Saturday, March 7, 2015

Winner???? It's the Cat's Meow!!

0h, YES!!
It's time for Sunday's Stash additions with Molli 'Champers' Sparkles!

Today's Stash is brought to you by Cats.
No reason, other than it seemed like a Theme, and, you know, helped in organizing the veritable mountain of stash acquisitions that have been mysteriously arriving on the doorstep... 
(Didn't I join SewMyStash2015??!)

That's right I did! Apparently I'm goin' with the philosophy that if you don't have enough stash, you're not going to get enough done!! 

Last week, I hostessed a giveaway to anyone who could tell me what these two fabulous felines were, what they were for, or what they were doing... 

But, you have to wait to find out who won that giveaway, while I tell you about THIS lovely lovely fabric!! Ha!


 CatNap by Lizzy House!! Oh my! 
OH My My My!!


 Purrfectly Happy in green,

 Purrfectly Happy in Off White and Grey,

 Kitty Dreams on Dark Blue,

Kitty Dreams! killin' me!!
 Cat's Cradle in Citron,


Mice on Bikes, my all time favorite, in Greenish/Grey 


 Pearl Bracelets in Dove Grey and Citron, Chasing Butterflies in soft Blue and Two others for which I have no names...
Hawthorne Threads has Catnap in stock in Raspberry and Clementine, right now...


Me-ow!!!!

Another great lineup by Lizzy House!
I purchased this bundle from Massdrop... It was 25% off, included postage to AK, and arrived within 3 days of fulfillment of the Drop. Since that time, I have also purchased an Oliso Pro iron from them, which arrived in about two weeks, and a Quilter's Dream Wool bundle, which took an entire month to arrive, including 10 days here in Anchorage after UPS dropped it off to the post office to deliver!! 
So, how do I feel about Massdrop? Well, if I can find a better deal through an independent Mom and Pop store, I will always go with them, first. Head's up, online shops! Here are a few things that Massdrop has that I don't seem to find elsewhere:
  • I get shipping to Alaska at the same price as everyone else, and it is usually here within 3 days. THREE!!! Do you hear that Hancock's and Fabric.com???!!! I am talking to you!
  • The items I purchase are not available within Alaska, at my local quilt store, or Joanns. The Oliso Pro is available at Joanns, but everyone who has purchased one there has returned it immediately... our local stores tend to get the merchandise that isn't moving, elsewhere, or which may be a return that is already broken. Shame on them! The one I purchased, is on, on my ironing board, all day, everyday, and is just jamming on like a champ. I could not be happier with it. I have had it for two months. Now, since I break most irons in three months, I will give you periodic updates on its health!
  • I find items/fabric on Massdrop that I did not know existed. It is so interesting to see what people out there in the universe, are interested in, and to see new things that I have not experienced before, including fabric lines and notions. I do not know why people need so many fancy key caps, though... check it out!
  • The items that you receive are not seconds, repairs or rejects. They are identical to what you would normally be purchasing. This includes the fabric, which is cut very well, and comes in bundles just like you would normally see. 
Now, what do I NOT like about Massdrop??
  • WELL, there was that time that UPS dropped my batting off at the post office, and they delivered it 10 DAYS LATER!! What the heck?!! I could have gone and picked it up myself, but the post office wouldn't let me as it was in their care for delivery as per their contract with UPS. I NEEDED that batting. (ok, I didn't NEED the batting, but knowing it was there chewed a hole in me!) Would I now, knowing that this could happen again, purchase from Massdrop?... I would not do so again if I had any sort of deadline that I wanted to meet. 
  • http://www.sewmamasew.com/2015/01/why-suppliers-and-consumers-should-support-shops-with-strong-sustainable-business-models/, a very well written essay about why Massdrop is not a good option if you care about Mom and Pop businesses... Basically, the Mom and Pop store has to pay middlemen, which Massdrop does not... When online or brick and mortar stores buy from middlemen, they are supporting those people, as well as the manufacturers. So, long story short, you have to decide how strong your feelings are about buying locally and supporting small businesses. Is your priority to purchase at the lowest price possible, or is it to support small businesses, or somewhere in the middle. No judgement here... I'm not in too much of a bind, because I purchase most of my fabric through these small businesses
Let us know how YOU feel about Massdrop! What have your experiences been? Like 'em or hate 'em??

And NOOOWWW, 
At LOONNGGG Last,
The ANSWER that you've been waiting for...!



Yes! That's right!! Jewels for the Loo!! 
Cat decorations were particularly appropriate because our cats are toilet trained, and think that any toilet with the seat up, is fair game...
Which leads to the dog spending many happy hours playing 'Bob for Tootsy Rolls' in the toilet when noone is home ;) 
OK, so gross, but MY friends know what makes my heart go tick tock!!! 

Our WINNER is....



noone


Boo! Hiss!!! 
Do you hate me?

Next time I will make it easier, and you will get a pressie! I promise!
I will save the comments from the first post, and all of those lovely folks will automatically be entered an extra time into my next giveaway. Fair? Fair!

Can't wait to see what additions you've made to your stash, lately!
XX!
Lori

Linking up with,







10 comments:

  1. Oh goodness that is so funny 'Jewels for the loo' I would never have guessed. Catnap is particularly lovely, I've been really lucky to find 1 of the prints for £3.30 per metre and another for £5 p/m in the UK (pretty much a miracle) so stash metres of it! Love that green mice on bikes print too! I've never used massdrop it's not so much of a bargain when it has to be shipped to the UK! Was this the blog post you were thinking of? http://www.freshlypieced.com/2015/02/should-you-buy-quilting-supplies-on.html

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  2. I love Catnap. I am currently quilting a small quilt I made with that line, but in different colors than yours. I use Massdrop for a few things. I bought some thread packs and two pair of Gingher scissors and both were a great value, with no time deadline. I am glad to spread my quilting dollars around and buy local and from small on line stores.

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  3. Ha - what will they think of next?! I haven't made any MassDrop purchases yet, but it's interesting to hear others' experiences!

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  4. That is hilarious? Have you installed them on your loo yet? The cat fabrics are awesome. I have only used Massdrop once so far (blogged about it today in fact) and I haven't seen much to really tempt me other than that deal; everything else has only been a ho-hum deal and as you mentioned I would rather support a mom and pop unless the pricing is really awesome... I am, after all, trying to run a business...

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  5. Who would have thought that is what the cats were! Ingenious and hilarious! I love each and every piece of fabric you showed...the mice...cute! I look on mass drop once in a while, but have never bought anything. Maybe one day or maybe not! The beauty of computers!

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  6. Pretty kitties ALL! Loo cats included.... I have not done the mass drop. So I really appreciate your thoughts on this. Have been wondering if there were more options out there for getting a roll of batting. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  7. Those CatNap prints are lovely... you're tempting me into the world of MassDrop. I've been resisting... I wonder about the shipping & customs to Canada, though hearing that they do flat rate to AK sounds encouraging. Shipping to Canada from the US is a royal pain (and very expensive), but I'm sure that's nothing new to you! I visited Anchorage a couple years ago and visited a nice quilt shop downtown... not tonnes of selection, so I can see why on-line shopping would be a must.

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  8. Oh my gosh - I never would have guessed! Too funny!! I haven't used Massdrop yet.....I haven't really seen any pricing on items that was so good I just couldn't pass up. I buy local when I can, but I also purchase from online shops that have great customer service. I recently ordered 10 yards of fabric online and it took 19 days to get to me. Needless to say, I won't order from them again unless I absolutely can't find what I need elsewhere.

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  9. I love all of the cat fabric but I must admit that my favorite fabric is the one with the mice riding bicycles.

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  10. Seriously - Jewels for the Loo??? Who came up with that and more importantly HOW DID YOU FIND THEM???? YOU have too much time on your hands.

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