#SupportingSophie wrap-up & Custom Order Release Info

Hi everyone! 

Wow, what a wild few weeks it's been. There has been so much shifting and so many little things popping out of the woodwork lately that I felt it was finally time to (re)kick off the blog. I have a fair amount of rambling to do, it seems. Please feel free to skip straight to the things that interest you, if you like, and please forgive the utter drenching of emotions throughout; it's been a really wonderful but intense ride the last little while. 

---

Obviously this is first in line. 
It's taken me an entire week to write this because of how MOVING it actually was to watch unfold. We raised over $1400 for The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, which was miles above what any of us were expecting and it was so, so incredible to be a part of.

Biggest thanks to Terri over at Dollylox for getting the ball rolling for a charity event and for all the hard hours of work you put in organizing, photographing, listing, packaging and shipping things out for us. You were the most solid foundation of this project and none of us could have done this without you! <3

Next, to Whitney (DarcRainbow): my undying love to you for connecting the dots and pulling me and my deep need to do something for this particular organization together with the group to create something truly outstanding, as well as being a constant support both emotionally and in the way of online presence (as you always are). You were the glue, my darling.

To ALL the designers, who I can't even list here because there were SO MANY incredible talents that were more than willing to jump in and donate their time, energy and breathtaking creations: All of you will be nestled in my heart forever, you beautiful, beautiful creatures. Never stop encouraging and supporting each other as well as the world around you. You are the reason people wake up in the morning. Your inspiration is eternal. Your love runs so, so deep. Never stop making art.

And lastly, to all of you out there in internet land. The MANY who shared, tweeted, reblogged, bid on items, donated independently, shared your stories and helped us to share Sophie's. ALL of you. Never stop caring about each other so fucking endlessly. You are everything.

I am really looking forward to next year's event. I can't wait to watch this little seed grow. <3
To anyone that maybe missed out on this year's event, or anyone that would really like to be involved again, please opt in for the mailing list so that we can keep in touch. We'll need all the help we can get!
Thank you, all of you. From the bottom of my heart. Things like this can change the world, I know they can.
Right, so. Now that we're all done quietly weeping (or was that just me?)...

---

Next up: The Imp And Petal Custom Order slot release! 

(Clearly, one mus have a sense of humor to enjoy my thrown-together 3:00AM ads.)

I am sooo excited about this! I haven't taken any new custom orders since August, so I'm definitely ready to start spinning these wheels and working with you all to create some exceptional pieces for 2015.

A few things to note, while you're getting all your duckies lined up to place an order:

•  Effective as of early September, our prices have increased. If you missed the notice and discussion on facebook, here's the recap: I've not gotten a raise since 2007. It's this absurd thing that small business owners just sort of forget to give themselves, or in other cases just don't think they're deserving. I'm at a point where I feel like I have put my time in, materials are becoming more expensive and the cost of living is higher. If I might be so bold, I think this has definitely been earned. I understand how hard it can be to invest in something with such a high price ticket, but my hope is that the years of my work holding it's own out there and the knowledge that you will be receiving a quality, durable product, will make it something worth investing in. 
  I encourage you all to visit my pricing page so you can appropriately crunch the numbers in time for the release, and please feel 100% welcome to come to me with questions regarding the cost of your dream hair. I am more than happy to work the details out with you ahead of time so that when you're ready to pounce on that deposit listing, you're not flying blind. 
  The most notable change is that my non-refundable deposits are going up from $50 to $75. This is the number that you will be asked to lay down up front to secure your slot on the order queue, and you MUST have it ready at the time of booking. <3 

•  I will only be accepting 4-6 orders (depending on size) this round, and I will NOT be taking on any side orders, model sponsoring (other than those of you I've already spoken with, of course), trades or outside rush orders no matter how enticing this time around, so please be ready when the listings go live and try not to present  me with sob stories afterward if it doesn't work out. I really, truly don't mean to sound so harsh, it's just that I want so badly to give you all a piece of me and my art, to make you smile and feel amazing, but if given even half a chance, I will do it to the point of completely burning myself out. I'm slowly learning that in order to make every piece that goes out to adorn the heads of the special, special people that choose to work with me the very best that they can be, I need to draw big, black, firm lines for myself. Read on though, I *think* I came up with a way to ease the pain at least a little!
  

• In addition to the initial deposit listings that will be going live on the 24th, I will also be holding LOTTERIES for 2 custom slots if the listings sell out as quickly as they did the last time. As is the nature of time zones, I know not everyone can be available when they want to be, and I also understand that some of you may be hoping for a little Holiday Cash or an Etsy Gift Card to spend on yourselves. So, assuming things follow the same pattern as last time, starting December 26th I'll be taking names into a lottery (probably via a service like Rafflecopter) for the remaining slots; One will be tacked on to the end of the queue, and the other will actually be the very FIRST (keepin' things interesting!).  

Now that we've got that all squared away, on to the actual release information! 

Listings will go live on December 24th as close to 12:00 noon as I can possibly manage. Hiccups happen, (particularly when there is a three year old in the vicinity), so I am going to give you my most earnest promise to be on time, and trust you all will forgive me should I be a few minutes late getting them up.

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING ETSY DISCOUNT CODES: At the time of the release, I will ONLY be putting up the “deposit only” listings. Please do not use your codes on these listings, as the deposit remains the same whatever the total bill ends up being. This just makes organizing easier for me, and I really appreciate your understanding. If you were planning to use a discount code towards your entire custom order, simply send the applicable code to me via messaging (or in the “notes to seller” if you choose to outline your desired design there) so that I can validate it, and I will adjust the listing price for the remainder of your set accordingly. EXPIRATION DATES WILL STILL APPLY, so if your code has one, please be ready to clear all remaining payments before your code expires! I am happy to put up custom listings for the remainder of your purchases as early as the 26th, but you are also welcome to wait until your set has been created and you are satisfied with the outcome.

All orders will be processed in the order they were placed, with the exception of one lottery slot. Tentative completion dates are as follows and subject to change (if for example, accent kits are ordered and take less time, or the first person to place a deposit knows they won't have the remainder until a certain date in the future, etc.):

Slot #1 (LOTTERY) – January 23rd

Slot #2 – February 6th

Slot #3 – February 27h

Slot #4 – March 13th

Slot #5 – March 27th

Slot #6 – April 10th

Slot #7 – May 1st

Slot #8 – (LOTTERY) May 15th

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to get in touch via the website or facebook messages (which, truth be told, are more likely to get you a quick response). 

That just about covers the most important things for now! I'm REALLY going to try and get a couple "ready to ship" items available for your gift-buying pleasure, but things have been a little overwhelming around here and I don't want to rope myself into promises I can't keep. The BEST thing you can do is get your loved ones an Etsy gift card, which is redeemable for anything listed  in my shop, including custom orders (during times we have them available). 

Upcoming topics include:

•  Our brand new "Fan of the Week" promo on facebook, 
• My husband and resident blacksmith getting some of his work available for you guys FINALLY, 
• Potentially available ad space right here on ImpAndPetal.com for other small creative businesses, artists, and designers
  
• A review on Amanda Palmer's "The Art Of Asking", which has not only been a really insightful read, but something of a creative game-changer for me. 

Keep checking back, and thank you guys so much for supporting us. We love you! 

♡ Kristina