2015 Memory Box Donation

First, I want to apologize for not updating the blog sooner. I am great about posting when I want donations but not so great about the follow-up and for that I am truly sorry.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated this year!!! 

Because of you I was able to again donate 20 memory boxes to Mercy Hospital. The staff there could not say enough about what these boxes mean to the families who receive them.

Our crazy 2 year old was not excited about having her picture taken.

We made the donation on July 10th, the 3rd angelversary for Harper. It was super special this year because the nurse who was by my side the entire time we were in the hospital delivering Harper was there and we got to see her again. She truly was a God send at that time for us. She was amazing and I pray for her daily. So it was SO great to see her on that special day.

After the donation we went to Sea Life Minnesota at the Mall of America and had lunch at The Hardrock Cafe. This year was a little different for us and I am actually a little disappointed. Our life is so busy and revolves around our living children I felt like we didn't do enough to honor Harper on what would have been her 3rd birthday. We didn't even do a balloon release this year. It kind of felt like a regular day.

Next year we will do better little one. I promise you. (More on that for another time...)

End of March Update

I just wanted to reach out to everyone and give you a quick update on The Harper Project for 2015. 

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the donations I have already received. I will never be able to properly express my gratitude for your support in this endeavor. 

Here is a list of all the items still needed. The first number in the parenthesis is the number of items I have received, the second number is the total number of the item needed. For example, (4/10), I have received 4 out of 10 of the item listed. 

(20/20) Flower seed packets (Forget me nots are a great idea)

(16/20) Small journals

(6/20) Small plush animals (Teddy bears or lambs are great options)

(20/20) Small picture frames (no larger than 4x6)

(0/20) Small photo album (for single 4x6 pictures)

(20/20) Small keepsake items such as angel figurines, pendants, etc. (Etsy is a great resource.)

(5/20) Small handmade baby blankets

(0/20) Knit layettes or preemie size gowns

(10/10) Headbands for girls

(10/10) Small bow ties for boys

(0/20) Hand/Foot clay impression kits

(0/20) Memorial items geared specifically towards fathers
(unlimited needed) Blank cards the staff can send to families on anniversaries

If  you need help with ideas, please check out my Amazon wish list HERE. Or please feel free to contact me at theharperlynnproject@gmail.com with any questions or ideas. 

And please don't forget that the last day to make donations is April 30th 2015. After that date I will use monetary donations to purchase items that are needed to fill the boxes and supplies to make the actual boxes. 

Help get the word out about The Harper Project

If anyone is interested in helping to get the word out about The Harper Project I have two different flyers available. One is a single sided, one page, black & white flyer that can be hung on a bulletin board or handed out. The other is a double sided, tri-fold, color brochure that can be passed out.

The Harper Project informational Flyer

The Harper Project informational brochure. Side 1

The Harper Project informational brochure. Side 2

Please let me know if you are interested in receiving one or both of these flyers. I can either email you a PDF and you can print them yourself or let me know how many you would like and I can print them out and mail them to you directly. theharperlynnproject@gmail.com

Also, I updated the website with a P.O. Box that can be used for donations. The address is:

The Harper Project
P.O. Box 631
Hastings, MN 55033 

The Harper Project 2015 Launch

For those of you who may be new to The Harper Project, my name is Sara and on July 10th, 2012 my daughter, Harper, was stillborn. It is the single most devastating thing my husband and I have ever experienced. But out of the devastation The Harper Project was created. 

The goal of The Harper Project is to reach out to families in the hospital who are going through the pain of losing their baby by donating memory boxes, care items and support in the hopes of bringing a small amount of comfort and healing to these families. 

This year I am kicking the project off a little earlier. I am expecting and due the day after Harper's angelversary so I'm hoping to get the boxes finished well ahead of our planned donation day, July 10th, 2015.

I've made a few small changes to the way I'm doing things this year, mainly for my own ease this year but also because I learned what did or didn't work last year.

Click here to learn how you can help The Harper Project for 2015.

First and foremost I want to thank everyone who helped make The Harper Project a huge success in 2014. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Whether it was donations of items, money or just encouraging thoughts and prayers, I am forever grateful. It is because of all of YOU that I was able to donate 20 memory boxes and 10 Mommy Care Kits to Mercy Hospital on July 10th, the second anniversary of Harper being born silent into the world. 

Loading up the minivan with memory boxes & mommy care kits. 

It felt good to do something positive on a day that is so sad for our family. We dropped ofs the donations and then spent the day together as a family with our daughter Stella in our arms and Harper in our hearts. 

We stopped for a picnic lunch.

Later that evening we release balloons with letters attached that we had written for Harper. We did this the first year and it's a tradition we are hoping to carry on. (To be honest the actual act of releasing balloons kind of bothers me. I always feel like it's littering and worry about animals getting caught up in the stings. So if anyone has idea's of other things we could do I am open to hearing them. But I do like watching the balloons float up and I usually watch until I can't see them anymore. I'm always curious as to where they end up.)

Celebrate with the angels!

The Harper Project This Year:

I am going to try and get things started a little early this time around. I am hoping to have all 20 memory boxes completed before June 14th. Honestly, last year was a little bit of a learning curve for me and I'm sure as each year passes I will change things and adjust them to what works the best.

So be on the look out for updates on the project coming soon!!!

If you have any questions in the meantime feel free to email me at theharperlynnproject@gmail.com

21 days to go...

The first fully completed and filled Memory Box. 

The boxes are slowly starting to come together. I got the first one finished yesterday and have one started today. The hardest part is getting the fabric smoothly onto the box AND folding the ends in so that it looks nice. Keeping it all smooth and wrinkle free once I've got the spray adhesive on can be quite a challenge. But now that I sort of know how I want them the rest should go easier and hopefully quicker. I used hot glue to attach the ribbon onto the lid and the inside of the box but I've decided that isn't going to work. You can kind of see the glue through the ribbon. So I'm going to try double sided tape on the next one. 

One down, 20+ to go!

When I spoke with my contact at Mercy Hospital she said they average about 20 stillbirths a year. The number was a lot larger than I anticipated, it is so heartbreaking to know that about 20 families will go through this devastation in one year and that is just at ONE hospital. For something that you hear so little about, it happens too often. I know when we experienced it, the thought of my baby dying before being born had never even crossed my mind after 12 weeks of pregnancy. And then when it did happen I felt so alone, I didn't even realize that I knew families that unfortunately shared this experience.

I'm hoping these boxes will help these families know they are not alone and then to also bring awareness to others that this is something that happens, that it is horrible but it shouldn't be hidden away. These families need to know that it is okay to grieve and be sad and that their loss means something to other people as well.

So my goal is to get at least 20 boxes done that I can donate to Mercy Hospital on July 10th. If I get more done I'd like to donate them to the hospital here in Hastings. I know a nurse that works there and when she heard about my project she shared with me that the hospital does not receive anything like these Memory Boxes to give to families that are going through this. I'd like to change that.

I've been making bracelets that go into the Memory Boxes (see pic below). They turned out pretty. I'm thinking that I will start selling them in my Etsy shop with the proceeds going towards The Harper Project. But I first need to finish the 20+ I need to do for the project this year. I've got 12 done so far. 

Coming soon to The Harper Project Shop on Etsy.

I've only got 21 days left to get everything done. Wish me luck. I may end up throwing a "Help me cover these boxes with fabric" party if it comes down to it. Or if anyone would like to take a trip down to Hastings to help one of these days let me know! When we get our work done we can go swimming. 

Candle Making & Etsy

Making votive candles for Memory Boxes.

For part of The Harper Project Memory Boxes I handmade some small votive candles, I had never done any candle making before but I found that I really enjoyed doing it. So I started making more; different scents, colors, and containers. I decided to add them to my Etsy shop. I've had the shop for a while under a different name selling other items (I say selling very loosely) I've made and hadn't really done much with it so I changed the name to reflect the project (and also because I had to register The Harper Project as a "doing business as" name with the Secretary of State and I never did that with my old Etsy shop name) and decided to sell everything with the idea that a portion of the proceeds will go towards the The Harper Project Memory Boxes.

Making candles for the Etsy shop.

Not every item in the shop is for The Harper Project or babyloss but some of the items are. But for every item I sell a portion of the *proceeds will go towards the Memory Boxes. I have candles available now and I hope to have different scents available soon. I'd also like to sell other items geared toward babyloss. I'm hand making some bracelets for the Memory Boxes and if I get them figured out well enough I'd like to sell those too. I know that I have looked on Etsy for items specifically designed for babyloss that I can wear or have in the house as a memorial for Harper. 

Here is a breakdown of how much money will go towards the project for each item sold:

4oz candle tin ($6) or jar ($8) - $3 will go towards The Harper Project.
8oz candle tin ($7) or jar ($9) - $4 will go towards The Harper Project.
Nursery Art - $5 will go towards The Harper Project. 
(If you checked out my shop within the last few days, check it out again. I've adjusted some of the shipping prices. I'm still new at this and just got my mail scale from amazon yesterday.)

etsy.com/shop/theharperprojectshop

Any items bought before April 30th will have the donation go towards this years project. Sales after the 30th will go for next year.

It is a way to spread the word about The Harper Project all year and maybe babyloss families can find them on my Etsy shop and use them for their memorials while helping this project as well.

Click here --->The Harper Project Shop to go to the shop.

If anyone in the Elk River, Hastings or Mankato/Janesville area is interested in making a purchase and isn't in a rush for the product contact me first because *if* I can deliver you the items I have a code I can give you for free shipping.

Needed Items for Memory Boxes

Donations and items I've collected for the Memory Boxes and Mommy Care Kits.

I've had a lot of people ask me what items are still needed for the Memory Boxes. I have 10 "boxes" put together at this point. Because this project is so new there is a big learning curve for me, so I thought I would list each box and what it has and what it still needs to give people an idea of what I'm still in need of. 

Box #1
Has: Figurine, candle, journal, picture frame, headband, seed packet & stuffed animal
Needs: Bracelet, Blanket
Box #2
Has: Figurine, candle, journal, picture frame, headband, seed packet & stuffed animal
Needs: Bracelet, Blanket
Box #3
Has: Candle, journal, picture frame, headband, seed packet & stuffed animal
Needs: Figurine or keepsake item, bracelet, blanket
Box #4
Has: Candle, journal, picture frame, headband, seed packet & stuffed animal
Needs: Figurine or keepsake item, bracelet, blanket
Box #5
Has: Candle, journal, picture frame, seed packet & stuffed animal
Needs: Figurine or keepsake item, blanket, bracelet
Box #6
Has: Candle, journal, picture frame, seed packet & stuffed animal
Needs: Figurine or keepsake item, blanket, bracelet
Box #7
Has: Candle, journal, picture frame, seed packet & stuffed animal
Needs: Figurine or keepsake item, blanket, bracelet

(Apparently, I can't count because I went from 7 to 9 in my inventorying, so please ignore)

Box #9

Has: Candle, journal, picture frame, seed packet & stuffed animal
Needs: Figurine or keepsake item, blanket, bracelet
Box #10
Has: Candle, journal, picture frame, seed packet & stuffed animal
Needs: Figurine or keepsake item, blanket, bracelet
Box #11
Has: Candle, journal, picture frame, seed packet & stuffed animal
Needs: Figurine or keepsake item, blanket, bracelet

The start of the Memory Boxes coming together, these still need some items and to be decorated.

So you can see that at the moment what I'm in need of the most is keepsake items, blankets and bracelets, also headbands for some of the boxes. 

Keepsake items can be angel figurines, angel ornaments, necklaces with angel wings or baby feet pendants. Or any item that you would give to someone who has just experienced a death in the family. 

Blankets are recommended to be hand made, knit, or crocheted - small in size like receiving blanket size or slightly bigger. Some families may use these blankets to wrap their baby in. 

The idea behind the headbands & bracelets came from the nurse at the hospital who is in charge of the babyloss program. They take pictures of the baby to give to the family and the nurse said she wanted to photograph the baby holding the bracelet and then the mom can take the bracelet home with her. So I'm going to be making a couple myself and I'm using white/cream beads with either pink or blue beads and then a charm. I have baby feet or doves. The headbands are to be put on the girls for pictures as well.

I am also in need of supplies to decorate the boxes. 
Fabric (it takes 3 1/5 ft by 3 ft to cover the boxes and lids, design should be "soft" not too busy or cheerful, soft flower patterns are nice)
Spray adhesive (to attach the fabric to the boxes)
White or cream colored tissue paper (to wrap some of the fragile item in that will go in the boxes)

I have not received any greeting cards. The staff likes to send cards to families on the anniversaries of their loss.

Items for the Mommy Care Kits are another idea if you are looking for something easy and inexpensive. All the items can be found at Target. Click *here* for a link to the list of items needed for the Mommy Care Kits. 

If you have an idea for something you'd like to donate that you don't see listed, please feel free to contact me!!! Donations of all kinds are welcome and the list is just a guideline. 

Click *here* for a link to a list of locations where donations can be dropped off. 

Also, I am planning to do more than 10 boxes so donations of all items are still welcome. (Click *here* for a link to the list of all the items needed.) At the end of the donation time (April 30th is the last day!) I will be using the monetary donations to fill items needed for boxes and buy supplies to decorating the boxes. Any items or money not used this year will be saved for next year.

I want to thank everyone who has already made a donation to The Harper Project! You have no idea how much it means to me to be supported by so many people! 

Please email me stellalynndesigns@gmail.com if you have any questions or to set up a donation pick up. Remember that April 30th is the last day to make your donations! And please put your name with the items that are donated so that I know where they came from!!!

Plymouth Drop Location Added

For those of you who know me personally, you know that I worked for Jerry's Service Inc. for over 5 years. I was pregnant with Harper while I was the manager of their Holiday store and after her death I remained employed with the company in a couple different positions. I never went back to work at the Holiday store though because I knew I would never be able to avoid customers unknowingly asking about the "new baby", because they had seen be ballooning for months and then returning unpregnant. Not the best way to deal with the situation probably but at the time avoidance seemed to be the lesser of evils. I did receive cards and condolences from many of the customers and I was so touched by those that reached out to us.

The owners of Jerry's Service have graciously agreed to let their Holiday Stationstore be an official Drop Site for donations to The Harper Project. They were so amazing to my family during such a difficult time and now they are continuing their awesomeness by becoming a drop site and allowing me to put up flyers in the store as well.

The store address is: 16825 County Rd. 24 Plymouth, MN 55447 (There are several Holiday store in Plymouth and a couple close to this location but this particular Holiday Stationstore is the only location accepting docations at this time. If you go to any of the other Holidays they won't have any idea about this project.)

Phone: (763) 551-3914

Hours: Monday - Friday: 6am - 11pm
           Saturday & Sunday: 7am - 11pm

My Rainy Day Project

Originally posted on March 27, 2014 on The Ashmore's; Life, Death & Everything Else.

I made it to Target today, in spite of the rain/snow outside, and purchased the items for the 5 Mommy Care Kits I am donating. I'm still trying to figure out packaging, I'm thinking organza bags would be pretty. My next trip is to the craft store. I wish I still lived close to St. Cloud because Crafts Direct would definitely be my friend during this project. 

Anyway, all of the items purchased in this picture were found in the sample/travel size section and it only cost $10.02 for all the items pictured. So if your looking for an easy, inexpensive way to help, a Mommy Care Kit is a great idea and it will be priceless to the mommy receiving it.