Saturday 18 February 2012

Why a U.S. skiing holiday is the best (and a giveaway)

Because when the sun shines you have all this:

Note the lack of snow on neighbouring mountains. The eastern USA has had a very mild winter so far and not much snow


Snow making has featured heavily this year

Not exactly sure it is possible to look glamourous in a helmet?



Breathtakingly fantastic views and US half term is a week later than ours this year therefore slopes not crowded

But some days the weather is less than stellar

Yes, there is a mountain in there somewhere
Which means if you are on a US skiing holiday there is always one of these within striking distance

Eat your hearts out Alps, Dolomites etc. Where are your quilt shops?

I was actual very abstemious - just went to soak up the atmosphere of a real life quilt shop.

I didn't think I would be able to get to a Jo-Anns this trip so tried to make an order online and have it delivered to the hotel. It doesn't work as they will only deliver to the address that is registered to your credit card. So I sent them an email, asking what I could do if I wanted to order online as I couldn't get to a Jo-Anns store.

Here is the ingenious reply from the lovely Mary:

"I suggest visiting a local Jo-Anns store and purchasing a gift card. You can use this gift card to place an online order."

I predict a bright future for Mary at Jo-Anns.

Anyway, as luck would have it, we spent a night near a Jo-Anns after skiing so I did get to visit one. And what did I discover in the discounted section?


Yup, discounted Denyse Schmidt. It's in Portland, Maine Jo-Anns if anyone is passing.  But more importantly I got these:


Cost me an absolute fortune if I buy in the UK. In Jo-Anns, $31.99 for a pack of five.

Bargainiferous.

See those Denyse Schmidt fabrics? They are half yard cuts. I'm going to make them quarter yard cuts and send a set to one of you. You can leave one random comment if you already follow. For a second bonus comment (and I am completely and unashamedly copying this one from Kristie because I think it is such a fun question) have a guess in which US city I spent the first part of my honeymoon some 19 years ago. (Edited to add: and if you get that one right I'll throw in some bonus fabric too...as of comment number 13 no one has got it right!)


Givewaway stays open till next Saturday 25 Feb after which time I'll use Mr Random Number Generator.

Have fun!

82 comments:

  1. oooh great photos - I'm a follower as you know. Bosses have been skiing last week in Austria - although when one phoned the office last week they had too much snow and the resorts were closed!

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  2. I think you spent the first part of your honeymoon in New York

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  3. Ummm, I love to be there!. I am a follower. Thank you for the chance.

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  4. I think you were in San Francisco?

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  5. I love your pictures! I am definitely a follower. Love your blog and your quilting creativity astounds me.

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  6. My guess is Boston for your honeymoon. It is such a great city.

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  7. I am a happy and devoted follower. I think you started your honeymoon in Chicago.

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  8. Oops! I think Chicago was supposed to be on a separate comment, so here you go.

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  9. My dream vacation would be to come where you live! So beautiful. Sigh.......

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  10. I guess you were in Philedelphia!

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  11. I'm a happy follower!
    Why haven't we got JoAnn's in the UK???

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  12. I'm guessing New York is where you went for your honeymoon!

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  13. I'm a follower! We don't have JoAnns in Hawaii either & their shipping here stinks!

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  14. My guess is Honolulu! See a pattern here?

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  15. I am from Maine! I miss views like those in your pictures. I now live in Austin, so I guess I'll use that as my guess for your honeymoon! Enjoy my homestate! If you have a chance you should go to Winslow (my hometown) and go to Big G's deli! Have a sandwich and the best version of the state desert, a whoopi pie.

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  16. Loved the photos of the mountains! Hope you are having a fabulous time!

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  17. Welcome home! I wish we had a JoAnns in Canada, too. Highway robbery for rotary here as well.

    It IS an awesome question :) If you want to learn MY answer I posted it today! Feeling like my home country is a bit too neglected in your travels, ahem!

    (and I am thinking you will draw on FEB 25, not March??)

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  18. a random commetn for a great possibility .. or so ... I'm not good at random comments. It's nice too see some mountains (being in rather falt England makes me a bit mountain-homesick). Ohh everyone looks glamurous in a Ski-outfit.

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  19. Love the fabrics! What a great find. I might have to head out to my JoAnns to check it out! Looks like a great ski holiday! That looks like a great quilt shop you found! I am a follower. :o)

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  20. I will guess that you spent the first part of your honeymoon in London.

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  21. Guessing where you spent part of your honemyoon in the US (I couldn't even name 5 US cities without havign a little thinking time) ... hmmm how about something snowy (mabye not the most romantic...) as there are millions of towns over there I know there were at some point winter Olympics in Salt Lake City .... (I bet you didn't go there, but it's the only town that could have snow thath I can name) .... I guess you are having a good laugh reading all the names. In the end it will probably turn out to be the tiny little village of Whoknows in rural Minesota with amazing 43 inhabitants....

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  22. I really don't know the US very well, but I love that fabric!

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  23. I'm going to guess Washington, DC...partly because I used to live there, and partly because no one has guessed it yet.

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  24. I was going to guess Washington DC, but it is alrady taken, so I will say Atlanta GA. Hope it was happy wherever it was :-)

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  25. looks like a great vacation!

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  26. I am a new follower! Thank you for the giveaway and for sharing your beautiful photos!! :-)

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  27. Beautiful!! I love snow-- have only seen it a few times as we live on the Gulf coast... I was going to guess that you went to a warm tropical beach for your honeymoon, but then decided that you more likely went to a beautiful mountain... so I'm guessing Lake Tahoe! :-)

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  28. I am going to guess Portland Maine

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  29. Gorgeous fabrics! The closest Jo-Ann's to me is over 1 1/2 hours away.
    I am a follower!

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  30. Hmmm, I think you spent the first part of your honeymoon in Aspen, Colorado.

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  31. I think you were in Miami, Florida

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  32. Well I am a follower, and feel like I should have followed you on your hols, looks great. I need a job at Jo-Anns, it seems easy enough! Thanks for the chance x

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  33. Oh I reckon you went to somewhere like Cape Cod or Hawaii (is that 2 goes? just pick the correct one!) x

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  34. My JoAnn's never has great fabric like this for 50% off. Thanks for sharing your treasures.

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  35. I'm a very happy follower, and I quite enjoyed the lovely Mary's response!

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  36. I'm going to go with Los Angeles, California so that you could visit Hollywood & Universal Studios with a trip to Anaheim so you could honeymoon at Disneyland.

    Either that or you were gambling in Vegas!

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  37. Blogspot told me:
    You already follow Little Island Quilting
    http://littleislandquilting.blogspot.com/
    I like your selection of DS fabrics!

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  38. I follow. I grew up in Salt Lake City Ut and spent a lot of my Saturdays in high school skiing in our mountains. We have great resorts but like you, this year a lot of the snow is man made. Then when I married I moved to So. Utah and just up the mountain is another ski resort, Brianhead. It has great snow too! So fun. We had a JoAnn's move into town about 2 years ago and my fabric bill has skyrocketed! Thanks.

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  39. Looks like you've had an amazing holiday! So wish we had Joanns here! Jxo

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  40. I'm a follower. My US geography is woeful and any cities I can think of others have already mentioned, so I guess I'm a fail on that one! Jxo

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  41. I don't have a JoAnns near me but I have other sources. You just need a good American friend to get those things for you.

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  42. Perhaps you spent the first part of your honeymoon somewhere warm- Miami??

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  43. I'm already a follower on Google reader- and very envious of your trip to not only a quilt store but a Joanns too!

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  44. I'm guessing that you went to San Diego - which is where we went for our honeymoon 20 years ago!!

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  45. I'm a follower and would love to win these beautiful fabrics for my group, World of Charity Stitching.
    Thanks,
    Peggy
    peggy_verdongibbs@att.net

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  46. I would guess you spent your honeymoon in Vail, Colorado.
    Thanks,
    Peggy
    peggy_verdongibbs@att.net

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  47. OK ... I can't imagine what those blades cost in the UK, because I will only buy them at JoAnns when I have a 40% or more off coupon! Your vacation looked lovely!

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  48. Honeymoon = Ft. Lauderdale?

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  49. How about that beautiful full moon in your blog header!

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  50. I'm going to guess Nashville. Just because it would be a cool place to go to...

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  51. I love the mountain pics. If you watch for sales, JoAnn's puts the rotary cutters and blades on sale sometimes for 40% off.and then there's the 40 % off coupons, but you can't use them if the item is on sale. BTW I never saw those DS fabrics at my JoAnn's. My guess is New Orleans for your honeymoon.

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  52. I'd love some Denyse Schmidt fabrics. :) Thanks for the chance.

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  53. Bless Mary@Jo-Anns. I think she was behind the door when brains were being given out...I'm a devoted follower!

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  54. Hmmm...Sacramento?! Bakersfield? (Seem to have 'Mentalist' crime scenes on the brain!!)

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  55. 19 years ago?
    I guess it's Alkmaar!!

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  56. congratulations and more happy years to come!

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  57. Great photos and guess you went to Aspen,to say somewhere.

    I`m a follower.

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  58. Orlando? After all, they have great amusement parks there!

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  59. I'm a follower. It also doesn't get much better than skiing in the Canadian Rockies! There are some great resorts!

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  60. I am your follower. I'm jealous you got to enjoy the snow! We had one large snowstorm in my town this winter, and that was it!

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  61. I will guess Portland, Maine!

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  62. Gorgeous pics of the snow - it's still technically summer in Sydney and I can't wait for winter! (I am a follower :)

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  63. As for your honeymoon, how about... Austin, TX? :)

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  64. I`m a happy follower - hope you are having an amazing holiday!

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  65. Even with not a lot of snow these views are just beautiful. Hope you've had a wonderful time.
    And I envy you the visit in a real quilt shop.

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  66. Lovely pics - it looks a great place for a holiday, just wish I could ski, lol.
    I'm a happy follower of your lovely blog!

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  67. I'm guessing that you spent the first part of your honeymoon in New Orleans.

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  68. I have been checking your blog every day for ages, but hove now discovered how to 'follow'. It takes a while for this new tech to sink in... Love the snowsuit!

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  69. Sign up for the Jo-Ann emails where they send you coupons. I NEVER buy anything at Jo-Ann without a coupon!

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