Hello folks! I come to you with exciting news - not only have we reached stretch goal one, but I have a photo of the base goal bag in the correct material, AND I ALSO have a photo of the additional colorway.
Photos of the Ita Bags
When I receive all the samples I will go ahead and get some styled lifestyle photos of both, and be able to see how many pins and items can fit inside! The holo sheen on this bag is a lot more subtle, which I kind of love, and the stitching will be pastel rainbow colors as well
I am much happier with this new fabric, though it IS still a bit more light gray than I hoped, so I have gone ahead and ordered some samples for additional suppliers so I can find the PERFECT option.
The holo sheen on it is exactly what I'd hoped for, however, and so I'm thrilled to see it much more in line with my vision.
Some minor adjustments need to be made to the insert file, so that none of the while around the edges shows, but otherwise I'm loving it~
The stretch goal bag has the wrong insert, but the correct one will be sent along with that bag as well so I will take better photos of that when I receive the bags.
It's difficult to tell in these photos; I think they may have used the same stitch colors as the black bag; so red, orange and yellow - but that is something that can be changed when the bag goes to production, if we manage to reach this goal.
The interior of the pastel rainbow bag makes me SOOOO happy. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but it contrasts very nicely.
I originally planned on black for the interior of the black bag, but I think I might go with a dark red instead, so that things don't get lost as easily (I've noticed that I lose stuff in my black bags way too much lol).
New add-on - BANDAGES!
Because these were on my plate as something I wanted produced ANYWAY, I am adding bandages as an add-on item. The base amount will be $15 for 25, $25 for 50, and $35 for 100! If you want more than that amount, I am open to offering even greater bulk discounts; just let me know. I am also working on some more cat-themed designs, but those will be available in pre-order on my storefront in about a week.
These will be latex free, standard bandages :) the colors may end up a touch less vibrant depending on printing; they will also be vectorized so the gradients won’t be *quite* as smooth.
Stretch Goal Reworking
As we enter the typically slower period of crowdfunding (especially group events, where it isn't unlikely to see a lot of cancellations as folks dial in what they can realistically afford), I want to get a feel for what folks want; this update will be going out to the entire audience who has followed this campaign as a result.
I have attached a poll to this update with some different item groups; the additional bag colorway; carabiners; large & mini pin sets; and the planet & stars mini pin sets. Please choose which item type you are MOST excited for. From there, I've got additional polls planned to dial in what you all are most hoping to have funded. While I am PERSONALLY super psyched about both carabiners - if it looks like folks are just not about that, and would rather, say, see the second bag colorway funded first, or the large & mini pin sets, I'm happy to shift things around to make those goals more attainable. Especially if it means encouraging folks who are waiting to back for a specific design to hop in and help get it funded, or convincing someone who cancelled a pledge because the item they wanted didn't appear like it would fund to re-pledge :)
I also have a history of ensuring all items get made, even if funding is a bit short - while I would LOVE TO do that during this campaign, I unfortunately do NOT have that amount of wiggle room here. However, I WILL open pre-orders for a lot of items that were not funded when we get to the post-campaign survey, and if folks don't mind waiting some time, I may try to use convention funding from this year, or otherwise, to squeeze a few more items into the mix. The cost of this would be waiting a bit longer for fulfillment - however, since I have already baked in an entire year, just to be safe, I think that I may be able to afford production of a lot of these items anyway. This does mean that I will be charging for ITEMS at the very least first, and doing a second round of shipping-only charges once fulfillment begins later this year. This is a new thing that I believe Backerkit is introducing to more creators, and I will hopefully be able to implement it.
I apologize for the wordiness and length of this update - I would really appreciate everyone's thoughts on the bags AND the reworking of stretch goals as well as pre-orders for any unlocked items described above. That will help me determine how desperately certain items are wanted by you all. If there's something in a much farther along goal (i.e. a large or mini pin design/pin set design) that you just NEED to have, tell me! The more voices I hear, the easier it will be to determine if this is something that is worth putting the time and effort into setting up :)
Thank you all again - I am so extremely excited to at the VERY least be getting the bags, THREE mini pin sets, and Quasar funded (and, honestly, I will probably ensure the metal carabiner is funded as well, because I want several for myself lmao); plus the cross collab freebie keychain and a buttload of cool stickers :) Y'all are amazing and make me so excited as usual, to continue creating!
