There is a lot that goes into a project when a natural disaster happens. The Australian wildfires happened, the Tsunami in Japan, etc., etc., etc. We are always on the forefront of what’s going on and try to help, but sometimes we just logistically can’t. I’m thankful for other organizations that step in and fulfill a need. Those of you who have done things around the world, you rock. It truly takes a global village to make a difference.

This time the universe aligned, a sweet angel stepped up to help run the project, and we found organizations willing to accept our donations. Craft Hope, meet Jessie! She’s been a Craft Hope peep for quite some time now and is ready to take charge on this project. We have seen it a few times here at Craft Hope the difference a handmade blanket can make. This type of security blanket swaddles newborns and provides comfort to homeless children. Handmade security blankets wrap people up in love.

For Project 13 :: Security Blankets for Tornado Survivors we will be collecting handmade blankets to distribute to the tornado survivors in the Southeastern U.S. We have found many charities and organizations that will accept them. They are begging for supplies at this point, so please make ‘em up as quick as you can.

I’m sure you have tons of questions. There really aren’t many specifics on this project, all we ask for is handmade/machine washable blankets. They can be quilts or any type of blanket. Please make a variety of sizes for newborns up to adults. Any handmade blanket will be accepted and appreciated.

There are an abundance of tutorials online for blanket making. This is also a great project to get groups and kids involved with.

Jessie will be collecting the blankets at her home in New Jersey. Yes, New Jersey. She has offered to ship them all to the various organizations that have asked for them. Like I said, she’s an angel.

Please mail completed blankets to Jessie at:

Jessie Rayot
255 Centre St Apt 6
Nutley NJ 07110

The deadline for Project 13 is June 15th. Please attempt to get all handmade blankets to her by this date.

Please join us and make security blankets for the tornado survivors! Leave a comment on this post if you’d like to participate. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to tell us where you are from and if you are getting a group together.

“I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”  ~Edward Everett Hale

Update 7/28/2011 :: Project 13 has ended and blankets are being delivered. Please check the Craft Hope page for our most recent project. Thanks.

Store Update: The Craft Hope for Haiti etsy store is now up & running! Over 1000  items sold and $20,000 raised!

1.20.10 Donations Update: We are suspending donations for the next two weeks due to the amazing response!  The store is open and we will be posting all donations over the next few days while we get caught up!

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” — Anne Frank

Craft Hope community, it is time to Craft Hope for Haiti. The devastation in Haiti is catastrophic and we can help. At the encouragement of many people we will be opening a Craft Hope Etsy shop to benefit Doctors Without Borders. We are growing by leaps and bounds and as needs arise we will rise up to meet them.

The Craft Hope Etsy shop will allow crafters to donate products and allow folks to purchase them. With 100% (less etsy transaction fees) of the proceeds going to charity. Having seen, firsthand, the beautiful items you have created I know this can be one awesome charity shop. The dresses, sock monkeys, quilts, blankets, beanies, etc. that you have all created are incredible. I know many of you even have your own Etsy shop where you sell you’re items. This is a call for all things handmade. If you can make it, we will sell it to benefit Doctors Without Borders. If you have a handmade item you’d like to donate, please read the guidelines below.

Many people have asked how they can support Craft Hope and it’s charities if they can’t sew, knit, craft. Well, this is the way. You can shop in the Craft Hope Etsy shop, get a beautifully handmade item, and rest assured that the proceeds from your purchase will go to charity. It’s that simple.

DONATIONS ARE CLOSED AT THE MOMENT – NEW DONATION INSTRUCTIONS COMING SOON!!!

Update: There is currently a 24 hour turn around time on things getting listed. We are listing as fast as two mamas possibly can.

Update: Please be willing to ship worldwide. We are getting tons of requests about worldwide shipping. Please mention this in your listing. Thanks for understanding. If you can’t ship worldwide, please tell us so up front so we can put that in your listing.

Today we are working diligently to get the shop set up and open. We’ll also have a button for you to put on your site very soon. Please spread the word that we are looking for donations. Also, we’ve set up a nifty way to share information from our site through Facebook, Twitter, etc. Try it out, it’s super duper cool! I will post a link to our Etsy shop as soon as it is open.

Thank you for all you do. You truly make the world a better place!

The Craft Hope deadline has passed.  The dolls are in.  And boy are they IN!  405 sweet dollies have arrived from all over the U.S. and 12 countries including Australia, Canada, Brazil, Morocco, Japan and Scotland.  They are now getting to know each other and readying themselves for the next leg of their journey to Nicaragua.

And the notes…  the notes that came along with the dolls have been just as amazing as the dolls themselves.  Notes from three year old little girls and notes form 76 year old women.  Some of you rallied your sewing or craft groups to participate.  Many of you made dolls with your children and used this project as a way to talk about poverty and those with less and how we as God’s people are in some way the answer to that calling.  And some learned to sew for the first time through this project, using the creativity that God gives each of us to bless someone else.  One woman made two dolls in honor or the two sons she is picking up at an orphanage in Africa this week.  And one woman who thought she was not going to be able to have children found out she was expecting the day she finished her doll.  She considers her doll to be a witness to her miracle and hopes that the doll’s new owner gets whatever miracle they are praying for answered as well.  How wonderful in that?

We had hoped for maybe 30-40 dolls for the Casa Bernabe Orphanage.  But you all blew me away with what arrived on our doorstep.  We will not only have enough dolls for all of the Casa Bernabe Orphanage (leaving some with the staff for the children yet to arrive), but we also have enough to take with us when we visit a daycare and feeding center in the Managua city dump (La Chureca).  So please know that the doll you made WILL find a home with a child who will love it.

In preparation for our trip, our group meets regulary to study and prepare our hearts for whoat God is about to do during our time in Nicaragua.  Throughout the Bible, Jesus compares faith in him to that of a child.  In Matthew it says, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me…”  Most of these children do not smell like sweet baby lotion.  Many of them have come from very dark pasts full of abuse, extreme poverty and filth.  They come from nothing.  And are extremely appreciative of anything we bring to give them.

Now think about it… “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives ME…”  These children are Christ in the flesh.  They have been persecuted as he has.  They have been beaten up by the world as he has.  They are Christ.  So think about it for a minute.  If you were preparing for a trip where you were going to meet the creator of the universe itself, what would you do?  Other than go shopping for a new outfit and get your hair cut, you would probably prepare a gift.  And you would probably agonize over if it was the right gift, the perfect gift, the best gift you could give.  You would not offer Him the holey t-shirts we no longer wear, or a mismatched set of sheets that your grandmother gave you eons ago and are now about threadbare.  Or old tired, worn out sneakers your children do not wear any longer.  We tend to think that it really doesn’t matter what we give to orphans, that they will be appreciative of whatever they can get.  And they are.  Believe me.  But as the givers, we are called to them our very best.  I give my children the very best I can.  They deserve my best!  These children are no different.  They deserve the best!  Don’t they deserve the best food?  The cleanest water?  The softest bed?  The prettiest doll?  They deserve the best.  Christ deserves our best!

Looking at these dolls spread out over my living room, I really want to cry.  I want to cry because I know that these children will be receiving the best.  These dolls are amazing.  Each one of them.  Every box we opened, we oohed and aaahed over the little flowers that this one had in it’s hair, or look how this one has a blanket with it.  Or this one has the prettiest fabric I’ve ever seen.  It is so clear that those of you who made dolls for these children, took extra special care in planning out each detail of how you would paint or stitch the eyes or accessories to go to it.  They truly are a reflection of your hearts and your regard for these children.  And HIM.

Thank you for your work.  Thank you for your time.  Thank you for showing Rina (one of the childcare workers) that her efforts matter.  Thank you for showing my own children how powerful God’s people can be when focused on a common goal.  Thank you for being Christ in one small way to these children.  Thank you for everything friends.  From the very depths of my being, thank you.

I don’t leave for Nicaragua for two more weeks, but that will give me plenty of time to pack them up and then work on my own packing.  And of course, I’ll be posting while I am down there.  So stay tuned, this is only the beginning of the story God is writing.

Thank you again for being the hands and feet of all that is good in this world.

The dolls are arriving and one by one they are joining their doll friends for the adventure of a lifetime.  Handcrafted by the beautiful women and children of Craft Hope for the children in Nicaragua.  Thank you so much for believing that you CAN make a difference.

Craft Hope was born over tea at the kitchen table.  The amazing creations that we watch day after day on your blogs have inspired us to begin this new endeavor.

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The first project that needs your help provides beautiful clothing for children in need.  We are hoping to collect pillowcase dresses that have been lovingly handmade by women around the world.  We’ll also be sending shorts for the boys.

Or as I explained it to my daughter… there are kids around the world that don’t have mommies and daddies to make them pretty clothes.  We need to make some for them.  Her first question was ‘can I make them?’  And my reply to her ‘of course you can!’

The pillowcases do not have to be new, just in good condition.  Our goal is for you to hand craft one pillowcase dress/shorts, or many if you are capable, and mail them to us by the deadline. For the first project, we will be collecting dresses and shorts for the children living at the Pan de Vida Shelter in Mexico and the Davis Lar Orphanage in Brazil.

A little about where your donations will go…

The Davis Lar orphanage exists to provide a home for high-risk children in Brazil. They seek to restore the children to health, provide a quality education and teach them skills to forge a productive future. The Pan de Vida Shelter, in Sandoval, Mexico, provides a safe haven for women and kids with no place to turn. It now consists of more than 30 children whose parents are incarcerated or deceased.

We are also well aware of the needs of children here in the United States and hope to reach out to local organizations as well.  We hope to expand and grow as the needs arise. If you are aware of such an organization, please contact us via email.

The deadline for collecting dresses for this first project is February 26, 2009.

A tutorial for both the pillowcase dresses and shorts will be added this week.  The tutorials are now in the sidebar if you need one.  My rock star nerdy husband, yes that is a term, has been working like a maniac on this site for me.  Without him, this would still be a vision in my head.  Thanks love.

Also, a huge thank you to Stefani and Susan, who are both graciously allowing us to use their tutorials.  Crafty mama’s indeed.  Also, coming soon is a flickr group and a badge for your blog.  The badge is now on the right hand side of this page.  Please help to spread a little Craft Hope. Simply leave a comment in this post if you are interested in participating.

Give hope.