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She was low on cash, so she sewed her son a birthday gift. People flooded the boy with gifts.
Inspired Life
She was low on cash, so she sewed her son a birthday gift. When she posted online about it, people flooded the boy with gifts.
Jonas Holloway with some of the stuffed sea creatures sent to him for his birthday this month. (Tiffany Holloway)
By Cathy Free
Yesterday at 6:00 a.m. EDT
Tiffany Holloway’s son Jonas is obsessed with everything ocean-related, so she said she wasn’t surprised when he asked for a plush Manta Ray for his 5th birthday. ... Holloway soon realized she had a problem. She looked online to buy one of the stuffed sea creatures, then checked her savings account balance. ... “I saw that I had only $2,” she said. “There was no way I could afford even the cheapest Manta Ray that I saw for $20.”
With two weeks to go before her son’s Aug. 16 birthday, Holloway, a single mom from McLoud, Okla., decided to get creative. ... She rummaged around for a needle and some thread in a junk drawer, fetched her son’s old fuzzy blue baby blanket and cut out a manta ray pattern she’d drawn on a cardboard box.
The stuffed Manta Ray that Tiffany Holloway made for her son Jonas earlier this month for his fifth birthday. (Tiffany Holloway)
“I sat on the couch until 1 in the morning, poking myself with that needle until I’d finally finished sewing it together,” said Holloway, 33. “I took two buttons off one of my blouses and used those for eyes.”
She felt so proud of her thrifty creation that she took to social media Aug. 2 to post a photo on Reddit’s poverty/finance page, which she follows for money-saving tips. ... “My son wanted a stuffed manta ray for his 5th birthday but I didn’t have money to buy one, so instead I converted his old baby blanket into one!” she wrote. ... “I figured I’d be lucky to hear from a couple of people,” said Holloway. “I thought I might get teased because the button eyes aren’t on straight.”
{snip}
Holloway said she’s grateful for the kindness of strangers, and for the unexpected turn of events. ... “It’s not about presents and money,” she said. “It’s about love and humanity.” ... “The people who saw my post are a lot like me — they’re not well-off,” added Holloway. “But they came forward to lift us up and make a dream true. We’ll carry that happy feeling with us.”
Have a story for Inspired Life? Here’s how to submit.
By Cathy Free
Cathy Free is based in Salt Lake City and has written for Reader’s Digest, People Magazine and several newspapers. She has been a regular contributor to The Post since 2018.
She was low on cash, so she sewed her son a birthday gift. When she posted online about it, people flooded the boy with gifts.
Jonas Holloway with some of the stuffed sea creatures sent to him for his birthday this month. (Tiffany Holloway)
By Cathy Free
Yesterday at 6:00 a.m. EDT
Tiffany Holloway’s son Jonas is obsessed with everything ocean-related, so she said she wasn’t surprised when he asked for a plush Manta Ray for his 5th birthday. ... Holloway soon realized she had a problem. She looked online to buy one of the stuffed sea creatures, then checked her savings account balance. ... “I saw that I had only $2,” she said. “There was no way I could afford even the cheapest Manta Ray that I saw for $20.”
With two weeks to go before her son’s Aug. 16 birthday, Holloway, a single mom from McLoud, Okla., decided to get creative. ... She rummaged around for a needle and some thread in a junk drawer, fetched her son’s old fuzzy blue baby blanket and cut out a manta ray pattern she’d drawn on a cardboard box.
The stuffed Manta Ray that Tiffany Holloway made for her son Jonas earlier this month for his fifth birthday. (Tiffany Holloway)
“I sat on the couch until 1 in the morning, poking myself with that needle until I’d finally finished sewing it together,” said Holloway, 33. “I took two buttons off one of my blouses and used those for eyes.”
She felt so proud of her thrifty creation that she took to social media Aug. 2 to post a photo on Reddit’s poverty/finance page, which she follows for money-saving tips. ... “My son wanted a stuffed manta ray for his 5th birthday but I didn’t have money to buy one, so instead I converted his old baby blanket into one!” she wrote. ... “I figured I’d be lucky to hear from a couple of people,” said Holloway. “I thought I might get teased because the button eyes aren’t on straight.”
{snip}
Holloway said she’s grateful for the kindness of strangers, and for the unexpected turn of events. ... “It’s not about presents and money,” she said. “It’s about love and humanity.” ... “The people who saw my post are a lot like me — they’re not well-off,” added Holloway. “But they came forward to lift us up and make a dream true. We’ll carry that happy feeling with us.”
Have a story for Inspired Life? Here’s how to submit.
By Cathy Free
Cathy Free is based in Salt Lake City and has written for Reader’s Digest, People Magazine and several newspapers. She has been a regular contributor to The Post since 2018.
8 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
I made a hand sewn super cat doll for my therapist when I was homeless living in a motel 6. I wanted to make her a gift for helping me so much.
When she left the practice to a different kind of practice I had a home so I painted her a huge poppy flower .
She likes orange poppies and her office was decorated with them.
Her poppy painting was in acrylic with glitter.
and glitter makes every thing brighter! 