Hey everyone!

There's nothing of significant notice in this update but I wanted to do this for fun to show you all some zippers paired with the new bag samples I have in-hand now! Mass production has already started so this is just to give you an even better idea of how bags and other items will look.

As always, if you need any help with your survey if it isn't completed or if you need to get any help with items etc. please reach out to support or to my customer service email: [email protected]! I'll be happy to assist you :)

A general note on card charges: there were about 40 failed card charges but there will be a 'retry' on the 14th. If you have any issues that you need to inquire about, again, please reach out to BK support :) They've been so extremely attentive and helpful in this whole process.

Without further ado:

I couldn't be happier with how these look all together! The pixel inserts get me so inspired to keep designing pixel merch :D

Here's some previews of how the zipper colorways will look against their respective bag colorway:

The pink turned out so perfect! The hot pink outline/pleather color matches the outline and accent printing on the front of the bag. I think the contrast is so nice in-person!

I'm also in love with how the silver set turned out! I know some were unsure of the inverted color printing but I hope that you all can see the vision I was going for now!

As a general note on the zipper accessories: they are not intended to be super sturdy or meant to withstand a lot of pull weight, I would recommend being a bit gentle with them or pulling from the main zipper mostly.
Additionally, the zipper samples sent to me were single-side printed- this is ok because I just needed to see how the material looked in person but I have triple-checked with the manufacturer to make sure the actual product will be double-side printed :)

Here's a look at the color-match for the canvas materials for the laptop bags! I'm also really pleased with how these look in-person :D
Another tip/recommendation from my usage of the laptop bag sample: due to the texture of the canvas, it may pick up some fibers and lint over time so lint-rolling every now and then will fix this! :)

The wallet turned out exactly as I wanted- the new cursor zipper is extremely satisfying to touch in my opinion- has a good smooth metal texture feel that scratches an itch in my brain haha. If you are familiar with the 'version 1' from a long time ago, this is the same size and dimensions. The upgrades shine in the design and the materials, the pleather is super soft and has a smooth surface and is a lot more scratch-resistant (but of course, I am going to recommend gentle handling overall).
For other wallet colors, they will match exactly with the bag colorways! :)

The bulk of the bags, wallets, and bag accessories have been put into production! Still working out some mass orders for pins and the photocard holders. Things are moving along smoothly!

Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm! Hope you are having a wonderful July thus far :D

- Tori

Hey everyone!

I've sent out notice to all completed surveys that within 48 hrs all survey answers will be locked (minus any missing surveys or surveys with issues/incomplete sections). I am going to wait until the 7th to charge cards though!

Here are some supplier photos for the retro colorway canvas bag and zipper sets and some completed inserts!

I'm super happy like before with how these turned out :) The samples have been shipped to me and I'll be able to preview a lot of different combos once they are in hand.

This update isn't really juicy but I did want to add some of those photos for fun!

Thanks for yall's continued enthusiasm!
- Tori

Hi everyone!

Thank you all so much for your patience with us as we've navigated this difficult family situation. Your support with our project and your understanding with us is truly so appreciated.

Now to the updates! We're almost finished building our preorder shop and surveys for backers. We recently got the funding from BackerKit moved so that we can finally order the last two samples! Once we have those prototypes where we like them (finalized, or at least very nearly finalized lol), we will open preorders. I personally wouldn't want to preorder something without seeing it completed, so that's one of the reasons it's taken us a little while to get our parasaurs in a row. 🦆

We will have updates for Confetti, Pete, Byte, and the T-Rex very soon!

Speaking of the T-Rex.. we still need a name! We have a poll with some suggestions if you'd like to vote. We're also open to more name suggestions if you have any. :3

I will send out more production updates ASAP. Thank you all again! 

-Caboose ♡

For everyone who completed their Surveys your orders are being locked! You have 48 hours to add any items you want, etc. to your Survey before they fully lock and you will receive warning emails to let you know about Surveys and when to edit them before they are fully locked.



⭐ After orders are locked you are still free to edit your shipping addresses until I am ready to ship items!!



⭐ Your cards will be charged for shipping/additional items closer to when I am ready to ship items/when I've received the goods!! You will not be charged when your order locks!!



Those who are paying in increments did not receive Surveys yet and will only receive them once all of their payments have been sent!!


If you have any questions or concerns please let me know in the comments. You're also free to email me at [email protected]!! Thank you so so much for your support, I truly appreciate it and I'm SO so excited to receive everything in the mail!! 😊💖💖


Love,
Benji

I wanted to post a lil update on how Surveys are goin'!! There are currently 30 Backers who still haven't to fill out their Surveys!! BackerKit has been sending reminder emails to those who haven't done it yet so please be sure to check your inboxes!! :3 💖💖


There are also still 14 Backers whose payments failed!! Please please please be sure to check out your payments and double-check your credit cards saved, etc.!! If you do not fix your payments then unfortunately you will not be receiving your Rewards!!


I also have a proposed Lock date for your Surveys!! What is locking a Survey? After a Survey is locked you will NOT be able to edit your Survey. Whatever your Survey says is what will be mailed to you!! I was planning on locking Surveys with a final notice on June 30th (4 days from now)!! Backers will have 48 hours after to edit their Surveys before they are locked. Let me know what you think of this proposed date!! Do ya'll still need more time to figure out what you want?


Love,
Benji

Hey everyone!

We are missing 69 survey responses! If you haven't received your survey, try this retrieval link or contact Backerkit support if you are experiencing issues still:
https://mx-paint-ita-bag-v2.backerkit.com/

I'm pitching June 30th as the survey/order lock date as that will also be the date that the preorder store closes!

This would be a Monday, and that following Friday, July 4th, would be the day that cards are charged for the shipping and any add-ons separate from initial pledge amounts.

I wanted to pitch this here to see if anyone has any issues with that being a lock date! Ultimately, nothing is last-chance but to ensure I can get every mass order sorted sooner than later, I would need some more accurate numbers overall. For people who haven't finished surveys by then, upon completion, they would be able to be locked in shortly after. I've also been able to sort individual pledges and add-ons via email so nothing is absolutely last chance and I can help with errors and swaps etc. :)

If there's anything super wrong with the above dates, definitely let me know what's up in the comments here! If there's enough concern, I'll definitely try to shift those dates around.

ONTO THE FUN PART :D

Here's some print tests on the fabric for the inserts! the lighting is a little low in the photos but they look so crisp and bright! I can't wait to see them in the bags :D

Also I know a lot of people were wondering about the pink and silver zipper variants, these aren't completed but here is a better example of the colors of the pleather + print here:

Silver is getting somewhat of an 'inverted' look because the shine of the silver pleather would flush out a white print overall.

Also from the previous WIPs of the wallet sample, the custom zipper was missing but here's a photo of what it looks like!

I think it turned out so perfect!
I'm still working with the manufacturer on some small changes on the retro canvas bag but overall, everything else has been given the thumbs up!

I'm so pleased with this process, I hope you all are excited as well! :D

- Tori