Think Outside the Shoe Box

Just a quick tips today for items for Operation Chirstmas Child shoeboxes.

Just let you brain go wild when you are looking in the clearance aisle for your stores. I recently found some tins with 2 decks of cards in each one for $2 each. The tins and cards were decorated for Doc McStuffins and Pet Patrol. My first thought for $1 for each deck. Then I got to thinking about what to do with the tins. They are a great size for pencil boxes.

I used some of the chalk board paint left over from the chalkboards I showed you on Monday's post to paint the top of each box. I painted the bottom of each box green but any color will do. I had some green paint at the house. I had to do 2 coats on the top and bottom. After the dry, they are perfect to put pencils, erasers, chalk and other items in! So for $2, I got items for 3 shoeboxes which averaged out to about 66 cents for each item. This would also be good to put Legos in, a sewing kit, a fishing kit, or many more things in.

As you are shopping for things to go in shoeboxes, don't be afraid to repurpose things for them. A little paint or fabric can turn a throw away into a WOW for your boxes. Remember, don't put a throw away item that still looks like a throw away into the shoeboxes. Be sure to take some time to make it into something new and great.

Make Chalk Boards for Shoeboxes

I thought that small chalk boards would be good for shoeboxes so I decided that I would make some. Today, while I was out, I did find some already completed at Dollar Tree for $1 but these were too wide to lay flat in the shoebox. For easier packing, I feel that the chalk board needs to be able to lay flat. I figure that the ones I'm making cost about 17 cents each.

This can make a good project for a church youth group, a Vacation Bible School craft, a scout group or some other group. With a dozen or so people, these can be made pretty quickly.

Materials needed:

1 large piece of backing  board or plywood, 3/8 - 1/4" thick

sandpaper

sanding block

chalk board paint

paint brushes, sponge or bristle

lytex or rubber gloves (optional)

I recommend that you use some type of gloves for this project or your hands may look like this.

I used to be able to paint without making a mess but that time seems to have passed. You also might want to wear an apron or an old shirt.

 I made my chalk boards to be 4 x 6" so that they will fit flat into the shoebox without any trouble. 

Many lumber yards will cut the boards for you but be sure to ask what they charge. My local Lowes store would cut them at 25 cents a cut.  That could add up pretty fast. If you can find someone with a table saw or a radial saw, they can cut them for you. My son cut mine on a radial saw in about 30 minutes. For the 4 x 8' piece of board, he was able to cut 165 pieces. That's a lot of chalkboards! It helps to fill a lot of shoeboxes though and remember, every shoebox is a gospel opportunity. 

If you don't want that many, you should be able to buy a piece of board that is half that size.

Sand the edges of the cut boards so that there are no splinters. You can use plain sandpaper or put it on a sanding block. IMO, it's easier to use a sanding block. You can buy sand paper already cut to size for sanding blocks or it's easy enough to cut it yourself from a sheet.

You will want to spread out newspaper or card board to cover your surface before you paint.
Paint each board. I started out with a can Krylon spray paint but I was only able to do about 20 boards, one side, with it. When I got more paint, I got a quart can of Glidden chalkboard paint. This was more than enough to do all of the chalkboards. You can paint just one side or you can paint both sides. Painting the edges is up to you. Each side that you paint needs two coats of paint. I paint it horizontal the first coat and vertical for the second coat.

I set the slab of boards outside in our Texas sun and they dried in about 20 minutes. Inside it will take a little longer to dry.

You will need something for an eraser to go with the chalk boards. I took fabric scraps and cut pieces about 4 x 6" for this.

Be sure you also include at least 2 or 3 pieces of chalk for the children to use. Because chalk can be very dusty, you might want to put it into a zip lock type of bag so the dust doesn't get all over the other items in the box.

Cost breakdown:
1 sheet of board   $15
1 qt of paint           10
sand paper, misc      3
  total                    $28
Divided by 165 pieces = 0.16969 cents per chalk board

Left over fabric scraps  free--If you don't have any, ask your church members or mothers for some.
Chalk cost varies. Look for it on sale. I found some side walk chalk, which works just as well, in the Dollar Spot at my local Target. That was 12 pieces of chalk for $1.

Craft Day for Shoe Boxes

Today, at church, we had a craft day where several of us came and put some simple crafts together to make some cool things to put in our shoe boxes. We've been working on felt "paper" dolls. washer necklaces, chalk boards, fleece scarves, spinner tops, clothespin airplanes, note pads, sewing cards, and other items. Today we had 12 people show up and we got a lot accomplished. We have things that any age person can work with and you don't have to be a crafter or seamstress to do it. We always have some items that are at the point where they just need assembling and we have no sew items. Several of the things were working on have been posted on this blog or will be in the coming days. Take a look at some of our pictures.

Gift for Baby

Materials needed:

Zoo Babies stamp set from SU

Crisp Cantaloupe card stock 4 1/4 x/5/1/2"

White card stock

Greenhouse Gala patterned paper 4 x 5 1/4"

Corner Rounder

Pumpkin Pie ink

Tuxedo Black ink

Taupe ink

Brads

Zoo brads ( I don't remember where I got these. I think it might have been Paper Wishes)

Manly Scraps

If you are like me, and many paper crafters that I know, you have a box sitting next to your work table where you throw your scraps in to use in later projects. Well, if you are like me, that box is full and you haven't looked in it in a while. So today, I pulled some scraps out to make this manly birthday card.

Materials needed:

Best of Birthdays stamp set from SU

Be the Star stamp set from SU 

Really Rust ink

Large oval punch

Stampin' Dimensionals

Left overs

   The top scrap is 1 1/4" wide. The right side scrap is 1" wide. The background card stock is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2". I made 3 of these cards and each one has a different background card stock.

    The triangle banner pieces are made from balsa wood and were left over from a Paper Pumpkin craft kit. I stamped the stars on the triangles with Really Rust ink. I had one extra triangle so I adhered it to the inside of the card next to the greeting. You could even use left overs from the dimensionals if you use the side pieces. I use them all the time!

A simple card  from left over paper scraps.

Butterfly Birthday

Materials needed:

Papillon Potpourri stamp set (123759 SU)

Bitty Butterfly punch

Elegant Butterfly punch

Word Window punch

Daffodil Delight card stock 4 1/4x 5 1/2"

Slate Gray card stock 3 x 4 1/2"

Lost Lagoon card stock 2 3/4 x 4"

Corner Rounder

White card stock

Sizzix embossing folder

Raspberry Ripple ink

Floral Ribbon

Stampin' Dimensionals

I think you can figure this card out easily with the dimensions that I've listed and looking at the picture. If you have any questions, just ask.

How to Pack Multiple Shoe Boxes Without Breaking the Bank

Ok, so you packed shoe boxes last year and you enjoyed doing it. You plan on packing one again this year but your group or your church is asking you to do more. You would like to because you know that this is a great charity that helps a lot of people learn about Jesus. But all of that stuff adds up. How can you afford to do more shoe boxes?

I pack 50 boxes every year and would like to do even more but I don't feel like I can afford the shipping for more boxes than that. After all, 50 boxes times $7 per box is $350. So when I buy more items than I need for my own shoe boxes, I donate the stuff to my church's packing party.

When I was in Tanzania, I wanted to cry when I saw the kids who were outside and not allowed to come in to the distribution because we did not have enough shoeboxes for more children.

Here are some tips for packing multiple shoe boxes. Some ideas may not work in your area but I'm sure you can come up with other ideas.

1. Don't wait until October or November to start buying things for you shoe boxes. Think about it all year round. When you see something on sale, mittens in January for example, buy several of them then! I'm getting to be notorious at my local Wal-Mart. One time about a year ago, I found a shopping basket filled with children's flip-flops for 50 cents each. I wheeled the entire cart up to the register and bought them all. I know you may not be able to afford that but you don't have to stop with just one pair. The store has them at that price to get rid of them. They don't care who buys them! You never know when you will come across a deal.
2. Buy after holidays. The day after Valentine's Day, many stores have Tootsie Pops, Charms Blow Pops, and Smarties left over and they are priced at 50% off. The day after Easter, you can find stuffed bunnies for 50% off. The day after Halloween, there is always candy at half price. Candy lasts for 3 years without any trouble so you can stock up ahead of time.
3. Buy school supplies in August. In July and August stores in my area have school supplies at crazy low prices. Things like crayons for 25 cents for a 24 count box, spiral notebooks for 17 cents each and many more. I don't pay full price for any school supplies but I always include some in my shoe boxes.
4. Check out the clearance aisles. Most stores have a clearance aisle some where in the store where they put things they want to get rid of at cheap prices. There is usually nothing wrong with these items. They may be out of date or not as popular as was expected. When I go into certain stores, I always check the clearance aisle. I don't always find things that I want but you might be surprised at how often I do.
5. Look for coupons. Harbor Freight has coupons in our local paper almost every week. There are items like screwdriver sets, tape measures, and flashlights that you can get free with the coupon. Sometimes you have to make a purchase to get the free item and sometimes you don't. When I have to make a purchase, I usually buy a small hammer that they always have for $2.99. I use the 20% off coupon that is in the same ad as the free coupon and get the hammer for $2.50. These are great items to go in an older boy's box. There are many other places where you can get coupons for other items too.
6. Check sale ads. Many times you can find good items at really good prices in the sale ads. Often you can also find a coupon that can be used in addition to the sale. Be sure to read the fine print to know the rules for that sale or store.
7. Beg. Ok, well, maybe you won't want to beg but you can ask. Most of us have a dentist that we go to a couple of times a year and we usually give him plenty of our hard earned cash. If you will ask in September and explain what it's for, many dentists will give you toothbrushes and toothpaste for your shoe boxes. I've seen some dentists that will give as many as 100-150 toothbrushes and small tubes of toothpaste for this. You might need to give them a couple of weeks to get it together but they are usually willing.
8. Make things yourself. You can check out Pintrest and other sites for how to make things and for ideas of things that will go in a shoe box. You would be surprised at how many different types of things that you can make yourself to go in shoeboxes. I know ladies who crochet animals. There are others who sew stuffed animals. There are men who enjoy wood working that make small, wooden cars and trucks for shoe boxes. I am not a seamstress but even I can make a simple skirt to go in a shoebox. Go here to see my directions on how to make a skirt. You can buy pony beads when they are on sale and string them for necklaces for your boxes.
       Other things you can make cheaply.
        finger puppets
        tote bags
        clutch bags
        tic tac toe games
        felt "paper" dolls
        rag dolls
        hair bands/ties
9. Shop at dollar stores. Dollar Tree has everything in the store for $1. Sometimes you need to check out the items to check the quality but they are usually as good as you can get at other stores. There are other dollar stores that don't have everything at $1 but still have some really good buys. One of my favorites is not a dollar store at all but the Dollar Spot at Target. I've found some really good items for shoe boxes for just a dollar at the Target Dollar Spot. I was even lucky enough to find 70% off on certain items (red dot) at my Target not long ago. I got an entire basket full of toys and other items for my boxes for just $75.
10. Check out on line sites and catalogs such as Oriental Trading. Try to order over $45 worth when ordering and you can usually save the shipping. With Oriental Trading you have to buy most things in bulk, like 50 rubber finger puppets for $15 (don't quote me. I don't work for Oriental Trading). There are lots of cool things for kids that you can get there. If you can't buy enough at one time to get free shipping, ask a friend to order things also. Combine your order to one address and you can usually have enough to qualify for free shipping.

Ok. Hope these ideas help to be able to pack more shoeboxes. Yes, I have been told that I am OCD about OCC. I agree 100%. I think about Operation Christmas Child all year round. You don't have to be as obsessive as I am about it but you can still pack several shoe boxes. Remember that every shoe box you pack is a gospel opportunity for a child to hear the good word of Jesus Christ.