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Mallory's Project Yesu is Inspirational!
"Everything happens for a reason." We hear this all the time, and I like to believe it's true, but sometimes that's harder than others. In this case, I do believe it! This week one of my projects was featured at Someday Crafts, and while I was there checking out their site, I noticed the "Crafting for a Cause" link, and I was intrigued. Project Yesu, and organization started by a remarkable young woman named Mallory, is looking for handmade pillowcase dresses to bring with them on their upcoming trip to Uganda (this is their second time going). They're looking for lots and lots of dresses to bring to the little girls over there, and how can anyone say no to that?
I had enough of this fabric on hand to make two dresses, probably around sizes 6 & 7. Maybe they'll go to sisters! In any case, I was happy to be able to help in some way. I often feel like I want to be doing more to help those in need, but with my (and my kids') current schedule, I haven't been able to commit to too much. And when all was said and done, it took me about an hour and a half to complete these (and that was with many kiddo interruptions). I'm glad to be able to help in some way.
I urge you to visit the Project Yesu site to find out more about the cause, because I fear I won't do it justice. But what I can say is that I am so impressed with Mallory and all she has done with Project Yesu, especially at such a young age.
So I felt like this was a good week--a cool feature at Someday Crafts leading to lending a hand to an amazing cause. If you can carve out a little time to make one of these pillowcase dresses for a girls in Uganda, I know Mallory would be grateful.
Incidentally, I just noticed the new front cover of the spring Hanna Andersson catalog. You guessed it, pillowcase dresses!
They're collecting dresses until May 31, 2013, so you still have time. The tutorial I used (from Sew Like My Mom) was the one they recommended on their site, but there are plenty of patterns out there!
Kids Consignment Sales are the Real Deal
I only recently discovered kids consignment sales. Not stores, but big sales where the organizers rent a huge space, coordinate hundreds of consignors who want to sell their items, and host a giant sale. Ok, maybe I'm in the dark here, but we just recently moved from a very rural area, so there wasn't a lot of that happening out there.
Two weeks ago, I decided to jump right in. Most of the sales are staffed by volunteers, and the perks of volunteering are that you get to shop first! Yes, please! And I'm so glad I did. Not just for the amazing deals I got (for instance, this $20 mint condition wagon!), but because it was really fun, and I met a lot of other like-minded moms. And you really don't have to be a volunteer or shop first for great deals --I can't believe the amount of deals I missed when I was cashing people out after I shopped.
I just can't get over how ingenious these sales are. It's a win-win for both the consignors and the shoppers. By far, my newest favorite economical (i.e., cheap) & environmental (think about all that Little Tykes plastic being reused instead of tossed in a dumpster) shopping idea. I just wish I could find more! I heard they're really big down south. Can anyone fill me in on more in the northeast?
