Thursday, September 27, 2012

Jackie the Sock Fairy

Thank you Jackie, who once again came to the rescue when I called for socks. Her donation enable me to purchase 26 pairs of men's socks. You will forever and always be known as The Sock Fairy! Thank you so much!


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Cupcake Love!

Thank you 3 Girls Cupcakes! While it took a little while to connect, my husband Trevor made it to the mobile truck today and picked up the donation from them. And while there, he also picked up a few cupcakes to bring home. (Thanks for the extra one, Yum!)



I'm excited to dig into these, and not share with the boys!




Be sure to check them out when you see them out and about around town, or check them out on the web. at http://www.3girlscupcakes.com/

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Wanted: A Suitcase or Two

I'm still in need of a few suitcases. I'm hoping to get them with wheels and handles that work. They need to be big enough to hold 50 pounds, or roughly 15 pairs of shoes and then some school supplies goodies. They are making a one-way trip to Jamaica as I will not be bringing them back. Please let me know if you have one to donate. If I don't get them by the first week of October, I will be shopping at Goodwill to get them.

Can you help with this need?


Monday, September 24, 2012

A Sock Fairy?

I know we've all heard of the Tooth Fairy, but has anyone else heard of The Sock Fairy? No? Well, now you have. Her name is Jackie, and she is a fan of Soleful Suitcases. Last time I said we had a need for women's socks, Jackie came through with a donation large enough to purchase a huge amount of women's socks.
So last night when I tallied up all the shoes and socks collected, and found we were 28 pairs short, and asked if anyone could help, who came to the rescue? That's right, Jackie, our new Sock Fairy.

Thank you Jackie for believing in this project, the end goal, and helping to reach it. There are going to be some mighty happy people wearing new socks in a few weeks, and they'll have you to thank. Perhaps this is your new calling...


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Current Shoe Counts

Since the tagging of shoes has officially started, I had to pair up all the shoes and sort into men's or women's.  Current shoe count breaks down to this:

Men's shoes : 12 pairs
Men's socks:  none
Needed: 24 pairs


Women's shoes: 42 pairs
Women's socks: 80 socks
Needed: 4 pairs


Can you help out with a sock donation? We still need a total of 28 pairs.

Thank you to all who have donated your shoes, socks, or money to purchase socks. Without you, this project would not be happening!

Tagging Shoes

The shoes are getting tagged. And, thanks to Shelbi and Printable Parties, Inc (Found on etsy.com) we have tags to attach to the shoes that have a spot to check for either men's or women's shoes, and then a spot to write in the size. This will make for easier hand-outs while in Jamaica. Thanks again Shelbi for your design and donation!


Friday, September 21, 2012

Oregon's Got a Suitcase Packed

Way to go Prineville! Check this out.



Kathy donated the suitcase, and the Toupals have filled it to the brim with school supplies that have been donated to Soleful Suitcases. The case weighs 34 pounds! That's right, 34 pounds worth of sweet supplies goodness just waiting to be delivered to Servite Primary! I'm excited to figure out the total amount of donations, in weight, that will be traveling in mid-October. I haven't figured it out and totaled it all up yet, but I will for sure be posting here.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Olathe West Jazzercise - By The Numbers

Thank you Olathe West Jazzercise, Tina Stueve, and all the wonderful people who donated to our drop off box.

During the time the box was there, this was donated:
23 Pairs of shoes
11 Pairs of socks
Plus school supplies!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!


The last two pairs of shoes picked up on Friday, September 14.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Books from Chick-Fil-A

Thank you Chick-Fil-A in Olathe, KS!

I contacted my local Chick-Fil-A a few weeks back, told them about Soleful Suitcases, and asked if they could help out with a donation of some kids books. (In each kids meal, they normally have a book instead of a toy, which as a mom, I love. I'll take a book any day over a silly plastic toy.) Kim, the marketing manager told me that she thought they could help, but could I contact her mid-September. So, I called back, and yesterday the boys and I picked up over 60 children's books to bring to Servite Primary. They also donated about 30 Ranger Rick children's magazines. Yahoo! I can't wait to bring these to these to the school. We are gonna have some happy kids on delivery day.

Thank you Olathe Chick-Fil-A!




Monday, September 17, 2012

Huge Thank Yous!

Today we received two donations.

Thank you Nicole for offering a donation to pay for the school supplies purchased on clearance last week.

Thank you Terri for offering a donation to pay for suitcases that need to be purchased at Goodwill. With the leftovers, I will be buying more socks as we are still needing a few pairs.

Thank you to these kind ladies, both friends from www.scrappinchat.com - a message board that started with scrapbooking and has turned into just a safe place for people to chat.

Oh, and we crossed the 700+ hits mark on the blog today! Thanks to everyone for following this project and the updates along the way!


Friday, September 14, 2012

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Plans for the next couple of weeks

Our trip is just about a month out, and I really need to start getting things organized, labeled, packed, and ready to get on a plane. Within the next 10 days I'm hoping to get all the shoes paired up, tied together, and tagged with their size and sex. (Thanks Printable Parties for designing out shoe tag!) I need to get our suitcases labeled, which entails painting them so I can find them easily at the airport in Jamaica. I need to go through the school supplies and see if we need to add to that pile at all. I need to get a final count on the amount of shoes we have, and make sure there are enough socks (2 per pair of shoes).

Whew, it is gonna be busy around here.  Thanks again for all your support and love along this journey. Thank you for opening up yourself and sharing your shoes, your love, and your world.


We are looking for a $15 donation to cover the cost of these supplies, found at Target during a 70% off clearance sale. Can you help?

Monday, September 10, 2012

Cupcakes Anyone?

Soleful Suitcases is excited to announce that 3 Girls Cupcakes, Kansas City's first mobile cupcakery, is sponsoring the baggage fees on a suitcase! This will allow us to take an additional (4th!!) suitcase with us on our trip. We are so excited for this!

I've been ordering cupcakes for special occasions from 3 Girls Cupcakes now since April, and I have to say, I haven't been disappointed once! They are made from scratch, using quality ingredients, and you can taste the difference in every bite. The frostings are to-die-for! The cupcakes are huge, and they deliver! Can it get better than that? Well, yes, actually, it can. They have come out with a new product - Cupcake Push-Pops.

If you haven't given them a try, please do so. You can find their mobile route online via facebook or their website. Or try emailing them. Simonie Wilson, the owner, is very good about responding to requests.

Thank you 3 Girls Cupcakes! You are helping out those who will never taste one of your cakes, yet will always be thankful for the help and support your provided them!


Friday, September 7, 2012

Major Sock Purchase

Thanks to Jackie's donation a few days ago I was able to hit up Target and purchase some socks. And when I say some, I mean lots! 48 pairs of women's socks to be exact! Yahoo! Thanks again Jackie!


Thursday, September 6, 2012

Thank You Jackie

A donation came in a few days ago after I posted that we are really in need of socks. We have lots and lots of shoes, but not enough socks to provide the two brand new pairs with each pair of shoes. Jackie Gallop saw the facebook post and made a generous donation, allowing about 30 pairs of socks to be purchased. While we are still in need, this puts a huge dent in that. Thank you Jackie!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

A Sack Full of Supplies


Last night at the KC Express meeting Kelli Baker gave me a huge bag full of supplies to take to Servite Primary. Wow, talk about a heavy bag. Thank you Kelli so much!!


Monday, September 3, 2012

Pairs 51, 52, and 53

Thanks so much Olathe West Jazzercise for the 3 pairs of shoes and 3 pairs of socks I picked up last Friday.

We are in need of socks. At the time of this writing, we still need 61 pairs of women's and 22 pairs of men's socks ankle length athletic socks in white. No, that doesn't mean super fancy socks. It just means not crew style or dress style.