I was finally able to start my 'project' last night. And no, I wasn't really making anything, rather, my 'project' is that I joined...
... and as part of The Toy Society, I am supposed to 'drop' off the toys I made. And last night I said good bye to Tiffany, wished her well, and made my first drop.
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| Ready for drop off! |
I printed my tags and my letter. The Toy Society provides standard tags and letters but I changed my tag a little. Instead of the 'Take me home, I'm yours' tag, I made mine 'This toy is FREE and it's yours!'. This practice is a little unusual here and I want the message to be simple and clear. I used the standard letter provided by The Toy Society and I made another set where I translated the letter and the tag to Tagalog (local language).
And there she is... left on the pavement in front of a chapel which I pass by on my way home. Kids play in this area in the evenings and I was hoping that one of them found it.
I had several doubts about joining The Toy Society, mostly concerning the culture here. I like the concept (that's why I joined) but I wasn't sure how a home made hand made toy is going to be appreciated by whoever finds it. I tried imagining what I would do if I found a toy inside a plastic bag lying on a street or hanging from a pole somewhere. I would probably ignore it and I definitely won't let my child touch it because I have no idea where it came from. I think that this kind of thinking is pretty common for most families here. We are just not used to finding something for free lying around (yeah... we don't have anything like Craig's List here). But I decided to go ahead with it anyway. On the tag I made for Tiffany, I added '*SAFE * CLEAN * HANDMADE*'. I hope that convinced whoever found her last night to pick her up and take her home. I know she was found because she wasn't there anymore when I passed by that same chapel again this morning.
I don't think I will ever hear from whoever found Tiffany, or from whoever will find the other toys I plan to 'drop' (yeah, I have a couple more ready for 'dropping'). Another culture thing. But I guess that's ok.
Edited (2011-07-18): My drop is already in The Toy Society blog. I'm drop #1563.
Edited (2011-07-18): My drop is already in The Toy Society blog. I'm drop #1563.
4 comments:
Hello Janelle! I super love this idea. Sana pwede din akong makagawa at participate. Though I agree iba ang kultura sa atin. But who knows, I believe good intentions never fail. Sana may batang makakuha kay Tiffany at sana alagaan niya. Natuwa naman ako sa idea na 'to sobra!
Aww. Tiffany looked so, so lonely there on the sidewalk. Bless her little heart. She found a good home, I pray.
Explain "the culture thing" to those of us who perhaps might not fully understand what you're feeling.
It's such a sweet thing to do but I agree...the method make the whole objective...kind of 'defective'? Why not educate the neighborhood first or hang in a special tree ... or a treasure hunt method...It's same here..I advise my kids never take anything from strangers or sidewalk...Hope Tiffany give some little one a reason to smile big today!
What a wonderful project! I'm sure Tiffany will have found a good home and be very loved! I understand completely about your doubts - I would have the same reservations. I agree with PC's comment about having a special place for this. It would be wonderful to have several people get together to participate - and get it promoted in the local paper so the community would know and understand the love and thoughts behind it!
Good for you Janelle! Lovely project!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
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