a care package for my cousin

A couple of weeks ago I asked for suggestions for a care package I was putting together for my 12-year-old cousin Ryan, who was undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn ACL.

I got some great suggestions in the comments of that post, some on facebook, and some by email, and I am going to compile them into their own post.  For now, I thought I would tell you what I sent.  

I ended up keeping it pretty simple for time's sake--I wanted to get it in the mail so that Ryan would get it soon after her surgery, while she was still recovering and needing something to keep herself busy.  Fortunately, two cousins that live closer to her were able to deliver a book and a DVD to her in person.  So I went the crafty route.  

My aunt confirmed that Ryan was still into crafting (I was hoping so!), and that she had never heard of Smash books, so I sent her this one, along with 2 fun Gelly Roll pens, some mini alphabet stamps and an ink pad, stickers to decorate with, a roll of black-and-white polka dot tape, and a band that goes around the Smash book and also serves as a pen holder.  (Fortunately, Michaels was having a sale on stamps, ink, and stickers at the time and I had a 40% off coupon for one item as well!)

Ryan also got a handmade "Feel Better Soon" card with a smiley happy heart on it and some random circles of large neon confetti that you can see in the picture of the box above.  :)  

This was my little effort at sending some recovery cheer in the mail.  I loved all the ideas I was given (thank you, friends!) and will share those soon!