Stocking Stuffers

This week lots of us are looking for last minute gifts.

(No-not me! Of course I didn't forget!)

Here are some good ideas you can find at the Mermaid. If your own studio is missing some of these key items - just send in Santa & his elves, or have him call us & we'll fix you right up!

 pre-wound bobbins

 Quilted in Clay ear rings

 Landscape essentials - fat quarter packs

 Mini Seam Fix rippers

 Micron fabric pens for documenting your quilts

 This Pocket Reference is so handy & quick for measurements.

 Luscious Bali Pops & batik strip sets in all colors

 Christmas puzzles!

 Quick battery-operated ripper

 perfect little snips

 Stonehenge fat quarter packs

 thread

 more thread!

 magnetic pin keepers

 new cutters!

 Bamboo Jewelry, made in California from reclaimed silver

 Seam Fix rippers with a handy little eraser to get rid of those silly threads

 needle threaders for every price range

 vinyl mesh in great colors

 wool felt charm squares

Or a one size fits all Gift Card!

Let us know how we can make your shopping a little easier!

Merry Mermaid Open House Fun!

Plan to join us 

Saturday, December 14 

from 10-6

for our 

Merry Mermaid Open House!

Customer Appreciation Day!

Thank you for your business & friendship this year. Come in & let us treat you to a very special day!

All Christmas fabric, kits, & patterns 25% off. 

Halloween & fall colors 30% off.

One day only-

lots of special discounted prices - and you can add on any coupons or 

full Sand Dollar Cards up to 50% off!

Double punches all weekend!

Sign up for our Wish List, then send in your Santas & elves & we'll help them 

find just the right gifts for you!

Just for signing up, we'll enter you into a drawing for a gift card.

Collect your Christmas Clams - one for each $10 you spend,

 then use them like cash the week before Christmas!

Shop Small

This weekend we're celebrating Shop Small Saturday. All weekend - Friday through Sunday.

Yes, we have lots of special prices & sale tables, but it's much more than that.

Your dollars spent locally support individual business owners who pay salaries to employees who also spend in your community. 

A smaller percentage of sales profits stay in your community if you shop at larger corporate retailers.

Yes, our family sometimes shops at large chains, too. 

But we try to shop local first - compare & then make a choice. Many times the shorter lines & customer service far off set any other differences.

 

 

Thank you for choosing the Mermaid. 

We appreciate each of you who chooses to shop with us. 

Drop in this weekend & say hello.

We're open 10-6 Friday & Saturday, 1-5 on Sunday. Have some cookies, relax & enjoy.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We hope you can spend your day doing what matters to you.

Hoffman of California

So we had the opportunity to visit Hoffman of California's headquarters last week. 

That was quite an experience!

Hoffman has been making gorgeous batiks & tropical prints, as well as cotton prints for quilting & clothing for 88 years.

You can read about the company's history here:

http://www.hoffmanfabrics.com/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=68

The warehouse has a gazillion surfboards hanging up high on every wall,

because the Hoffman family is filled with surfing legends. You can read about their 

surfing legacies here:

http://www.surfingwalkoffame.com/culture/Hoffman.html

http://www.surfersjournal.com/journal_entry/phillip-flippy-hoffman-1930-2010

We saw pallets stacked high with beautiful bolts ready to ship, & rolls ready to be wrapped on bolts.

 

 

 I loved watching these guys turn the rolls of luscious fabric into bolts ready for our shop!

These ladies were busily cutting & stapling the samples together.

They have a cutter just like (sort of) like our paper cutter at school to cut & pink the pieces before attaching them to a cardboard header.

The offices are even decorated with quilts & surfboards.

What a beautiful office to work in!

Each year, Hoffman creates a specific fabric line for their Hoffman Challenge, celebrating its 25th Anniversary. The Challenge started with 94 enthusiastic quilters, and now the number of entries has grown to more than 700.

Categories include pieced, appliqué and mixed technique, clothing (wearable art), accessories, 

and dolls - something for everyone! 

The top entries are grouped into traveling collections and visit quilt and fiber shows, seminars, quilt shops and quilt- and doll-makers guilds nationwide and in Canada.

Read more about the Challenge rules here:

http://www.hoffmanchallenge.com/

And of course, you can order your Challenge fabric, Anisa, from Calico Mermaid!

http://calicomermaid.enstore.com/browse/challenge,hoffman/1?menu=challenge,hoffman

Thank you, Hoffman Family, for your hospitality & so many years of beautiful fabric!