The alarmingly long, overly detailed version of exactly how the kit preorder is going to work, spelled out at great length just so I can feel thorough, is below.

But before we get started, I want to put this bit up front: I really need to keep this simple and streamlined if I’m going to pull it off. So I am going to be very firm about only doing this in a way and at a scale that works for me right now. So while there are all sorts of other things that would also be fun, they all add extra complications, and I am not able to handle extra complications right now.  This is what I know I can manage, so this is what we’re doing this year. If this goes well, I may well do a more complicated version next year! But if we want to do kits this year, this is how we’re doing them. 

The quick and dirty version: Sometime in the next day or two, I’ll quietly open preorders on patreon. I’ll let folks there know when they open, just to give everyone there a day to grab them first before I tell the rest of the world. Then, if there are any spots left, I’ll start posting about it more publicly.

If you want a heads up when they go live, make sure you’re on the patreon (you can totally just join at the free level, anyone with any level of membership will get notified when the preorder opens).

Slightly longer version with actual numbers:

• I am making a very limited number of kits with absolutely everything you need to make either 6 or 12 stars in beautiful gradient paper. I suspect I’ll do at most 250 kits, quite possibly fewer.
• The 6 star kit costs $100.00, the 12 star kit costs $150.00. That includes US shipping, and these only ship to US addresses (APO addresses are fine, as long as you’re find with it probably taking a little longer to get there).
• They will only be available as a preorder. They will not be for sale anywhere else this year once the preorder ends.
• They will ship in early November and (barring post office accidents) arrive at your door by mid November.
• They will only be available through patreon.

More detailed version with stuff I know some folks are wondering:

What’s in a kit? Everything you need to make either 6 or 12 stars! That includes:

• PAPER Either 60 or 120 sheets of pre cut, gradient paper. You’ll get either six different colors, 10 sheets of each, or 12 different colors, 10 sheets of each. You need eight sheets per star, but I’m sending you ten per star, just in case you want to practice or one of them gets messed up. If you order the 12 star kit, you’ll get 12 different colors of paper. If you order the 6 star kit, you’ll get six different colors of paper.
• ASSEMBLY STICKERS Either 16 or 32 large, clear, round stickers. These hold the stars together at the center. You need two per star, but I’m sending some extras just in case one of them decides to misbehave or in case you make some extra stars.
• HANGING STICKERS Either 18 or 36 removable adhesive dots. These hold the stars to your window. You generally need one or two per star, but I’m sending some extras just in case you make extra stars or want to move them around.
• PAPER FOLDING TOOL You don’t absolutely have to have a folding tool, but they make your stars look so much sharper and more precise. I swear it’s the equivalent of blocking your knitting, and I want to make it easy for you to do it if you want to.
• ASSEMBLY TEMPLATE The secret to putting these together neatly is having a assembly template with guides you can follow while you’re putting your pieces together. Once I figured that out, my stars got so so so much better. So I’ll include a little template with both 8 and 6 spoke options on it so you can avoid my early mistakes (and it makes a great little folder to store your paper in).
• INSTRUCTIONAL EBOOK Look inside the pocket on your assembly template and. You’ll find instructions for how to download the ebook with complete instructions for folding 9 brand new stars.

How can I get a kit? The kits are only available as a preorder on patreon.

• WHY PATREON? The stars books started out as a special bonus for folks on patreon. And the folks there make it possible for me to experiment with things like this. So it feels only fitting to start the kits out there too. It also gives me some back end administrative tools that make it easier for me to handle the logistics of the project, and I need that this year.
• HOW DOES THAT WORK EXACTLY? I’m going to create two new tiers on patreon, one for the 6 star kit at $100.00, one for the 12 star kit at $150.00. I will set it up so that only a limited number of folks can join each tier, so I make sure I can find enough paper and make sure I can pack that many boxes. You can join whichever tier you’d like, and you’ll get billed for whichever kit you preordered. Once I’ve gotten as many preorders as I’m willing to do, I will close that tier. The tier will only be open for a little while and will only accept a limited number of members. Once the tier is closed, I’ll do some clever back end stuff to make absolutely sure no one gets charged that same amount again the following month.
• WHAT IF I WANT TO MAKE STARS BUT DON’T WANT THE KIT? No problem! The first star book is available right now over here. That page has links to everything you use to make them. And the second star book (the one that goes with this kit) will be available by itself (not as part of a kit) around the same time the kits go in the mail. So you will absolutely still be able to make stars, even if you don’t want or can’t get the kit.
• WHAT IF I JUST WANT THE PAPER, NOT A KIT? That’s one of those complications I can’t manage this year, but if this goes well, I’d love to be able to do it next year. But for this year, it’s only the kits.

I’m wary of preorders…how sure are you you can do this?

• I’VE DONE THINGS LIKE THIS BEFORE! I did a star book in 2022, and this year’s version is all folded and written and ready to go just as soon as I take the proper photos. I did preorders for each of my twelve paper books (you can have a wander through the archives to see others). The kind of preorder where someone brings two literal tons of books to you in a big truck and you move them around with a pallet jack and you pack them up and get them out. This…this should be less of an undertaking that that! My primary concern is being able to source enough of the fancy paper. That’s why I’ve already ordered enough to cover the first round of preorders I’ll accept. Then once those are full, I’ll order more paper before I accept any more preorders. The other components are all much easier to get, so I’m not worried about them. And I’ve got boxes and postage plans all sorted out. Of course there’s always the ‘I am one single human person, and I could always get hit with a truck or drive off a bridge’ issue, but we’re all living with that every day, and I cannot magic that away. But I’ve done this sort of thing before, with an absolutely sterling track record. I’m good at it, and I’m looking forward to doing it again!
• I’VE BUILT WIGGLE ROOM INTO MY SCHEDULE! I expect the preorder to close in just a couple of days. I’ve already ordered the things I’d need to take care of the first round of orders, and even if we do a second round, the supplies for that should be here in week or two. That gives me all of October to get these packed, and I know it just doesn’t take that long to set up an assembly line and plow through. These are light enough that I can mail them first class, and if I get them in the mail in early November, they should arrive within a week at most, and we miss the post Thanksgiving surge. Of course I’ll keep a few back in case the postal system does something dastardly in transit. But otherwise, I suspect I’ll be all done with these by the first week in November and all I’ll have to do is sit back and see what you create!

Whew, that was a lot. No really a lot. If you stuck with it, you’re awesome, thank you! There’s a little free download of some coloring pages inspired by these stars over here, just in case you might enjoy such a thing! And if you’re wondering if the stars are too hard or if you’ll have trouble following my instructions, I’ve got another free download to walk you through a quick star over here.

So…I’ll be back when the preorders are open to the public. But if you want to get the early heads up for patreon folks, you can do that right over here.