Welcome back.
I found out today that Ashton Gate Stadium have featured me/the Link to Hope shoe box collection from last November on their face book page on 4 March. Thank you Charly, and all at Ashton Gate Stadium.
Well, we’re still in lockdown so shopping for shoebox items is still challenging, but the suggestion for which items to concentrate on this month is ‘craft gifts’. Link to Hope suggest handmade headbands and pencil and glass cases, lavender bags, craft kits, puppets and sewing kits.
In my April 2020 blog I discussed how to make a sewing kit. In the shoe boxes last year I also included some kits to make children’s bracelets. They were easy to make, and I’ll post some brief instructions in the next couple of weeks.
Last year I made some very basic hot water bottle covers from fleece, and some very simple lavender bags and Christmas scented sachets with cloves, cinnamon and allspice in to go in the elderly boxes. I’m planning to knit some beanie hats but have only made one so far! It’s also quite easy to make a knitted head band. There are some patterns on the Link to Hope craft page, (the image below was one I made last year based on the instructions on the Link to Hope site). I’ll add some instructions for some other simple headbands.
Bramleybuttons
Scrunchies are also easy to make, you just need some long strips of fabric and some elastic. I’ll post some instructions on the crafts tab but there are lots of instructions on Pinterest.
There are lots of ideas for things to make on Pinterest. You can also knit small teddy bears to be used as packing between the boxes, and also knee blankets.
This months bargains – Dunelm still have the packs of 4 antibacterial face cloths for 75p and some scented votives in glass holders for 50p but it does depend on where you live what they have available for click and collect. If you want to spread out the cost of filling your shoebox(es) over the year it’s also worth adding a pack of toothbrushes or soap or toothpaste when you are in one of the main supermarkets.