24: Pin Banners, New Partners, & More!
6 months ago
– Sat, May 18, 2024 at 07:16:50 PM
Hi folks! I bring exciting news!
First off: my test print pin banners came in today! Take a look at these beauties:
I think I'm going to revise the master file a little to improve the cut line along the bottom curve so that there's a distinct "wood" border all the way around. I'll keep one of the 5 test banners and sell the other 4 at a discount on Etsy once the Creepy Cuties pins come in. Otherwise I'm pretty chuffed about these!
What do you think of the pin banner? Let me know in the comments!
Second order of business: I've found a new pin manufacturing partner who will work within the project's budget and we are finally on our way! I'll share updates from the manufacturer as I receive them. :D
Last up: almost all surveys are in, with the exception of ONE straggler! :D I'm going to give this last person — and pre-orders — one more week before closing surveys.
This means that the new survey lock date is May 25, 2024. I'll send a 48-hour reminder on the 23rd. If you want to make any changes to your items, you will have until May 25th to do so!
A bit of backer-exclusive content if you click through....
23: Almost All Surveys Are In!
6 months ago
– Fri, May 10, 2024 at 02:50:19 PM
Hey folks! Sorry for going quiet for a while; it's been a hair-raising two weeks featuring multiple emergency vet visits, missing medication, terrible sleep, dog drama, and more.
Some good news is that about half of the packing materials and inclusions are squared away, and the backer cards on on their way to me! Also, almost all surveys have been submitted already, with only 3 stragglers left — thank you all so much for your promptness! 💜
In less great news: I got the final number back from my regular pin manufacturer and was... let's say surprised to find it was almost $700 over the original quote. So with that in mind, I'm pursuing the option of "cheating on" my normal manufacturer and going with one who can guarantee the same high standard of quality with less twisting of my arm. I do not anticipate this affecting the timeline much.
22: FIXED: No More Missing Countries! 😅
6 months ago
– Thu, May 02, 2024 at 03:54:17 PM
Have I mentioned how awesome the Backerkit team are? They literally got back to me with how to fix the missing-countries mess before I got my email for Update 21. Damn. These folks are top-notch. Seriously, this is not a Sponsored Post™️, but if you ever put together a crowdfunder of your own, I can't recommend Backerkit highly enough. There are very few companies I've worked with whose support is as good as theirs. Like, damn, seriously. Special thanks to
Anna for saving my bacon before it could burn!
That is to say...
FIXED! You should all be able to select the correct country for your surveys now.
Sorry about the rapid-fire updates. 😅 I promise I'll make up for it during the manufacturing process by leaving y'all alone save for like weekly updates or so.
Pet tax: Cepheus here is making sure my iPad keyboard doesn't float away.
Still Sheepishly Yours,
Tom
21: Missing Countries on Surveys
6 months ago
– Thu, May 02, 2024 at 03:34:50 PM
Hi again! As some of you may have noticed, it looks like something went wrong with the survey setup and a slew of countries are missing from the selection drop-down, including the UK and a bunch of others. I know I didn't exclude any countries other than France and those countries on which the US has embargoes, so there should be a good many more on there. :/
I've sent an email to the Backerkit team requesting help in fixing this. If your country isn't on the list, comment which one if you want, and just hang tight; I'll get this corrected as soon as I can!
Sheepishly Yours,
Tom
20: Surveys Are Out!
6 months ago
– Thu, May 02, 2024 at 02:36:00 PM
Surveys are out! Please get your responses in ASAP!
As a reminder, you will have until JUNE 1, 2024 to complete your survey — if you don't get it submitted by then, you won't be able to get any rewards!
If your pledge level includes any automatic items, or if you're a returning backer, pledged in the first 48 hours, and/or pledged in the first 48 hours for 3+ pins, your items will automatically be added to your list of rewards.
Please note: early bird perks for those who pledged to those levels during the second run
do not include any extra items — just the discounted pricing.
If you believe you're missing items, please reach out as soon as you can and I'll correct it! You can use the form at
https://creepy-cuties.backerkit.com/faq#contact-us for all your support needs.
If you did not receive your survey, first check your spam folder; I'm told these emails sometimes end up there.
- If it's not there either, head to https://creepy-cuties.backerkit.com, enter the email address you used to make your pledge, and click "Get My Survey."
- If you get an error saying that it hasn't been sent, you might not have been loaded into the Pledge Manager when I sent the surveys due to a late or outstanding charge; please check to make sure your pledge was collected, correct that if needs be, and then reach out via the contact form.
As far as I can tell, you will NOT be charged for shipping yet, but you WILL be charged for any additional items you select beyond what you pledged for.
Shipping charges will be collected later in the year, after I've received everything from my manufacturers and before I start shipping things out. As a reminder, my best estimate is September for fulfillment, but that's only an estimate and is subject to change. I'll keep y'all in the loop about any delays that may arise, or if there's better news and everything arrives early!
If all of you manage to get your surveys completed before June 1st, I might close surveys early and get a jump on manufacturing! If that's the case, I'll still give you at least 48 hours' notice before locking surveys and closing pre-orders.
Last but not least...my birthday snake arrived today! She's a white phase Solomon Island ground boa (Candoia paulsonii) born this past September, and her breeder has very generously been holding onto her for the past four months to make sure she's eating consistently before sending her to me (my birthday was in December). She's a delicate little thing now, but even when she's grown and chonky she'll still be a reasonably small snake, just how I like 'em. Fun fact: like sand boas, Solomon Island boas (both species, ground and tree) exhibit dramatic sexual dimorphism, in that the females grow to fully twice the size of the males! They also grow pretty slowly, so she'll probably be in her little baby enclosure for a good while before she's ready for an upgrade.
She doesn't have a name yet. What would YOU name this snake if she was yours?
Spookily Yours,
Tom
