Latest from the Creator
Jeszika Le Vye
12 days ago
Quick Update :) Surveys locking - and - alternate metal colors limited edition
Hey wanted to send a quick update to you guys as I work on refining these UV print layers. We've made good progress on eliminating the black blotchine...
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Jeszika Le Vye
20 days ago
Updates - Progress on Tassels and UV Printing :)
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got to spend time with your loved ones <3 I wanted to drop in and give you guys some new updates :) ...
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Jeszika Le Vye
2 months ago
Pretty Sample Pictures :)
I have some happy updates today - that come with pretty pictures :) The manufacturer has sent me photos of all the pin and charm samples! And they are lookin...
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Jeszika Le Vye
3 months ago
Samples - Tassel Troubles - and Puzzle Pre-orders
I wanted to post a progress report update for everyone :) Surveys: The surveys have gone very smoothly (and there are only a few left that aren't filled in yet). I plan to lea...
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Jeszika Le Vye
4 months ago
Survey Pictures and Metal Choices
After sending out all the surveys, it seems that for some no pictures are showing up in their survey - as well as some confusion about the metal choices. I'm not sure why pict...
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Jeszika Le Vye
4 months ago
Surveys :)
So it seems the initial wave of surveys has gone off without a hitch and everything went smoothly and perfect :) whew lol I was a bit nervous because it was such a complex one t...
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PROJECT UPDATE
Jeszika Le Vye
CREATOR
12 days ago

Project Update: Quick Update :) Surveys locking - and - alternate metal colors limited edition

Hey wanted to send a quick update to you guys as I work on refining these UV print layers. We've made good progress on eliminating the black blotchiness that is showing up in some of the dark areas. I'm hoping to be able to get the physical print samples ordered in the next few weeks. 

As I mentioned in my last update, I am going to go ahead and lock and charge the surveys that are completed. This will help me make sure I have the final counts right and hopefully get everything lined up to go as smoothly and quickly as possible once we reach the next few stages. I just wanted to make sure to give you guys another heads-up, in case anyone missed it in the last update (as that one was a little long) :) 

And for those of you who haven't completed your surveys yet - not to worry I will still make sure you have a chance to but if you get a sec, it would be very helpful if you went ahead and filled yours out. I also wanted to let you guys know that though I am still planning to keep all the designs in stock in the future, as I said I would, I've decided I will only keep the gold metal going forward as it is too complicated to keep the alternate metals in stock as well, esp with the charms needing matching cords and tassels. So all that to say - the silver and black metal versions are instead going to be a limited edition to only this one print run. So if you had hopes on getting any of them in silver or black metal, to be sure to get them while you can, as once they run out, I will not be able to restock them. 

Thanks again everyone for your kind patience as I work on making sure these turn out as beautiful as possible and overcoming the unexpected obstacles this project had and supporting these creations <3 This project has been so much more complicated than I anticipated, (I had no idea that UV printing was as challenging and time-consuming to get right as it is) but I've been learning a lot along the way and I'm really excited to see these start turning into the beautiful treasures I hoped they would be to send to all of you. And of course, I will keep on keeping you guys updated :) love you guys! <3 
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PROJECT UPDATE
Jeszika Le Vye
CREATOR
20 days ago

Project Update: Updates - Progress on Tassels and UV Printing :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got to spend time with your loved ones <3 I wanted to drop in and give you guys some new updates :)

This collection of pins and charms turned out to be far more difficult and troublesome than my Egyptian one - but - we are making slow and steady progress forward! Thank you so much for being patient with me as I work to make sure these turn out as nice as we hoped they would.

Cords and Tassels -- So first update - we have finally found a manufacturer willing to make custom cords and tassels for the bookcharms where the colors will match perfectly. This was so important ot me, since the colors are such a foundational part of this series that I wanted to do everything I could to make sure that the cords and tassels matched each other. It was so difficult to find a manufacturer willing to do this and most wouldn't take the order unless I ordered 10,000 per color when I only needed 600 of each color. But with some help, we finally found a company willing to work with us and fit all our color needs - including the three different metal colors as well (gold silver and black). The style of cord and tassel is different than from my last collection, but I actually like these more for this series, than what I had originally planned, as they look softer and more feathery :)



This was the photo they sent us showing the style, but it will be in the proper colors of pink and blue and green that matches the charm designs :) I am so excited and relieved to have found a company willing to make these for us. Unfortunately, it does add several thousand dollars to the cost of making these, but I have enough savings to cover it and I think it will be worth it to have the charms be as nice as possible. I hope you guys like them as well!

UV Printing Samples -- The other thing that has slowed us down a lot on the production of these pins is the UV printing. I had no idea it would add so much complication and difficulty - esp with 24 designs that each have to be fixed one by one. But despite that, I still think it will be worth it in the end when these look how we want them to - but I definitely will be much more cautious about adding UV printing to such a large project again in the future. 😅 But I wanted to share some photos of how the pins and charms are turning out so far with the UV printing so you can see where we are in the process.

From the photos you can see that some are printing so nicely now (like the Iris set) while others still need a lot of work to fix (like the barn owl set or indigo dragon). It seems that the colors do not print true to the digital files at all.  Darker areas have consistently printed large dark spots that I have to keep lightening and softening until they look like the proper soft shading they are meant to. And the lighter colors and highlights seem to disappear completely and I have to keep lightening and brightening them until they show up on the enamel. SO it has been a very finicky process to correct. Add to that, there is the language barrier and the manufacturer has not been able to give me any explanation or advice as to why they are printing this way, and so I have to shoot in the dark, adjusting my file, hoping the changes will move it closer to the effect and color I was trying to achieve and then waiting for them to remake the sample and photograph it for me to see if my changes worked. I honestly have no idea how long this process will take to get all 25 just right - but I wanted you guys to know that I am hard at work on it over these weeks and months, and that I will eventually have beautiful pins and charms to send to you!



And honestly, I am so thankful for how patient everyone has been - I get so anxious about letting anyone down or upsetting everyone after putting trust in me to make something beautiful. And so it means a lot to have had such a kind and patient response from so many as I keep working on these until they are beautiful <3 And despite how long it is taking, I am excited about how these are turning out and I'm able to see the light on the horizon of these turning into the beautiful pieces we hoped they would.

As we get closer to the UV layers being cleaned up and fixed, I hope that I will be able to get the final samples shipped to me in just a few weeks so we can go ahead and get started on final production. (Fingers crossed!) So I will go ahead and lock orders on the survey in a week or two to make sure all the final counts are within margins.

Alternate Metal Colors -- I also wanted to add, that I decided the alternate metal colors are only going to be available from this print run and once I sell out of them, I will only keep the gold in stock.  So each silver or black metal pin/charm is a limited edition to just this one print run and once I sell out of them I won't be restocking them in that color metal again. If you were hoping to get any other pins or charms in the alternate color metals, I wanted to give you a little warning that they will only be available til they sell out of each design so you can still add them in your surveys if you, like before I lock the surveys. 

Thank you again everyone <3 I'm glad to be able to share good news about the tassels and share some updates on where we are at with the UV printing. We're not quite across the finish line yet, but we are getting there :) slow and steady. I hope it was fun to see the UV samples (even if some of them still need a bit of love and care to get them looking pretty lol) And I hope to have some more good updates for you guys soon! <3 
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PROJECT UPDATE
Jeszika Le Vye
CREATOR
2 months ago

Project Update: Pretty Sample Pictures :)

I have some happy updates today - that come with pretty pictures :)

The manufacturer has sent me photos of all the pin and charm samples! And they are looking so pretty ✨🖤 With how intricate and complex my designs are, I'm always a little nervous about how they will translate into metal and enamel - but these ones have actually exceeded my hopes :) and I'm so happy to show you guys how these are turning out!

They sent me photos of both metal colors for each design, as well as photos of both pins and charms for each design. So rather than upload hundreds of photos - I put together a photo of each in both metal colors. The pins are charms are mixed together, but most have a photo of each if I had one. There are a few designs that they didn't send a photo of both metal colors, but there are only a couple of those and you can get a pretty good idea of what they will look like from the related photos.

There are also one or two Pantone colors I am changing - for instance, the lightest pink on the peony pin is too different from the other pinks in my opinion so we are changing it to a more harmonious pink color. But overall, I am thrilled with how pretty these are coming out.

These samples are also before the UV printing - so the colors won't be this simple or flat. These enamel colors were chosen to be good bases for the UV colors to be printed on top of to create gradients of color - so the final pieces will have all the color and variety once the UV printing process is done.

We have been having some trouble getting the UV printing right - as on some it looks ok, but on others, it is way darker or less blended than expected. So we are in the process of troubleshooting the UV printing now to make sure they come out as pretty as possible :) This might add some time again as we troubleshoot why that is happening and how to fix it - but as always, I would rather take the time to make sure they turn out as beautifully as possible rather than try to rush them.

And I think when you guys see how pretty they are turning out so far with the molds and enamel - you will be very happy! :) Ok - without further ado:

















On another note, I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming Pintopia event in January. I have been trying to decide if I will be able to participate again - and I would really love to!

I was nervous because they moved it up by 3 months which made the timeline much more difficult for me to get everything finished with this campaign, as well as all the work for the new campaign - and I wasn't sure if it would be ok to run a new campaign if this one wasn't completely wrapped up yet.  Since each new round of troubleshooting (like we have now with the UV printing) puts off fulfillment by several more weeks usually - and makes me not sure if I can get everything completely finished before the next Pintopia. 

But a lot of the time in between is downtime, as I wait to hear back from manufacturers - and I am super excited about my ideas for future Pintopias. So I am still on the fence but I am leaning towards going ahead and participating in this upcoming Pintopia as well - but wanted to make sure you guys know it will in no way interfere with me finishing everything with this campaign if I do. Just that I want to make sure to take the time to ensure these ones are as nice as possible, even if it means there will be a little overlap in the timelines. 

Anyway, that's all the updates for today 🖤 thank you for all the support and patience as I bring these little treasures to life and I hope you guys love the sample photos!!  
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PROJECT UPDATE
Jeszika Le Vye
CREATOR
3 months ago

Project Update: Samples - Tassel Troubles - and Puzzle Pre-orders

I wanted to post a progress report update for everyone :)

Surveys: The surveys have gone very smoothly (and there are only a few left that aren't filled in yet). I plan to leave them open for now until I am much closer to having everything in hand to ship. I will be sure to let you guys know when we get close to that point - and when the pins & bookcharms are getting ready to be shipped to me I will let you guys know and likely lock the orders then.

Samples: As of now, the samples are actively being made by the manufacturer. They will ship them to me, so I will have photos to share of those once they are in hand. Getting physical samples mailed to me adds cost and time to the project, but I really want to make sure they are as nice as possible for you guys before having them go ahead and make thousands of them. And photos just don't seem as reliable.

Tassel Woes: However, I got an email from my manufacturer this week that is a pretty frustrating complication! They just informed me that they are no longer able to make them with matching cords and tassels. I am super frustrated with this news - as they have said since April that they could. And since I've already sent them thousands of dollars for molds and samples, I'm already too far down the path with them to turn around and start over with another company. For the cords, they sent me menus with several good options per design and I was able to find exactly what color I wanted for each design. However, for the tassels, they sent me a menu that has about 20 colors to choose from and none of the colors are the same as the cord options. 

So right now, I am left with two options:
  • Try to create combinations with the cord and tassel colors that I think look pretty - which is not my favorite option...
  • Or try to source the tassels myself, buy them separately, and have them shipped to the manufacturer for them to install on the bookcharms. 

Even though it is a more expensive and time-consuming option, I am starting with the second option. I've already reached out to several companies and contacts to see what I can find. This is definitely adding a ton of stress, time, and cost to the production - but I really want to do everything I can to make these as nice as possible. It's been a very frustrating week for sure with this news - and I can't believe that they didn't tell me until now that they couldn't do the thing we agreed on since the spring. But I am trying to just keep pushing through and finding solutions.

I wanted to let you guys know about this obstacle to keep you informed of what is going on behind the scenes. But also wanted to let you know that I am on it, and working as hard as I can to make these as nice as possible.

Flora & Feather Puzzles: And, on a different note, I also wanted to add a note here that the surveys for the puzzle Kickstarter are also starting to go out today :) I sent out the first smoke test surveys for the puzzles and the rest will hopefully go out in the next few days. So if you backed that campaign as well, be sure to keep an eye out for those!

A bit of a tangent, but I also ended up with troublesome news from the puzzle manufacturers this week as well. Unfortunately, about 20% of the puzzle boxes were smashed in shipping to me and the manufacturer has refused to replace them. I still have plenty to fulfill the campaign but, there is definitely not nearly as much left over to sell once the campaign ends. This has been a very stressful week as far as emails from manufacturers go!

Puzzle Pre-Orders: But also, if you didn't back the matching puzzle campaign, and were thinking of getting some puzzles later - I have set up the pre-order store for the puzzles so you can order them if you like while I still have some.

I am not sure how long the extras will last or when I will be able to make more since I need to find a new puzzle manufacturer now. Its such a shame since the puzzles came out so beautiful that I was really excited to get a bunch more made with them. But the customer service is so bad that I can't trust ordering from them again. But in the meantime, I do have some extras if you would like to order them on the pre-order store: https://flora-and-feather---jigsaw-puzzles.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders


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TLDR: pin and bookcharm samples are being made and will be shipped soon, but unfortunately, the manufacturer can't match the tassel colors to the cords so I am trying to find some good solutions to this, and lastly, the Flora & Feather puzzle pre-order store is open if you missed that campaign.

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✨ Thank you so much for your patience with me as I work on getting these made as best I can! 💖✨ It's been a very tough week, but I am just keeping my eyes on the light at the end of the tunnel, which is sending beautiful shinies to you guys! ✨
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PROJECT UPDATE
Jeszika Le Vye
CREATOR
4 months ago

Project Update: Survey Pictures and Metal Choices

After sending out all the surveys, it seems that for some no pictures are showing up in their survey - as well as some confusion about the metal choices.

I'm not sure why pictures aren't loading on some surveys as I put soooo many pictures into the pledge manager setup (literally hundreds - to match the hundreds of various SKUs) - but I went back in tonight and tried to find any spots I could add in a picture of all the designs together as well. So hopefully that helps make it easier to select your favorites!

And I also went ahead and made a new page on my website that has all 24 Flora & Feather designs, as well as all 20 Egyptian designs - so you can see them all super clear with their names and pick your favorites from there. I also listed the metal color options for each trio on the page as well.

>>>   https://jeszika-lee.squarespace.com/flora-feather-design-choices <<<

For the metal choices - the tldr: all the designs are available in gold or silver metal - except for 2 trios. The Quetzal & Jade trio, and the Scarlet Ibis & Poppy trio are available in gold or black metal.

Hopefully, that helps make it more clear and easy to choose! My apologies for any confusion!

(Also adding a picture here of all the designs in case it helps) 

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