Support Stacie

I’ll Be Homemade For Christmas

I’m dreamin’ tonight of a present I’ll make
Even though I never do
And although I know I cannot bake
I promise you

I’ll be homemade for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have sewn and stitched
Handcrafted presents under the tree
Support Stacie will find me
Homemade presents to send
I’ll be homemade for Christmas
If only I win the auction

Support Stacie will find me
Homemade presents to send
I’ll be homemade for Christmas
If only I win the auction
If only I win the auction

Sick of spending hours fighting the crowds at the mall every Christmas? Want to give presents that are a little more meaningful? Support Stacie will be holding the inaugural I’ll Be Homemade for Christmas auction on the weekend of November 28th–29th. If you can knit, bake, draw, sew, take photos, paint, papier-mâché, or have any other creative talents, now is the time to dust off those cookbooks, whitewash the canvas, sharpen the scissors and get your Christmas spirit out of the closet. For everyone else, start making your Christmas lists and give homemade presents this Christmas. I’ll Be Homemade for Christmas, make your gifts meaningful this year and raise money for Support Stacie.

FAQs

What is the I’ll Be Homemade for Christmas Auction?

The inaugural I’ll Be Homemade for Christmas Auction, which will be held November 28-29, 2009, will auction off items made by some of the very creative people from different fandoms who have donated their time, creativity and skill in order to raise funds to help Stacie to receive medical treatment. It is also an opportunity for those of us who would like to give more meaningful presents this Christmas, to do so without any of the arduous work or requisite skills! The Support Stacie Elves can even gift wrap your winning item and post it directly to the recipient of your choice, thereby saving you, not only from the horror of the mall this Christmas, but all semblance of work!

Join us for the I’ll Be Homemade for Christmas, marvel at the skill of so many creative people across the fandoms and purchase your gifts while raising money for Support Stacie.

Who is Stacie?

Click here for a detailed answer to those questions!

I’m confused, how does this all work?

It’s easy! These items have been handmade and donated to Support Stacie. You choose which items you wish to bid on and follow the bidding instructions below.

If you win, the item can be mailed to you, or gift wrapped and sent directly to your chosen recipient at no extra cost. (Baked goods are not gift-wrapped, but all other non-perishable items may be at no charge.) If you bid on and win an auction for a quilt, for example, you can choose whether to have the quilt sent to you or to a friend, with or without gift wrap. Descriptions and photos of each item are listed at the top of each thread. If you have any questions about an item, feel free to contact the donor by leaving your question on their auction thread or by messaging them on this board or their LJ.

Have FUN with this event! Volunteers have generously donated their time, materials and skills to make these gifts. Our hope is that this will be a uniting moment for everyone involved. Get to know one another! Feel free to engage in fun competition with your fellow readers! Trade ideas, interact, and enjoy yourselves on the forum threads! This is for Stacie, but it’s also for YOU!

How do I sign up?

If you are able to donate any items for the I’ll Be Homemade for Christmas Auction, you must submit the application to supportstacie@gmail.com by Nov. 14th, 2009 in order to sign up. Auctions are mailed by the administrators – NOT by the donors. Additional details are available on the registration form.

All handmade items (except baked goods) should be mailed by the donor to Support Stacie. We then mail the items to the winning bidders. Baked goods (perishable) items are mailed by the donors directly to the winning bidders. Donors are responsible for their shipping costs.

Non perishable goods should be mailed by November 14th. All non-perishable items will be mailed directly to the recipients by Support Stacie and you will not need to do any additional work after the auction.

What kinds of items are you accepting for auction?

We’re pretty flexible! Any handcrafted item, whether fandom related or not, is welcome! If you’re not sure if something counts, just ask! Graphic artists are welcome to accept commissions, too, for icons, banners, LJ designs or other items!

How long does the auction last?

This is a 24 hour auction. The dates you need to keep in mind are as follows:

• Friday, Nov. 14 – Deadline for Handmade item registration forms

• Friday, Nov. 14 – Deadline for Handmade items (with photo) to be sent to Support Stacie

• Saturday,  Nov. 28, 12pm noon – Auction opens

• Sunday,  Nov. 29, 6pm– Auction ends

All times are Central Standard Time.

What am I bidding on?

You are bidding on a handmade gift donated by a friend of Support Stacie. Each item is described as accurately as possible at the top of each thread and photos of the item are also provided. If you wish the item to be sent directly to the recipient, gift wrapping will be provided at no additional costs. You will be required to pay any postage costs in addition to your winning bid amount. An estimate of the postage costs within the US are provided in the description of each item. Additional charges will be added for international postage. Please note baked goods will only be sent within the US and you should consider the customs/quarantine requirements of other countries if you are considering purchasing an item for a friend who lives outside of the US.

How do I bid on an item?

A step-by-step tutorial is available on This Post.

• Prior to bidding, you need to register here: index.php (Registration Instructions are HERE)

• When the bidding is open, go to the I’ll Be Homemade for Christmas Auction forum

• Open the thread of the item you wish to bid on

• Click on “Reply” and fill in your bid information. A simple reply stating “I’ll raise the bid to $7” is fine. Any other text is fine, too; feel free to tease your fellow bidders and interact as you wish! Just make sure we know exactly what dollar amount you are bidding.

• If you want to be notified if someone outbids you, click on the button that says “NOTIFY ME WHEN A REPLY IS MAILED.”

I want to bid on an item, but I would like it in a different color/size/flavor. Can I ask the donor to change the item they have donated?

For most items, the answer is no. These items have been made prior to the auction so that they are ready to be sent out prior to Christmas. The description and photographs are of the finished products. In the case of baked goods, the donors have listed the specifics about what they are willing to make. You are free to discuss this with the donor directly, but we are not able to promise you something other than what is on their description. We are happy with whatever the donor wants to do, we just ask that the donor post on their thread or contact us if any adjustments are made.

How do I pay?

Payments for the I’ll Be Homemade for Christmas auction should include the amount of your winning bid PLUS the cost of postage to yourself or your recipient. The cost of postage within the U.S. is provided in the item description at the top of each thread. If you would like your item to be mailed to a location outside of the US, please contact us at supportstacie@gmail.com and we will provide you with the cost of shipping. Baked items are only shipped within the U.S.

Payment for auctions is preferred via This Paypal link. PayPal accepts credit cards or will make automatic withdrawal from your bank account.

Sign in, then click on send money on the upper left corner and select the email as supportstacie@gmail.com.

In the Paypal payment information form (Purpose), you must include the following information:

1) Your screen name.
2) Your email address.
3) Where we are shipping the item.
4) Whether you are requesting gift wrapping (not available for baked items).
5) Whether this is a gift or being sent to yourself.
6) If you are paying for multiple items, please send them in the same Payapl payment, but include information about what money goes towards which auction.

When given the option, please mark that this money transfer is a “gift” vs ebay payment, etc.

Money Orders are also acceptable; contact us for the mailing address. Please be aware that your item will not be mailed until your payment is received and clears the bank. If you have any questions or concerns about this please email us at supportstacie@gmail.com.

Payment is due by 14th December (two weeks from the auction’s close). If a winning bidder fails to pay, the auction automatically defaults to the 2nd place bidder. So if you are the second place bidder in an auction that is important to you, you might want to keep that in mind.

All payments must be in U.S. Dollars.

What happens after I pay?

When your auction payment is received, you will receive an email from the Support Stacie volunteers within 2 days stating that the auction has been paid for and confirming your shipping details.

Non-perishable goods will be mailed directly from Support Stacie within 21 days of that notification email. In the case of baked goods, items will be baked fresh prior to sending and this will occur within 21 days of that notification email.

If for any reason you do not receive your item, please contact us immediately. If you wait longer than 60 days to contact us, there is little we can do to resolve the issue. Please keep in mind that this is a charity auction run by a handful of volunteers (not a large non-profit organization) with all proceeds going directly toward Stacie Holeman’s medical expenses. As such, we do not offer refunds.

I have a friend who makes awesome presents, but none of their items are listed!

Well, go recruit them! We’re accepting applications through Friday 14th November. In the meantime, you can get into practice now by clicking the DONATE! link on our front page. You don’t have to wait for an event to help support Stacie!

How Can I help?

Promote the auction on your LJ, on your Facebook and MySpace pages, on your fandom communities and fanboards, and anywhere else you’re comfortable talking about the auction! Remind your friends repeatedly to come bid in the auction, and keep the enthusiasm alive for all 24 hours that the auction is open! If you’re a graphic artist, make banners and icons for your fandom (or other fandoms) and post them HERE for others to use in promoting the auction!

About Support Stacie:

Support Stacie is not a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization as defined by the U.S. tax codes. Unfortunately, our tax attorney and accountant have both informed us that it is impossible to obtain non-profit status for an organization which benefits only one individual, even when it is not for personal gain or profit. We do have the ability for a few large donations to be routed through a non-profit organization in order to obtain tax credit for the donor, should the need arise. However the auction donations as a whole are not tax-deductible.

All proceeds from the auction go towards Stacie Holeman’s ongoing medical expenses for breast cancer and ovarian cancer. These expenses include (but are not limited to) medication, hospital bills, doctor bills, radiation treatments, surgical procedures, and any other expense directly related to Stacie’s cancer treatment. Donors and auction participants do not benefit financially in any way, directly or indirectly, as a result of the I’ll Be Homemade for Christmas Auction.

Still have questions?

Visit the FAQs, leave a reply here, PM Gioia or Ninja or email us at supportstacieauctions@gmail.com.