It's been a while since I've written a post, so I thought I'd just pop in here and share a few snapshots of shoeboxes I've packed this year-hope you enjoy, and maybe get some ideas!
I picked up this Technic 2 in 1 kit on a Dollar General deal a while ago, and thought this shoebox came together fun for a 10-14 year old boy.
Another couple Lego based theme boxes-seal/arctic! I loved being able to mirror the mother & young seal in both boxes with my cousin's childhood new Beanie Babies. One was for a 5-9 girl the other a 10-14 year old girl.
I loved how this Orca themed box came together from random items.
I think some 5-9 boy is going to love it!
And finally this peach shoebox just came together so well! 10-14 girl
While we can't pack "breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers" in our shoeboxes, sometimes an item may be a little delicate. I've ran into this before with say a plastic toy with some fine parts, or sunglasses that also have the risk of scratching. As I tend to pack my boxes very full, sometimes there's a little pressure built up in the box and I worry about that damaging an odd item. In the past I've often packed them right next to the soft stuffed animal as it's sure to have some give in it to protect them. Another way I address the concern is wrapping the item in something soft, and/or putting it inside a tin. Here's a couple of examples.
How do you pack items that worry you in shoeboxes?
So, if like us, you enjoy packing shoeboxes and would like to increase how many items you have to pack, but the shoebox area of the budget only has so much to spend. I try to share deals or moneymaking apps/sites every Friday on our Simply Shoeboxes Facebook page. But today I'll share another option-using some of our gift budget. We do this in two ways:
First, among ourselves sometimes the gifts we give for holidays or birthdays are actually shoebox items. This may be a nicer version of an item we would often pack, for instance in the photo below, we often send plain combs, but will send these fun brushes instead. Or it might be an additional item like the head bands. This makes the gift fun, and practical!
Another option is if you have friends/family who have everything they need, but you still need/want to give them a gift, and they have a heart for children is to pack a box in their honor. One way to make this personal is to pack the box with a theme related to them. The amount spent toward that could just be shipping, could be a couple items to complete the theme, or could be the entire box's contents depending on the amount you have to spend on that person. If you activate tracking labels you can even share where they went. Then you can give theme a photo of the box with some text like: "This shoebox was packed for a 5-9 year old boy in Ukraine, Europe in your honor with a Carolina Blue color theme because of how much you like the Tar Heels." With their permission, you could even include their photo and/or contact info. Here's photos of a few boxes we packed "for" our pastors this year.
The "Tar Heel" one in the example above.
Superhero/Lego/games themed
A very girly little girl box.
Another option would be to invite them over to pack their own box, if you have your packing supplies set out to pack yourself-that way it'd be a a shared time as well!
Disclaimer:I was paid to write this post and it also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links-but I purchased the items myself and all opinions are my own..
We normally try to pick up our stuffed animals on clearance, but with the last two years containing less runs to stores, less income, and supply chain difficulties we haven’t gotten as many as we’d like.So, we decided before Dollar Tree prices went up we’d order a few different kinds from Dollar Tree to jump-start our stock.We weren't sure what to expect as we hadn’t been able to check these out in store and, while we’d been happy with Dollar Tree Stuffed animals in the past,it’d been a while and quality can change.I also thought I could then report back to all of you, so you could know if you wanted to order some for your boxes.We were quite pleased with the three we got, and I’ll share a little about each one below.
First up, the Customizable Plush Bears (http://shrsl.com/3c93j)These were a little smaller than we’d pictured, but while that doesn’t make it as much of a major “Wow” item it will fit into more boxes and is totally nice enough for a child’s main stuffed animal friend.These would also be great for these crochet loveies with stuffed animal “heads” http://www.simplyshoeboxes.com/2019/03/diy-crochet-granny-square-lovey-and.html
Second, the Fuzzy Plush Hedgehogs (http://shrsl.com/3c93l).These have been available for a while, and we were actually hesitant to buy them as they sounded too small, but once we got them we were quite pleased with their size for shoeboxes, and boy are they cute!Excited to pack them this year.Last I looked they weren’t listed as available, but they’ve had them off and on for years, so I’d keep checking if you’re interested as they should come back in stock I’d think!
Finally we got Fuzzy Friends Colorful Animal Plushies which turned out to be very cute and soft!And I like that there are four different animals for more variety!When I went to get a link, I couldn’t find them listed anymore, so must not be available at the moment, but here’s a link to their general stuffed animal area on the website: http://shrsl.com/3c93rthere are other cute options, hopefully you can use the reviews above to find something that’ll work for your boxes, especially with Valentines and Easter animals coming in right now!
One thing we try to think about is would we give this to a child we knew personally, and yes, I think we would with all of these.To see more views of this, check out this video:
I got a chance to pack a very special shoebox last year.
In addition to being over shoeboxes at my church, our family is kind of over the ministry to our homebound members (if you're interested in that ministry, check out my YouTube Channel: Serving Seniors and Shut-ins). Through that we've built relationships with some of the homebound. My sister had texted one lady, Sue, in a nursing home a photo of me heading out to film a video about shoeboxes at my church. Sue was touched and asked if she could give money towards the shoeboxes! Totally a "Widow's Mite" indeed! Since this was the height of Covid restrictions, we couldn't go and pick it up, she mailed it. I "shopped" our stock to pack a shoebox with things I knew she'd like/I thought she'd pick: Minnie Mouse, glittery, a hat etc. I took a photo to send it to her to let her know what she sent! I love how God can use shoeboxes to build relationships and bless people on both sides of the box!
As 2020 has seemed such a crazy year, shoeboxes may have gone to the back burner of our minds, and when they pop to the front, some may even question if shoeboxes can still be distributed in a year like this? Well the answer is: yes, they can! Samaritian's Purse and Operation Christmas Child are working hard to make collection as safe as possible. You can read their plans here: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/covid-19/. They're also coordinating with their ministry partners in the distributing countries for safely getting shoeboxes to the kids. I'm sure their health experts are helping them make these decisions, and they should be experts as they're working in multiple continents helping respond to the Covid crisis: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/global-covid-19-response/.
So, they're working on their end, it's up to us to work on our end. I'm sure packing parties will be looking different. The OCC link above has ideas for making packing parties safer. If you pack as an individual, that removes a few of the variables, but shopping may still be kinda tricky depending on your risk level, and the outbreak level in your area. Thankfully we got a lot early this year, and were able to get most of the rest online or thru curbside pick-up. If that doesn't work for you, remember there is an option to build a box online: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/
I really enjoyed birds when I was a girl in the 10-14 year old range-even played with the idea of going into the field of ornithology. I still like birds, so this was fun box to put together.
It started with the Beanie Baby which I said looked like an albino cardinal-much to the amusement of my family. Then I found the photo/gift box
When I do a theme box, what that means to me is while I stick to my normal list of things to include, I try to find versions of those items that fit the theme. I may add an extra unique item or two, but on the whole it's the same list, just different types. My basic list for those interested is:
Small handcrafted accessories are great to add to an Operation Christmas Child shoebox and these crochet flower and heart pins are perfect to tuck in a corner of a box. Chelle, from Chelle's Caybees, wrote up these instructions for the ones her mom Vickie makes and donates to our packing each year.
We have packed literally hundreds of these in our OCC shoeboxes. We have used many to share with the seniors and shut ins of our church, too (check out our Facebook page if interested in helping the elderly: Serving Seniors and Shut Ins). We also tuck them into pencil cases for fillers we send (see The Pencil Granny and Friends on Facebook for details of packing school supplies to donate as fillers if you are interested).
Crochet Heart Pins
Supplies: small amounts of Worsted Weight Yarn and an F Hook (I usually use 1-2 sizes down to make it tight) I used an H hook here so the stitches would show better.
I took a couple videos recently to show how I pack a shoebox. Now, remember-this is not the "right way", just my way I'm sharing in case it helps others.
I haven't had much time to write blog posts of late, so I wanted to share a couple videos I made recently showing how we're packing shoeboxes this year.
First, here's out packing party set-up:
And here's selecting items for one shoebox (turned out to be for a 5-9 girl):
If you don't follow my Simply Shoeboxes YouTube channel you may have missed out on seeing some of the shoeboxes we've gotten packed so far this year! I've done a quick, informal video of one of each age group...check them out below!
When I pack shoeboxes I often try to pack them around some sort of theme. Sometimes that happens as I'm packing, oh look, here's a stuffed teddy bear and here's a notebook with a teddy bear on it, and here's a pencil bag with a bears on it, etc. Other times early in the year I'll find an item or two and shop all year towards that theme. Either way, when I do a theme box, I don't leave out anything on our basic packing list-I still put in hygiene, school, and art supplies, clothing, whistle, etc as well as toys (including a ball and stuffed animal) with a family photo. I just try to find versions of what we are putting in that goes with the theme and occasionally an extra item or two.
Anyhow, here's some sheoboxes I packed around themes last year-most just photos I snapped with my phone as I packed:
This was one of my favorites! A construction themed one! My mom found the big construction building toy on a deal at Hollar on Black Friday. My aunt found the building photos in a calendar for me to put in the lid, and I found the Bob The Builder coloring book at Mighty Dollar. It turned out to be a 5-9 boy box with yellow as a secondary theme.
This was a blue, bird themed 2-4 boy shoebox.
A bug themed shoebox with fabric including bugs, a bug house and net, and Bumble Bee Transformer toy.
A chick themed shoebox for a 5-9 girl
A monkey themed for a 5-9 boy.
An ocean themed shoebox that I think ended up being for a 5-9 girl.
An octopus themed box for a 5-9 boy (you can see our idea/check list in this photo we use when packing boxes)
A seal/sea lion/polar themed shoebox for a 5-9 boy I think.
Simile face themed box for a 5-9 boy (lot more in this box than can be seen in this photo)
Stingray themed shoebox for a 5-9 boy.
A train themed box for a 2-4 boy.
This was another favorite of mine-a western theme built around a horse stuffed animal and cactus pencil case I found at Bargin Hunt.
It's almost packing season 2019, here's one of the Operation Christmas Child shoebox my aunt packed at our family packing party last year a 2-4 year old boy. I enjoy seeing what other people pack in their boxes for ideas/inspirations, hopefully som e of you do, as well. If you'd like ideas for other ages be sure to check out my posts on OCC shoeboxes from this year for: Girl 2-4 , Girl 5-9,
We were able to stock up on a couple "shoebox staples". First we found 3 packs of tennis balls at Mighty Dollar-score!! We like to include balls in all of our boxes and tennis balls are sturdy. Also picked up a couple fun little toys. Then Dollar General had their B1G1 free Hotwheels sale, so we got some of those, too!
Spent from shoebox packing budget: $58.75 Saved $60 or 50%
I saw Kecia post on the Official OCC Leader Forum about some Lego kits she found a deal on at Walmart. When I looked at the Brickseek links and realized they were like 50% off, I thought I'd share the links-you know I like Lego! Some are larger and may be good to split up among a number of shoeboxes, and any would make good gifts-or Lego brick stock building!
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This is one of the boxes my Dad packed for a 10-14 year old boy. The box is actually an envelope box-the bag and puzzle fit better that way, but it didn't take up more room than a shoebox-we figured the square area. If you'd like ideas for other ages be sure to check out my posts on OCC shoeboxes from 2018 for: Girl 2-4, Boy 2-4, Girl 5-9, Boy 5-9, Girl 10-14, & Boy 10-14 (will be updated with links as I post those boxes, until I do, here's a link to all the shoebox examples posts). We like to try to add something practical in this age that might help them help provide for their family or start on a career, as in these countries they often need to around this age. Something like a fishing kit, small tool kits, hand gardening tools (but not seeds), etc. In addition to more advanced school supplies like compasses and protractors to help them stay in school as these are often required for higher grades. Of course, if you follow this blog, you know all our boxes get at least basic hygiene and school/art supplies, a clothing item, a ball, a stuffed animal, and a couple other toys. What went into the OCC shoebox gift:
Simply Shoeboxes can be found on Pinterest pinning everything and anything to do with packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. You will only find boards and pins on this subject.
We have boards including images, videos and stories from OCC distributions; tips and tricks for packing lots in a box; examples of all ages of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes; craft projects; and much more! So if you love packing OCC shoeboxes, stop by and follow Sarah at Simply Shoeboxes on Pinterest.
