Quality Crafts for Operation Christmas Child March Item of the Month

We like to include quality crafts in our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and are glad to see it included in the OCC Item of the Month list for March.  Over the years we have included sewn, crocheted, knit, upcycled, no-sew, paper crafts and more.  We work to make them quality items the children receiving them can enjoy.

These are items I crafted for a shoebox a while ago.

We often share crafting ideas and patterns through this site and on social media.  You can follow us on the following sites to keep up with all of our shoebox packing including sharing crafts:

• Simply Shoeboxes Facebook
• Simply Shoeboxes YouTube
• Simply Shoeboxes Pinterest

We have written dozens of craft tutorials for items perfect to pack in an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift.  You can find all of them by clicking the image below.

We offer tutorials in the following categories if you would rather just check them out individually:

• Crochet DIY
• Sewing DIY
• No-Sew DIY
• Upcycling DIY

You may also like to check out more things I've made for my OCC shoeboxes here:  Made by Cheryl.

Two other places we like to check for OCC Shoebox craft ideas:

• Crafting for Shoeboxes Facebook page
• Crafting for Shoeboxes Pinterest

We also receive handcrafted items from friends at opposite ends of the country:

Chelle & Vicki, from Chelle's Caybees in NC
Suzanne, from Sew Delightful in WA

If you've never considered handcrafted items to pack in an Operation Christmas Child shoebox, you may want to check into it this year.  It's a great excuse to get a group of friends together to craft.

You can also donate handcrafted items directly to OCC as fillers.  So if you find yourself crafting more than you can pack, find out more thru this link: Five Ways to Donate Fillers to Operation Christmas Child.

August Item of the Month for OCC~ School Supplies

Samaritan's Purse has suggested items of the month for packing  Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, and for August it's school supplies...which works out really well since there are so many great deals on them right now!

While this may seem like a more boring, practical item to us, one recipient said: 

“My favorite items in my shoebox were school supplies. They were really important to me because it meant I could go to school.”

–Luis, Panama
In many countries children cannot go to school without supplies, which their parents cannot always afford.  So, you may really be giving schooling to the child

July Item of the Month for OCC Shoeboxes ~ Clothing

Samaritan's Purse has suggested items of the month for packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, and for July that is clothing.  Here in the USA, we can send any article of clothing we want, as long as it doesn't make the child look like a soldier (so, a green camouflage shirt is out).  I think the UK is only allowed to send certain things, so be sure to check your country's regulations before you send something!

“One of my favorites in my shoebox was white socks because in the orphanage you get bad quality socks that always stink and have holes in them.”

–Timur, Central Asia (OCC website)
Clothing can be quite useful, often these children don't have shoes or only torn clothes.  While this may be one of the more useful/practical items sent, it can also

May Item of the Month for OCC Shoeboxes ~ Hygiene Items

Samaritan's Purse has suggested items of the month for packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, and for May it is Hygiene items.  This is one of the things you can put in your OCC shoebox that can have an immediate and great impact on the health of the children who get our boxes.  Hand washing can help prevent many diseases including those that kill thousands of children worldwide daily.  That bar of soap & wash cloth you put in might help the child who gets it and their family avoid infection.  Oral hygiene can protect teeth, increasing the verity of food the child can eat, and help their overall nutrition and health.  Even though in USA we can't send toothpaste anymore, we can send toothbrushes, and dentists say that is what is really important. So, will you consider adding hygiene items to your box this year?  It might literally save the life of the child who gets it!  

And, while maybe not lifesaving, items like combs, brushes, and stick (not liquid)

April Item of the Month for OCC Shoeboxes ~ Stuffed Animals

Samaritan's Purse has suggested items of the month for packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, and for April that is stuffed animals!  That is one of my favorite things to put in a shoebox...they're SO cute!!  We actually pack them in every shoebox, if you want to know why, check out our post: "Why we pack Stuffed Animals in all our Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes."  Samaritan's Purse has shared a number of stories of kids who were really excited about their stuffed animal (or doll, but they're pretty close):

•  Denis -and- A Cowboy
• Yuliya -and- A Puppy
• Nanor -and- A Doll
• Luis -and- A Lamb

While stuffed animals are a GREAT item to include, they can be one of the more

March Item of the Month for OCC Shoeboxes ~ Quality Crafts

Samaritan's Purse has suggested items of the month for packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, and for March that is Quality Crafts!  This is a great way to add items to shoeboxes.  

Many "crafters" have a stash of supplies they can whip up a few projects at little to no cost.  We've been able to use some crafting supplies from my late grandmother's stash to make Aunt Ida Hats and pencil bags among other things.  

You can also make kits for the child to craft from.  I used some extra yarn and beads to make jewelry making kits to send in my 10-14 year old girl shoeboxes.

It is also a great way to get others involved...we are blessed to have Chelle's CayBees and Sew Delightful partner with us by creating things for us to put in our

February Item of the Month for OCC Shoeboxes ~ Accessories

Samaritan's Purse has suggested items of the month for packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, and for February it is accessories...like jewelry, watches, hair bows, etc.  These are fun extras to add to a box.  They often don't take up much room, so can be a fun way to add more items in the limited space of an OCC shoebox!

Accessories can be on the more practical side-sunglasses, watches, headbands to keep hair out of the way or toward the more fun side like jewelry.  As a child accessories can make one feel special

January Item of the Month for OCC Shoeboxes ~ Hats, Gloves & Scarves

Samaritan's Purse has suggested items of the month for packing Operation Christmas Child, and for January that is Hats, gloves and scarves.

Now, many people are concerned about sending these items as they aren't sure if their boxes will be going to a country that seems cold to us like the Ukraine, or one that seems hot to us like Uganda.  There's a couple things to keep in mind about this:

1. There are times of year in most countries that feel cold to those who live there.  We knew people who were missionaries in Chad, Africa, and the nationals sometimes got cold/sick in the "winter" season.
2. I remember a story my dad tells about an exchange student who was visiting Ohio in summer from the Caribbean.  They were at a church softball

Why We Pack Stuffed Animals in All Our Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

If you've read our posts of what we've put in our Operation Christmas Child boxes for a  Girl 2-4, Boy 2-4, Girl 10-14, & Boy 10-14 you may have noticed that every one of the boxes had a stuffed animal or stuffed doll in it.  We thought you might be interested to know why.

First, there's the fact that Samaritan's Purse suggests it-here in America it's one of the main ideas for the "Wow items" both for suggestions and to pack online.  As I

Enhancing Sewing Kits for Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes

First I'd like to thank everyone for welcoming me in taking over the Simply Shoeboxes blog.  This is the first chance I've got to write a post, but I've been posting photos/quick updates of my Operation Christmas Child shoebox packing on Simply Shoeboxes' Facebook Page.

I posted a picture on Facebook about adding material and other goodies to the sewing kits we got last year to put in the 10-14 year old girl shoeboxes I'm packing.  There was a lot of interest as to how much fabric to put in, so I thought I'd write a post to report on how much I put in, plus some general thoughts on fabric in shoeboxes.

So, how much fabric should one put in a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child?

Well...I'm afraid there's not a cut and dry answer for that! :)  Any scrap of fabric will help a child in their practice of seaming and hemming.  So even an eight inch square can be useful.  It all depends on how much you have available/can afford,

Surprise Additions to Planned Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

When I began packing, I had some fun additions to some of the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes I already shared here.  I thought you might like to see the additions, too.  Do you remember my "Bunny in the Garden" box?

When I went to finish packing my boxes I had two fun additions.  First my daughter finally found some garden tools for my garden apron boxes.  Best thing about it?  It cost just 10 cents!  And

A Fun Find! $11 Sewing Kits for $1 Each ~ Perfect for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

Guess what's on my Christmas wish list? Sewing kits!  My daughter stumbled upon these great Singer sewing kits while at a local dollar store picking up the last of the toothbrushes we needed for 2014.  She bought a few for my 10 to 14 year old boxes this year and said they had dozens left.  I quickly added it to my Christmas wish list!  I love getting presents I can use in Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.

Some had these stickers on them showing the original price as $10.99.

They contain larger scissors and these little scissors in the mending kit inside.  My daughter wants to add extra needles -- she says needles are easy to loose and their thread will be useless without them.  I

Preparing Toddler Puzzles to Fit Into Operation Chrismtas Child Shoeboxes

I shared earlier how I had received a couple dozen toddler board puzzles that were too large to fit into my Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.  I also inherited some wonderful Noah's ark fabric that matched the theme of the puzzles.  Well, with my daughter's help we have finished the puzzle project and have 23 ready to

Match It Game Won in Blog Giveaway for Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Gift

Back in June I decided to fill more Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes which meant I needed to get creative financially.  I decided to work on entering blog giveaways for gift cards or items that I can tuck into a shoe box.  I enter at least several every day.  I have won several so far--some have entries of less than 100 and some well up into the thousands.

Two things get accomplished by the wins.  I can have a higher quantity of items to pack, but also I can have some nice quality items to pack at no extra cost.  These beginner matching puzzles are a great example.

They are made by The Learning Journey.  They are constructed of heavy, thick cardboard with bright colors and a glossy surface.  I laid a 6" sewing measure beside them in this image to try to show you their size. They are about 5" square.  I won two boxes of them and each has 15 sets.  I am dividing them into sets of five each and will make little tote bags to tuck them into.  This will give me enough for six of my 2 to 4 year old shoe boxes.

What are your creative ways to fund your Operation Christmas Child shoebox habit?

If you want to see what else we get to pack you can check out our series here:  Shoebox Stockpile Saturday ~ Adding to Our Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Stockpile.

Surprise Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Packing Supplies

I just love it when I receive surprise Operation Christmas Child shoebox fillers.  I am also often surprised by the source of some of my fillers and crafting supplies.  I have received some great items from online friends...ladies I have never met, but who share with me so I can share with the children.

Pile of Panties - 30+

Last week a gal I met online thru our passion for sewing dresses for girls in crisis situations and the ministry of Dress A Girl Around the World, offered to send some panties to go with my dresses I am sewing for my shoe boxes.  By the time she packed the box and shipped it, it was bulging at the

Fisher Price Toddler Boy Short Sets $2.50 Each from My Dollar General Deal Shopping

On Saturday I had gave a list of things I needed for my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and a $5 off $25 coupon from Dollar General to my husband daughter.  They were going to stop by on their way home from the farmers' market.  As they finished checking out the manager handed them a Family & Friends 50% off clearance or regular priced clothing or school products coupon.  She said she knew they bought a lot of items for kids.  They came home, checked what I needed and headed back.

They found several items for both my 10 to 14 year old boys and 2 to 4 year old boys boxes.  When they checked out another employee gave them another one of the coupons!  I just loved these Fisher Price short sets that they picked up for $4.  They decided they would stop by another DG on the way home from church.  BINGO!!! That store had the short sets at $5 so they paid just $2.50 and were able to pick up seven more sets!

You can see all of weekly shopping posts here:  Shoebox Stockpile Saturday ~ Adding to Our Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Stockpile.

Scrappy Drawstring Tote Bags for Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Gifts

I have been having a ball Purging my unwanted fabric and changing it into useful things for my Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts.  I am so glad Stitched In Color choose to challenge us to purge our unloved and scrap fabrics.  My latest stitching is a drawstring bag large enough to carry the shoebox full of gifts.

I love to include tote bags in my shoeboxes so the child can carry their new goodies easily.  I decided a few weeks ago that I'd make drawstring bags just large enough to tuck the shoe box inside -- that way they can carry all their goodies with or

Making Bead Kits for My Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Gifts

This is the first year I have made jewelry bead kits for my Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts.  I got this large box of 1800 beads last year when someone had it leftover from a church project and didn't want it. I knew I could use it for my shoeboxes, but it just sat on my shelf waiting.

I wasn't sure what containers I could use but knew I could get little plastic bags at the local craft store for a few pennies.  Then Office Max had these adorable plastic containers on special for 25 cents each.  I divided the beads in pink and purple sets putting the pink in the clear containers and the purple in the purple containers.  I then made satin drawstring bags using up scraps from another project to tuck them

How to Make an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Filler Collection Box

Several years ago we wanted to collect items for packing shoeboxes in our AWANA clubs at church.  The kids' church leader wanted to have the kids pack boxes for Operation Christmas Child in their Sunday morning program and needed fillers.  So we took empty copy paper boxes and made giant wrapped shoeboxes as collection receptacles.

I cut a large hole in the top of the lid for the items to be dropped into.  I wrapped the top and bottom

Flip Flop Frenzy for OCC Shoeboxes

A few of the flip flops I've acquired over the past week on my "flip flop frenzy" shopping trips.  Well over a hundred boys and girls will have bright new footwear when Operation Christmas Child delivers the shoe box gifts later this year or early next year.

• Flip Flopping at Family Dollar to Add to My Stockpile
• 70 Dollar General Flip Flops: A Great $21.00 Investment
• More Dollar General Clearance Shopping: Clothes, Toys, Hats & Shoes

Check out other ideas of Filler Items for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes.

This post is part of Wordless Wednesday.