your shopping cart because you think a stampede of people is going to crash your finding as soon as you find it. My mother happened to have that sense when she was shopping and found a great amount of things for my boxes as have I. Here they are:

This was definitely an exciting find for my mother as she went about her Valentine's Day shopping run. Most 99 cents stores have a clearance section now where "EVERYTHING MUST GO". This section can range from hair ties, stamps to clothing if you're lucky. My mother went to one off of Pleasant Grove and squealed in joy as she found these Webkins stuffed dogs for only 11 cents each! She grabbed my brother as they pulled the dogs off the shelves and placed them in her cart. She did mention that everyone was looking at her like she was a little off her rocker but isn't that the greatest feeling ever when you know you're doing this for the good of others? 

My mother also found some great deals on stacking cups from Sesame Street and I must admit, Sesame Street cups/sippy cups/bibs and pretty much all their baby supplies is the best thing that could have ever come into the 99 cent stores/Dollar Trees. So, each set comes with about 4 cups and they will be going into our 2-4 year old boxes. Next are two color in wood planes and those will be good in any 10-14 year old box so that is an exciting find. Then there are the five lunch bags that my mother found in the same section. I made sure to write down who these wonderful bags came from because for such a great find, she deserves to be mentioned in our notes to the kids. 

Last, but surely not least, is my glorious find of more Lakers notebook + Pen sets that also went into the LA Dodgers notebooks as well. By the way, didn't I say that I wanted to make some sports shoe boxes? These are going to look pretty awesome in those boxes don't you think? Then in the top left, we have a notebook and a pen/notepad set for CARS. After I bought this great find, I couldn't help but wonder if this would make a good themed box or not. Then, of course, my shoe box packing mind got reeling and there is without a doubt going to be a CARS themed shoe box in my boxes this year, it will just take a while until I find out what type of stuff I'm going to include.

So, with all that being shown, I just want to send a reminder that it doesn't matter what store you buy it from or how much it actually cost, what matters is that those kids came to mind when you found those items. Seriously, don't compare yourself to other packers: the main object of this organization is the kids and God's grace; it isn't a popularity contest among packers.

Happy Packing!

70% Off Clearance at Target 2/19/16

Hello packers!

     A while ago I came across the 70% off Clearance section of Target and fell in love with $0.30 pencil pouches and a few other sweet items. The time has come again when Target shoved all of their 70% off deals into the back of the store with the holiday items and my mother and I took to it like flies to honey. Seriously, everyone, go to the 70% off sale because getting items on sale for $0.30 is really just an awesome feeling. Clip With Purpose mentioned that the Target near them has marked it down to 90 % off. I don't know if that is true for all areas but it sure would be worth the look. I'm going to check again on Tuesday. Anyway, here's a little peak at what you can get at your neighborhood Target. 

So what we have here are a: headband, necklace, bracelet, hair ties, eraser and journal set all set at 70% off at Target. So, every little thing on the floor there came out to only $0.30 which is a wonderful deal. Then I got a journal set which came out to only $0.90!!!!!!!!!!!

If anyone has any information on where I can get some really great Trolls merchandise, I would be incredibly grateful.

Another journal set was bought for $0.90 so that was really the greatest steal I got at the place other than the dollar deals that they have here. I got another set of puzzles for the 2-4 year old boxes, superhero figurines, a sport eraser set that I hope I can put into my Sports Theme box. (all the small stuff was 30 cents.)

So, speaking of Sports Theme boxes, something that most would say needs to be included in a box for any gender would be a ball of some sort. I am going to be trying my hardest to find some great sport themed stuff to be putting in my boxes especially for the Sports Themed one that will be finished in a week or so. (pics will be available for inspiration). The packs of balls and the large blue one were 90 cents and the pink was 30 cents.

 Do you remember me mentioning the hopeful dinosaur box that I'm making for a 5-9 year old? Well, I've decided to make three dinosaur themed boxes. Granted, the other two might be along the lines of 2-4 but stay tuned, we don't know the results quite yet. The coloring packs came out to be 90 cents each and the pencils were 30 cents each. They have Jurassic World print on them so this will be really cool for the boys' boxes.

With that being shown, I hope you guys are searching for some good deals because it is usually around the holidays when they start shoving their excess products into the Clearance bins.

Happy Packing!

Valentine's Day 2016 After Sales Part 4

Hello Packers!

     I've saved the best for last as my favorite store has finally gone on their 4 for 99 cent sale: one of my favorite parts to the holidays. The 99 cent stores didn't immediately go on sale in my neck of the woods but thankfully on the 16th they went on sale. I squealed like a little girl and ran through the Valentine's Day section, throwing anything to everything in my shopping cart. Thankfully there wasn't much competition because it was in the middle of the day but booyah! I only ended up spending about $25 dollars between two 99 cent stores but it was so worth it.

     By the way, did I mention that my mom got into the spirit of giving recently? With her wallet tucked tightly into her purse, she ran from 99 cent store to 99 cent store with my brother to find anything to everything that would look good in the boxes. I'll show you her other additions in another post but I only grabbed eight of those pens so she pretty much bought all of them. They look quite familiar to the pen and notebook sets from the Christmas sales don't they? Well, it's because they are: it's the same set up and they are going to look freaking awesome in a box. 

     All of these I bought myself and I'm wishing I bought more of those clappers when I had the chance. Just like in Halloween, these clappers are in sets of two and totally perfect to fill in some spaces in those boxes. The headband was nice and the only one that didn't have "text me" on the hearts so off into my shoe box it went. I have seen many pictures of kiddies in funny headbands and enjoying the day away so I hope that this brings some girl some fun. Then I got three packs of stickers and I looked through them all and they are actually made of some good quality sticker material which is a rarity at discount stores like that. 

     I ended up buying most of these but my mom also found about four that weren't totally destroyed. 

     Do you remember that post I made about how jewelry just gives someone confidence? Well, my great grandmother had the same mindset and that has passed down (although not as strongly) down to my mother then to me. Obviously, my mother loves the concept of jewelry more than me. :) I bought only one pack of bracelets and my mom took off with all the rest. 

     Again, jewelry really is the key factor of my mom's shopping expedition. Each pack comes with three heart necklaces and she ended up buying 10 packs. Hehe. 

     My mom truly is a beautiful woman. She was able to find all of the color-in tote bags at a 99 cent store. Think about what a blessing that will be to have not only a bag of your own but also to make it yours with markers?! Seriously, what a wonderful blessing that is. I also ended up buying four packs of notepads of 6 pads each. There were some there that were not well put together so when you are out there shopping, make sure the notepads are well kept. 

     Before the holiday sales go through, I tend to check my nearby stores and scout out what will be worth it after the sales and what won't. I do this with Hobby Lobby, 99 cent stores and Wal-mart for the most part. These notebooks were at the top of my list when it came to my sales at the 99 cent store. I went there the day after Valentine's Day and no luck: they weren't budging and wouldn't put their products on sale yet. So, then on the 16th, I hit a 99 cent store and what luck! Everything is 4 for 99 cents as it should have been. I then messaged my mom that they were on sale again and to my surprise, she asked me which ones I've already been to and then took off on her own to three other stores, storing up on as many notebooks as she could possibly find. This picture is a collaboration of our efforts. 

     Last but certainly not least, we have these beautiful spin wands! I know they don't look like much from this view but what luck and what a scare for all those around me when I picked one up, pressed the button and screamed with joy that these would be the best addition to a box if I'd ever seen one. The 99 cent store really does have a way in surprising you with their products and these took the cake.

     This is what the spin wands look like when I push the button. I seriously love the fact that it doubles as a flashlight as well as a play thing. I'm keeping the plastic pieces in the wands to preserve battery but man, what a great find at the 99 cent store of all places.

Now, this is just a little side note that I want to bring to attention. Here at Shoe Box Loving, we don't really get donations and if we do, it is a rarity, but I just want to honorably mention my mother who had gone way above expectations when it came down to finding gifts for my shoe boxes. All of these items are just a small portion of what she had bought for the boxes and it really warms the heart to see a family member back you up in your charitable endeavors. With that being said, I hope you all look to friends and family to partake in your OCC Journey: more likely than not, they will surprise you.

Happy Packing Everyone!

Valentine's Day 2016 After Sales Part 3

Hello Packers!

     I know that this "series" is getting long so here you go. Walgreens and Target.

WALGREENS

     Walgreens is not always my first destination but I'm glad I went to find an awesome set of Avengers and Spiderman cups, a tic tac toe and those push pencils. Even the cashier had a look of nostalgia on her face after seeing the push pencils that I purchased at her counter. The pencils came out to about 1 dollar each pack so that was nice, the cups were fifty cents each adn the tic tac toe game was also fifty cents. I love finding those fifty cent items because it really helps stretch the dollar. 

TARGET

     What else can a packer say about Target other than the fact that we love it and never want to leave it? I checked out Target the other day because my Facebook leader from North Carolina notified us all that the Valentine's Day items at Target were 70% off! What an amazing deal! So instead of the $3 price for those notepads and bracelets, I only spent $0.90 each so score for me.

     I told myself to stop buying socks for the girls but I just couldn't help myself when the Valentine's Day dollar section was on sale as well. All three of these items were on sale for $0.30 each and for getting all those items and still not technically spending a dollar: it is worth my time. 

     Again, what is with me and the cups? But how could I not buy this adorable sippy cup with that face and handles? This cute blue cup was originally $4 and I got it on sale for $1.20. Considering they still have some time until it goes into a possible 80% off sale: I will hold off on buying any more of the cute sippy cups. As for the sticker arrangement, it was originally $5 and I got it for $1.50. I like to get the buckets of foam stickers because then I can separate them into packs to include in boxes. Also, it is just a little bit of fun when opening up a box and along side the regular stickers are some puffy ones that they can feel as they run their hands over the paper. 

Off to my next and final part of my Valentine's Day After Sales. Happy Packing!

Valentine's Day 2016 After Sales Part 2

Hello Packers,

     Well, my wallet is mad but my heart is full as I have scraped up every opportunity available to me to find gifts to put into my shoe boxes. (of which I have 28 finished already). When I mean every opportunity, I mean I went to fabric stores, discount stores and everything in between to get some great deals and there might still be some left so go out and find some. Here's some more stuff I found.

One of the first places I went to was Michael's and the main reason is because they set their Valentine's Day sale items at 50% off a week before Valentine's Day, leaving Michael's products to be either 60 or 75% off. I believe that when I went, everything was 60% or so which was still good. Each of those pens you see came out to be about $0.40 which is always a plus. I like to include those in 10-14 year old boxes to really make the boxes unique and for them to write nice things in their journal with. I remember when I was a kid I got super excited whenever I got a nice new pen so this was indeed a plus. The candy lollipops were the only ones they had that weren't destroyed. They came out to be about $1.50 each and I wasn't too pleased with that deal but they are large and will brighten a kid's day so...I guess it was worth it. 

     I've come to realize that as I'm finding things to put in my boxes and so forth, I've discovered the child inside that would have screamed in excitement for a fuzzy color-in drawing. I didn't get many as a kid but of the ones I did, they were awesome and so much fun. It also left me to discover that children NEED creative things like this. They need it when they are young, middle aged and nearing 72: we as a human race need creativity to keep our minds working and our spirits high. I think that is why I'm going all out on coloring books and craft-like things this year because children need that type of outlet. Whether the kid is into sports, cars, etc. drawing and working with your hands is a great skill and memory to build up when you are young.

     So these were the last of what they had at Michael's for crafting bracelet supplies but they are so awesome because they have enough bracelet cord to make about 2-4 bracelets and the jewelry is super cute! I know I told you all that I would be doing mainly boys boxes this year but I've also discovered that the age groups 2-4 as well as 10-14 of both genders aren't doing too well. Of course, the lack of boys boxes is worse than the girls but that's just something I want you all to consider when packing up your boxes: older kids and toddlers deserve a box this Distribution season and we can make sure, together, that we can make that a possibility for all ages/genders.

     Next we have the glorious Joanne's Fabric which had nothing along the lines of Valentine's Day goodness for my boxes but just before the register, in a white cart, was a stockpile of gloves ranging from toddler to adult. My heart pounded as I approached it and lo and behold! The gloves were all $0.50!!!! 50 cent packs of gloves! Oh fraptuous day! I grabbed all that I could without wearing a hole in my wallet and whisked my treasures away.

I also got head warmers.

....and mittens for the little kiddies.

Well Packers, I have more parts to my Valentine's Day sales so stay tuned and Happy Packing!

Valentine's Day 2016 After Sales Part 1

Hello Packers!

     Have you all been waking up early to go off and get your awesome after Valentine's Day sale items? If the answer was no, get on out there and get the rest of the deals before they're all gone! Already my mom checked a Wal-Mart in the upper area of California and she had to rummage through the works to get the last of the deals. It is cut-throat out there packers, everyone (regardless of packing shoe boxes or not) are out there to get those great deals for 1/2 price.

      But if you are like me and were out there trying to get the best of the deals, you must have realized that there is some pretty nice stuff out there for us to box up. Unlike the holidays in the past, there was a lack of $0.50 stuffed animals but the $1.50 stuffed animals were just wonderful as were the countless filler items that I stuffed into my cart.

      Ah, the time has come for the holidays to begin again and for the deals to flow from the shelves into our carts into our boxes and lastly in the hands of a beloved child because that is what it is all about. So, Wal-Mart is the first place to go as it just loves the Hallmark holiday and has countless items up for grabs. However, Wal-Mart decided to keep all the $3 stuffed animals in a box elsewhere so every one thought that they were already taken. But Ah-ha! Good ol' me climbs into the containers and starts finding those beloved $3 stuffed animals that are just the right size to put in our boxes. As for the rest of my findings, it was between an abuela and I as to who got what. She and I ran back and forth along the shelves looking for anything we could possibly use. She and I double-teamed at the stuffed animal bin and it truly was a beautiful sight of two old ladies getting good deals. 

     First on my list of glorious findings is my stuffed animal stockpile. My stuffed animal container can no longer hold the beloved sock monkeys and puppy dogs: alas, I guess I just need to fill more boxes to make more space. Hehe. All in all these stuffed animals are of good quality and shouldn't take up too much space as I will be placing them in air tight bags to limit space. My favorite of them all is the pterodactyl. He's my favorite mainly because you don't really see that all that often and it is a perfect stuffed animal for a boy. After purchasing him, I immediately decided that I'm going to use him as my base for a Dinosaur Themed Shoe Box so that will be another post in the next few months or so. 

     Water Bottles! Water Bottles! Water Bottles! I love putting water bottles in my boxes so that these kiddies can have a means of drinking water and so the parents could have a means of limiting the water distribution among family members. Also they are just freaking adorable and will look darling in the boxes.

     I don't usually get so many filler items but I just couldn't resist when I saw those cute little glasses and just HAD to get them. I love the amount of pencil sharpeners that they had available and those dinosaur erasers are just going to look absolutely wonderful in my dinosaur themed box so yay! Of course, pencils are almost always available when you go to Wal-Mart but this year they were in short supply so unfortunately, only one package went home with me.

     These are the coolest things I found for my boxes at Wal-Mart! They are 5 piece stationery sets that have a bookmark, pen, stickers, pencil sharpener or clip and I think the bookmark doubles as a ruler. It is one of the nicer things that I found for my boxes and am incredibly happy that 18 kids will be impacted by a stationery set. 

     These were at Wal-Mart and each was for 1 dollar but of course it is half off so there are 20 boxes for 2 dollars: a total deal by what I've seen of the Valentine's Day deals. These don't expire until half way through 2017 so I am excited to put them int he boxes. A woman I follow packed tons of these in her boxes last year and they didn't take up much space.

Look forward to part 2 coming in the next few days. Happy Packing!

National Collection Week for OCC 2016!

Hello Packers!

     I know that we are all just loving the sales that are nearly at our fingertips as Valentine's day is just 2 days away and then the fifty percent off sales will come rolling in so I figured it would be a great time to give you guys some super great news that I got from Operation Christmas Child. 

     Hopefully you can read that font but if you can't, National Collection Week for the US is November 14-21! How exciting is that? I usually have to wait until October or late July to find out when the collection week is but my goodness, this is such a blessing. This helps me with my countdown and not only that, it just makes me all the more giddy for the fall. 

     Happy Packing Everyone!

99 Cent Store Clearance 2/12/16

Hello Packers!

     We all have more likely gone to the 99 cent store or Dollar Tree for some filler items for our shoe boxes before and we all know that after the holidays they go into great awesome deals to get rid of all their holiday merchandise. Well, when they have had items that take up too much shelf space and no one is buying them, then come in the glorious amounts of clearance items where "EVERYTHING MUST GO!". For most Clearance sale items they might have it at 2 for 99 cents or 4 for 99 cents but if you wait long enough, you will see that their items can go for 6 for 99 cents, thus leaving the items at 16 cents each! 

     I've been lucky enough to shop at the 99 cent store to see that they have clearance sections and most of it is silly, like bibs for babies or those drama movies that no one would ever pay real money to see. But something that has always been there and not really my top "go to" item were the Webkins figurines. I honestly think the whole webkins fad is weird and is like a live version of neopets and I don't know, it was just such a strange weird thing that my younger cousins just thrived off. 

     I was going to skip over these items because they seem rather silly but I started to look at it through my cousins' eyes. These silly figurines lined their doll houses, they gave them names, personalities and had them interact with their dolls. I might find the concept ridiculous on my side but if I would just stop and look at it from a kid's point of view, I can see how these silly figurines could be the highlight of their creative and imaginative spark. With that thought in mind, I took to the shelves.

With not much to go off of considering I don't know all too much about these figurines, I took the ones that were the most unique and the cutest ones that were available. Each of these items came out to about 16 cents and needless to say, my family all thought I was crazy because they have been to the 99 cent store and they know these usually go for about 1 dollar each. After explaining the purchase, my brother helped me unwrap all of the figurines. 

I will say this about these figurines, they are well painted and the material they are made of is quite durable. I will say though that you don't really realize the weight of these things until you take them out of the packaging. 

"Painting Hippo" and "Chow Down Duck"

"Ahoy Matey Monkey" and "Running Reindeer"

"Scaredy Lion" and "Dear Diary Bear"

     I guess what I took from this purchase is that we need to remember to look at our purchases through the eyes of a child. Sure, as adults we might think some items are silly or "too mainstream" but when it comes down to it, we aren't the ones opening these gifts: kids are. I think this was a great experience because it reminded me why I'm doing OCC in the first place, to give kids the chance to be kids in a situation where they can't really do that. 

Happy Packing Everyone!

Great Shoe Box Deal Find: US TOY

Hello packers!

     How many of you guys have gone around countless online sites hoping to find great deals like bulk tote bags or Barbies on sale? Well, they might not have Barbies but they do have a great sale of holiday goodies and tote bags! I'm talking about US TOY.

     Now, before I talk about this I want you all to know about a great Facebook page that I follow to find great deals like this. Go to "Shoebox Shoppers" on Facebook and you'll meet a wonderful person from North Carolina who is CooCoo for Shoebox deals. The first thing that she posted about was the phenomenal tote bag deal that US TOY had going on and that was to get 12 tote bags for I believe only 2 $. The shipping was only about $5 dollars and the tote bag finds are just wonderful. Isn't great that we can buy US made toys to send overseas to children in need? 

(I wanted to bring that up because I saw on a discussion board how many of us think it isn't right to send China made products to...well...some orphanages in China. If you are one of these people, then I recommend this site as it has tons of great toys in their Holiday clearance section!)

     Now, I didn't know that all their tote bags were purple, that was news to me, but I have already tested them out with my college textbooks and they are a sturdy and very well made tote bag for kids that might have to endure tough terrain. Also, these tote bags are large enough to hold the basic Go Box from OCC so the kids can carry their boxes home that way if they want. I try to include a tote bag in every box mainly because we have to constantly pack these boxes with the assumption these kids have absolutely nothing to their name. That won't always be the case but imagine a kid with no backpack who couldn't go to school because he couldn't carry the little amount of school supplies he had to school? A tote bag like this might look like a basic bag that we would get from a craft or food festival, but these can mean the world to a kid who needs a backpack. Also, if the kid already has a bag of their own, they can re-gift it to a loved one who might need it in their daily life. We never know but God knows and has a plan for every item in our boxes.

(EACH TOTE IS ABOUT $0.16!!!!)

      I love finding filler items for my boxes when I'm out shopping, especially if they are a unisex item. While I was on US TOY's site, I discovered that they have an entire clearance section for their seasonal items as well as games! So off to the seasonal section I go to find that entire box of Playing Cards there. That entire box of 12 packs of cards only cost me $2, leaving each pack of cards to be only $0.16! That is one of my favorite things to pack in boys boxes but it could also be packed in a girl's box as well! Then there is the pack of 24 Halloween slider whistles, that pack cost me only $0.74, leaving each whistle to be about $0.03!!!!!!! They are a great size, about three or so inches in length and they are the basic slider whistle: perfect for any age. The spin toppers were a "I don't know if I should buy them" item but I bought them anyway as something was itching at me to buy them. They are surprisingly sturdy and aren't made of cheap flimsy plastic. The pack is of 36 spin toppers and they were $1.36, making them about $0.04 each so again, not too bad.

       The last thing that I loved finding was the Tic Tac Toe game boards you see there. Those were $0.49 cents each and I only spent about $5 on the whole lot of tic tac toe games. 

     Although it does take a bit away from the great feeling of shopping at the actual store for your shoe box filler items, getting them in the mail and opening them up feels just as great. My heart was racing and full of joy when I opened up the big boxes to see the items up close and I could feel my excitement jump through the roof at just the thought of how happy these items are going to make kids feel when they open their boxes. So, if you guys are ever looking for a nice American Made store for items to put in your boxes, check out this site:

http://www.ustoy.com/

Happy Packing Everyone!

Operation Christmas Child Idea: A Personal Touch

Hello Packers!

     How many of you packers make something by hand to put into your boxes? It could be anything from making a card, knitting an item of clothing or sewing a basic rag doll but what I have discovered through talking to the people at drop off locations as well as some people who have been overseas to the distribution locations: a little personal touch can go a long way to the hearts of those kids.

     I wanted to make this post to show you guys some ways to bring in some personal touch to your boxes if you ever want to. Again, like with all of my other advice posts, this is not a "demand" or the only guidelines for your boxes. I am not telling you guys what to do or how to fill your boxes, these are only suggestions. 

A HANDWRITTEN LETTER

     There is some debate about handwritten letters because more likely than not your box will be sent to a country where English isn't going to be their first or best known language. So there are some people that prefer not to include letters. I write letters to each child in Christmas cards that I find on sale or in a pack from the Goodwill: why? Well, these children have probably never received a gift before, right? That should also lead us to believe that these kids have never received a Christmas card either.

      Although the kids over there don't know all about the English language, let us all remember that there are translators over there that can assist those who can't read. Also, I look at it this way, if a child really wants to be able to read the letter it will help push them to develop another language which doubles there chances of getting a better job in the future. I know that seems a tad bit silly of me but it's the way I see it.

      I'll try to make another post about some ideas to include in your letters but I just want you all to know that the children will love any type of letter you send them. It could be a few words of encouragement or just a simple "Hello, I'm so and so and I want you to know God loves you", it could be as simple as that and it could mean the world to those kids. Another plus to this personal touch, it does not take in much room nor is it going to really affect your packing alignment.

CRAFT STICK PUZZLE

     Crafts are something that you can do as well as your kiddies can do as well to really get in a good dose of personal touch. These are easy as well as cheap as far as some crafts go. The concept is simple, get some craft sticks which can go as low as fifty cents for a pack of 30 and then choose which design you want to put on there. It is always nice to buy things for the kids out there but making something, as my best friend would say, just really gets you into the Christmas spirit and connects you to the children who are going to be opening/playing with the toys/crafts you send over to them.

SCARVES

     These are just a few of the scarves that I've made on my own time. I've been able to make scarves since I turned about 9 years old and I've been doing it ever since. Everyone, scarves might not be the top thing to put into shoe boxes mainly because our boxes are sent to places that could have extreme heat temperatures but God know where our boxes are headed. He knows that those children could use these scarves to their own devices, whether it be through keeping them warm or cutting the ends and using the yarn for a house fix, we don't know the extent of God's plan for our boxes but regardless of the circumstances: these things can make a difference. 

     These are another great idea if you really don't feel like you are putting as much effort into your boxes. I'm not saying that I don't put effort into finding items for my boxes but I will say that I feel inadequate sometimes when putting things into my boxes. I want to really put a personal touch to the box because a labor of love, something that you put time and effort into, it makes you really think about that person you are sending it to.

PILLOW DRESSES

     I haven't made these before and I don't think I'll ever be that skilled to make them but these are called Pillow Case Dresses and each one is unique no matter what. I've seen them being made for girls 2 years old all the way up to 15 years old, it really just depends on the ages you are going for. But this item can bring in a personal touch mainly because it is by your hands that you are making this dress. You are going to provide something for those little girls that they can wear around the house or maybe to church, it might not be the cutest looking thing, but the thought as well as the work put into it gives your boxes a little touch of personality.

JEWELRY

     It might not look exactly like this but I can say that I personally LOVED making jewelry for other people when I was younger. It made my day and I felt like a celebrity with other people wearing my "design" but regardless of childlike celebrity, making jewelry for others does bring people a sense of happiness and wonder. There was a story that they actually posted on Operation Christmas Child's video site so if you guys want to, you guys can watch this lady's story. The woman is around 70 or 80 years old and what she does to keep herself busy but still do the Lord's work: she makes TONS of necklaces for children. She doesn't make a single necklace that looks the same and it is just so amazing that she was able to make so many necklaces that don't look like a child's jewelry but something you could find at a nice craft fair or maybe at Macy's. 

     Jewelry is an international thing, I believe. When you go to Africa, they might have stone necklaces or something along those lines and jewelry traces back thousands of years and the first pieces can be found in museums. Jewelry has been around for quite a while and what better gift than to send a child a nice looking necklace or bracelet that she wouldn't have otherwise in her situation? That necklace could be what gives her confidence to go to church, to talk to that boy she likes, to pursue her future education, or to go off and get a job in her community: I'm not saying that jewelry is the key to confidence as no one thing of jewelry, clothing or whatever can just give a person confidence, but when I get a new set of earrings or a nice new shirt, I feel nice and comfortable in front of my peers. I think that feeling could be as international as the usage of jewelry is. 

STRESS BALL CREATURES

     I've never made these and don't think I ever will but these are stress ball creatures. I've seen them made on videos before with flour but considering they are going overseas I would recommend using sand in them. I think they are cute little creatures that could keep a child calm in their situation or double as a ball to toss around, and in some cases this creature could be used as a doll for the younger children. They look relatively easy as the materials look to be: Balloons, sticky googly eyes, yarn and a filler like flour or sand. 

CRAFT STICK PUPPET

     I might make these one day along with the craft stick puzzles because craft sticks are so small and thin, they are just great filler items and can make any kid smile. I like how they went with barn yard animals for this set of puppets. These can be made in anyway you guys want as they could be people, fish, weather situations, anything you could really think about. This idea is great because the kids will open their boxes to see that you took the time and effort to paint and glue together these puppet sticks and that makes all the difference in some of these boxes. 

HANDMADE STUFFED ANIMALS

     Stuffed animals are always a plus and are great for all ages as I have discovered through countless blog searches. I think the ones shown would probably be more along the lines of 2-4 year olds but stuffed animals are great and making them just brings you closer to the kids opening the boxes. I think that is one of the greatest feelings we can gift ourselves with while packing these boxes. 

KNIT HATS

     Knit hats are the best things that I have come across so early in the year. Just 1 1/2 weeks ago I looked at my loom for scarves and wondered if I would have enough hats to go with them. It is something I felt strongly about because what better than a scarf than a scarf and hat set? I found a circle loom set and began my knit hat endeavor and just love it! This hat took me about a half hour to make and it is absolutely a great way to feel attached to your shoe box recipients. I just recently made a pink hat with sequins all over it and I'm just imagining how excited that little girl is going to feel when they put it on their head. 

     Honestly, I haven't always had a "personal touch" to my boxes. I've been filling boxes for 2 years now and the only thing that I've included from my list here was a handwritten letter. It is the easiest and least amount of space taking idea on the list. I make some of these things because it definitely brings me closer to these children. I might never meet them, heck, I might never get an e-mail or letter but just knowing that those kids are receiving something that I made or wrote down, it brings me such great joy and closeness to these kids. 

 Hope these ideas get those creative juices flowing! Happy Packing!