Dang, y'all are fast!
As of this writing, 90% of folks have filled out their survey for this campaign! That's pretty darn cool – thank you for making my job so easy!
Time to ch...
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Cam
9 days ago
Surveys Sent!! + Smarty Update
Hello, friends!
Over the course of the next 24 hours, you'll receive a survey from me + BackerKit in your email inbox. The survey is how you tell me which pin(s) you want, so p...
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Cam
about 1 month ago
UNDER 3 HOURS LEFT!! + Donation Update + What's Next?
UNDER THREE HOURS LEFT OF PINTOPIA 2!!
That's right, time's almost up – if you haven't updated your pledge to get all the pins you want, OR haven't also pledged to Proud to the...
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Cam
about 1 month ago
LAST 24 HOURS: The Final Stretch!
Hello Pintopians and Warden fans!
Today is the last full day of Pintopia 2 – you have until 1 PM PST tomorrow (18 April) to make your final selections and back all those amazin...
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Cam
about 1 month ago
The People Have Spoken: New Warden Pin Has Dropped!
Warden's fans have spoken –– and a fourth pin has been unlocked!
A whopping 92% of poll voters said YES PLEASE to the release of Rainbow Bandana Boy Warden, so here you go! I'...
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Cam
about 1 month ago
Final Week Pin Drop?
Hello, Warden lovers and Pintopia pals!
I've been absolutely blown away by the love and support this lil project has received, both on BackerKit and on social media – it's trul...
As of this writing, 90% of folks have filled out their survey for this campaign! That's pretty darn cool – thank you for making my job so easy!
Time to check: HAVE YOU FILLED OUT YOUR SURVEY?
If you're one of the few who haven't yet gotten around to filling out your survey, I've just triggered a re-send of the email. Please check the email address associated with your BackerKit account and fill out the survey before May 25. On that date, your orders will be locked and you cannot make any changes.
MEANWHILE...
Because so many of you fantastic human beings have filled out the surveys, I can get started on pin production! I have an accurate enough count to guesstimate how many pins will be needed, which is great news!
There's more pin nerdery ahead because I like to be transparent about my process but TL;DR: Pin production timelines vary, but I estimate it will take about a month and a half until I get the pins in my hot little hands. Updates will be shared here as they come!
The nitty gritty: I've worked with my pin manufacturer on every single enamel pin I've ever created since 2021; we've never had any significant production delays and they're really good at sharing progress photos so I can do quality checks at a distance. Because I already have pin mockup colors and codes, it's a function of me sending them a spreadsheet of the pins, colors and counts, and then them making the molds and doing their whole enamel-pin-making-thing.
Over the course of them doing their thing, my manufacturer rep will send me photos so I can ensure everything is being done right. When that happens, I'll share the photos here so y'all can see what's coming! This is one of my favorite parts of the process; I love watching pins come to life!
WHAT'S NEXT?
"So Cam," you may be asking, "once the pins are done, what happens after?" I'm so glad you asked!
After the pins arrive, they go through a quality check process called grading. When I grade pins, I look for flaws in the enamel and the front of the pin and ensure that the pin posts are straight so the pin backs stay on. Only A grade pins (pins where I don't see any flaws under direct light and less than an arm's length away) will be sent to backers.
This pin grading process will likely take me a week to complete, owing to the sheer number of pins that will be coming my way (this is a good problem to have!!). Historically, my manufacturer's work has been so good that only ~3% of the pins are not A grades, so I don't forsee an issue there.
After grading, it's time for order packing. This will likely happen around the July 4th holiday or a bit after. I'll be keeping y'all apprised of when, and let you know when shipping addresses will be locked.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to comment here or reach out: [email protected]. Please note: I am a one-woman show, so allowing 24-48 hours for a response is always appreciated :)
With eternal gratitude and thanks for your support, Cam <3 (and Warden)
Over the course of the next 24 hours, you'll receive a survey from me + BackerKit in your email inbox. The survey is how you tell me which pin(s) you want, so please fill it out ASAP.
Survey Walkthrough
Your survey will have four main sections.
PledgeQuestions: This first section is where you pick out all the rewards that come with your pledge level. If you pledged for 1 pin, you'll have to select a design only once. If you pledged for 4 pins, you'll have to select a design four separate times.
Add-Ons: This is the section where you can add any additional pins/stickers to your pledge.
Shipping Address: The third section is where you add your shipping address. You will be able to edit this until July 2024.
Order Details: This is where you add payment details if you decided to purchase extra add-ons. Review your order and then hit the green button to ensure your order is complete.
A few things to note about the surveys:
You will have 2 weeks, until 25 May 2024, to fill out the survey. This includes selecting any extra pins or other add-ons. After that date, the survey will be locked because I need to ensure I order enough pins (and not too many)!
Again, the survey lockdown date is May 25, 2024. The estimated date for your card to be charged for any add-ons is May 26, 2024.
I will lock the orders and the shipping on two separate days. If you, like me, are planning to move between now and when I ship out pins in July, don't worry – you'll be able to edit your shipping address up until mid-July. I'll keep you posted on exactly when.
I recommend filling out the survey on a laptop or desktop. While it can be done on a mobile device, it's a bit more challenging.
Pay attention to the pin reference photos. On each pledge question, you'll see blown-up images of each pin to help ensure you're selecting the correct pin.
On the add-ons page, you will see a tip jar option. This is where, if you so choose, you can donate to my friends' cat, Smarty, who is in the process of getting a diagnosis and treatment for an emerging, urgent medical need. To read more, check out this update here.
Pre-Order Store
If you or someone you know wanted a Warden pin and didn't get one when the crowdfunding campaign was live, I've made the pre-order store live for additional purchases! Please note that if you are a backer and you make a purchase from this store, it will likely ship separately and you will need to pay additional shipping. The pre-order store will close at the end of May, so get in there while you can!
Speaking of Smarty...
Smarty's parents are still in the process of pursuing a definitive diagnosis – the good news is that they've been told there's a good chance his elevated blood cell count is due to the physical strain he's under because of the dental work he needs done. This is the best possible scenario for his parents (much better than cancer or polycythemia vera), but it's still going to be incredibly expensive. The money meant for his dental work has gone to this diagnostic testing, and pet insurance will only cover so much.
All proceeds from the tip jar will be going to Smarty's parents, two of my dear friends who have given me and Warden so much over the years. It's my honor to support them and their baby through mutual aid, and I'm grateful to y'all for choosing to join me in taking care of their kitty cat. Send all the best vibes toward him and his parents, and I'll keep you posted as I'm given permission to do so :)
Love, Cam
P.S. Any questions? Don't hesitate to reach out to [email protected]. Please note that this entire campaign is a one-woman show; while I endeavor to be prompt in all my email and message responses, it may take me up to 48 business hours to respond. Thank you in advance for your patience :)
That's right, time's almost up – if you haven't updated your pledge to get all the pins you want, OR haven't also pledged to Proud to the Bone 2 to get 2 free pins, now is your last chance!
Alright, Cam, what's next?
Because you guys are super cool amazing awesome people and funded this pin campaign, once Pintopia 2 ends, you can expect the following:
Surveys: If you've backed a Kickstarter or Backerkit campaign before, you're probably familiar with this process – once the campaign closes, I'm going to build a survey that will be sent to everyone who backed at a physical reward tier. That survey is where you will pick out the pin(s) you want, purchase any available add-ons, and pay for shipping. PLEASE be sure you are checking the email associated with your BackerKit account REGULARLY.
Pin production: Once all the surveys are completed, I'll be sending my pin order to my manufacturer! Typically it takes 1.5-2 months to get pins back because they're so mindful of the details, but I'll be keeping you posted throughout!
A Donation Update
This is a bit of a serious one, gang.
As you may recall, when I started this campaign, I mentioned that any tip jar proceeds or non-physical tier donations would be going to Friends & Vets Helping Pets, a nonprofit assisting financially-limited pet parents with extraordinary expenses needed to save a pet’s life.
However, since that announcement, one of Warden's kitty cat friends has become a pet who will soon require those extraordinary expenses. In the name of mutual aid, Warden and I would like to donate your donations to him instead.
This is Smarty. The day Warden came into my life, Smarty and his feline brother, as well as his humans (two of my dear friends) were the first to meet him. Smarty and Warden spent almost 20 straight minutes blinking at each other and sniffing gently at one another, and Warden still recognizes pictures of him as His Friend.
Smarty is the gentlest, sweetest little man with a raspy lil meow and a hatred of phones (if you are on a phone, you are not hanging out with him, and that is unacceptable). He is also staring down the barrel of a diagnosis of either cancer or polycythemia vera, a marrow disorder. Either way, this will need to be managed with chemotherapy – and, like for humans, chemo for cats is incredibly expensive.
His parents are scared for their little boy, and incredibly worried that finances are going to be the barrier to saving their cat's life.
He has an ultrasound on Monday to further the diagnostic process, and his parents are committed to doing everything they can for him – but they are so scared that the financial element of treatment will stand in the way of that commitment. Warden and I would like to alleviate that burden in whatever way I can.
TLDR; Your donations will still go toward assisting financially-limited pet parents with extraordinary expenses needed to save a pet’s life – they're going to go directly, mutual-aid style, to a pet and his family in immediate need.
Thank you as always for your love and support, and thank you for making this Pintopia 2 experience SO incredible!!
Today is the last full day of Pintopia 2 – you have until 1 PM PST tomorrow (18 April) to make your final selections and back all those amazing projects that you've been eyeing but haven't quite committed to!
This also means that you have a little over 24 hours to finalize your pledge for this campaign. While there will be some add-on pins available, the best way to ensure you get the pins you want is to make sure your pledge is current!
Also, don't forget to back Proud to the Bone 2! NerdyKeppie and I teamed up to make two pins that you'll get for FREE if you back both campaigns –– so if you want Skele-Warden with a rainbow flower crown, you know what to do!
And finally: Today's my birthday, and I genuinely love to spend my birthday doing what I can to give to others. There are some Pintopia projects that haven't quite hit their funding goal, and I would encourage y'all to click here, check them out, and give them some love and support. Let's give everyone we can the thrill of getting their campaign over the finish line!!
I probably sound like a broken record but thank you SO MUCH for your support and enthusiasm for this project; I can't express how much it means to me (and to Warden, too!). Once the campaign ends, you already know I'll be in touch with next steps; I can't wait to get y'all's survey responses and see if my hunch was right and everyone's resounding favorite pin is Bag-Head Warden XD
Warden's fans have spoken –– and a fourth pin has been unlocked!
A whopping 92% of poll voters said YES PLEASE to the release of Rainbow Bandana Boy Warden, so here you go! I'm so stoked to have the support needed to unlock this pin – thank you so much for your love, support and votes!
From now until the campaign ends on April 18th, you can update your pledge to encompass this pin (for example, if you pledged for 2 pins but want to add this one as a 3rd, you can do so now!). Additionally, don't forget to check out Proud to the Bone 2 – if you back both our projects, you get 2 free pins!
Fun fact: April 18 is the day after my birthday; I couldn't think of a better way to ring in another revolution around the sun by designing pins of my creature for folks who love him as much as I do. Thank you for being here, supporting Pintopia, and loving my son :)
I've been absolutely blown away by the love and support this lil project has received, both on BackerKit and on social media – it's truly a privilege and an honor to be in the company of people who love my cat as much as I do (and he loves all of you too!!!).
As we come ever closer to the end of Pintopia 2, I wanted to check in: I'm considering, given all the incredible support this campaign has received thus far, adding a fourth pin to the mix: Warden wearing the rainbow bandana that he dons every Pride Month in support of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.)
If the votes that come in by Friday say YES then I will! Otherwise, no hard feelings – I want to make what you want to see!
What are your thoughts? Vote in the poll below – and thank you again for your love and support!
Imagine my surprise and delight when I looked up from my anime watch night with a friend to see that you all funded Warden's World COMPLETELY in under 12 hours!!!
Thanks to your support, we've unlocked the final pin! TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO GET EARLY-BIRD PRICING on your pledge, so if you want to update your pledge to include this third pin, or to get your hands on more pins in general, now is the time!!
And don't forget to support Proud to the Bone 2– backing both of our campaigns means you'll get two free pins!
Thank you so much for your support of Pintopia 2, of Warden, and of my creations. This TRULY means the world!
In under 6 hours, we've hit $720 of our $1,000 funding goal –– meaning we're under $300 away from unlocking the third pin!! Thank you so much for your support!!
If you haven't checked out + backed Proud to the Bone 2, you absolutely should – not only will you get some fantastic pins from NerdyKeppie, but you'll also get free pins from us both as long as you back both our campaigns at a physical reward tier!
Thank you so much for your love and support; it seriously means the world to me (and Warden!!)
The Warden's World pin campaign launches in 10 minutes, and I couldn't be more excited!! If you've got some time, Warden and I are playing on livestream here to celebrate the start of Pintopia 2 and Warden's World!
Don't forget, there's special early-bird pricing for the first 72 hours of the campaign! Don't miss out!
Hey y'all! Join us at 9:30 AM PST/12:30 PM EST on March 28th for a special livestream celebrating the launch of this campaign!
If you subscribe to updates for this campaign (do so here!), you'll get an email about an hour before the livestream is set to begin.
Come hang out with Warden (he wants to show off his mad wheel-running skills) and ask Cam questions about pins, crowdfunding, her cat, and anything else you can think of!
