Xia Hunt - The Children of Ostara Tarot

Almost there! And USPS vs other shippers update
7 months ago – Fri, Apr 19, 2024 at 11:40:40 AM

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for the continued support and all your kind messages over the last few weeks! I'm so relieved and grateful this project has gone so well and it's almost over!

A couple of you have messaged me regarding the shipping charts I posted last week. I was not aware of the exorbitant fees charged by UPS and FedEx International to Canada and Europe. The request is that I use USPS International instead, even if the shipping fee is twice as much and the shipping time is twice as long. 

I'm more than willing to do that but I'm going to have to update the profiles and so they will affect everyone in those regions. I need to reach out to the BackerKit specialist and ask if it's possible to have an option that allows you to select which carrier you prefer. As I understand it, currently the cost is just based on weight and shipping region. So please stay tuned for more updates on that. I want everyone to be happy and I'll work with you to make sure we get your magikal tools the best way possible!

Sending you all love and light!

-Xia

Update: Estimated Shipping for NORWAY and SWEDEN
7 months ago – Tue, Apr 16, 2024 at 03:27:27 PM

Hi all, quick update. Here are the estimated shipping costs for Norway and Sweden. 

Prototype Altar Box is AMAZING and Estimated Shipping Costs
7 months ago – Tue, Apr 16, 2024 at 11:16:38 AM

Hi everyone, 

Yesterday... despite being a Monday AND Tax Day in the US AND other terrible things going on in the world...for me, was a WONDERFUL day because I received the prototype of the new 2-deck Altar box. It is so much more beautiful and more magikal than I could have ever imagined! I did a whole Instagram live video for the unboxing yesterday, so if you want to see it in all its live glory, please go and check it out! 

Remember, it is going to be a Kickstarter Exclusive and will not be sold in my store. If you want to own this sure-to-be treasured heirloom, add it to your pledge for $222, or you can order it after the campaign ends in my BakerKit preorder store for a limited time. That way you can defer the payment until later, and we can work with you on the best timing for you specifically. 

Here are some more pictures! 

This beautiful 2-deck wooden altar box is a Xia Hunt exclusive, hand made with care and precision by @reginaldspleen (on Instagram) in the Uk. Each box is filled with magick and hidden secrets. The lower drawer has an engraved triple moon pull, representing past, present, and future. This drawer holds up to two standard size Tarot decks (even when left in their own original boxes) plus a little room in between or on the side to put a hidden keepsake or crystal to charge your deck.

The top lid opens with an ornate brass closure, and the inside top compartment holds 8 back tins, to be filled with botanicals or whatever else you might like. It sits on a removable tray atop removable dividers, to customize your compartments or remove them entirely. In the bottom drawer there is a hidden section behind the decks to store the dividers should you choose to remove them. The lid is ornamented with four ornate brass corners and inlaid with a brass divination coin for “flight” in the center, surrounded by the 8-pointed star and wreath motif emblematic of The Children of The Wheel series. The crow in flight represents messages, both divine and mundane, travel both astral and terrestrial, as well as liberation, freedom, and prophecy. The 8 pointed star represents the four elements x the four cardinal directions, a symbol for limitless power, energy, and potential coming in and going out from all sources.

2-Deck Altar box Measurements in CM:

Outside of box. 22.2cm wide, 15 highcm, 18.7cm deep

Top compartment. 20.8 cm wide, 4.5 high cm, 17.3 cm deep

Main drawer. 19.8 cm wide, 6 cm high, 13.3 cm deep

Secret space at back of drawer. 19.8 cm wide, 6 cm high, 2.6 cm deep

Shipping Stuff

Meanwhile, I've been working hard to develop my "shipping profiles" to give you all as accurate estimate as I can of the shipping costs. Because it is based on weight and where it's being shipped, and because we have so many reward tiers and add-ons ranging from 2 ounces to 15 pounds, it's extremely time consuming to do all the research. But, I want to make sure you have an idea before the campaign ends (only 5 days left!) in case that impacts your choices. 

Remember, shipping will NOT be charged through Kickstarter. You will be billed separately for shipping a week or two before we start actually shipping (hopefully sometime in August/June). AND also if you live in the UK, we can drop-ship the 1-deck apothecary boxes and/or 2-deck alter boxes directly from the maker, which should save you a lot in shipping and taxes! 

Item Weight

Since shipping costs depend on the weight of your items, I wanted to give you some guidelines so you can estimate how much your package will weigh depending on what you are getting. 

Shipping Profiles

The following is the estimated shipping costs, by weight, for various countries/regions. If you don't see your country listed, please let me know and I'll research the rates for you. Since I can't yet see your addresses, I'm just basing my list on past Kickstarter campaigns. Thank you for your patience, support, and understanding!

United States (by State/Region)

International

Please note, these shipping quotes DO include insurance but DO NOT include customs/taxes/duties that you will be responsible for. 

As always, thank you all SOSOSO much. I know shipping is a real beast for a lot of us, myself included...and I appreciate your understanding and continued support. 

UPDATE: 2-deck Altar boxes!
7 months ago – Wed, Apr 10, 2024 at 10:08:19 AM

Update on The UPGRADED 2-Deck Altar Boxes

Hello everyone! I'm excited to finally be able to bring you this update...I know many of you have been looking forward to this! I apologize for the delay but it's been quite a process designing these wooden accessories, as it's new territory for me and my manufacturer is in a different time zone, so communication is a bit strained. So I thank you all for your patience and understanding while I figure this out!

Things are still being refined, but my craftsman has been hard at work making a wonderful prototype that is ALMOST photo-ready! They are truly going to be breathtaking when done, truely destined to be a treasured heirloom. Keep in mind that each box is made individually, by hand, by an actual craftsman. These are not mass-produced by a machine! So there may be slight variations from box to box, in terms of wood grain and stain color and such. 

Now, I am SUPER excited to reveal some IN-PROCESS photos of what we have so far. 

Lid design mock-up

For now I just have a mock-up of the lid, as I have sent the craftsman my signature coin (the subtle Xia Hunt crow logo) to inlay and he has to configure his laser blade etching thing and we are still tweaking the design, so actual photo is still pending but this will give you a good idea of the lid. 

Note that the brass corner details are on the top (instead of the corners at the bottom like in the 1-deck apothecary box). This is because, as you will see, we are adding a drawer to the 2-deck altar box's design and the brass corners would get in the way. 

Front view 

This is the front view of the box. Look at that cool moon phase/triple goddess drawer pull! It reflects the moon in the coin too.

Inside view

As you can see, the top lid lifts up and within that section you can store 8 herbal tins. There are additional compartments below for whatever you like. In the bottom section, a draw opens up to a compartment big enough to hold two Children of the Wheel decks side by side. This inside of the lid and the compartments are lined with black felt. 

A neat feature my craftsperson added is that the tin tray lifts out and the partitions below are also removable, so you can adjust the inside configuration to fit all your specific needs. 

Questions & Answers

How much will it cost? 

Each box is lovingly handmade to custom specifications and is a beautiful luxury item that will truly become a treasured heirloom. These boxes are very labor intensive to make and at 5 LB each, will be very expensive to ship to me, so I can ship them to you! Therefore, they are more expensive than the 1-deck apothecary boxes. They will cost $222 and are now available as an add-on.

Can I upgrade my current box pledge?

Yes! Those of you who have already pledged for the 1-deck apothecary box and want to upgrade to the bigger 2-deck altar box can do so by increasing your overall pledge to accommodate the difference between the 1-deck box and the 2-deck box. Here is how:

• The 1-deck apothecary boxes are $77 for Kickstarter backers. If you want to upgrade to the 2-deck altar box, click "Manage Pledge" and add $145 to your pledge (222-77=$145). 
• If you pledged for a tier with two of the 1-deck apothecary boxes, same rules apply: ($77x2= 154, 222-154= $68) Click "Manage Pledge" and increase your pledge by $68.

If you upgrade, please also mention it in the open notes section of your survey at the end so we are all on the same page!  

Will these be available after the Kickstarter campaign ends? 

Nope. These 2-deck altar boxes will be Kickstarter-exclusive items. Our craftsperson can only make one of these 2-deck altar boxes at a time (as opposed to the 1-deck apothecary boxes, where he can make a few at the same time). This means they take A LOT more time to make, and in his words "time is money." These 2-deck altar boxes will be hand-made to order, one at a time. I need to be perfectly clear: These boxes are going to be KICKSTARTER EXCLUSIVE rewards, and I will ONLY be making exactly as many as are ordered during the campaign or in the backer-kit pre-order store. This means they will NOT be available on my site after the campaign. Maybe I can re-release them in future Kickstarter campaigns, but I can't afford to inventory them. 

How long will these take to make? Can they ship separately from the other rewards? 

Depending on how many orders we get, we may need to ship these bigger boxes separately as they are completed. Otherwise, it could potentially hold up shipping your other items. If you order the altar box, I'm thinking we will let you decide. You can choose to have us hold all your rewards and send everything together, or you can have your other rewards sent out first and the altar box shipped separately as it is completed. I can't ask him to go faster than he can go, so we just have to exercise patience! I truly believe they will be worth the wait. 

If you choose to have the box sent separately, please note:

1) You will have to pay 2 separate shipping fees at the end, one for the box and one for all the other stuff in your pledge.

2) Your box will come to you empty. I won't be able to fill the tins or put your decks inside.

I live in the UK...can the craftsperson drop ship the box directly to me?

Yes. our craftsperson has generously offered to drop ship the altar boxes separately to backers in the UK to try and save us all a bit on shipping. If you are in the UK and choose this option, please note: 

1) You will have to pay 2 separate shipping fees at the end, one for the box, and one for the other stuff in your pledge that will be shipped by me. But shipping is based on weight, so your box from the US will be lighter and therefore less expensive. 

2) Your box will come to you empty, as it will be shipped from the craftsperson making them and not from me. 

So that's where I'm at! I should have more photos of the 2-deck altar boxes soon. 

Thanks again so much to everyone still with me! I could not have done any of this without you, and I really appreciate your continued support! We are getting close to the end...only 10 more days. Please spread the word! 

Sending all of you much love and light.

-Xia

Quick update! More add-ons!
8 months ago – Thu, Apr 04, 2024 at 08:38:59 AM

Altar cards are now available!

I am now offering my 9"x6" Altar cards as a complete set or as a single card! 

The COMPLETE SET comes with 24 cards: Large print versions of all 22 Major Arcana cards from either The Children of Litha (plus The All and The Void) OR The Children of Ostara (Plus The Above and The Below). 

These are printed on high-quality card stock with a luxurious velvet matte finish ("rose petal", like the regular black edition cards), which makes the illustrations very vivid and soft to the touch. The backside features the same image as the back of the card. They measure 9 x 6 inches. Suitable for framing or simply placing on, near, or above an altar/ sacred space. 

PLEASE NOTE: Only The Children of Litha altar cards are shown in the picture because I have not made The Children of Ostara's altar cards yet, but you will be able to choose which set you like at the end through your survey.

As always, thank you all so so much for your support and patience. It means so much to me and I hope you are as excited as I am!