A Trio of Aprons ~ Operation Christmas Child ShoebBox Crafting

My Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Sewing & Crafting for this week includes a trio of Aprons for 10 to 14 year old girls.  I began with the flip flops I had on hand and matched the fabric to them.  From there I match them with the bias and quilt binding and then yarn for matching hats.  Because I use prepackaged bias and quilt binding these whip up quickly.  Thankfully I have a lot on hand inherited from my mother-in-law and also some I was able to pick up for just a quarter at a closeout craft store, otherwise I would be making it from the fabric.

The flip flops and fabric were donated by Kristy of Hopeful Threads.

A Bounty of Freebies ~ Putting Others' Leftovers to Good Use in OCC Shoe Boxes

I love it when I receive unexpected shoe box supplies for packing my Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts. Check out all these goodies that didn't cost me anything.

Our church has decided to move in a new direction with their children ministry so they have canceled our AWANA program.  My girls were jointly in charge of the

Tea for Two Inlaws ~ Crafting for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

This week's Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Sewing & Crafting brings our families together.  I inherited this black and white tea cup fabric from my sister via my mother and niece.  When my sister died a couple years ago she had several pieces of fabric she had gathered to make my mom a quilt with a Tea Pot/Tea Cup theme. Her daughter gave it to my mom who passed it on to me to use for my dresses.

When I saw it on my fabric shelf I decided it was perfect to make into a dress in honor of my husband's cousin who is like a sister to him.  She wears a lot of black and white and she enjoys a

My Free Amazon Shopping for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

I love putting high quality items in my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and shopping for free is the funnest way to obtain them.  I recently took inventory and made a list of what I still needed to fill out my boxes.  I then went shopping at Amazon with free gift cards I had earned thru Swagbucks to pick up some of the items.

Combs -- 6 pack = $3.49
Wooden Spoons (to go with my aprons) -- 12 pack = $5.16
Tennis Balls -- 12/3 packs = $26.46

With just a few minutes a day on Swagbucks I easily earn $5 to $10 in  free gift cards each month for online activities.  I save them up until I have $40 so I can get free shipping at $35 and have enough left over for tax.

Do you earn on Swagbucks or other online earning sites for your Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes?  If you'd like you can sign up thru my referral link above and start earning free gift cards for yourself and when you earn I will earn a little too.   If you'd like to learn how to earn at Swagbucks you can visit my other blog where I have Swagbucks Tutorials.

Also, each Saturday Sarah shares our additions to our stockpile.  You can see them all here:  Shoebox Stockpile Saturday ~ Adding to Our Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Stockpile.

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.

Fit for a Princess ~ Crafting for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

I just love how shoe boxes come together.  My weekly Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Sewing & Crafting includes a special "designed for a princess" set.  This grouping began last Christmas when my daughter gave me the little princess doll.  She knows I love dolls and wanted to give me