Commit an Act of Kindness: Homeless Care Kits

I challenge you to commit an act of kindness!!

Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. 

Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.

~Scott Adams (1957)

The idea started when I was thinking about what a rough year I've had and I started to feel badly for myself. It became very apparent (after I demolished a box of tissues) that I needed to stop having a pity party for myself. There are so many blessings in my life that other people do not have. I should be grateful, not sad.

After I got my head out of my butt, I knew that I needed to do something to give back.

That's why when I saw a "Homeless Kit" on Pinterest and I knew instantly this was what I would do! I hope you will do it with me! 

You can really put anything in the kit that you think would impact someone's life in a positive way. I decided to use the following items, but feel free to make it your own! 

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Make a Simple Custom Rug with Fabric

Have you ever wished that you could find a rug that was the right size and the right design for a certain space?

I have!

Recently, I stumbled across a pin from a Amy Vowles from AllParenting who inspired me with her welcome matt to make floor runners using fabric!

I went to my favorite fabric store looking for something for my kitchen and I came across this fabric that is beautiful, wild and bold. It was something that I normally wouldn't have picked out, but I just fell in love with it. It is PERFECT for my laundry room!
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Make a Custom Desk Pad. Any Size! Any Design!

I've mentioned before that I'm cheap, right? 

My home office has a cute, but small (cheap) desk that I use quite a bit for blogging/studying and the table top shows it. It has areas where the paint is dented and even flaking off. Of course, I could sand it down and paint it, but that seems like too much work for a cheap, cheap desk. I decided to just cover it up instead until I find a thrift store desk to reinvent.

Has it ever happened to you that when you make a decision (that you think will be simple) and it turns out to be a major pain in the butt? Yeah. Story of my life.

Well, I thought I could just buy a desk pad. Ha! My desk is too skinny!  It's only just over 15 inches from front to back and that made it impossible to find a commercial desk pad that would fit the space.

In true, Overthrow Martha fashion,  I decided to make my own. You're totally surprised, right?!

While on a recent (and very important) mission to look for fabric, I noticed that Hobby Lobby sells vinyl by the foot and at that moment an idea was born. I could use the vinyl and create my own custom desk pad! It would be the EXACT size I wanted.

So, there I was, standing in the middle of Hobby Lobby, lovingly caressing this roll of vinyl, pondering my plans. In retrospect, I am pretty sure that I looked a little like Gollum caressing that ring because the lady who worked there was staring at me. My precious vinyl!!

Okay, okay, yes, I'm weird, but my mother sat on my head when she was giving birth to me. I'm pretty sure that has something to do with it.

Anyways, plain vinyl is boring and a little thin, but I remembered that I saw this great tutorial from A Little Tipsy where she uses an existing desk pad and decorates it using wrapping paper. Brilliant!

So, I'm at Hobby Lobby with my new idea floating around in my head, but I hadn't taken any measurements. I decided what the heck! I'll buy 5 ft and do one for my craft table, too. It was only $6.99/yard anyways so I might as well have some extra just in case I made a mistake.

And I did! I made 2 mistakes cutting so I'm glad I bought extra, but I still have A LOT left over-- nearly 2 feet!  At least I have plenty more for whatever crafting project comes up next!

What You Need: 

• Vinyl by the foot
• Wrapping paper or fabric
• Spray Adhesive
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Gridded paper (optional) and L-shaped, right angle ruler

There are two ways to do this project: One if you have gridded wrapping paper and the other if you don't or are using fabric.

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