Hello! A short and sweet update today: I've dropped off the first ~140 packages at the post office today, and tracking for those folks just went out 🎉
If your address is locked/card charged and you did not receive a tracking notice: don't fret—your package will be in the second wave of shipments.
Remakes
I received a shipping notice for Ms. Foxglove! She is currently on the way to me, and when she arrives, I can check the batch looks good, and get her on backing cards. Then I can start shipping her out as well. :D
Please note, these manufacturer photos are the same pin, just different lighting. I'm so excited for her to arrive—she looks so pretty 🥹
Photos of Ms. Foxglove from my manufacturer.
The rest of the remakes are ongoing. My manufacturer has assured me they're in-progress but with no ETA at the moment. Frankly, I'm in no hurry, as long as the issues are fixed. I'll keep you updated as I hear more.
Errored Cards
Some folks still have errored cards from the first batch of shipments—please update your CC info as soon as you can, so I can ship your rewards ASAP.
Questions?
Feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions or if your order has any issues! Thank you!
At last, grading and carding is finally done. Thanks for all your patience!
This is a long one, but the TLDR: A number of designs have moderate to high flaw rates. I've already had a lot of back and forth my my manufacturer and they've assured me remakes will begin ASAP. When photographing pins last update, I apparently managed to pick the best of the bunch, and these issues only became apparent after grading began in earnest. ðŸ«
If you're getting any of the following designs, your order will likely be delayed:
Copper Grimoire Dangler
Copper Owl
Black Nickel Salesman Dangler
If you're getting the following and none of the above pins, your order could be delayed:
Black Nickel Mirror Dangler (more info on this below)
Black Nickel Cat Dangler
Black Nickel Sugar Bowl
Still in-progress from before:
Copper Ms. Foxglove Dangler. I just received a sample photo of her adjusted color. I'm asking the factory to confirm one of the colors is correct before sharing.
I will get a list of backers I can fulfill, charge cards and lock addresses for those backers only. If this includes you, you should get an email from Backerkit informing you of a cc charge and/or address locking this weekend or early next week.
Since the remake process just started, please expect they'll need at least 4-5 weeks to finish and ship to me. If you don't receive any notices from Backerkit, expect your order to ship closer to or in September.
The Issues
You may know that copper is prone to tarnishing/oxidation. Copper pins are coated with a glaze to prevent this. Black nickel pins are also somewhat oxidation-prone, and some manufacturers coat black nickel pins with this glaze—I think that's somewhat uncommon, but one of my manufacturers does this (I worked with 2 this campaign). The flaws I'm seeing are almost exclusively due to the coating on the pins not curing properly and the coating accumulating an unacceptable amount of debris or scratches.
Odd blotchy coating on the Grimoire
Blotchy coating w/ debris on Light Owl. Also weird, possibly oxidized plating
Blotchy, dusty coating on Salesman.
The cat appears to have sprouted real cat hair.
I don't want to clutter this update with bad pins; while these are particularly noticeable examples, this is the nature of the issue over and over. Other than the coating, the craftsmanship of the pins is great. It's profoundly frustrating and a bit heartbreaking to see so many beautiful pins be ruined at the finishing stages.
Black Mirror Minor Issue
I didn't see it until recently: there is a misplaced bit of screen print on the top right tentacle of the black nickel Mirror. A droplet was moved from the top teal area to the light green area. It's tiny and so close to the enamel in color, it's often not noticeable. It's possible some folks won't really care or even see it—but it's there and I wouldn't feel right not saying so.
This misprint is on the proof I approved—it's my mistake. As I was preparing my files, I must have accidentally moved the droplet and didn't notice because the colors were so similar. 🥲
Since it is relatively minor, I want to ask backers of this design before ordering a reprint:Would you be OK with receiving the pin with this small misplaced print, or would you rather wait for a version with perfect print?
If you are OK with this misprint Mirror, and you aren't getting other pins affected by high-flaw rates, your order can ship. If you are also getting a high-flaw rate pin, I will still try my best to ship your order sooner rather than later.
A: current manufactured mirror vs. B: original vector artwork
Zoomed in
Even zoomed in, it's hard to see lol. If it were missing entirely I never would have known, but there's print there, just misplaced.
An email + Google form survey will be sent to backers affected 1-2 days after this update. If you backed for the black nickel Mirror, the Google survey is also here for your convenience. I'll leave it open for 2 weeks. For backers who don't fill it out, I'll be sending a corrected version later.
Thank you again for all your patience!! I am so sorry about the delays and my mistake on the Mirror.
I will keep you folks updated as things progress. I should have a sample photo of the adjusted Ms. Foxglove very soon, but I'll let this update percolate for a handful of days.
I can't believe it, but all of the pins arrived a few days ago. I was expecting to have to wait much longer.
Everything looks gorgeous on first glance. From what I can tell so far, the manufacturers knocked these out of the park, and they are even nicer in person. If I notice widespread issues that will affect fulfillment, I will let you know.
However, on that note, the Ms. Foxglove dangling pin will be remade. Unfortunately, her colors are not what I wanted😠Her hair is a bit too pink and you can't even see the green of the monster slime and her lapel pin. I've already been in touch with the factory, and I've got the ball rolling on remakes. Other than the wonky color, the quality of the pin is very nice.
Ms. Foxglove misprint colors
Ms. Foxglove misprint colors, direct light on the metal lines
If you like this version of her, I'm happy to send her to you. I don't expect that will be many folks, but if that's you, let me know!
Please note, it's very possible folks receiving the Ms. Foxglove pin will have their orders delayed. But I'm still waiting on the bulk order stickers, the backing cards, AND I still need to grade and card every pin—and then fulfillment will begin, which could also be a lengthy process. So your order may not be all that delayed after all lol.
Lots and Lots of Pin Photos
Dangling Pins The delicate details look amazing, especially on the little bottles. I do wish I made the bottles a tiny bit bigger, but they are so, so cute. Something I'll keep in mind in the future.
Bottled Familiars
Skelemander pin
Skelemander pin with light on the metal lines
Ghost-cat pin
Ghost cat pin with light on the metal lines
Skelemander bottle charm
Ghost-cat bottle charm
Death of a Salesman
Salesman pin
Salesman with light on the metal lines
Grasping Dead Grimoire
This may be my new favorite pin! The glow is SO COOL.
Grasping Dead Grimoire Pin
Spooky glow on the Grimoire pin!
Grimoire pin, light on the metal lines
Dark Mirror Visitor
Dark Mirror Pin
Dark Mirror Pin, direct light on the metal lines
Standard Pins
Night owl pin
Light owl pin
Crystal Ball Pin
Planchette pin
Teapot pin
Sugar bowl pin
Cross-Collab and Early bird Freebies
Celestial Mirror — Cross Collab Pin
Early Bat — Early Bird Pin
Small Pins Lovely details! The cameos make me think of little buttons. :>
Copper Candle 1" pin
Black candles 1" pin
Copper Absinthe Bottle 1" pin
Black Potion Bottle 1" Pin
Gentleman Cameo 1" Pin
Werewolf Cameo 1" pin
Infernal Teacup .75" pin
Copper Teacup .75" Pin
"Six-Legged Stag" 3" Pin Add-on A pin from last year's campaign as an add-on. There was a lot of interest in this pin, so a reprint was ordered and thought I'd share. :)
six-legged stag pin reprint
Six-legged stag reprint, light on the lines
Mini Eye Pins
Green eye
Cream eye
Whew. ðŸ«
What's Next
Prints are already here, and bulk order stickers are on the way. My sticker manu said they are currently short-staffed, so it's taking a bit longer than usual. I confirmed the proofs for the backing cards last week, and they're at the printer now.
I'm going to card all pins before charging credit cards for shipping/add-ons. If you have any questions about your order or need changes made, let me know at [email protected]. If you want to change your pin or add-on selections, I should be able to accommodate you, but some pins have less extras than others, due to less demand.
You still have the ability to update your address in your survey.
Even with the Foxglove reprint, we're still on track for a July/August fulfillment. I'm actually hopeful these will begin shipping a bit earlier than scheduled, but I have SO many pins to organize, I don't want to make promises.
Note to self: don't make so many designs in the future... 🤣😳
This is only my second pin campaign, so thank you so much for the support and patience, especially with the bumps in the road. I can't wait to ship these out to you folks. 🖤🦇
Lots of pretty pictures for you today. The sticker samples arrived recently, and I have a selection of pin photos from the factory.
Pins
Please keep in mind that some of the lighting isn't the greatest, and the colors will vary a little in the photos. However, you can get a very good sense of how the pins are coming along! I'm so excited for how these designs are shaping up. :)
The bright green makes me wish I used glow-in-the-dark on more designs! Especially the two owl faces.
Copper Grimoire Dangler pin
Black Nickel Crystal Ball pin
Black Nickel Sugar Bowl pin
Black Nickel Small + Mini Pins: teacup, bottle, candles, mini eye pins
Work-in-progress pins
These pictures feature the cat and salamander before buffing, plating, and UV printing—so please keep in mind they aren't done and that's why the ink is overflowing.
The colors on everything are beautiful, but the copper designs on the "initial collection" sticker sheet are a bit too light. I will darken the copper lines before bulk printing so these designs are easier to see. Other than that, I love how these turned out.
That's all for now! I'll keep you updated as things move along, but everything appears to still be on schedule for a July-August fulfillment. :) As said before, while orders are locked, addresses can still be updated until after I receive the pins—likely sometime in early July.
Pay-over-time folks should have also received their surveys this month after final payment. Let me know if you have any questions or issues with your surveys.
Just a quick check-in for you folks! It's been a busy month—back and forth with manufacturers and lots of proofing, but I'm happy to announce everything is in production! :D
Stickers are on the way, and I've received word that pin molds have been completed. And prints have already arrived!
Prints
I'm super happy with the soft touch prints. The colors turned out gorgeous.
5x7 soft touch prints
More soft touch prints~
When stickers arrive, I'll be sure to share some photos! And I'll keep backers in the loop as I receive updates from the pin manufacturer, too.
Timeline
In general, now is the waiting game. Due to the large number of pins in this project, bulk production will likely take about 2 months to complete. We're still on track for a late July/early August fulfillment timeline. :)
As a reminder, I won't be charging credit cards for shipping or locking addresses until after the pins arrive and we're much closer to fulfillment. I'm estimating this will happen sometime in July, so you have plenty of time to change your shipping address or payment details!
As usual, thank you for all the support and patience <3
