A Christmas Blankie

This sweet little one was given a Christmas Leigh's Blankie, bought by his auntie at a special event- Cornerstone's Believe Boutique!!!

Precious boy!!!

Blankies headed to Honduras!!

My sweet friend called me this past week because a midwife from Gilbert Mercy Hospital is collecting blankies to send to an area in Honduras where newborn babies are wrapped in paper garbage bags.

Here are some nurses with Leigh's Blankies, I wish we could have sent thousands of blankies!!!!

Blankies at Nikki's Place in Thailand!!!

A few months ago I enjoyed a visit from the sweet Stowell Family.  Debbie and Matt Stowell had been in a couple's bible study with Greg and Leigh Ann (Tonkinson) just before Leigh passed away. They were very good friends and enjoyed sharing life and their families together. Debbie and Matt felt God's calling to do work in Thailand and moved there this last year.  I was so thrilled to be able to see Debbie and the kids when they came for a visit, and upon that visit they picked up a batch of Leigh's Blankies to distribute back at their home in Thailand! It was touching for them to be a part of something that honored Leigh's life as they love the Tonkinson family dearly.  This was another opportunity for them to make an impact on the children in their community as well.  

Debbie and her kids picking out their special blankies for the kiddos in Thailand.

They decided to donate the blankies to a very special place called

Nikki's Place-Agape Home, which is a home that provides love and care to abandoned or orphaned babies and children with, or at risk of, HIV/AIDS.
Below are amazing pictures of the little one's at Nikkie's Place with  Leigh's Blankies!

Debbie and a sweet one from Nikki's Place

 The Stowell girls lovin on the little girls.

I'm thankful for Debbie and Matt's friendship and

their willingness to be the hands and feet of Christ over in Thailand!!

Blankies headed to Mexico...

Leigh's Blankies are used to comfort and warm children. They're used as mats for little ones to sleep on. Now some children in Mexico will use them as a sack to carry their belongings. I received a forwarded email from a sweet friend,now 43 blankies are headed to Mexico!!! Here's why...

"There is another village in Mexico that hasn't been adopted. I think there are 17 boys and 22 girls, but I can confirm. This is a village that can't have a lot of "things" because they are much more mobile than the other one,and have to "pick up and go" at the command of the Padron (boss of the ...field work). She thinks that more practical than having a toy,would actually be a blanket for the children,because they can wrap their only possessions in it when they have to move with mom and dad to field work,but will still have something soft and special. Any chance Andra and her team would have enough blankets to fill that order? Cindy's pastor down there would present them as part of a Christmas program,sharing about Jesus. He calls each child up individually and presents them with their only Christmas gift in the name of Jesus and gives them a big hug."

God, Thank you for Leigh's Blankies!! And thank you for the hands that sew with us!! God, please be with these children!

Believe Boutique was a HUGE Blessing!!

Thank you so much for making our fundraiser at the Believe Holiday Boutique a huge success!!! We met SO many wonderful people and raised enough to make SEVERAL HUNDRED more blankies!!!


Andra, Maria and Deanne in front of a stocked cabinet of blankies!

I want to thank Maria, Deanne and Linda (not pictured) for working the weekend with me! These women prayed, sewed, and talked to countless people at the boutique about Leigh's Blankies. I am so grateful to them! Thank you to Molly at The Tomkat Studio for our beautiful packaging labels, because of her help, each person who bought a blankie received our website information. I loved our wood signs at our booth, made and donated by Dawn from Sassy Talk! Thank you to Jenne Acevedo for writing a beautiful article about us in the Believe Vendor Guidebook, which was handed to every shopper who came through our doors.   Modern Woodmen of America matched our funds raised at the boutique, we are so grateful to them! And thank you to the many, many women who sewed and help prepare everything! So much work went into this fundraiser, we give God the glory for it all coming together!  

I am in the process of collecting pictures of sweet little ones with their Leigh's Blankies.  If you bought a blankie at the boutique...please send a picture to andragood1@cox.net and I'll compile them for our website! How fun!!  Blankies were bought for newborns, toddlers, big kids, adults...even dogs!! My favorite blankies were our Christmas prints. It's so fun to have a special blankie on the couch for the Christmas season!

Judy (Greg Tonkinson's mom), Andra's grandma and many others came to support us!

Andra and Kathe Wunnenberg

As we wrapped up the boutique, we got to hand deliver some blankies to very special lady at the boutique. Kathe Wunnenberg, who founded Hope Lifters, led myself and some other ladies in a grief group at church this past year.  She loved on all of us experiencing grief and encouraged us with the love of God.  Two of us in that group went on to start non-profit organizations. Myself and Shayla, who founded Owl Love you Forever, were impacted in a big way by the wisdom and truth Kathe spoke into our lives.  I am so grateful for the divine appointment God made for Kathe and I. We gave Kathe blankies for her Hope Lifters Ministry. Often Kathe meets women who have lost children, holding a blankie can sometimes bring comfort to them.  Kathe has also written and published three books on loss, you can check them out here at her website or on Amazon.

We are all so excited to see where God will send the next several hundred blankies!!

Check back for more updates, follow us on Twitter or "like" us on Facebook!

Blankies on sale at the BELIEVE: Holiday Boutique Nov. 4th and 5th!!!

Hey friends!

I wanted to let you know of a wonderful event that is happening next weekend at Cornerstone Church! Believe Holiday Boutique is an annual event at Cornerstone that raises money for the Women's Networking ministry. I've been serving on the Believe team for the last 3 years, and it is such a privilege. Leigh's Blankies has been given an incredible fundraising opportunity at the Boutique this year! We will be selling the blankies for $20 each, and for every blankie sold TWO will be donated to children in need. EXCITING!!!

Looking back over these last several months, God has truly blessed this ministry. Over 500 blankies have been hand made and distributed to Kenya, Haiti, Malawi, Poland, Tunisia, China, Guatemala, Joplin MO, and to adoptive families and their birth mothers in the Phoenix area. We'd like to continue to grow this ministry and watch God lead us where He wants us to go. We are open to His will and His desires for this ministry. I never would have dreamed that we'd have over 40 people on our team for Leigh's Blankies, From our home sewers to our gals that iron at sew nights, each one that is involved has a very special place in my heart. Their willingness to serve, the light that each one exudes and the diligence into getting these blankies made is admirable. They all desire to bring joy to children but most of all honor the Lord. I want to thank each of you for getting us prepared for this Boutique!!! With the sale of these blankies, we have the potential to raise enough money to fund our fabric for next year! And not only that, here's some BIG news!! A fraternal insurance company is going to match our raised funds up to $1500 for this event!!! SERIOUSLY!!! ;)

SOOOO....please come check out the boutique. It is so much fun and you'll get your Christmas shopping done! And come on by and shop for some blankies. They are so soft, cute and some little cutie is going to love one. We even have a Christmas line :).

Love to you all, and thanks for YOUR love!

(Any donation made at this event to Leigh's Blankies, beyond the sale of the blankie, is tax deductible).

Click on the Believe image for more information!

You can serve others through Leigh's Blankies!

First I have to apologize, it's been a long time since you've heard from me on this blog! We have been BUSY making and distributing blankies. Now it's time to update you on what's been going on!!

I'm so excited to share with you that a local preschool, Ladybug Learning Club, has asked to fundraise for us and they are including the little preschoolers in the process! Last month, they had each student bring their own blankie to school.  The teachers talked to them about the security and comfort their own blankie brings to each of them.  And that many children who are in need or are hurting could use the comfort of a blankie and the news that God loves them! Ladybug has a drop off station for fabric, thread and other sewing materials. They will be collecting materials all year long! Thank you God for this blessing!

Another way we are seeing others serve children is through our take home kits! Many, many people are now sewing Leigh's Blankies from home.  And even having their own sewing parties!

One sweet friend, Kristina Stansbury, wanted to share her own experience as she hosted her own sew party! I'm so thankful for her servant heart, as she not only hosted , but taught these ladies how to sew!

"Ladybug preschool has chosen Leigh's Blankies as a service project this year. One of the parents at the school is a friend of mine and mentioned she'd love to help if she knew how to sew. Another friend, who has been following Leigh's Blankies, wanted to learn how to use her sewing machine and make blankies too. Using a kit provided by Leigh's Blankies these ladies learned how to sew and created blankies. What joy to fellowship while sewing these snugly blankies for a child in need."