What started as a simple idea became so much more.

For the month of November I tried a little project on Instagram and with friends and family through Facebook.  Each day I sewed a pair of mittens from wool sweaters.  I revealed one pair a day, for 25 days – just like an advent calendar.  The first person to message me could buy them.

I thought it would be a fun way to make some money for Christmas shopping and $10 from each sale would go towards buying toys for other children at Christmas.  The first day, my cute little mittens sat unsold.

Oh man. Maybe I will have 25 pairs of mittens by the end of this! Maybe they won’t sell at all…

The first pair of mittens I made.  Thank you for buying them, Andrea.  You gave me a little boost of confidence. At least I sold one pair, I told myself. That’s good!

By day 2 and 3, multiple people were sending messages so they could buy the pair of the day.  It was becoming a mitten race!  I decided to start posting the photo every morning at 7:30 a.m. to give everyone a fair chance.

By the end of the month, I had sold 25 pairs of mittens.  I also had requests for custom orders and ended up sewing an additional 14 pairs.  It was crazy and amazing.

I experienced so much support.  I was able to reconnect with friends from elementary school and those I haven’t seen since high school.  Friends from my university days joined in and former coworkers too. It felt like a reunion. It was awesome.

Whether you bought mittens, shared an encouraging word along the way or took a moment to click like, I’m so thankful.

Over $300 worth of toys purchased on behalf of those who bought mittens. 

If you’re thinking of making a donation this Christmas,  grocery store gifts cards and toiletries are high need items over the holidays (this was something that I learned more about from a women’s shelter).

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Lainie