Using the New Kickstarter Add-On Shop

*Note: These instructions are for those who have already pledged and want to add further items to their tier.

Recently, Kickstarter activated a new add-on shop feature. It used to be that creators sort of did a workaround to make their own, but now it’s official and easier to add things with a click of the mouse and no mathematical gymnastics and hoping you added up everything correctly.

The downside? If you’re used to the old way, like I was, it’s a little wonky to figure out how to add additional items after you’ve pledged. Since this can be a common occurrence as new items unlock in a campaign, I’m writing a step by step guide.

1. Log into your account and find the Kickstarter project you want to update your pledge on. At the top there should be 'manage pledge'. Click that and then 'change pledge'.

2. Your original pledge tier will be highlighted.

   • If you want to change your pledge tier either to a higher one or a lower level, this is where you would do it and then click ‘pledge’.

   • If you don't want to change your current tier, just click 'pledge' on the highlighted box to keep your current level.

3. The next screen will be the Add-on Shop.

4. If you have previous add-ons already, they will already be marked off on this screen and you can then add additional items like the more pins.

5. Click 'continue' when done.

6. You will then see a screen that shows your pledge tier and the add-ons. It will also show your new pledge total and the previous pledge amount.

7. If everything is ok, click 'confirm'.

You should be all set then! I hope this helps!

Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate Fundraiser

It’s been an emotionally rough 24 hours and my heart goes out to the family members of those who were lost to yet another act of senseless, racially driven violence. I can only imagine the pain they are going through.

I was born in Korea and came to this country as a baby when I was adopted. While my parents made sure to educate me about my heritage, and make it clear that I am completely loved as their daughter, I did have to face the usual slew of derogatory actions in the community when I was growing up. The stretching of eyes up at the edges. Imitations of Chinese language. Being told to ‘go back to where I came from’. All things, many AAPI in this country deal with.

The whole 'model minority' stereotype really works against the Asian community as people think 'Oh, they're successful, they have good paying jobs. Asians don't experience racism' and they assume that we’re all doctors, lawyers and engineers. News flash, a majority of us aren’t crazy rich Asians. It's become more and more evident in this pandemic.

The rise in anti-Asian violence has largely been unreported by mainstream media until recently. And even then, I've seen comments that Asians shouldn't be trying to take the spotlight from other groups experiencing racial issues. The 'game' of who has it worse has no winners. Racism affects us all. It doesn't matter your eye shape, skin color, language, or clothing - to a racist, we are ALL others and a threat.

It makes me angry to see authorities and the press making excuses for this man who killed these people. Saying he was having a 'bad day'. And the fact that 8 people had to die before the media even started talking about the rise in violence in general.

What am I going to be doing about it?

I'm not good at making speeches, but I am going to be donating to those who are better at doing the work than I am, similar to the BLM one I ran this past summer.

From now (3/18) through 4/3, 50% of total sales made from my shop here will be donated to the organization Stop AAPI Hate. I will post a screen shot of the donation for transparency to my FB, Instagram and Twitter channels shortly after 4/3.

Thank you for your support and care. Together we can work to dismantle racism.

Prototyping: The Good, the Bad and the Lol-worthy

You’ve been in business for a while and feel it’s time to take the leap and start outsourcing your plush. You’re tired of sewing your fingers off only to turn around and do it all again and again. This will be so easy! Just send off the drawing and the factory will produce it, no problem, right? [Insert record scratch noise here and abrupt cut off of the blissful mental soundtrack]. It’s not uncommon to have to go through multiple edits to get your design right and along the way, you can definitely get some lolz. Here are some of mine.

Sweet Dreams Strawberry

The Sweet Dreams Strawberry is a chocolate covered strawberry in a removable chocolate ‘sleeping bag’. Usually the chocolate follows the shape of the strawberry and comes to a rounded tapered end. Well, the first prototype I got looked more like it was sleeping in a precariously balanced chocolate snow cone. I was actually in the process of still finalizing the prototype on this one when I ran its Kickstarter, something I do not recommend! It’s always better to have the plush looking as close to final as possible when you start a campaign.

Flapjack Octopus

Flapjack Octopus is a design based on an actual octopus species that is super adorable in real life. Of course, I had to go punny with mine with a pancake theme. The first prototype was sort of close, but not fully the shape I wanted. And I wasn’t sure what was going on with the pink butter. At least they drew the face in cute. Unlike this next one…

Bunana Bread

Usually, the factory doesn’t want to spend the time and resources setting up embroidery on a first round prototype which I totally understand. So they will often just draw on the features with a marker. And usually, they are pretty close. Except for poor Bunana Bread’s first look. When I opened the email with this one, I totally lol’d cause it’s face is just…priceless. I’ve outsourced a ton of plush by now, and this one is still my favorite first round.

Chinese Lion Dancer - Sitting

The Chinese Lion - Sitting version, was by far, the most complex plush I had designed at the time. I sent a bunch of detailed sketches showing body shape with and without the long fur, colors and as many different views as I could think of. Little did I know what a ride I was in for. This one ended up taking a year and a half of prototyping and two different designers at two different factories. I think the first one just threw up their hands at one point. I’m sure the second one had a party when I finally approved the design. And then probably swore a lot when I put in for another Lion, this one standing about a year later. At least that one didn’t take as long!

The Mewcarons: or The Factory Will Take You Literally

A few years ago, I wanted to make kitty macarons that I called the Mewcarons. I had already done a Hamburger Bunny plush and I liked a lot of the shape of that one so I referenced it when sending the design for the Mewcarons. Well, the factory took me literally and sent me a Catburger for the first prototype. My middle man and I had a really good laugh about that one. She arranged for the mistake plush to be sent to me and then Catburger ended up going on an incredible 5 year journey that ended with people falling in love with it cause of it’s ordeal and me making an intentional Catburger that funded in 2020 in a Kickstarter.

Steamed Bun

Honorable mention goes to when I outsourced Steamed Bun for a run and they clearly sent him to deal with his anger issues. Steamy has never looked so chill.

Roary: When They Get It Right At the Start

I hope you’ve had some lolz seeing how some of my plush have started out. But I also want to say that it’s not always a scary plush when you get the first one. Sometimes, they get it almost spot on with the first try. An example of this is Roary. Other than some coloring issues, his body was pretty spot on and adorable from the start.

Plush outsourcing, as you can see, can definitely be an adventure. However, I really do like how it frees up time for me to come up with more art and designs! This is time I wouldn’t have if I was stuck on the sewing machine all the time. So I just plan out my projects schedules accordingly, knowing that most likely there will be some edits needed. And sometimes, there will be lolz along the way.

2020, What A Decade

I know it was just 365 days, but it sure felt like there were a few years that were snuck in somehow. I have a tradition of spending my New Year’s Eve by myself writing out goals for the business, doing art and playing my current favorite music. NYE 2019 was no different. I had my tea freshly brewed and my new 2020 planner out. I wrote down a full page of goals related to where I wanted my art to go in the upcoming year.

Goals were everything from posting regularly to this blog, getting more consistent at social media, and actually taking some time off. There were also a bunch of art goals in there as well. One of the things I wanted to do was increase my traditional media work.

Goals written out for 2020 in my planner.

I started out as a traditional media artist, mostly with colored pencil work, but with the start of the business 12 years ago, that had fallen by the wayside. Even though I enjoyed doing the business, it bothered me that my other art skills were pushed to the side and I worried that I would lose them from disuse. So I wanted to make an effort in the new year. The two goals that related to this were the following:

• Finish one illustration per quarter (digital or traditional)

• At least two Dandyland characters done

Time is tight for me as I still work a full time job, so I knew both of these goals were going to be tough to complete. But I was going to give it a shot.

And then COVID hit.

This year has been beyond stressful for everyone. 2020 is definitely a year where we all get free pass on not fulfilling any of those resolutions. I know I had periods riddled with anxiety, anger and tears. I (semi) joked that the 2020 planner was just a big waste of $30. Seriously, everything is crossed out and cancelled. It’s kind of depressing! However, since art is my stress relief, the traditional art related goals - the ones I thought I had the least chance of completing - were the only ones that I met and actually exceeded.

When I got overwhelmed with the news or fears of getting COVID myself (I have asthma so it could be very bad for me), I found myself turning to art as escape. Focusing my attention on drawing pretty boys themed around candy and working out what colors to use was much more fun for me than playing the worst game of 2020 I called ‘Is it [X] or is it COVID?’

Candy Cane

Gumdrop

Licorice

Dandyland was a series I came up with about two years ago. I finally decided to give it a go and also get back into my work with Copic markers. I found myself looking forward to when I could close the work laptop and get back to work on the latest character. I ended up sketching and or completing 23 of them this year. This is by far, the most traditional art I’ve done in years!

I also started doing more fantasy and non-kawaii style things on the iPad with Procreate. An artist I follow on Twitter was doing art challenges for a while which helped get me inspired on the days when that blank screen was scaring me into inertia. Plague doctors which had been trending for a while prior to all this also become a hot subject this year. So I did one in the ‘bishounen’ style (basically, just another excuse for me to draw another pretty guy, lol).

Galaxysona from a Twitter art challenge.

Bishounen plague doctor.

So what am I going to do with this art? Well, I started Haetae Illustration to post this style under to keep the main account solely dedicated to Kimchi. I’ve started to turn the Dandys into merch, the first set of 4 is off getting turned into a small run of standees. I’m also aiming to turn the art in Haetae into prints to sell whenever cons come back when I have the space to show my sub brand.

I definitely want to keep up with it this next year, even as I hope life returns to whatever is normal now after all this. I’ve missed working with traditional media so much, the scrape of the pen on paper, seeing the colors blend when I color. I want to keep going with it and growing this side of my art skillset.

Changes in International Shipping

I hate to do this, but I have some bad news for international customers, those in the UK specifically. On January 1, 2021, a new law will go into effect that forces all sellers outside of the UK to register with the UK to get a VAT ID and file VAT related paperwork on a regular basis. As many know, tax laws in the country you live in can be confusing enough as it is. Unfortunately, I won’t have the bandwidth to take this on as I am still working a full time job as well as running Kimchi Kawaii.

I am aware that some selling platforms, like Etsy are collecting and submitting VAT for their sellers which is a huge help to small business owners like me. I do not have an Etsy, but I did have a shop through Storenvy for a while. I’m waiting to hear from them if they will do similar. If so, UK customers will be able to buy through that link. I’ll let everyone know as soon as I hear anything.

In the meantime, I’ve marked down international shipping to Europe as half off to help anyone who wants to complete their collections. The discount is automatic and will be valid through 12/31/20.

I know this is a pain. Let’s all hope for good news from Storenvy!

Thanksgiving Weekend Sales Line Up

First off, as we reflect on what we're thankful for this year, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to you for your continued support of Kimchi Kawaii whether it be through a purchase, online support or recommending my shop to a friend. This year has been beyond tough for all. Seeing comments and people getting excited about my designs has been a major driving force that's kept me creative during 2020. I can't say it enough, but thank you.

Ok, on to business!

Starting on Thanksgiving Day 11/26, I'll be helping you all check off holiday shopping lists!

• USA customers: FREE shipping with code SMALLBIZ

• International customers: Half off shipping! No code needed.

Shipping discount will run through Cyber Monday, 11/30.

Small Business Saturday

This will be a special Caturday with select Purrista Pawfee plush $5 off the regular price. No code needed, but this will ONLY be available on Saturday, 11/28.

In addition to this great deal, more of the hand sewn plush and ornaments will be restocked in the shop at noon, PST. The first release event was a huge success and I know some things went really fast. I’m sewing as much as possible now to have stuff ready for the 28th.

All sales will take place in my main Kimchi Kawaii shop. Thank you for supporting small business this holiday season!

Holiday Shipping Deadlines

It’s that time again, when people are starting to look to online shops to help get their holiday shopping done, especially during this time of COVID19 when people are hesitant to go out to crowded stores. Due to the pandemic and increase of packages processing through the US Postal system, please note the following shipping cut off times in order for things to arrive by 12/25.

• International shipments: 12/1

• USA shipments: 12/8

Shipping in my shop is determined by weight. Anything over 16oz is automatically bumped to Priority Mail which arrives in about 2-3 days (USA) depending on how far you are from me - I’m in California.

The shop remains open year-round, but after 12/8, customers will need to acknowledge they are past the USPS ship time and are ok if their items don’t arrive in time for Christmas.

New this year, I am no longer making the hand-made plush to order. I am working hard to have a good stock built up and will try to keep up on stock as the season progresses. While it means that some plush will be limited in quantity and could sell out early, it also means I can cut off holiday shipping closer to the USPS’s deadlines. Previous years, I had to cut off even earlier to cover the two week sewing time.

As always, let me know if you have any questions at info(at)kimchikawaii.com. I hope everyone is staying safe and thank you for supporting small businesses!

The Amazing Adventures of Catburger

Gather around for a crazy tale!

Back in the day, I started the prototyping for my Mewcarons (cat macarons) and I liked the shape of my Hamburger Bun plush so told the factory to use that basic shape, but change minor things to make it a cat. Well, they took me literally and sent me the first pic - a catburger. I totally lol’d with my middleman. They said they could check if the factory would send it to me since they would just destroy it anyway. I said yes.

Then, nothing happened so I assumed that the factory had already thrown it away. We had gone on to get the approved Mewcaron plush so I got what I originally paid for. I was sorta bummed that the plush had ended up destroyed, but there wasn’t anything I could do.

Fast forward four years later to August of this past year when I was walking home from work and saw this by the furniture dumpster behind an apartment complex down the street from me:

I have a certain tail shape on my Mewcarons and this plush had the same tail. I quickly pulled up the factory image from my Dropbox. It was Catburger! I quickly messaged my middleman and asked what happened to the prototype and if they had made more. She said ‘Nope, I had them send the one to you’.

‘I never got it,’ I said. ‘And I think I just found it!’

Catburger was definitely worse for wear and looked to have had a tough life. In my town, all the apartment leases end at the same time and August is turnover season. The complexes will put these big dumpsters out for people to leave their unwanted furniture and other large things. Catburger was sitting on this beat up chair.

With anything fabric (and even non-fabric), you have to be cautious about potential vermin like bed bugs. I also have pet allergies. Having no idea what Catburger had been through, I sadly decided to leave it and continued on my way home.

I posted that night on my social media about the whole thing and one of my friends said, ‘I could clean/restore it for you!’ By this time, it was dark, late and not a good idea for me to be walking around.

‘It’s on the way to work, I’ll get it in the morning,’ I said. That night, I felt bad that I had just left Catburger by the trash.

The next morning, I took a bag and was ready to get it. Except, someone had cleaned up around the dumpster! All the furniture was gone and the dumpster was locked up (you access it from the side and can walk in since it’s for furniture, not regular trash).

Honestly, I felt pretty sad that Catburger was fated to be buried in the dump.

On the way home, I decided to give it one more look. Since people had been moving some more, the dumpster was open again. I decided to throw all shame to the wind and go in and see if I could find it.

Catburger was right there near the entrance, looking a bit shocked and laying upside down under the wooden chair it had been on earlier. I think someone had just chucked the whole thing over the top the day before. I quickly grabbed him and put him in the bag.

I texted my friend that I had been able to rescue Catburger and would put him to go out the next day. I did tell her that he was sealed up in a bag and if there were bugs to just throw it away. I didn’t want to infest her house!

She texted me a few days later that Catburger had arrived safe and sound and passed quarantine. And then proceeded to send me hilarious pics of Catburger’s spa treatment.

Ready for bath time!

Ahhhh, not the ears!!!

She did a fantastic job. After restuffing him with fresh stuffing she took Catburger on some small adventures around her home state. He got to check out the regional bakery and all the tasty desserts inside, a nearby college and wonder why the local Starbucks was closed that day.

And then, it was time for him to come home.

After four long years, Catburger was finally with the rest of his Kimchi Kawaii siblings.

He lives happily on the couch now and watches me working on art or slacking off, watching Netflix.

So what now? Well, a lot of people got attached to Catburger as the story was playing out on social media this past fall. I did an intentional Catburger prototype and will be launching a Kickstarter on July 31, 2020 to send it to production.

But the original, prodigal Catburger will always have a special place in my heart. I’m so glad he’s home.

Black Lives Matter Fundraiser

The last few weeks have been full of many emotions in the wake of the senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others.

I posted this image on my social media channels about two weeks ago and have had people ask if they could purchase it, so it went into production as a sticker and just arrived on Friday.

I am only a small brand, run by an introvert who is better at just drawing than giving speeches or organizing protests, but there are groups out there with so much more power than me who have the skills to do so effectively. As many have said, this is a multilane highway, we all have roles to play in this. In addition to my own personal actions of self-education, here is mine:

Starting today, Sunday, June 14-Sunday, July 5th, I will donate 50% of total sales* to Until Freedom, an intersectional social justice organization rooted in the leadership of diverse people of color to address systemic and racial injustice.

Additionally, 100% of revenue from my sticker design featuring the tiger and panther will be donated to the above mentioned organization.

• If this sticker is purchased at the bulk pricing level I will still calculate it at the regular price when tallying up the donation.

• Limited run: only 50 of this sticker have been made.

Thank you in advance for your support and helping to make change!

*minus postage

Virtual Artist Alley

Many large events like anime cons and comic cons are canceling or postponing due to the uncertainty about COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus. It’s true that large gatherings can be a breeding ground for illnesses to spread. Con-goers often talk about ‘con plague’, where people get sick about three days after con - and this was long before coronavirus was even a thing.

While it’s good to take preventative measures, many artists rely on the convention scene to bring in significant income to help run both their businesses and daily expenses like rent and mortgages. When con cancels or postpones, they are left in a tough spot. So this is why I’ve launched a virtual artist alley page. You can find a listing of artists and their shops. Please take a look and consider supporting these independent creators!

If you’re an artist who’s had a con cancel and would like to be listed, I’m adding new artists as I can. Fill out this Google form and email me at the email address listed on the form an 800x800 jpg of either your logo or what you want as your lead image. I’ll be leaving the page up and updating stuff until things stabilize.