August Update!
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Aug 28, 2018 at 11:04:28 PM
Good afternoon, Backers!
Sorry about the radio silence, I ended up coming down with some nasty allergies that turned into bronchitis a few weeks ago and I'm finally getting over that. Hand therapy is progressing pretty well, this week I'm trying out doing a few things to ease back into drawing and knitting.
I'll try and have another update later this week or early next week, I've got some orders to get in that I'm very excited to share with you! Still no timeline update as I don't have full use of my hands just yet, but cross your fingers and stretch your wrists we may be getting close!
~Tania
PS - thanks for all the book recommendations! I bought a lot of them :D
End of July Updates
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Jul 31, 2018 at 11:48:52 PM
Hey all! It's taken a few doctor's visits to get everything sorted out, but I have some good news and some bad news.
Good news - My wrist isn't broken!
Bad news - I developed pretty severe DeQuarvain's Tenosynovitis in both of my hands along with minor nerve damage in my right hand. What DeQuarvain's is is essentially thumb tendonitis, which causes issues with anything that requires hand movement. Right now I can type for short sessions, but I can't draw, knit, or do anything that requires gripping. I'm on doctor's orders to wear my braces full time for another week, after that I'm going to start hand therapy and will hopefully be able to get back to doing things that require my hands. If everything goes well, I'm going to be on lighter sessions for a while while we get things built back up next month, and I'll hopefully be back to regular work sessions by September.
The timing on this is not great. There is a good chance that I'm going to have to shift deadlines back a bit, as I have a lot of art to do and currently can't do any of it. I do not have a solid timeline right now as I'm waiting to see how long it will be before I can get back to work. Once I have things worked out and get the all clear from my doc I'll be able to give more solid dates.
Take it easy, and if you have any book recommendations (Sci-Fi/Fantasy preferred) send them my way!
~Tania
Post-Convergence update! And Media Mail/Shipping notes
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Jul 13, 2018 at 06:21:27 PM
Good morning, Backers!
Sorry I didn't post earlier this week, I overdid it on my wrist and ended up pulling a tendon. I'm to the point that I can type for short spurts, but that's about it. Backers with custom art and creatures will be getting their surveys by Monday, I am slowly getting through all of the messages I got over the last week so please be patient. My doctor has told me not to do any work with my hand until the end of next week, and if it's feeling better I can start doing light things again. There probably won't be another update until the end of next week, I'll keep you guys in the loop on how things are coming along. Fingers crossed that this heals quickly!
Shipping Media Mail - I'm sorry, but that's not an option. The reason I chose not to do Media Mail is because the ship date is right in that danger area before the holidays, and I need to have the safety net of tracking numbers for insurance reasons. If a package is lost then I can at least file a claim. I cannot afford to have a bunch of a packages suddenly go missing with no way to track them. I wish I could bring shipping prices down, but unfortunately I'm not Amazon.
Also, those of you international folks - I am open to alternatives. I know shipping is awful. Trust me, I've paid $22 to ship a simple magazine before to the EU. If anyone has any ideas on how to get that price down, I will look into them. I'm trying to explore a few different methods on my own, but I cannot guarantee anything.
Survey Responses - Thanks to everyone who has gotten their responses in! A quick note that there will still be plenty of time to change your responses if need be before we ship, I mainly needed surveys out to get final numbers on mugs and bags. If you have made multiple orders we will be combining those into single packages and refunding any extra shipping costs.
I think that about covers it for now, I hope you're all having a great summer! Stay cool out there.
~Tania
Backerkit and shipping clarification
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Jul 03, 2018 at 10:45:06 PM
Good evening, Backers!
The Backerkit survey went live yesterday. Originally I was going to wait a little longer on it, but I needed to get some solid numbers for my bag and mug makers. We are still shipping in November, with the current plan being to lock down surveys in September. You have plenty of time to finalize things! Thanks to everyone who has done so already.
Also - quick clarification on shipping prices. These are the absolute lowest I could get. The original numbers were worked out based on shipping to one place in each country, the current numbers are the average of what it costs to ship anywhere in each country or grouping of countries (ie the United States and the European Union). Before the end of the campaign I didn't have access to the Backerkit postage calculator, hence the variation between the original estimates and the finalized numbers. I really wish I could get prices lower, I spent a full day trying to get shipping down as far as possible.
Alright, I think that's about it for now! Just a reminder that I will be gone starting tonight for CONvergence in Minneapolis, if you're attending stop by the Art Show and say hi! I'll be back next week around Tuesday so long as I don't catch the con plague >.<
Have a great week!
~Tania
Smoke test now live!
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Jun 29, 2018 at 01:01:02 AM
Hello Backers!
I've gone ahead and sent out the Smoke Test, which is a fancy way of saying that I've sent out 5% of the surveys to backers. This will hopefully allow me to catch anything that may have gone awry before it gets to everyone.
The plan is to have the official survey out by July 2nd. Just as a heads up, I will not be available from July 3rd through July 9th, you'll find me at CONvergence in Minneapolis! I'll be hanging out in the Art Show most of the time, so drop by and see me if you're attending! Feel free to send in messages and questions, I will get to them as soon as I'm back.
Those of you who backed for Feline and Canine Companion art and/or Art Dolls - I will be sending out a questionnaire to each of you individually. I'm planning to send these right after the convention, so around the 10th or 11th. July is going to be very art heavy, so there will be some extra posts with new art to show you guys!
I think that's all for now, hope everyone is having a great summer!
~Tania
