We unlocked the voters choice pin and the most voted on design was Dungeons and Dragons Book cover. Everyone voted colors and I picked the popular color votes. Now choose what you want!
Wow today has been fantastic and thanks for supporting not only my art, but the other makers in the pin kid's collab project.
We have unlocked so many levels. I only have a few things left to unlock, so chances are pretty good that the entire project and all extras will be unlocked soon. Make sure to fill out the polls to choose the pin design for the unlocked voters choice pin.
That being said, I wanted to make sure you all saw the insane freebies we are all giving away. Early Bird only lasts for another day, so make sure to get those rewards fast. You can get one single pin from each collab project and all of this could be yours! Check the PIN KIDS collab page for more info HERE. GO get this stuff here!!!
This update is going out backers and project followers
🍰 Thank you SO MUCH! Here's a bunch of sweet emojis to celebrate that the Cute Cake Club is fully funded 🍮🍨🍡🍧🍪🧁🍬🍭🍦🎂🍩🍫 But we're not done yet! Make sure to pledge to FROG FRIENDS! Dylan is VERY close to funding, and needs your help to get there. Plus, if you pledge to both our projects, you get a free sticker from both of us! 🍰
$5,000 FUNDING REWARD 🥞
We're SUPER close to hitting $5,000 in funding, which unlocks a 🥞 FREE Pancake Friend sticker 🥞 for all Bakers! Be sure to share this project with your friends and family who love sweet treats, and let's get to that pancake brekky.
BACKERKIT HOLIDAY MARKET
You’re invited to come shop at the very first BackerKit Holiday Market — a special event to celebrate creator businesses and help backers discover the perfect holiday gifts, running between Nov 18–Dec 1, 2025. Be sure to follow my market, called PINS APLENTY, where I will have previous project pins as mystery bundles for STEEP discounts.
I wanted to share another production update now that I’ve finished sorting through every design and inspecting each individual piece.
Unfortunately, after going through everything, my initial estimate was correct. For nearly every design, the majority of the pieces had the same quality issue with the metal plating. The defects appear as staining, discoloration, and tarnish-like marks on the surface of the metal that occurred during the manufacturing and finishing process. These are not marks that can be cleaned or polished away, and because of that, the affected pieces need to be remade.
The manufacturer has reviewed the issues and agreed to remake all affected pieces. I have worked with this factory for many years and this is the first time I have ever experienced a quality issue on this scale. While it is incredibly frustrating, they have acknowledged the problem and assured me they will be implementing stricter quality control measures during the remake process.
Unfortunately, this does mean that fulfillment will take longer than originally planned while we wait for the replacement pieces to be produced and shipped to me.
The good news is that not every piece was affected. There were some designs where I was able to pull enough standard-grade pieces that meet my quality standards, and those products are being prepared for shipping.
My next step is to go through every order and determine what can be shipped immediately versus what needs to wait for replacement pieces. Since many orders contain a mix of products, this is going to take some time. I’ll be creating fulfillment groups based on what I currently have in stock and what I’m waiting to receive from the remake.
As mentioned, I was able to pull some standard grade pieces that are able to be shipped, but it is going to take a bit of time to organize the logistical part of the shipping. In a situation where we have all of the products we just start from the top of the order list and start shipping, but creating segments based of what's available, and parsing through orders to ensure we have everything on that order takes time.
I’ve attached photos below so you can see exactly what the quality issues look like. I always want to be transparent with you throughout this process, and while this delay is incredibly disappointing, I would rather take the extra time to make sure everyone receives the quality products they backed this project for.
The affected designs include:
The Lunar Moth - Both Gold and Silver (more of the gold had defects, the silver has a decent amount of standard grade pieces)
Dragon Skies - Both gold and black nickel
Tea Time - All Variants (some of the gold and silver pieces are standard grade, 100% of the copper is defective)
Shirebound - Both variants have some standard grade pieces
Glass Garden
Deluxe Grips - almost 100% of the deluxe designs, both the celestial, and the fated mates were defective
All of the mini book stack pins and magnets
Yuzu's Best Friend Pin
All Dust Charms except the 3d moons
While not every single piece from these designs had issues, the majority of the inventory for each of these designs was affected and will need to be remade.
Thank you all so much for your patience and understanding. I know waiting longer is frustrating, and I truly appreciate your support while I work through the remakes and continue moving fulfillment forward as quickly as possible.
Everything arrived from the manufacturer a few days ago, and I wanted to share a production update. There’s good news and bad news, but I need to start with the bad news so the good news makes sense.
The bad news
While unpacking the boxes, I noticed right away that there were quality issues across most, if not all, of the designs.
I’ve worked with this factory for a few years now and they’ve always been incredibly reliable, so this was really disappointing and unexpected.
Recently, enamel and metal factories have been unusually busy, which has become a common topic among my pin maker friends. Artwork approvals are taking weeks instead of days, and production timelines have been longer than usual. This isn't something isolated to the factory that produced these designs—it's something creators have been seeing across manufacturers throughout the industry. My best guess is that the increased workload may have contributed to these issues.
The main problem I noticed was tarnishing on the metal. Unfortunately, this isn’t the kind of tarnish that can be buffed out with a jewelry cloth. It appears to be tarnishing or staining that happened during the manufacturing process, which leaves marks on the metal that can’t be removed. This type of issue is usually caused when moisture, oils, or other contaminants interfere with the plating process, preventing the finish from bonding and settling properly. Because of that, the affected pieces will need to be remade.
At first glance, I’d estimate that around 80% of the pieces I received have some kind of quality issue or defect.
The good news
The good news is that I ordered a lot (so many) of extras for each design. I ordered well beyond what was needed for backer orders so that I’d also have inventory for wholesale and the online shop after fulfillment was complete.
Because of that, I believe I may still have enough standard-grade pieces to begin fulfilling and shipping backer orders. I won’t know for certain until Sunday.
On Sunday, I’ll be sorting through hundreds of pieces, inspecting each one closely, photographing the quality issues, and counting exactly how many pieces need to be remade. It’s a time-consuming process, but once everything is sorted, I’ll be able to give the manufacturer accurate quantities for replacements and have a much clearer idea of how many orders can start shipping right away.
I know this is not the update anyone hopes for, and it’s definitely not the one I wanted to give. But I’m doing everything I can to keep fulfillment moving while also making sure no one receives a pin that doesn’t meet standard-grade quality. Waiting longer for to deliver this project is kind of worst case scenario for me right now, but I can't and would not, knowingly, give backers items with defects.
In the meantime, check out the photos below for your first look at the finished grips! (ones without defects)
The pins and grips are finally on their way to me! 🎉
Once they arrive, we’ll begin sorting everything and assembling the grips, which means we’re getting very close to shipping.
This is your reminder to double check your shipping address if you need to make any changes. You can log into your BackerKit account, navigate to your survey, and update your address there.
Thank you all so much for your patience and support. I’m so excited to get these into your hands soon 💖
The pins have officially arrived and I am processing packing slips NOW! Packing will start tomorrow and probably flow into next week. So excited to finally get these to you! I hope you are as excited as I am!
If you didn't already know my campaign - Runaway Kawaii is currently live! We have already unlocked lots of designs and are $303 away from unlocking our next design! Check it out here!
And wow-things are happening so fast but I will be launching another campaign June 7th: Millennial Survival Kit, for the moments when only pure nostalgia will do. Be sure to get ahead of the game and follow HERE!
Shipping & Manufacturing Update - Firmly Grasp It + The Secret Night Market
First off - I’m posting this same update to both the Firmly Grasp It page and The Secret Night Market page, so if you backed both projects, I apologize for the double email.
Hey everyone,
I wanted to give a more personal update about where things currently stand with both Firmly Grasp It and The Secret Night Market, because I know I’m very behind on both projects.
I’ve always been really honest with y’all about my mental health and chronic health struggles, two topics I literally make pins about, and the biggest reason for these delays has been my health over the last year and a half.
I’ve been dealing with ongoing GI/chronic health issues that eventually led to another surgery earlier this year. Because of the GI issues, my psychiatric medications also weren’t being absorbed properly, which made managing both my health and work extremely difficult.
Thankfully, I’m now almost two months post-op, things are improving, and my psychiatrist helped me find a medication plan that’s finally working again. I’m no longer out here raw dogging ADHD with nothing but vibes and caffeine, I’ve got meds again, and suddenly it turns out my brain actually functions when the chemicals are chemically balancing. Who could’ve guessed.
So where are we currently with the projects?
Firmly Grasp It
All items for this project have officially been ordered, and about 90% of everything is already here in my office ready to be packed.
The last items I’m waiting on are:
the enamel tops for the grips
the enamel pins
There was quite a bit of back and forth with the manufacturer regarding the pearl gradients and getting the colors right. I wanted to make sure they actually looked correct before approving production, which added some extra time. Communication with manufacturers can also take several days at a time simply because we are in completely opposite time zones.
Right now, I’m expecting the remaining enamel pieces to arrive in roughly two weeks.
Once they arrive, I’ll immediately begin:
assembling the grips
organizing rewards
packing orders for shipment
I’ll send out another update right before shipping begins as a reminder in case anyone needs to update their shipping address.
The Secret Night Market
Manufacturing for The Secret Night Market has been split between three different manufacturers. This was mainly because I’m also restocking some older designs at the same time, and certain manufacturers already have molds for specific designs.
At this point:
Two of the manufacturing orders have been fully paid and are already in production.
The final order, which is also the largest, is currently being finalized.
That last order took a bit longer because we’ve been going back and forth on quantities and confirming exactly which designs each factory will be producing, but I’m about to submit payment for it.
The factories have estimated a working time of approximately 20–30 days, so if everything stays on schedule, the Night Market enamel pins should hopefully start arriving in about a month.
The good news is that aside from the enamel pins themselves, all of the other products, stickers, bookmarks, and additional items are already completed and ordered/produced.
Thank you all so much for your patience and understanding with the delays on both projects.
I’ve been running crowdfunding campaigns for about eight years now, and delays can happen for all kinds of reasons, especially with small businesses like mine, where one person is often handling everything from design and manufacturing to customer service and shipping.
I truly appreciate how kind and supportive y’all have been through it all. It genuinely means a lot.
So sincerely thank you for sticking with me through it.
What’s New & Next
Business Update - Snarky Co. is now operating under an LLC
One big change behind the scenes is that I’ve officially moved my business from a sole proprietorship to an LLC.
Snarky Co. now operates under All at Once Creative LLC.
This is mostly just a heads up that you may occasionally see the name “All at Once Creative LLC” appear on things like invoices, charges, emails, paperwork, shipping labels, or other business-related operations moving forward. That is simply the LLC that Snarky Co. now operates under, so if you see that name anywhere, just know it’s still me and still Snarky Company.
Pin Kids Collective - Summer Sun Launch on June 7th
Pin Kids Collective will be launching its Summer Sun Collaboration on June 7th.
Six pin creators have teamed up to launch new collections of varying themes together. Back paired campaigns, or all campaigns, and receive free bonus items along the way.
Admit One: A Reader’s Club Collection by Snarky Co.
I know I literally just told y’all I’m behind on two projects, so why am I launching another one on June 7th? Normally I wouldn’t launch something new until the other two were fulfilled, but I wanted to participate in the Pin Kids Collective launch timeline.
This is a much smaller project. Most of the work is already done, the campaign has been sitting in my drafts, and some designs are already in production. So at this point it mostly just needs to launch and run.
This collection is called Admit One: A Reader’s Club Collection and features a series of enamel pins designed like vintage “Admit One” tickets, each themed around different book genres and tropes.
The teaser page is now live and you can sign up here to be notified upon launch : https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/254bbab3-0c8a-4008-b299-a59abbc9e3ba/landing
Looking Ahead - Late 2026
Toward the end of summer or early fall of 2026, I’m hoping to launch my final larger collection of the year:
Symptoms May Vary
This collection is designed for anyone who uses humor to cope with mental illness, chronic illness, neurodivergence, or general life chaos.
It's kind of like if Own Your Stigma and All Out of Spoons had a chaotic little humor-filled child together.
Once I have a teaser page and date for this project, I will let y'all know.
Some orders are ready to ship! About 45% of orders are set to ship on schedule within the next week or so. These are orders that contain pins, stickers, keychains, and/or patches only. (Details on the plush charms below). We're so excited to get these designs to their new homes. We hope you'll share photos and tag us as you display your Frog Friends.
Friends with orders being shipped in this batch only: You received an email yesterday reminding you this is the last chance to make any updates to your shipping address. Addresses will be locked tomorrow (April 24) morning to be processed for shipping.
If your order contains a plush charm, it is now set to ship this summer. Here's why:
As we mentioned during the campaign, we continued working on refining the face mold from the original sample featured in the project. While this took slightly longer than projected, we've ended up with a face mold that we are super happy with thanks to the help of our experienced manufacturer. You can get a peek at the process above.
To let you in on the process a little more, here's where we're currently at (complete with updated timeline):
Plush charm bulk production scheduled for May
Bulk process takes about 45 days
Shipping takes about 25-30 days
As a result, we expect the plush to arrive in hand by the end of July. Once they arrive, the final orders will be sent out - hopefully within the first half of August.
Current Projected Timeline (Updated 4/23/26) April 2026 - Orders containing pins, stickers, keychains, and/or patches only packed and shipped. (Orders not containing plush charms.) April 2026 - Plush charm sample refinement complete May 2026 - Plush charm bulk production begins June 2026 - Plush charms ship to us July/August 2026 - Plush charms arrive; Packing and shipping completed September 30, 2026 - Project fully closed and rewards are no longer provided
We appreciate your patience as we work hard to create the best possible fluffy frog friend for you to take home! We really can't wait to get these to you.
Theatre Nerd: Act Two 🎭
Encore! 🎭 Theatre Nerd: Act Two will continue our collection of broadway inspired enamel pins for the theatre lover inside all of us! It launches June 7th.
🎟️ Pre-Launch Followers receive a free bookmark. 🎭 Returning Backers receive a free sticker. 🎟️ Early Bird Backers receive a free sticker. 🎭 Free sticker for backers of both our project and cross-collab partner Parade Party. 🎟️ Free pin for Pin Kids Collective backers.
Sign up for launch notifications HERE and don't miss out on the freebies!
Discounts 🛍️
Thank you so much for supporting our campaign - it means the world! As a token of our appreciation, we're offering you two exclusive discounts
The first is for our webshop specifically for our fellow Ozians. Use code is OZNERD for 10% off all Oz related items until 11:59pm ET on April 30!
The other discount is for our Palmstreet live shop. You can shop in ANYTIME you want, and join us live once a month where we drop new items and play games. Shipping is flat rate no matter how many items you buy. The coupon code is THTRNRD and it gives you $3 off in the shop until 11:59pm ET on April 30!
We want to thank you again for bringing this collection to life! We couldn't do it without you. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot us an email at [email protected]. We’ll check back soon.
Cheers!
Dylan & Rossin
We'll pop back in once the first batch of orders ships. In the meantime, shoot us an email at [email protected] if you have any questions.
