Smoke Test Surveys sent!
almost 2 years ago – Sat, May 28, 2022 at 01:02:36 AM

It's been two weeks since our campaign ended and I'm so pleased that we can finally start sending out surveys! Moments ago, I sent out a smoke test survey batch, which means that a very small percentage of backers (33 to be exact!) have received a survey. A smoke test is for the purpose of making sure that the survey process runs smoothly and there aren't any issues with it. So, if you're one of the lucky few, it's your job to offer up any feedback if you run into snags in the survey so that we may ensure everyone has a smooth survey experience.

If everything has gone smoothly, we will send out all surveys tomorrow morning. Please check your email for a survey from BackerKit. If for any reason it does not arrive, please contact me for a recovery link or to edit your email. Apple ID users may not receive a link, so we will have to manually edit your email address if you do not receive a link due to this. Please also check your spam folder for a BackerKit survey if you're not able to find it in your inbox.

Reminder, shipping was not collected during the campaign and all shipping info will be collected in BackerKit. Shipping is determined by actual weight of the products and will charge you according to your reward selection. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send me a message. 

Preorder store is now open! For those who missed the campaign, you can find the link on the main page or by following the link HERE! 

That's all for now, please let me know if you have any questions or feedback on the survey process. We're on schedule to still start the manufacturing process next week and I'll keep everyone updated as we go! Thank you!! :)

We did it! What happens now?
about 2 years ago – Fri, May 13, 2022 at 01:18:02 AM

We did it! We're fully funded! 

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported this campaign! With 760 backers, we raised an incredible $54,131 and were 1804% funded. We unlocked every single stretch goal and then some, with a total of twelve pin designs and five bag designs to choose from. As always, I am so humbled by the amount of support my projects have received and I am incredibly grateful to you all. 

So what happens now? To those who are unfamiliar with the process, here is the breakdown of what happens next. 

Over the next seven days, Kickstarter will collect your pledges. If your card is declined, you'll have seven days to update your payment method. If you happen to miss this deadline, you will still receive a BackerKit survey and you will have the opportunity to fix your payment method here as well. 

Surveys: How do I pick my reward selections?

I use a crowdfunding resource called BackerKit. In approximately two weeks, you will receive a survey from BackerKit (and don't worry, I'll post an update when surveys are going out!) where you can select your rewards, input your shipping address, and even add on additional rewards.

As many of you noticed, I did not collect shipping during the campaign. As this is my first campaign with a wide variety of items that will be difficult to predict shipping costs based on reward tiers alone, your shipping will be calculated post-campaign in BackerKit. Average shipping costs will range from $4-$15 for US shipping depending on your selection and $13-$25 for International. Larger orders of bags may be subject to higher shipping charges, as shipping will be charged based on weight of your selected items. 

BackerKit will also allow you to purchase add-ons, including a selection of pins from my previous campaigns and from my Etsy shop. Each bag will include an ita bag insert, however, additional Ita Bag inserts will be available to add on as well in BackerKit. 

Timeline

• May 12th - 26th: Kickstarter funds are processed.
• May 27th-29th: BackerKit surveys go out
• June 4th: Counts are finalized and manufacturing process begins for orders
• June - August: Production
• September - October: Rewards are shipped out! 

Due to the high volume of orders, manufacturing and/or shipping may be slightly delayed, but I assure you that we will all be working as quickly and efficiently as possible. I've already worked on communication with my manufacturers to get the ball rolling, and once we have finalized counts for orders I'll have production begin immediately to ensure we keep on schedule. 

I missed the campaign! Can I still pledge?

Once the campaign ends, preorders will become available on BackerKit very soon! Once rewards are finished, they'll be available through my Etsy Shop as well, however inventory will be limited, so I recommend preordering in order to secure your rewards.

UK Backers

Due to VAT and the inability to collect taxes on Kickstarter, UK backers will receive exclusive coupons on Etsy for rewards and will still receive a free gift. For all other international backers, please remember that you will be responsible for any customs/import fees, taxes, etc. upon shipping. 

That's all for now! If you  have any questions about your pledge, please message me either here or via email [email protected] (please have your backer number prepared if it concerns your order) and I'll do my best to help! 

Please note I may be slow to respond, as my convention season is also beginning. I'll be attending the following events as a vendor, so I hope to see some of you there!

Megacon - Orlando, FL - May 19-22
Lilac City Comicon - Spokane, WA - June 4-5
Fan Expo Dallas - Dallas, TX - June 17-19 (pending)
Denver Fan Expo - Denver, CO - July 1-3
Meadowlark Comic Con - Grants Pass, OR - July 9
Rose City Comic Con - Portland, OR - Sept 9-11
FanX - Salt Lake City, UT - Sept 22-24
Animedford - Grants Pass, OR - Oct 8

Thank you all again! Keep an eye out for updates on BackerKit surveys, and I will do my best to post updates when they are available.

Free Gift Selection!
about 2 years ago – Wed, May 04, 2022 at 04:35:06 AM

Hello everyone! We have just over a week left in our campaign and we've made some amazing progress. We unlocked all of our enamel pin designs and one of the new bag designs (moon tarot is now an available design!) 

Now, if I'm being honest, I had some difficulty coming up with ideas for the free gift design. I also decided, based on the numbers of our free gift idea poll, that you will have a choice between a zipper charm OR an enamel pin of the matching design. Whichever design gets selected, a matching zipper charm and enamel pin will be made and you will be able to choose which one you'd like. They will also be available to purchase individually as add ons in BackerKit.

You can vote for your favorite design HERE

Voting will end May 5th 12:00PM PST and the most popular voted design will become the free gift design. 

I'm also really excited to announce that I have added another add-on! Silver foil washi tape will now be available as an add on! I'd had a batch of these produced and wasn't sure if they were going to arrive in time to include in the campaign or not. Fortunately, they arrived a few days ago and turned out absolutely lovely! 

Our next stretch goal to be unlocked is the mushroom bag! Hopefully we will be unlocking this goal very soon!

Thank you everyone for your support! :)

Vote on new bag design!
about 2 years ago – Fri, Apr 22, 2022 at 10:53:58 PM

We almost have all of our stretch goals unlocked, and with the anticipation of hitting our final stretch goal, I'm taking a vote for which bag design should be added to the stretch goals. I've decided to add the top two designs, so please take a moment to vote for your favorite design HERE

The poll will close Sunday evening (4/24/22) and new stretch goals will be added for the top two designs.

I'm also working on the free gift designs and will let you guys choose once they're ready to go! :) 

That's all for this update. Thanks again!

Video Demo + Free Gift Poll!
about 2 years ago – Mon, Apr 18, 2022 at 05:45:41 PM

I promised you all that I'd release a short video demo showing off the bag sometime this week. For this week's update, we've updated our page with a short video focusing on the bag's details. You can check it out below: 

One of my goals with creating this ita bag was to produce a bag that was functional. I recently got my first ita bag this past year, and I absolutely loved it. My only issue was that it was incredibly small and couldn't fit a whole lot of stuff. I even had to switch out my wallet for a smaller one because my normal chunky one wouldn't fit! I don't know about you, but I can't even leave the house without a sketchbook, a book to read for emergencies, plus my every day essentials like wallet, phone, keys, etc. 

So, I decided it was time to design my own ita bag. My goal was to create something sleek, appropriate for every day use, and most of all functional. 

I love the idea of ita bags and how you can personalize them to you. So we have a beautiful, wide window that's perfect for showing off a ton of pins (or whatever else you want to put in it! It's your choice.)

I'm also excited to announce that we've unlocked almost all of our stretch goals! We only have a few more pin designs to unlock, and then we'll be unlocking a new bag design based on popular choice from backers. 

In addition, we are excited to keep up the Kickstarter tradition of including a free gift with every single order (no matter the size.) You can vote on what you'd like to see as our free gift HERE!

Tomorrow morning will mark the first week of our campaign, and I'm so excited that we've made such progress in such a short time. I have full confidence that we will unlock all of our stretch goals and then some! I have a special surprise reward goal planned to release should we hit all of our stretch goals! 

I'd also like to take a moment to highlight a campaign with a similar theme. The SkyReach Studios team and I agreed to do a little cross-promo and I'd like to feature: 

Critter Crops: Mystery of Mullery Mansion

An adorably spooky farming/adventure RPG. Cultivate cute critters, restore  a mysterious island and uncover your history as a witch.

It looks super adorable and I recommend checking it out! You can find their campaign here!

That's all for this update. As always, thank you for the support! Don't forget to vote for your favorite free gift choice (or suggest your own idea!) if you missed the link above, here it is again:  Free Gift Poll 

Have a wonderful week everyone! :)