First off I just want to say omg the outpouring of support on this project is humbling. I do so wish that I could just go working on this for years as the themes, colors and joy in this holiday are intoxicating. Sadly, for me, the last card is drawn and the easel now sits empty. Each picture has been scanned and stored away, and as of Monday the files are off to the printer for the first run. Truth be told I have spent just about every day on this project since August of last year. Sometimes it was full days of sketching out card ideas till one got right, others were testing colors. Still more mornings were spent sending and replying to emails on how to get the deck out there; printers, fabrics, beads, BOXES. Easily half my waking hours each week were spent working on this project. As Nicky has pointed out I take work with me everywhere. Even now I take my sewing machine to work to continue the bags on breaks. (The bags take about 90min each to cut and assemble. I make no great boast about my sewing skills so I sew slow. I’m sure if it were my mom they would have been done in a day. )
This whole time while I have been in my creative playground my husband, the Tribunal Sisters Three and you guys on AT kept the project focused. For those posts here and behind the scenes of support, critique and discussion I give you my deepest gratitude.
As for the limited edition. When I was fleshing it out to both Rana and Nicky the one thing that never entered my mind was that it would be this loved and desired. The higher then normal price on the set,I thought, would be a deterrent and that most people would go with the regular deck. The number of 112 was high I thought, but it was the number that I thought fit the project just as 93 fit Pixie. If there was some way I could just go on making the bags I would, but I would drive my husband nuts so 112 it stays.
Preorder lists- they are a HUGE undertaking. The PMs alone are hours of sorting out, and people’s screen names on here are not the same as their emails which can be different them their Paypal name. Then there is the thing of once you start a list in one place what about the other groups on say FaceBook or even the people that email me through my website, when do they get a chance? A list would just be way to complicated.
I will give a good long think to limiting the limited edition down to one deck as that way it will be around for a while. That way as many people who want the set will be able to get it. If no one here objects to it then I think I’ll do it that way. Thoughts?
Finally, in the spirit that this project is designed to celebrate I’m pushing forward the pre-sale date to 5/26 my mother’s birthday. With the deck shipping out first week of July or sooner. At 7:00am CST I’ll post the link up for both the standard and limited editions. It’s a Saturday morning so I hope that most people will be able to be off work and able to just order it over their morning cuppa.