tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44572506086186519382026-02-25T21:41:37.730-05:00A site dedicated to packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. We share our shoebox packing journey as well as tips, crafts and ideas for packing quality OCC shoe boxes in quantity when possible.Cheryl @ Simply Shoeboxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06128246500106501585noreply@blogger.comBlogger500125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-16211622554248260202022-02-01T14:31:00.004-05:002022-02-01T14:32:17.673-05:00

 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

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-83654856043673847872022-01-24T11:42:00.000-05:002022-01-24T11:42:01.536-05:00

 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

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-69891449031816494612022-01-12T14:12:00.004-05:002022-01-12T15:05:34.653-05:00

 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

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-11406376315210652762021-07-19T14:28:00.000-04:002021-07-19T14:28:02.240-04:00

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

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-26830263185600211572020-08-13T21:15:00.000-04:002020-08-13T21:15:58.396-04:00

 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

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-87347319718977544102020-07-27T21:09:00.003-04:002020-07-27T21:09:47.890-04:00

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

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-55931000198866366132020-02-27T21:05:00.002-05:002020-10-10T20:00:59.864-04:00

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

Cheryl @ Simply Shoeboxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06128246500106501585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-69403499212192204422019-11-15T11:34:00.002-05:002019-11-15T11:34:19.650-05:00

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. The first video shows how I pick items: The second video shows how I make the items fit: Now, if you want to be sure you're packing shoeboxes the "right way" check out my post: How to Correctly Pack a Shoebox.

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-41051143613749501442019-10-25T22:19:00.001-04:002019-10-25T22:19:49.061-04:00

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): Here's more examples of 5-9 girl shoeboxes we've packed.

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-15614303138433093832019-10-22T22:07:00.004-04:002019-10-23T18:33:09.642-04:00

Hi All! 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! 2-4 Girl: 5-9 Girl: 10-14 Girl: If you're packing boy boxes, you can get some ideas from past shoeboxes we've packed for boys!

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-81019729900478921932019-10-01T21:23:00.002-04:002019-10-01T21:23:27.554-04:00

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&nbsp

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-86532055149297689432019-08-22T20:41:00.000-04:002019-08-22T20:41:11.718-04:00

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

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-91974220468722666222019-05-18T19:31:00.001-04:002019-05-18T19:31:26.899-04:00

For those who don't follow my YouTube channel, I wanted to share the video here to show what we've gotten of late for shoebox packing!

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-40109504743934830302019-04-20T14:41:00.001-04:002019-04-20T14:41:08.944-04:00

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

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-67996653144988012012019-04-18T20:05:00.000-04:002019-04-18T20:05:44.488-04:00

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! LEGO Unikitty

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-64712450482531426972019-04-07T23:42:00.003-04:002019-04-08T17:08:02.448-04:00

Disclosure:  Links to Swagbucks in this post are my referral links.  Thank you for using my links it helps me earn extra SB.  I also earned SB for sharing this promotion. It's only 32 weeks until National Collection week, and if you're looking for a new way to come up with funds for shoebox items or shipping, why not try earning free gift cards through Swagbucks! All

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-67507544989780112092019-04-06T20:31:00.002-04:002019-04-06T20:31:54.401-04:00

So, it's been a while since I've done a Stockpile Saturday, so here's an update-just look at all those goodies!!! If you'd like to see details of the items, check out this video: Spent from shoebox packing budget: $3

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-44154510738046429262019-04-04T21:55:00.001-04:002019-07-17T13:34:17.310-04:00

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 (

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-50667075021218956132019-03-18T09:33:00.000-04:002019-03-18T09:33:10.873-04:00

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

Cheryl @ Simply Shoeboxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06128246500106501585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-39005238626471323932019-03-16T21:12:00.000-04:002019-03-16T21:12:33.238-04:00

I decided to just make a video of this week's additions to the shoebox stockpile instead of writing a post as it wasn't too many things, but didn't want to leave my blog readers out, so here it is.  If you're on YouTube you  might like to subscribe there, as sometimes I'll post things there instead of here.   Spent from gift cards earned or won online: $2 

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-933113830423954922019-03-14T11:05:00.002-04:002019-03-14T11:09:00.658-04:00

A crochet lovey attached to a purchased stuffed animal is perfect for my 2 to 4 year old Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.  I include a stuffed animal and a lovey in every box, so combining them is fun and makes for a special, cute WOW item that can bring comfort to a child in crisis. I have seen dozens of patterns online for loveys that included a crochet animal head.  Because

Cheryl @ Simply Shoeboxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06128246500106501585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-17491052332829603112019-03-09T19:52:00.000-05:002019-03-10T07:28:34.498-04:00

Didn't pick up much for our shoeboxes, but it sure is hard to beat the price...didn't spend anything from our shoebox packing budget. If you have a CVS card, be sure you have it set up to get emails from them, and check EVERY email you get from them.  Of late, I've been getting ECBs to print or send to card in them...sometimes more than one a week!  So Sunday I sent one for $3 ECB to

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-62793835444067644512019-03-09T13:07:00.000-05:002019-03-09T13:28:51.752-05:00

When crafting for my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes I look for quality and speed (since I make over a hundred of each item each year).  This quick to crochet child's beanie hat was designed with ease and speed in mind.  I used simple stitches, double and single crochet, and a large hook with medium weight yarn [size 4].  Simply Soft yarn is a lighter weight size 4 yarn so it

Cheryl @ Simply Shoeboxeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06128246500106501585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-89920827608306639282019-03-08T12:18:00.001-05:002019-03-08T12:18:22.199-05:00

If you follow this blog, you know we like to find ways to save money on shoebox items to be able to pack more and better boxes.  One easy way we like to do that is through rebates when we're shopping anyways. By the way, this post contains affiliate links which I'd love you to use if you're going to give Ebates a try.  They won't cost you anything to but I may get a small

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457250608618651938.post-71886967348779348652019-03-08T10:00:00.000-05:002019-04-04T22:06:16.944-04:00

I enjoy packing sheoboxes for kids around the world through Operation Christmas Child and I like looking at photos of shoeboxes others have packed, so I'm sharing some of mine.  This is one I packed for a 5-9 year old boy.  OCC requests that we use normal sized shoeboxes, this one is right around the size of the old GO box-about 300 cubic inches.  I was happily surprised at how

Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17344258382472241723noreply@blogger.com0