What can I expect to recieve as part of my subscription?
Each month, you will receive a package containing at least one project finished that month. You will also receive a description of the process of making your project, and any humorous anecdotes from around the shop.
No, I mean what sorts of projects might I actually get in the box?
That's part of the mystery. You can follow this blog to get a sense of what I'm working on this month, but even I don't know who's going to get which projects until I'm boxing them up.
So I might get a chest of drawers and I might get a hat? That doesn't seem fair.
No, the type of project you might get is unpredictable, but the scale of the project is less so. Depending on your subscription level, you will get a package that represents 5, 10, or 20 hours of labor on my part. A ten hour package may contain several small projects or one large one, but it will always represent the same amount of effort.
Can I buy a particular item, or order a custom piece?
Generally, no. There are two times when I'll make an exception. Firstly, if I finish a project and have no plans for it, I will tag it as an unclaimed project, and include a price. If you are interested in buying an unclaimed project, simply follow the email link in the post. These pieces are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
The only time when I will accept commissions for custom work are as part of a Bartist agreement. When I make a Bartist post, I include the number of hours I'm offering in exchange for the item in question, and up to half of those hours can be redeemed in the form of custom commissions. Please email me if you are interested in such an agreement.
Why sell unclaimed pieces through a blog? Why not list them on Etsy or similar sites?
I've tried doing that in the past, and I've discovered that it's just not something I can do responsibly. People would purchase something from my Etsy store while I was engaged in something else, I wouldn't get it shipped on time, and I'd end up feeling so guilty whenever I thought about it that I couldn't bring myself to ship it at all. By listing everything here on the blog and having customers interested in a piece email me for an invoice, I can make sure that by the time anyone gives me money, I'm actively involved in the process and will get their piece shipped promptly.
What if you end up working on a project that does not produce tangible goods?
That does happen from time to time. For example, in November I often participate in National Novel Writing Month, and that tends to be productive, but not in a way that would be helpful here. In these cases, there may be a "rerun" month. My house is full of things that I've made over the years, and the packages for that month would be stocked from those supplies.
