This past week, I got an email from the shelter director at Safelight, Morgan Abendroth. She wrote “We have used up our last spa bag and I was wondering if you are still making them. They are such a great addition to welcome clients into shelter. We would love to get more if that is possible.” I had asked them to let me know when they were down to a dozen, but with the holidays it got lost in the hustle and bustle. 

In previous years, we have come together as a community to assemble spa bags for new residents of the shelter. These are not basic items like toothpaste or shampoo, those items are provided by local churches. The spa bags are special gifts. They 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. Thankfully, most of us will never know the depth of despair or need to summon the immense courage it takes to leave an abusive situation. Residents said the bags helped them feel special and cared for, at a time when support was needed most. Read more about Safelight on their website.

I had five canvas bags left over from last year’s project that I stored with a few case sets from those sending them too late for last time, or early for next time. I had a few lotions and shower gels from the project last year. I also have the fabulous handmade goat’s milk soaps from Liz H, thank you Liz!! I had planned to do use them in bags last fall, but the shelter didn’t need any at that time. Finally, we will get to use these beautiful soaps.

I stamped a few cards, and then made a run to the store this past week. I put together five spa bags just to tide them over. They will be delivered tomorrow.

I thought I would order a dozen canvas bags and get some more done quickly to hold them while we work on this year. It seems they are using about 100-125 bags a year, as it was March of last year for the last project. But, as you can imagine, when I went to order the bags, they have gone up in price. I can save money by buying a larger quantity, so I hope to get started soon with an order for 48 bags as soon as I can raise the funds. Plus the supplies at Dollar Tree have also increased in price. This year, we may need to reduce the items in the bags to 8 to absorb the increase in costs. I don’t think anyone will notice, as I think the handmade cases and the cards are more important than the number of products inside. I’d rather do more bags with 8 purchased items inside than fewer ones with 10 purchased items. It is the only way to hold our costs. To make 100 bags with 8 items inside (not including the hand sewn cases and stamped cards) will cost over $1400 (with shipping and tax on the bags, even buying at wholesale pricing). But we’ve done it before, several years in a row, and I think we can do it again. I hope we can get 60 done now, and 60 done in the summer. 

If you’d like to get involved, here is how you can help. First, if you are a sewist, make case sets using my pattern available for free. Download it here – Safelight Case Sets. When choosing your fabrics, please choose bright geometrics, novelty fabrics, fun and happy prints, elegant orientals or pretty florals. Please stay away from sports prints, granny calico prints, ugly prints or solid colors. These victims need something fun or pretty to make them smile, so choose something you would like to receive and be proud to use. The men’s bags don’t have case sets, so please no masculine prints like cars, fishing, basketball or other sports. Please do not use seasonal (fall, winter) or holiday (Christmas, Halloween) prints, they need to be usable every day year round. We want the cases to be fun to receive, with happy, charming prints to give the residents a smile. These below are ideal.  

Soft florals and pretty oriental prints make great choices for case sets, too, like the ones below. Anything you’d be proud to carry is good.

Second, the bags include cards that stamping readers help me make. In my mind, and the counselors at Safelight agree, the cards are really the most important part of the gift, providing 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. Cards can be completely handmade, or augmented purchased cards. The envelopes are also decorated, and addressed generically, like “To Someone Special” or “Just For You”. They can be as creative as you like, from very ornate to clean and simple, whatever suits your fancy.  I love the one that says “Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.”  Inside, the message should be one of encouragement. 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 printer 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 first name, or just say “a friend”, or “a friend you haven’t met”. Cards can also be made just using scraps of papers, magazine images, photographs, stickers, handwritten sentiments, or a computer printed greeting or poem. We make them in the A2 envelope size, which is half of an 8-1/2×11-inch cardstock sheet folded in half. The goal is two cards per bag. Please make them all appropriate for women. We only need a few for men, and I’ll do those myself.

You can also use purchased cards, embellished with sticker, and a handwritten message of support inside. 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.

Third, monetary donations from readers help defray the cost of the high quality canvas bags and the goodies inside. I buy in bulk so I can make a little go a long way. Ordering the same canvas bags ensures that everyone has the same size bag, and they all look similar. We don’t do toothpaste or deodorant as the shelter residents get those essentials from a church group. We do upscale, special goodies like facial masks, pedicure kits, hairbrushes, hair treatments and similar things. The items chosen are more spa-like, special and full size.

Unfortunately, there are sometimes men who are abused and at the shelter. So, I make a few bags appropriate for a man. These have men’s products, aviator sunglasses in black purchased cases, socks and more in a black duffel or backpack style bag. I assemble 5 of these.

When the bags are all packed up, I put a sheet of tissue in the top to make it more like a gift.

If you would like to help, please send your monetary donations, case sets and cards to me at this address. Please include your name and email address inside so I can let you know your donation arrived. If you send a check, please make it to me personally as I do not have a bank account in the name of the project. Or you can use Paypal to send money to a friend at my email frommycarolinahome at gmail dot com.

Carole Carter
PO Box 524
Mountain Home, NC 28758

So, are you ready to start sewing and stamping? Can you help with the much needed monetary donations?