Sending Sunshine box!

I love the idea of sending personalized gifts to people (hence what I do!) so when Stampin' Up! announced the June Paper Pumpkin kit was a Sunshine box you could mail, I fell in love!

If you have not heard of a Sunshine box before like me... the base idea is to send small yellow, orange (colors of the sun) items to brighten someone's day! The quantity may vary based on the size of the items and the size of your box. Small box = less items. I went a little overboard and sent from 10-15 items within a price range of $12-$17 per person to 15 people! Of course, all tracked in an Excel spreadsheet!

What items? Depends on who you are sending to, your budget and quantity... candy, food, lip balm, candle, toy, sunglasses, hair tie, bath bombs, body wash, hand soap, seed packets, lotion, face scrubs, foot care, reusable cup or mug, small purse, note pad/pen, tea bags, just about anything that goes with the sunshine theme!

• Think about all Yellow-Orange colored packaging in candy aside from those butterscotch hard candies... Lemonheads, Juicy Fruit, Sour Patch, Peanut M&Ms, Toblerone, Laffy Taffy, Jujyfruit, Charleston Chews, Raisinets, Sugar Daddy, Starburst, Oh Henry, Butterfinger, Milk Duds, Reese's, Mike & Ike, $100 Grand bar, Mr. Goodbar, Dots. I could go on all day... not trying to give your recipient cavities, maybe just stick to a few candy items to mix and match... Note if anyone on your list is Diabetic, has a nut/dairy allergy, is Gluten-Free or vegan. 
• Cookies/Other foods: Keebler, Lorna Doone, Nutter Butter, Lemon cookies, Belvida, Grandma's Peanut Butter Cookies, Famous Amos, Fig Newtons, Chamomile/Chai tea, even those Cracker multi-packages in the snack aisle and of course, Ramen noodles. Anything you can find individually wrapped!

Option: choose 5-7 thoughtful large items. There are no official rules, not every item has to be in the color scheme, give yourself some leniency to be creative.

Where to shop? Of course, Amazon is the default but may not be the best pricing when it comes to food or candles. Be mindful of the prices per person when shopping.

• Amazon is great for bulk, prices, and speed, think trial size items as well. 
• Your grocery store or the Dollar store is great for candy and cookies.
• Thinking more bath items? Take advantage of Bath & Body Works specials. 
• Thinking candles and stationery? Check Target, including the end caps.  
• Tissue paper for packaging, always great buy at the Dollar Store. Party City stores have color themes so worth checking out.

My list is further below and the color scheme includes yellows, oranges, reds, and bright neons.

So... how do you get started? I would say around the same time as you are shopping, start making your list of friends, family, loved ones who could use a little pick me up! Maybe you find something online that reminds you of a good friend you haven't talked to in a while.  Remember, make the list of recipients achievable.

Give yourself lead time!  Set a deadline and watch shipping dates to ensure you receive all items timely to meet that deadline. You will have some downtime from when you start ordering until items arrive, so make use of that time.

• Boxes: I went shopping in my basement for appropriately sized boxes, smaller the better regarding shipping costs (I learned additional costs apply for larger boxes!). Remove or cover over old shipping labels and bar codes. Note: Amazon boxes may have a bar code in the bottom corner of the box, cover with plain white labels or remove as this will take extra time at the post office if they need to cover.

Alternatively, you can order FREE boxes from the US Postal Service and pay for shipping once filled or purchase Flat Rate boxes. If shipping to you, this will have it's own lead time so plan ahead.

I lined the base of the box with yellow tissue paper and decorated the inside flaps of the boxes with 12" x 12" scrapbook paper and layered on sunshine printable messages on the flaps.

• Create a card/personal message: Since I design cards for my Stampin' Up! business, everyone received a personalized handmade card. If that's not you, consider creating a Sunshine-themed message to include in each gift box.
• Google Sunshine box printable templates, I used these 2 below in my boxes:
• https://hip2save.com/diy/diy-surprise-gift-box/
• This Etsy listing costs $5 but included the address label template so I went for it to save time!
• Canva.com is free to sign-up and has TONS of free templates to start, add custom text, and print at home. Consider printing on heavy cardstock paper and writing a quick message instead of a card!
• Purchase blank cards to write a personal message.

• Gift planning: FUN PART for me! After some initial shopping, now is the time to plan out the distribution. Are all the recipients receiving the same items or a bit mix and max? How much per person? 
• In an Excel file: List purchased items, add columns for total price, total quantity, quantity per person (if different), and calculate price/person.
• Then in a separate tab or section, add Names and then list items by each name to confirm quantity per person
• Write names on Post-It notes, add to plastic shoeboxes to sort items as they come in!

• Make your own address labels: Can use Word document. Since my labels were not adhesive-backed, I covered the labels with clear packing tape to prevent water damage in transit. 

Prep to ship! Check the products to ensure they are ship friendly, what could leak or break? I wrapped the lotion and sunscreen in small plastic bags and adhered with Washi tape. When the box is closed, if you press down in the middle, how much "give" is there? Use extra packing material from previous shipments to secure items. 

My list:

1. Frito Lay Snacks package
2. Nilla wafers
3. Yellow frame sunglasses
4. Abuelita Hot Chocolate packets
5. Assorted tea (Chamomile, Immune defense, Lemon)
6. Body Loofah, also found at my grocery store for ~$1-$1.25 price point
7. Lip balm, Carmex and Burt's Bees are also great options!
8. Rubber duckies
9. Lemon face mask
10. Ramen
11. Mineral Bath soak
12. Jergen's lotion, there's a touch of orange on the package (a bit of a reach)
13. Post-It Notes
14. Banana Boat sunscreen
15. Juicy Fruit gum
16. Beverage tumbler with straws and lids
17. Clinique bar soap
18. Neon socks
19. Starbursts and Butterscotch candies
20. Yellow gift bags
21. Tissue paper
22. Repurposed items from home 😉

Enjoy! Please share your Sunshine story or ask any questions!

Thanks,

Natalie V