Shoppers Rule Blog

I know I’ve blogged about the Accu-Quilt Go! Cutter before, but this is such a popular item and AccuQuilt is introducing new dies for the cutter, once again.

The Accu-Quilt Go! Cutter is a reliable, lightweight (only 15 lbs) cutter that will jump start your quilting projects.  Quickly and accurately cut blocks, strips, and shapes.  Make those time-consuming appliqués or lengthy strips in seconds.  The Go! Cutter can cut up to 6 layers of cotton fabric at once.  To view more details about this fabric cutter, click on Go! Cutter.

There are now over 50 dies to choose from.  Here are a few of the latest additions: 
Sunbonnet Sue, Overall Sam, Rob Peter to Pay Paul, Winding Ways, Drunkards Path, Dresden Plate, and Double Wedding Ring. 
Other new additions (not pictured) include a 1″, 2 1/4″ and a 4 1/2″ Strip Cutter.

To see all the dies currently available for the Go! Cutter, click on Go! Dies.

Shoppers Rule will continue to make all new dies available as quickly as possible, and I am sure that Accuquilt will continue to provide more and more dies to fulfull quilter’s desires.

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I hope we all recognize the pink ribbon as a symbol of Breast Cancer Awareness.  But for others, the yellow ribbon symbolizing suicide prevention or the red ribbon for drug prevention are just as significant.

Suicide prevention week is in September.  Drug prevention week is in October and Breast Cancer Awareness month is October.

Yes, it is only July.  But, if you are organizing any kind of fundraiser, rally, or school program, planning time is now!  I have been searching out suppliers who have products specific to “awareness” programs.

I think my favorite are these awesome tie-dyed t-shirts in pink, red, or yellow featuring an awareness ribbon design.  For Awareness Ribbon T-Shirts, click here.  These shirts are available in adult sizes small – 3XL. 

My latest “find” is a metal awareness ribbon pendant set, NM-403543.  The neutral silver color makes them appropriate for a variety of venues.    And honestly, isn’t jewelry always a good idea?  Each package includes 3 pendants - 2 small and 1 larger.  Perfect for a survivor and two supporters!

The creativity of quilters never ceases to amaze me, so I feel I must mention the Quilt Pink for Hope book, item # 44425, from Better Homes and Gardens.  It features ideas and inspiration for making beautiful quilts to honor breast cancer survivors and victims.

And last, but not least, a Breast Cancer Awareness Water Bottle, 4792, to keep you hydrated when you walk, run, or ride for a cure.

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 The term “Batik” is used to describe the Indonesian art of decorating cloth by strategically applying wax resists and then dyeing it; and also to describe the fabric upon which this process has been used. 

Batik has existed for thousands of years, and in one form or another, it has worldwide popularity.

Batik techniques can be found on clothing, home furnishings, wall hangings, paintings, scarves, bracelets, bags, and more.

It is now common to buy ready-made batik items and fabric in batik prints.  But it can also be fun to make your own batik fabric.  A great beginner book, such as Start to Batik, NM-433656, provides easy-to-make projects while you build your skills. 

We also have batik wax, NM-9902102, a blend of paraffin and microcrystalline waxes, ready to be melted and applied.

You can batik silk, cotton, rayon and more.  Good luck and happy batiking!

Thank you to everyone for posting your reviews and/or comments as part of our Mother’s Day Contest.  Everyone who posted a comment either on the Blog or the Shoppers Rule website was entered into the contest for a chance to win Shoppers Rule Gift cash.

Congratulations to our winners:

1st place:
Mary Scott
Harvey, La

2500 Club Points - $25.00 Value

2nd place:
Marge Higgins
Cummin, GA

1500 Club Points - $15.00 Value

3rd place:
Mary Gajeske
Tucson, AZ

1000 Club Points - $10.00 Value

Winners will be receiving an email with further information.  Once again, thanks to everyone for making this contest such a great success!
ShoppersRule.com

How to register and post a comment 2 ways –

on the Shoppers Rule Website or on the Blog

With the announcement of the Mother’s Day Blog Contest, many of you have rushed to post your reviews.  And others weren’t sure how to go about entering the contest.  So, here is a quick review of how to post a comment to get entered in the contest.

On the Shoppers Rule Website:

1. Go to the product you wish to review
2. If you already have an account, skip to step 7.  For those needing to create an account, at the bottom of the screen, click on “Login to review this product.”
3. Next, click on the red box that says “New  Customer – Click Here!”  You will be directed to a page that asks some basic information. 

The first 3 blanks are:

Login:  (This is where you enter a name or nickname that will appear every time you post something on the site.  We do NOT recommend using your email address or full name here.)

Email Lost Passwords To: (enter your e-mail address.)

Password:  (Make up an easy to remember password)

The rest of the blanks request normal shipping and billing info.

Click the “save” icon on bottom right of screen when complete.

      4.  Click the black buttons labeled “Club Special” at the bottom of the page.

      5.  Now you back in familiar territory.  Find any item that you wish to review.

      6.  Click on your chosen item and scroll to the bottom of the screen. 

      7.  Notice the “Please help us rate this product” and options below it.  Rate the product and write your review.  Click the “Rate” button when finished.  You’re review is now posted and you are entered into the Mother’s Day contest.

On the Shoppers Rule Blog:

1. Scroll to the bottom of the “Mother’s Day Blog Contest” article.
2. Click on the red word “Comments”.
3. It will tell you that you must be logged in to post a comment.  Click the “log In” button.
4. A screen will appear asking for a User name and password.  Enter them and click on “Log In”
5. Now scroll to the bottom of the page.  There will be a “Leave a comment” heading followed by a box in which to type your review. 
6. Simply type your comments and press “send”.
7. Your comment is now posted and you are entered into the Mother’s Day contest.
8. Click “log out” on the bottom right corner of the screen.

 Now, please blog away and share your wisdom with the rest of us.

ShoppersRule.com

Shoppers Rule is excited to announce our Mother’s Day BLOG contest. 

In tribute to our mothers, we have put together a Mother’s Day page on Shopper’s Rule.  This page features a variety of new and/or hot products that are sure to be of interest to many people.

We would like your input on these items.  So, we have created the Mother’s Day BLOG Contest.  Simply post a review on the Shopper’s Rule Blog about one of the products you see on the Mother’s Day page.

Your review/comment is your entry into the contest.  The contest will run from Monday, April 26, 2010 – Thursday, May 6th, 2010.  On May 7th, we will randomly select 3 of the entries as our contest winners.  Prizes will be Shoppers Rule gift certificates in the amounts of $25, $15 and $10. 

With our BLOG, we strive to provide great ideas and product information.  This is your chance to help others by sharing your experiences (good or bad) with others, so that they can make good, informed choices when purchasing our products.

To view the products up for review, click here:  Mother’s Day Special.
 

Now readers, posting a comment is easy.  So, write a review and get entered into the contest today.    The drawing will be held on the Friday before Mother’s Day - May 7th 2010.

Good luck and good blogging!

ShoppersRule.com

The creativity of quilters never ceases to amaze me.  And I am well aware that there are numerous excellent quilting contests out there to challenge a quilter.  So, when a friend asked me to share a quilting contest with you, I was a little hesitant.  But, then I looked it up.  The theme is unique and timely and definitely different from any quilting contest that I’ve been exposed to.  So, here it is….

It is the “Thread Tails and Vapor Trails Quilting Contest” to honor the 100^th anniversary of Naval Aviation.  Yes, you are invited to create a Naval Aviation themed quilt.  What a great way to show your patriotism!  

Individual quilt makers are asked to create a 40” square quilt with a Naval Aviation theme, which could include airplanes, aircraft carriers, space, honoring an aviator, etc.

Group submissions (made by two or more people) can be 40” wide x 60” tall.

For more details, visit the official website at www.navyquilts.com

The deadline for online quilt submissions is October 1st, 2010.

The Centennial will be celebrated throughout 2011 at numerous events across the nation.

Happy Quilting!

ShoppersRule.com

April 22 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment.  That first Earth Day in 1970 lead to the creation of the EPA and the passage of Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.

The Earth Day Network (EDN) was founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day on the premise that all people have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment.

Anvil is the official apparel partner of EDN and sponsor of Earth Day’s “I am E” campaign, that challenges everyone to make a commitment to become an environmental leader.  

A memory quilt is a great keepsake or gift to commemorate a new baby, graduation, wedding, favorite vacation and more.  Sound too complicated?  It has never been easier to start turning your favorite photos into memory quilts.   Even if you are a beginning quilter, so long as you have a digital camera (or a camera and a good scanner), a computer and a printer, you can begin experimenting with photo fabric art.

The best way to get started is to do a little research and utilize some reference tools.  There are numerous books available to help get you started.  For example, Altered Photo Artistry covers selection of photos, size, printing onto fabric sheets, tiling, and more.  Or Secrets of Digital Quilting – From Camera to Quilt, that delves into getting the best results from your digital camera, printer, and photo editing software, and enhancing your fabric with paints and inks, plus gives specific product recommendations. (You’ll probably want to keep the fabric simple, so the focus is on the photos.)

A good book or two will help guide you through using a graphics program for retouching, resizing, color adjustment, and cropping of your photos, along with getting rid of red-eye or any other desired touch-ups.

Do you ever receive one of those email chain-letters or photos that make you think “I don’t want to be one of those people who forward chain-letters, but this is just too good not to share.”?

That’s how I feel about my topic of today – duct tape. Or more specifically, the Duck Tape Prom. Now, I am a big fan of duct tape. We use it to build, repair, and reinforce lots of things in our household.  And I am thrilled to have a multitude of colors to choose from. I think I have black, silver, and blue rolls in my kitchen right now.

And yes, I had heard of people making clothing using duct tape. But I had no idea that there is actually a “Stuck at Prom” contest. That’s right, the people at the Duck Brand Corporation not only have a “Best Prom Attire Made From Duct Tape” contest, but they even offer Scholarships for it! The Grand Prize is a $3000 scholarship! The contest begins March 1 and ends on June 7, 2010.

To learn more or to just check out some of last year’s finalists, go to www.duckbrand.com, then click on “promotions”, and select “stuck at prom”. I guarantee, you’ll never look at duct tape the same way again.

Do you suddenly have the urge to buy lots of duct tape?  If so, click here:
ShoppersRule Duct Tape.

We have over 20 colors of duct tape to choose from, including solid colors like cookie dough, island lime, and electrip blue; plus, multi-colors like camouflage and tie dye.

Please note, Shoppers Rule is in no way affiliated with the DucK “Stuck at Prom” Contest.  I just thought it was cool, creative, and fun to share with all of you.

ShoppersRule.com