It is time to start the Safelight Project for this year, and I am hopeful that the fourth year of this project will be the biggest and best yet.  Checking with the Safelight domestic violence shelter this week showed that they are now out of the spa bags. Last time we managed to do 70 of them, but we still need more to get to a year’s supply. The shelter is constantly providing a refuge for new people, so the need is ongoing. The previous three years we have come together as a community to assemble spa bags for new residents of the shelter. The spa bags go a long way to making a difficult transition a little better, providing much needed support for residents who are going through a horrible time in their lives, betrayed by someone they loved, fleeing abusive situations with their children and virtually nothing else. Residents said the bags helped them feel special and cared for, at a time when support was needed most.

I’ll once again fill canvas bags with some nice full size pampering items, handmade cards and sewn cases.  I’ll be purchasing the bags again wholesale to make them all the same size and design, and adding the items inside. They are a nice quality so the residents can use them for some time to come.

There are three ways you can get involved
and prizes you can win!

First, once again this year, each bag will cost $10 to put together, and I am asking for your help in funding the cost.  This year, I am upping our goal, and I hope we can make 100 bags for the residents.  Update – Amazingly, we have already exceeded our financial goal!!

Last time, the ladies bags had two cards, hand lotion, pedicure kit, lipstick and nail polish, emery boards, a new hairbrush along with hair treatment, new sunglasses, and most got an extra travel size goodie in their cases too.  Adding those items to the sewn cases and tissue covers makes a nice gift for the residents to feel that someone cares.  I hope we can do the same this year.

There will be a few masculine bags as well.  Last year I found these duffle bags for a good price, and filled them with full size masculine items.  Each bag also had two cards.

Second, if you like to sew and have a lot of scraps lying around, you can make matching cosmetic bag, sunglasses cases and tissue covers.  The residents loved these as part of their gift bags, and the extras from last year sold like hot cakes in the Safelight boutique.  Download the pattern – Safelight Case Sets

Please choose pretty prints, bright colors or novelty prints, something fun, cute, delightful or attractive.  Please stay away from masculine prints (the guys don’t get these), granny calico prints or solid colors.  We want the cases to be fun to receive, with happy and charming prints to give the residents a smile.

Thanks so much to Nancy G, who will get us started with her lovely case sets.  Nancy asked to send hers early as she would be traveling.  Of course, I said sure!!   She sent seven case sets, so she gets 21 entries into the drawings.  Thank you!

Third, I hope my stamping and crafting readers will make cards again, too. In my mind, and the counselors at Safelight agree, the cards are a very important part of the gift. The cards provide encouragement and support as these women (and sometimes men) take a big step to getting their lives back. The cards can be read over and over as residents need lifting of their spirits. These lovely cards were sent by Lenora last year.

Last year, I ordered wonderful stamps from my affiliate Impression Obsession, Inc.  I was very pleased with the quality of these stamps, and they have a nice price point if you get the cling mount to use with acrylic blocks or your Stamping Platform.  They can be as creative as you like, from very ornate to clean and simple, whatever suits your fancy.  You may use whatever stamps you have, but I hope you’ll look at Impression Obsession’s offerings.  Inside, the message should be one of encouragement.  IO has a number of stamps with the theme of Believing in yourself, see those HERE. See more inspirational sentiments stamps HERE (affiliate links).  I love their new one that says “Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.”  I ordered it this week.

The only request is to keep them uplifting in tone, and not to use a religious theme. There are many different religions represented in the residents, and we won’t know who is getting what. Inside the card you can hand write, stamp, or use your computer to make an uplifting message. You could copy a poem, or make up your own sentiment.   Please sign them in some way.  You can use your name, or just say “a friend”, or “a friend you haven’t met”.

It is nice to decorate the envelopes as well, just address them generically, such as “For You”, or  “Wishing You Joy”.  Add stickers or stamped motifs as you like.  Last year, I stamped “To Someone Special” on some of mine, and “For You” on others. You might have something similar to use.  Or just handwrite the greeting.  These were done by Danice last year.

Cards can also be made just using scraps of papers, magazine images, photographs, handwriting sentiments or using your computer to print out a greeting or a poem. When shipping cards, please stack the envelope with the card but do not put it inside.  I will do that to ensure that the cards are mixed up between bags, and verify that the inside sentiments aren’t the same.

Now for the goodies! Once again, some of our favorite vendors have come through with some really nice prizes you can win for participating.  You get an entry in the drawings for every $5 donation, every card sent, and every case sewn.

The Fat Quarter Shop will give one lucky winner a $50 Gift Certificate! That is enough to get some goodies and cover the shipping too, even for international winners!!  This week Fat Quarter Shop has 20% Off Butter Churn Basics, March’s Basic of the Month, and 30% Off Taylor Seville pins and more, the Notion of the Month, and check out the Daily Flash Sale – something new at clearance pricing every day!

Aurifil Threads will send one lucky winner a small spool set, similar to this one!

Then, from Quilter’s Dream, a queen size Dream Green batting will be awarded!! Dream Green is made 100% from recycled plastic bottles! With a high standard of quality, Dream Green is soft, wrinkle resistant and can be machine-washed and dried with little to no shrinkage. Each pound of Dream Green Batting keeps 10 plastic bottles out of our landfills! It quilts beautifully and you will never guess it is made of recycled plastic. I have used it myself and am totally sold on it. After all, we need to buy recycled goods wherever we can if we want recycling to be profitable enough to do and help keep our planet clean.  QD can only ship in the US.

And, from me, a set of three stamps from Impression Obsession, perfect for your cardmaking for this project and more.  The sentiment You Are Amazing Always Remember That, along with the Layered Sundae set, and a set of flowers in containers, with the sentiment “bloom where you are planted”.

Now, for a special treat to help us kick off this special event and encourage participation!  For every one reading this post, C&T Publishing will provide a 20% Off coupon, good for any of their books to every participant, use code CTPUB2020 for 20% off through April 15th!!

Remember, you get an entry in the drawings for every $5 donation, every card sent, and every case sewn (three entries per set).

Send your donations, cards and cases to –

Carole Carter
The Safelight Project
PO Box 524
Mountain Home, NC 28758

I hope that most shipments can be received by the end of March, but I’ll be doing the bags in two waves due to storage space.  I’ll do an initial delivery of 50 bags as soon as I get enough money, cards and cases to complete them.  Then, I’ll do the second wave of 50 when I have those elements, hopefully by the end of April.  So, if you can ship soon, that’s great, and if you need more time, I can use them later.

Can you help with the Safelight Project this year?

See the update on our project – Safelight Project Update