Hi everyone! Thank you so much for an amazing campaign! We blew through our goals, and I’m so excited to bring these pins to life with you all! I wanted to share one final design. It’s called Portal, will be 2 inches tall, and rose gold plating! With it being the final day, I also wanted to talk about next steps! Once cards are charged, it will be 2 weeks until the funds reach me from backerkit. Once I receive the funds, surveys will be sent out to everyone asking for shipping addresses, and giving the opportunity to add on any additional items. Production will also begin immediately after I receive funds! I’m so excited about these designs, and can’t wait for you to receive them! If anyone has any questions, please let me know<3 Have a great day! -McKenzie
Hey friends! I really apologize that this update has taken so long - things have been messy (but cleaner now) in the last few months, both personally and professionally, and I’ll admit that I’ve been a bit underwater trying to get things sorted as it was a lot of things all at once, and I’m a single human that’s been trying to dig myself out of it.
If you’ve been following along with our other campaign Purrtagonists, it was just an unfortunate mess with one of the major manufacturers of Venetia’s pins where some of the pins they returned had a 90%+ error rate. It created a lot of initial hangups with its multitude of designs; it has been effectively locked for months getting back funds and struggling to make headway, and we were set back a substantial amount (about $14,000 plus the remake costs). Normally this wouldn’t impact anything but itself, but it was far past the normal line and impacted a large amount of things since I was covering the costs of remakes (and the overage that the campaign incurred). We’ve started to see small resolutions there (plus having an end of year sale where some of those costs were recouped) so things are looking better.
Initially the other campaign wasn’t an issue that impacted this one, but the manufacturer I’d originally chosen for this campaign was having issues with the cutouts with the Venti pins. Normally we could work around this, but in a pin where it’s relatively prevalent, it was an issue we had to work on and try to fix. After a long back and forth, it was clear it wasn’t happening and the altered art that kept happening wasn’t going to cut it. As such, I ended up needing to cut my losses on the sample, refund the remaining costs, and go to one of my other manufacturers that has been more reliable in the last year (one that has actively shown good and normal progress in the past half year) - normally I’d start on this process while asking for a refund, but due to the issue with Purrtagonists and how far into the red that had dragged me during that time period, I had to wait until some of the funds were returned. This part of the migration is already done, and I’m hoping to have a new sample to show very soon. I’m sorry for not touching base sooner, but there were weeks I thought it might work, then others I was fighting to get funds back, and going around in circles about it. I’ll update here the same day I have the new sample. The art hasn’t changed!
My goal is to have the surveys for addresses out in the beginning of the coming month; I’ll honor initial requests for add-ons (to complete the set or get additional sets), but anything through the separated preorder store will be adjusted for the additional sampling costs that were lost. (TL;DR - That won’t impact you, but people outside of the campaign.)
This is just a reminder to those that have incomplete AOS surveys that the next lockdown and charge date will happen on December 18th. The majority of surveys were completed and locked down yesterday. Keep in mind to guarantee you get the designs you've chosen, your survey has to be completed and locked down by December 29th. I will be ordering these pins at end of December, and I'd like to have the most accurate quantity counts for the manufacturer.
If you have any questions about your survey please email me at [email protected].
I'm thrilled to announce that thanks to YOUR incredible enthusiasm and support, this pin campaign was a success! 🎉 Your belief in this project means the world.
But wait, there's more excitement! 🚀 We've also unlocked the no-year variant pin design! 🎨✨
A massive shoutout to each and every one of you who made this possible. 🙏 We didn't hit the stretch goal for the washi tape, but I'll make that available as a survey add-on, if we have enough interest for 25 rolls I can place an order. 👌
Stay tuned for more updates. You're all rockstars! 🌟
As The Snarky Company prepares for 2024 I am thinking about what kinds of pin collections I want to create, as well as different kinds of products to produce. The goal for next year is to run 2-3 crowdfunded campaigns, with one larger campaign where the theme is relatable to a larger audience (similar to OYS and AOS), and two smaller campaigns with more niche themes ( think gaming/gamers or books/readers). With that being said, I'm attaching a poll here to get a better gauge on what backers are looking for.
In 2024 I'm trying to focus on bringing you different products as well. I'm currently researching sublimation, working on some iron on patch designs, acrylic keychains, and art prints. These newer products take some time to create because I first have to design them, but then need to find reputable manufacturers to make them happen.
Currently there is no feature within Backerkit polls to pick more than one option, so pick your favorite option, and feel free to leave a comment below with any other themes or ideas.
Heres a quick breakdown and explanation of the options on this poll:
Pride/Queer - This one is pretty self explanatory, pins themed around sexual preferences, gender identities, and all things LGBTQIA+. I've been asked multiple times for a collection like this, and while I identify as queer, I just haven't had the chance to sit down and draw up some designs.
Body Neutrality / Anti Diet Culture - This collection is all about body neutrality, not to be confused with body positivity. Body positivity focuses on cultivating acceptance towards a positive body image through unconditional self-love (which isn't inherently a bad thing), but body neutrality does not involve constant positivity but rather an acknowledgement and appreciation of all the things the body can do, regardless of what it looks like. This will also include pins that are anti diet culture.
Gaming/Gamers - Pins for all my gaming friends out there, not necessarily just video games, but table top games as well. I will definitely need some input from backers for these pins, as I'm mostly a video game player, and don't know a whole lot about tabletop or games like dnd.
Books/Readers - This one is also pretty self explanatory. Pins about reading, books, and genres. I'm mostly a romance reader, but the collection won't just feature romance book related pins.
Kawaii - I've always loved kawaii style illustration, but it's never something I've taught myself or tried. If you've backed my campaigns you know my style falls in traditional and neotradtional tattoo flash style. This would be a little foray into designing some kawaii style food and drink pins.
ITA Bag - This one is not so much a pin collection but instead a bag. An ITA bag is a bag with a clear window to display your pins. The kind of ITA bag I have been designing over the years is a medication bag that can be used to store medications at home, or when traveling. ITA bags require you to find a manufacturer and work with them on making a sample, which can be expensive and time consuming. While I'd love to finally put this ITA bag out there in 2024, it may be closer to 2025. While this is a bag and not a pin collection, of course there will still be a small selection of pins that will go along with this campaign.
OYS 3 - If you want more mental health/stigma related pins, just let me know.
Other - If there's a theme not listed in this poll, leave a comment below, or, if you wanted to select more than one option, you can leave your other options is the comments as well.
This is a notification to let you know that this project is coming to an end and to provide you with the last shipping update, as well as end of project information.
All orders marked as "ready to ship" in Backerkit have been packed and are out the door (there are still about 45 orders on my porch waiting to be picked up by the mailman). If you did not receive your order yet, please check for a tracking email from BackerKit. It's possible you may have had one of the recently packed orders and your tracking information will be updated in the next 24-48 hours.
If you have not received your order, please read the important information below, before contacting us. This information contains details, policies, and timelines related to your order.
🚨 Incomplete Surveys
There are 15 backers who paid for their pledge, but did not complete their survey, or complete the shipping payment. If you’re one of these backers, you have 30 days from today (today to January 8th, 2024) to fill out your survey and pay for shipping. If you do not complete your survey within the 30 days, per the terms and conditions of this project, that you agreed to when you submitted and paid for your pledge, you forfeit your rewards and will not be given a refund.
There are currently 2 backers with failed survey charges. This means that you filled out your survey and provided card details, but when we charged your card for shipping, the payment failed. If you do not complete your payment within the 30 days (today to January 8th, 2024), per the terms and conditions of this project, that you agreed to when you submitted and paid for your pledge, you forfeit your rewards and will not be given a refund.
🚨 Charge Disputed
There are a few backers who completed their survey, but their bank disputed the pledge charge after the survey was complete. This means that you were able to submit your survey, but you did not pay for your pledge since the bank revoked the funds. If this happened to your order we sent an email with information on how to pay for your pledge. If we do not receive an email within 30 days of when we first reached out, you will forfeit your rewards and will not be given a refund.
📦 Orders that were returned to sender
If we receive an order that’s been returned to sender, we will email to let you know. That email will contain information on how to get your package sent out again. If we do not receive a response within 45 days of our initial email, you forfeit your rewards and will not be given a refund.
📦 Never received orders
If your order tracking email says “delivered”, but you did not receive your order, please first contact your local post office with your tracking number. Your post office is the best chance of finding the lost order. If your local post office cannot locate your package, please email us at [email protected]
If you did not receive your package because of an address change, or because you entered the wrong address, and did not notify us of an address change, we can ship your order again, but the backer is responsible for paying a second shipping fee, per the terms and conditions of this project. If you did notify us of an address change but have not received your order, please email us at [email protected]
For any US backers who are unable to locate their package, you will have 30 days (today to January 8th, 2024) to notify us that you did not receive your package. If you are an international backer you have 45 days to (today to January 23rd, 2024) to notify us that you did not receive your package. If you fail to notify us within those timelines, that your package is missing, you will forfeit your rewards, a new package will not be sent, and you will not receive a refund, per the agreed upon terms and conditions of this project.
We are willing to work with backers however we can to help get any missing orders into your hands. If you order is missing please contact us within the timelines stated above.
If you want to check the status of your order, please reach out to us at [email protected] with the name and email associated with your pledge.
Please do not leave comments on this campaign page asking for information about your order. Comments are not monitored daily and we do not respond to private inquires on this page. If you need information about your order, the best course of action is to email us.
📣 OYS 2 Pins going for sale on Etsy and the B grade sale
The remaining pins from this project will eventually go up for sale on Etsy. You will have a chance to purchase these OYS 2 pins, as well as b grades at a discounted price. As of right now, I don't have a date for when these pins will be listed. I still need to wrap up loose ends on this project, photograph the pins, catalog and count inventory, and create the listings. To be honest, I took on way more work this holiday season than I usually do (my own fault), and I'm exhausted. Now that I've completed shipping all 956 orders (give or take the 50 that my partner helped with) I'd like to take a break and try to enjoy the holiday season. I will still be packing Etsy orders, answering emails, and monitoring the remaining incomplete surveys. So while I don't have an estimated date for when the remaining pins will go up for sale on Etsy, I am estimating that it will be in the January 2024. I will of course post an update once the listings are up. ❤️ I want to thank all of you who have supported this campaign and any of my previous campaigns. You make it possible for me to run this business, and I am so happy and appreciative to have connected with and met so many people who enjoy my art.❤️
What's next Throughout the holiday and into January I will be working behind the scenes on the All Out of Spoons project. I'm now in the stage of collecting survey responses, and will soon move onto ordering and manufacturing the pins. If you backed that campaign keep an eye out for updates along the way.
I'm also currently planning one larger campaign for 2024, and by larger I mean pins that are relatable to a larger audience (here's my personal hint as to how I relate to this larger project 💙💜💖, 🍳💖💛💙) However, I will also be possibly running some smaller niche projects around topics near and dear to my heart and life (think reading/book pins, and gamer pins). While I can't make any promises, an ITA bag may also be in the works for this year.
We're here with more prodcution photos! Everything is finally coming along, it's so exciting ૮꒰ ◕´ ꒳ `◕˵ ꒱ა❀°。
New Delibunnies confirmed UV print sample pins
Delibunnies backing cards arrived! ✨
And BunniePots blind bags are ready too! ૮꒰˶♡ ㅅ ♡˶꒱ა
We're making sure that every product turns out exactly as how we envisioned them, and it's a long process to make them perfectly cute. So thank you so much for all your patience during this time ૮꒰っ ˵ಢ ꒳ ಢ˵꒱აっ💗
Hope you're enjoying how everything is coming out, as much as we do! ૮꒰„ ᵕ ꒳ ᵕ̤ „꒱ა❀°。
Wish you a super lovely weekend in the meantime! Until the next update~
Sorry for the delayed update! We're poppin' in just to say thank you for participating and to inform you that now starts the second phase of the campaign.
Can't wait to start the production for everything! ૮꒰ ˶Ծ ヮ Ծ ˶꒱ა و ̑̑🎁 But first, we need to know what to order through surveys we'll send you asap via e-mail for you to choose your rewards✧˖°
ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴꜱ ɴᴏᴡ?
The new final Stretch goal(Merry Hoppidays enamel pins) has been achieved at 99%, this is quite funny ૮꒰˶> ヮ <˶꒱ა But we'll of course consider everything unlocked the same -so please don't worry! You'll be able to add them through your survey (already uncloked) ૮꒰˶^ ㅅ ^˶꒱ა
If you're among the few errored backers, and you didn't manage to fix your payment within the 7 days from the end date of the campaign, you will be automatically dropped out and you will not receive any of your rewards.
But please don't worry, if you want to recover it and still receive your goodies, your pledge can also be collected on a later moment: we'll send you a direct e-mail for this in the next days -after the surveys are all set. So please check your mail box!
Also, we'll soon open the dedicated Pre-order Store for all those who missed the campaign! [not for backers] So, please stay tuned for that as well if you're among those ̖́-
✦ꜱᴜʀᴠᴇʏꜱ
We need to know what and where we need to ship the rewards, as already mentioned! That's why we’ll send out a Survey through BackerKit to collect this information from all the backers. We're currently working on manually preparing the surveys for all the tiers; this may take up some time. You should expect to receive it after approx.14+ business days from today. Through the Survey you'll be able to finally select which exactitems you want. But! You'll also be able to add even more add-ons in the Survey and get more items with your pledge, even now that the campaign has ended!
✦ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛꜱ
For the production and fulfillment to be started, funds are needed to be transfered over to us and this process can take up to 20+ business days. After we'll have the funds in hands and everyone (or the vast majority) will have answered the surveys, we'll able to actually start the production of the rewards with our manufacturers.
As always, we'll do our best to keep you updated on any future developments as soon as there are news. Please stay connected and follow us on our socials to stay on track (and Discord for more in-depth sneak peeks on everything 👀)
![[Gaze] II - An Enamel Pin Project](https://bk-prod.imgix.net/active_storage/backerkit_production/blob/eivu4llkxf5mh2tads65qqdvr8yj?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=480)
