The Pocket Treasure Project

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Yay! You Found a Pocket Treasure!

If you found one of my little handmade fish magnets, it's yours to keep!The Pocket Treasure Project began with one simple promise when I started working as an elementary PE paraprofessional. I told my students I would wear every friendship bracelet they made for me on the last day of school. By the end of the year, there were so many bracelets that I turned them into a handmade skirt.That promise grew into hundreds of handmade fish magnets, friendship bracelets, bookmarks, and community treasure hunts—all created to spark curiosity, kindness, and unexpected moments of joy.I'm so glad you found your way here. Welcome to my little pocket of joy and love.

The Story Behind the Project

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Hi, I'm Tommie!

I'm a PE paraprofessional in Spring, Texas, and I believe even the smallest acts of kindness can leave a lasting impact.For the past three years, I've been making and trading handmade friendship bracelets with students, creating a culture of connection, creativity, and belonging throughout the school community. At the end of each school year, I wear every bracelet I received for that school year and turn them into a handmade skirt — a beautiful reminder that every bracelet represents a friendship, a memory, and a moment shared with a student.I realized my supplies were getting low, but the demand for trading with students was becoming higher. I decided to reach out to the to see if anyone had leftover beads they were no longer using. The amount of donations was so large, I had to get a set of storage drawers just to hold them all. Because my needs were met so greatly with leftovers from my community, I began creating bracelet kits for students, bead kits for the school counselor to keep on hand, rewards for the PE treasure box, and hidden surprises tucked inside library books for students to discover.Inspired by the joy these small surprises created, I began making handmade clay treasures and hiding them throughout the school. The tiny fish magnets quickly became the heart of the project. In just three months, I handmade and painted more than 700 tiny treasures, helping create a culture of whimsy, curiosity, kindness, and connection that students and staff eagerly looked forward to each day.What started as a few handmade bracelets quietly grew into something magical — a reminder that small treasures can make people feel seen, valued, loved, and connected to the world around them.