Welcome back for another year of fun, sun, and cute!
Since last year's event was a huge success, I'm bringing it back again this year. We're still a bit away, so be sure to check back for updates as we move closer to the start of the event!
The Bat Picnic Is Back!
The bats are having a picnic and they've invited you to join the fun. Each day in July will feature a different bat bringing their favorite food to the party. Some bats will include scents, some will have charms, and some will have both! I've also picked up some really great fabrics from indie designers custom printed via Spoonflower in addition to bringing back old favorites.
The biggest complaint last year was I only released 1 of each design so this year I will be releasing 3 of each!
Bats will be previewed on social media around 12pm EDT and available for sale at 3pm EDT. As usual, they are first come, first serve with no cart holds or reservations. Each bat will be $63
Delicious Discounts!
Start a new summer project with 20% off all sewing patterns! This discount will be automatic applied to your cart starting July 1st at 12:00 am EDT and ending July 31st at 11:59pm EDT. No need to use a coupon code.
In addition, summer themed patterns will be even further reduced! The avocado, toucan, and flamingo floaty will all be $2 off. (This discount is active now since I'll be gone for a bit and I don't want to miss the start of the sale!)
Fantastic Freebies!
Orders for physical items of $10 or more placed from July 1st to the 31st will ship with cheesy summer themed goodies like temporary tattoos, snap bracelets, and mini flamingos. It's just a fun little bonus that might bring a smile to your face.
(If you don't want these freebies included in your order, just let me know in the Notes to Seller section at checkout)
A Glorious Giveaway!
For this year's giveaway I'll be giving out a large sized bat. The giveaway will be run over on Instagram since that's where most of my followers are at. 
This cutie is made with super soft minky paired with a cotton print by patricia_lima on Spoonflower. Inside the wings, ears, and feet is a low loft quilt batting to make it nice and snuggly. It is scented with Birthday Cake.
Birthday cake scent is described by the manufacturer as, “A sweet buttery bouquet of coconut shavings and sugared berries with mid notes of pink hawthorn and melted butter. Notes of sweet caramel and creamy vanilla finish off this scent to make the perfect blend that smells like a birthday cake fresh from the bakery!” I think it smells very sweet and like a combination of fruits and cake.
Scents can last anywhere from 1 month to a year, depending on a variety of factors like how the plush is stored. Most will last 3-6 months. You should take extra care to keep scented products away from pets and small children, they are not safe for consumption. 
How to Win:
When the giveaway post goes live on Instagram you will need to -
💜 Like the post
💜 Comment with your favorite ice cream flavor
The following won't increase your odds of winning, but it will earn you some karma for helping support a small business:
💜 Follow my account
💜 Tag someone who loves bats
💜 Share the giveaway
This bat is valued at $130 USD.
The winner will be chosen via random generator and contacted via DM. The winner must respond within 7 days with their address (including full legal name) or will forfeit their prize to the next chosen winner.
You must be 18 years or older to win and willing to provide your name and delivery purposes. This giveaway is open worldwide except to countries which ban the import of plush toys (like Italy). Shipping to the winner is included in the giveaway.
Giveaway runs from July 1st 12am EST to July 10th 11:59pm EST, comments made after that point will not be valid entries. (I'm ending before the cutoff for the EU toy import restrictions on July 16th so EU residents will still be able to enter)
Giveaway is not sponsored by, endorsed by, or otherwise affiliated with Instagram in any way.
F.A.Q.s
Will you release X bat again? \ When will X bat be in stock?
These are not regular stock, once they are sold they are sold. There is a chance I will make one again or I will open custom slots in the future and you can ask to have one created (assuming I have the materials available), but I have no plans to re-stock any of them in the immediate future.
When will the bats be listed?
They'll be available at 3pm EDT
How do I buy a bat?
You'll need to refresh at 3pm EDT and, when it appears, add it to your cart, and complete checkout. You must fully complete checkout to claim a bat, it is not held or reserved once it is in your cart, other people can still buy it until it is purchased.
When will X bat be listed? / What bats will you list?
The order they will be listed in is a surprise, you'll have to check back daily at noon to see the preview post. The mystery is part of the fun, though some bats you may see in previews before they are listed for sale.
What if I don't want the freebies in my order, it would be wasteful to send them since I will throw them away?
Feel free to let me know when you checkout! There's a link on the cart page that says, "Add instructions for seller" and if you click on that, a pop up for a text window will show up for you. Simply enter something like, "No freebies for me, thanks." and I will exclude them from your order.
Do you ship internationally?
At this time I do not ship to the UK due to the VAT law changes and I do not ship to Italy due to restrictions on importing plush toys. This may be subject to change as the EU is enacting new VAT laws July 1st, but at this time I fall below their thresholds.
That time doesn't ever work for me!
My release times aren't chosen at random, they are based off when my customers are engaging the most with my content. I am never going to please everyone 100%, but this is when the majority of my followers seem to be active and available. Engagement is consistently highest from 12-3pm, regardless of what day of the week it is. So if you want to see the times of my event releases change, be sure to engage with my content (by liking, commenting, and sharing it) at times when you are available. If I see shifts in my audiences engagement, I'll shift my releases based on the information I have.
Why is the giveaway on Instagram?
As of now, Instagram has my largest following by quite a bit, so that's where I choose to hold giveaways at for now. When I used a centralized giveaway app, too many people had issues with it not counting their entries, and it isn't feasible to run a seperate giveaway on all my social media platforms. That's too much for one person to keep track of. As always, if you would like to see this change, be sure to like, follow, and interact on your chosen social media. If my audience changes, so will the way I hold giveaways.
I don't see the bats at the update time!
Your computer may have a cache of the page saved so it can load faster. I recommend hard refreshing when you reload. This forces your browser to load the most recent version of the page. This will vary based on your browser and operating system. For example, if you are using Chrome on Windows you'll need to hold down Ctrl and hit F5 to hard refresh.
I will also release a direct link to each individual plush so you may want to go directly to that.
I tried to complete checkout and the bat sold out before I could, but I was charged anyway!
If you enter payment information, but are unable to finish checkout, a hold may be placed on your account depending on your bank and checkout method used (it seems to happen most frequently with Paypal and when using a debit card). Holds will go away on their own after a few days, you can also call your bank and confirm it is a hold and not a charge. If you were actually charged and it is not just a hold, let me know and I can refund you. (Note, I cannot see or release holds on my end since I am not the one taking the payments directly, that is handled either my Shopify's payment system, Shop Pay, or Paypal, but I can see fully completed transactions)
You can find all other FAQs here.
