Songwriters and musicians write songs about bad relationships, terrible ex partners, and breakups all the time. I don't write songs, I make pins. Instead of writing a song about my ex/past relationship/breakup, I made an enamel pin collection about it. We listen to these breakup songs because they're about a fairly universal human experience, they're relatable. I hope you find that this pin collection is relatable.

I’m also a big fan of talking about things that historically, society hasn’t wanted to talk about. Mental health? Yes. Sexuality? Sure. Toxic relationships? You bet. We’re always told not to talk about our exes...that if we talk about them, or what we went through, then we must not be over it. If we talk about it then we sound like a bitter, salty, scorned ex. Talking about bad relationships, toxic exes, red flags, and terrible experiences is how we learn. It’s how we learn to respect ourselves and our boundaries, it’s how we learn to spot toxic behaviors in the future, and it’s how we can connect with others who've shared our pain. 

I had one relationship in particular, with a partner who treated me terribly, and the breakup was a catastrophe. At first, I was sad, and eventually sadness gave way to anger. I was angry at my ex for the way they treated me, I was angry with myself for not seeing red flags, for staying too long, and for feeling like I had allowed someone to treat me badly. The vibe I got from friends, family, and society, was that my anger was a bad thing. That my anger would be all consuming, that “forgiveness sets you free”, and that as long as I was angry I wouldn’t be able to move on. In my honest opinion…this rhetoric is ridiculous. 

I felt really comfortable in my anger and it wasn’t all consuming. My anger felt more like a fuel that I could use to build a better life…so that’s what I did. I got mad, I told myself “f*ck em”, and went out and built the best damn life I could. I don’t believe that anger and the ability to move on are mutually exclusive. You can move on, be happy, create joy, improve your life, and still feel negatively towards someone who treated you badly. You are not required to forgive someone who hurt you, and refusing to forgive someone doesn't stop you from moving forward. Human beings are complex, and we’re capable of feeling different emotions simultaneously. It’s been years since my bad breakup, and I’ve done so many amazing things that have created so much joy in my life, but also, I still dislike this ex partner and have negative feelings towards them. Those opposing feelings live together, and operate differently inside of my head. With the passing of time my anger towards my ex has gotten smaller, and it no longer acts as fuel or motivation…it’s just there, doing nothing. It's like a Furby from the 90’s, with dead batteries, that sits in the back of the closet.

This project is inspired by an emotionally charged and traumatic experience that I went through…so hell yeah I’m gonna joke about it. I think being petty is an art, it’s multifaceted and layered. Just as anger can be all consuming, one can be consumed by their pettiness. You can also take being petty too far, people can get hurt, and that’s a no go, that’s not what we’re about. Your ex broke up with you, so you moved all your stuff out and took all the lightbulbs with you? Sure. Your roommate didn’t replace the toilet paper roll, so you stacked 36 rolls of TP in front of the bathroom door? That’s kinda funny. Your ex put you through hell, so you built yourself a better life and then years later made an entire pin collection about your breakup? Yeah that’s just me. 

During the campaign you can pledge into any of the open pledge levels. Your money won't be withdrawn from your payment method until the end of the campaign. 

Once the campaign ends you will be charged for the cost of your pledge level. You will then receive a BackerKit survey to choose your designs, pay shipping fees, and add your shipping address. In your survey, there will be an add-ons section where you can add extra items, such as sticker packs, locking metal backs, or additional pins. Add-ons are entirely optional.

Once the campaign is over you will have a two week window to fill out your survey. After the two week window, we will collect design quantities and send them to the manufacturer. You can still fill out your survey outside of the two week window, but any surveys submitted after the deadline, are not guaranteed to receive their design choices. Pledges are fulfilled in the order that surveys are submitted. We will keep in contact and post updates about when to expect your survey, how to find it, and the submission deadline.

Even if you are familiar with pledging to a crowdfunded campaign please read the "Important information to know" section. 

Below you can find the campaign and fulfillment timeline. Please note that timelines are not set in stone and are subject to change, due to unforeseen circumstances or delays.

August 16th - Campaign Starts
September 16th - Campaign Ends
September 20th - BackerKit surveys sent out
October 4th - BackerKit surveys locked down
October 25th - Final quantities and drafts are sent to the manufacturer
8-10 Weeks - Pin and merchandise manufacturing period
Late January - Fulfillment and shipping begins.

Please note that we expect shipping to begin late January but this does not mean you will receive your package immediately  after shipping begins. Depending upon the total amount of backers, shipping carriers, and available staff, the fulfillment period can last anywhere from one month to nine months. We make every attempt to ship out your packages asap. There is also the possibility that shipping could begin before late January. 

Early Bird Pledge Levels
Early Bird pledge levels are only available for the first 48 hours of the campaign! Early bird discounted prices only apply to the pledge level, these discounts do not extend to add-on items. Add-on items will be at full price regardless of your pledge tier.

Manufacturing
I'll be using trusted manufacturers that i've worked with before, but occasionally things happen and there are minor delays in manufacturing.

I will always be upfront with backers along the way. I will disclose any setbacks, delays, and any other pertinent updates.

It's important to understand that this is a crowdfunded campaign. Crowdfunded campaigns are often subject to delays due to unforeseen circumstances. Please also understand that money pledged to a crowdfunded campaign is a donation or investment. This is not an online store and you will not immediately receive your rewards after pledging.

Please note that minor changes may occur in production, and that the images presented here are my mock up designs. There is a possibility of slight changes in color and size in the physical item.

Pin Grades
The Snarky Company offers two grades of pins, First Grade, and B Grade. First Grade pins are the only pins offered in crowdfunded campaigns. Our pins are handmade and may have minor cosmetic imperfections.
Examples of First Grade imperfections are as follows, but not limited to:
- Small buff marks, scuffs, or scratches on metal/enamel
- Small specks, pores, or bubbles anywhere on the pin
- Slightly low or uneven fills
- Slightly misaligned screenprinted details (for pins with screenprinting)
- Slight variations in the distribution of glitter
- Slight defects in text (this is usually only in pins with small text)
We want to make you aware that these First Grade pins may have small imperfections, but 99% of the time, these imperfections are non-existent or not noticeable.

An important note about color and size.
It is crucial to understand that while we have made pins before, the pins in this Kickstarter have not yet been manufactured. The designs you see on this page are mockups, which means the final product may vary in color and size. From our experience, the majority of our pins turn out looking like the mockup design.

Different computers, phones, and other devices have different screen settings which means coloration may vary between screens. We use a Pantone Solid Coated book to choose the colors for our designs. The manufacturers use those Pantone numbers to know which colors to mix and apply where, however, looking at a Pantone swatch on paper, is different than looking at a Pantone color in enamel.
Each mockup has a rough estimate of what the size will be. Our sizes are either specifying the general height or width of the pin. The actual size of the physical product may vary.

Glitters, translucent enamel, sand blasted enamel, pearl enamel, and metal plating colors may vary on the physical product.

Refunds or Exchanges
After the campaign has ended, you will have ample time to make your design selections in your BackerKit survey. You will be notified before surveys are locked down and any add-ons are charged. Once your order is locked down, we have a no refunds or exchanges policy. The only time we will issue a refund or replacement, is in extenuating circumstances, or if your pin arrives damaged (please read the section on pin grades to determine if your pin is damaged). If you believe your pin was damaged in transit, please reach out to us and attach photos of the damaged pin.

Rubber Backs vs. Locking Backs
Each pin from our campaign will come with rubber backs, but we highly recommend purchasing locking backs. If you choose to adhere your pin to a jacket, bag, or other item, with a rubber back, and it falls off, we will not replace the missing pin. We do offer locking backs through our add-ons section in your survey.

Shipping Policies
Please visit the shipping section to read about these policies.

Lost or never received packages
We make every attempt to get your package from our facility to your home. Packages for this campaign will come with a tracking number. Regardless of tracking numbers, sometimes packages are lost in the mail. We will notify backers with an update when the project is near completion. If you have not received your package by the completion of the shipping process, you will have an extended period of time to contact us about a missing package.