The OCC Earrings Started as a Favor for a Friend
TL;DR: I first made these Operation Christmas Child airplane gift box earrings for a friend who needed 20 pairs to thank OCC volunteers. She asked me to put them on Etsy, and this fall they’ve become one of my best sellers. One buyer ordered five pairs at once. They’re small, lightweight, and made to order. They’re not an official Samaritan’s Purse product, just a handmade thank-you for the people who pack shoeboxes.
Some of my favorite listings didn’t start as product ideas. They started as a friend asking, “Could you make something for…?”
That’s how these earrings happened. A friend of mine wanted something special to give Operation Christmas Child volunteers, and she didn’t need one pair. She needed 20. So I made a batch with the airplane and gift box look OCC folks spot right away. She liked them enough to ask me to list them on Etsy so other people could order them too.
So I did. And it turns out she wasn’t the only one looking for a small way to say thanks.
What they are
Each pair is a 3D printed drop earring in lightweight PLA with ear-wire closures. The drop is about 2 inches, and the design is about 1.6 in by 2.3 in. That’s big enough to read as “OCC” from across a church fellowship hall and still light enough to wear all day at a packing party.
I make every pair to order in my workshop in Hurst, TX. If you’re local, pickup is free.
Why people buy more than one
This listing has been one of the busiest in my shop lately, and the orders tell a pretty clear story. People aren’t buying these for themselves. They’re buying them for their team.
One buyer ordered five pairs in a single order. That’s the same idea my friend had with her original 20: a thank-you gift for a whole crew. Packers, drop-off helpers, the church team that organizes collection week, the person who’s been filling shoeboxes every fall for twenty years.
That’s the kind of order I love to see. It means the earrings are doing the job they were made for.
What that looks like on my end
Most of my earring orders are one pair at a time, often in their own colors, so there’s no sharing a plate with other orders. A multi-pair order of the same design is a little different. The design stays the same, so I can plan the run as a set instead of a string of one-offs.
It’s a nice change of pace from custom-color work, and it’s a small reminder that the simple, recognizable designs are often the ones people actually want to gift.
Order early for shoebox season
If you’re getting these for volunteers, plan ahead of National Collection Week in November. They’re made to order, so a little lead time keeps you from cutting it close before your team’s last packing night.
You can find them on Etsy here: Operation Christmas Child Earrings – Airplane Gift Box Design. The details are also on my portfolio page.
One note because it matters: this is not an official Samaritan’s Purse product. It’s a handmade gift from my shop for people who serve that mission.
I didn’t set out to make volunteer gifts. A friend asked for 20 pairs, and now these earrings will go out every fall to people who spend their season packing shoeboxes for kids they’ll never meet. That’s a pretty good reason to keep the printer running.