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Warden's World – Pet-Inspired Pins

Created by Cam @ Warden's World

Meet Warden, a Balinese shorthair cat with a big heart and a full, adventurous life. Each of these pins will be between 2.5-3 inches at its widest/tallest point, made of hard enamel with gold plating and two pin posts.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

All Pins Shipped + Tracking Numbers Sent!
4 months ago – Wed, Aug 14, 2024 at 01:40:16 PM

Hi everyone!

As of today, all of your pins have been shipped, and all of your tracking numbers have been assigned to your account! You should receive an email in the next 24-48 hours with tracking information! If you do not have your tracking information by 17 August and you would like it, please email [email protected].

What's Next?

Please be patient as your pins traverse the US Postal System. If you live in the USA, please allow for 5-10 business days. If you live outside the USA, please allow for between 2-5 weeks.

If your package is lost, contact the package carrier. The packages have left my hands, and so I have no control over what happens to them. If your package is marked as delivered and hasn't been; if your package is lost; or if there are other issues with delivery, please contact your package carrier!

If a pin is damaged, send an email to [email protected] with an image showing the damage. Pins may be eligible for replacement through October 6, after which, there will be no replacements.

Thank you so much for everything you've done to support me and Pintopia 2024. It's been an absolute honor to share my creations with you all!!

Love,
Cam (and Warden)

ADDRESSES LOCKED! + Shipping Commences
4 months ago – Mon, Aug 05, 2024 at 11:01:30 AM

Hi besties!

Your orders have been locked and shipping will commence shortly! YAAAAAY!!

Right now, my timeline is to get all orders packed and dropped off at their respective shipping locations by August 9. There's 69 (nice) of y'all, so it may take me a little time, but by the power of Warden's shenanigans and good vibes, we will GET IT DONE!!

Please read the below regarding shipping, tracking and all that good stuff:

How will I be receiving my pin(s)?
I use a shipping fulfillment platform called PirateShip, which automatically finds the best way to ship items from Point A to Point B. As a result, some of y'all may receive orders via UPS, while others may receive orders by USPS (or, if you're overseas, USPS via your local couriers). Regardless of shipping method, everyone will receive tracking information via the email associated with their BackerKit account.

How will I know when my pin(s) ship?
You'll receive an email from BackerKit with your order tracking number!

What if my pin arrives damaged or flawed?
I grade every pin twice – and stringently. Pin grading is the process of looking at every pin to ensure there aren't any scratches, overfill or underfill, or other damage to the front of the pin. I also pack the pins in bubble envelopes and separate casings to minimize the risk of damage.

If, for some reason, a pin arrives damaged, please contact me via email ([email protected]) with a picture of the damaged pin no later than September 30. I do have some extra pins saved out in case a replacement is needed, but otherwise, we can arrange a refund (less shipping).
 
What if my order gets lost or stolen?
I cannot help you recover lost packages or aid in locating stolen packages, because I have no control over the mail delivery process once the packages leave my hands.
Once your envelope leaves my hands and is dropped off to the package carrier or postal worker, it is completely out of my control. If your package shows as "delivered" but is not, please file a claim with your local postal service or with the delivery/courier company.

Will Warden bless my pin(s) before they get on their way?
Unfortunately not; owing to the sheer amount of plastic packaging involved in pins (every pin is shipped to me in a protected plastic baggie to avoid scratches or damage), Warden will be banned from the packing premises for the duration of the process. I don't want him to eat plastic, as cats are wont to do, and get sick! Additionally, some folks may be allergic to cats, and Warden and I don't want to get anyone sick. But don't worry, he has approved all the pin designs :)

If you have any additional questions, feel free to comment here or shoot me a note: [email protected]

One final, sappy note:

I've been drafting everyone's thank-you cards this weekend and am just...stunned by everyone's kindness. Not only have you taken the time to support me and my pin creations, but so many of you have also shown up to support Smarty, my friends' cat and Warden's friend. I know that, especially now, it sometimes feels like this world lacks community - like we're all orbiting one another in our bubbles of life and stress and despair. Despite this, our little community all rallied to support a little feline friend – and y'all chose to be here in support of my shenanigans.

As the world turns and we live through one historic event after another, remember this: all you have to do is survive. Living and doing what you can with what you have is resistance. We are all on this big journey of life together, even as we are walking our own paths as well.

I'm deeply deeply honored to be in your orbit, and SO grateful for your support and love and care. I hope you all know that. Thank you.

Love,
Cam (and Warden)

REMINDER: ADDRESSES LOCK TOMORROW
4 months ago – Sat, Aug 03, 2024 at 04:01:34 PM

Hi, y'all!

Friendly reminder that shipping addresses will lock at 9 PM PST on August 4. At this time, I will also be locking names for both the shipping addresses and the addressed thank-you cards.

If you need to change your shipping addresses, please follow the link in your BackerKit email to do so. If you would like your handwritten thank-you card to be addressed to a name other than the name on your shipping address, please email [email protected] with the name you'd like to have the note addressed to.

Thank you!
-Cam

Pin Shipping Update + FAQs + See Me IRL!
4 months ago – Wed, Jul 31, 2024 at 08:51:43 AM

Hey, y'all!

The shipping gods must have blessed me, because now all the pin packing materials are slated to arrive on Friday, August 2 instead of the quoted August 10 ETA!

What this means for you: You'll (hopefully) get your pins faster! While the shipping address locking date hasn't changed – addresses will be locked on August 4 – I do intend to start shipping pins out on August 5 and 6 instead of needing to wait until August 11-12. 

Some Other FAQs

I've gotten a few emails and DMs with the same (or similar) questions, so I figured I'd share them here for anyone else who might be wondering!

Did you see what was going on with StickerMule/are the add-on stickers from StickerMule? Yes, I saw, and no, they are not. StickerMule has not been and never will be a supplier of any of my stickers, owing to the owner's past and present very vocal support of Trump and his horrific policies.

What will you do with B grades/What are B grades? B grade pins (sometimes called seconds) are pins that have minor visual flaws; they're still in perfectly good condition but I don't feel right sending them to backers or selling them at full price.

My pin manufacturer has an incredible track record of near-flawless pins; as such, I don't anticipate having many B grade pins. I'm currently in the process of inspecting each pin, and have only found 3 B grades out of the 100 I've looked at. However, any B grades I do uncover will be listed for sale on my Etsy shop about 3 weeks after all backers receive their pins. If you'd like to purchase them, you can do so at that time – I'll share an update here when they're live!

Will I get the Pintopia 2024 collab pin? If you backed both my campaign and Proud to the Bone 2, yes, you will be receiving the free Skele-Warden collab pin with your shipment! Backerkit added all of those freebies to the corresponding orders on their end, and I have no control over those additions. If you believe that you should have received a free pin and you did not, please reach out to Backerkit's support team.

How did you find a Siamese cat to adopt/Where did you adopt Dulcie from? This was a delightful series of questions to receive; thank you all for being so sweet about my daughter. Dulcie was being fostered by a human in the San Francisco Bay area, and in short, I just got lucky. For health-related reasons, I can only comfortably have purebred cats in the Siamese family (which Warden is) and Dulcie and I just happened to cross paths at the right time. 

Are You in NYC or Hampton Roads? Let's Hang!

If you don't know, in addition to making pins of my cat, I also run an Etsy shop – and occasionally take it on the road to artist alleys! I'll be at NYC's Flame Con, the world's largest queer comic con, August 17-18 at Booth K112. If you're a local and want to come hang out and have a gay old time, I encourage you to support this awesome event...and come see me and say hello if you're so inclined!

If you're a Virginian, you're in luck – I will also be at Superstar Anime in Virginia Beach, VA on August 24-25. If you're in the area, come say hello to me in the artist alley! I'll be around all day both days...except for when I sneak off to line up and meet Stephanie Young, because I'll be darned if I don't get to say hi to the voice behind Olivier Armstrong. 

I know I've said it probably, like, a trillion times, but thank you so much for your love and support. You could've thrown your money at any number of cool pins or any number of other things, and you chose me and my dream of making my creature into collectibles. It's pretty cool, and there's not a second I take it for granted. 

Love,
Cam (and Warden + Dulcie)

The Pins Are Here!! + What's Next?
4 months ago – Mon, Jul 29, 2024 at 12:59:18 PM

Psssst, read this update to the end for a surprise creature sighting ;)

What's Up, Warden Fans?

To my absolute delight, Warden's pins have arrived – and they look INCREDIBLE!!



I'm so stoked to grade the pins (inspect them for any flaws) and then get these in the mail!

My pin manufacturer shipped these express without me asking (or having to pay extra) which was super kind and thoughtful – however, it does mean that the pins beat my backing cards and the Warden's World add-on stickers, so I have juuuust a bit longer to wait before packing and shipping orders.

Right now, the packing materials' ETA is August 10. Pin packing and shipping will begin August 11.

Check Your Name + Address!

I will be locking names and shipping addresses on Monday, August 4. Please ensure that your shipping address is correct, and if you would like the thank-you card addressed to a different name than on your shipping label, email [email protected] by August 4. After that, no more changes can be made.

Special Creature Feature!

This has no bearing on the pin campaign at all, but I thought it would be fun to share. Warden and I recently welcomed a new addition to the family!


Meet Dulcie, age 1, our sweet Siamese girl! Warden and Dulcie are actually half-siblings (same mom) and she's just the sweetest, most energetic little thing. The initial introduction period was a little rocky, but Warden has since taken to being a big brother with gusto: sharing treats and toys, showing her around, and letting her borrow one of his favorite beds.

Warden and I look forward to getting these pins out into the world and into your hands! Dulcie, for her part, still need to learn what pins are, but we'll get her there!

Love,
Cam