If the below does not answer your question, please reach out to aster.orchid.handmade@gmail.com. We will get back to you as fast as we can, but please be aware this is a small operation and it may take up to a week to respond.
We have a whole page for that!
Where do you ship?
Currently we ship only within the US for everything other than the prints. Tax and shipping is just not sustainable for a tiny outfit like this.
If you’re outside of the US and want to buy a print, please contact us directly either through Instagram or email at aster.orchid.handmade@gmail.com, since the check-out system doesn’t let you do it directly.
Do you do local delivery?
If you’re located on the eastern side of the Potomac in the DMV, or along the Baltimore-Washington corridor, email aster.orchid.handmade@gmail.com or shoot us a message on Instagram and we’ll talk.
Why is shipping so expensive?
We sell a lot of stuff that’s in weird shapes. We do re-use a lot of packaging (which is why if you order a stick it’s likely to show up in three different types of wrapping) and that helps us cut down on some costs, but the USPS charges what they’re gonna charge.
Do you use computers/CNC Machines for your Pyrography designs?
No, everything is done with our hands. Julia uses a very hot piece of metal to burn designs into the products you see here. It’s like normal drawing but with the chance of horrible, blistering burns!
We do use a router for the solid wooden dice trays, and various rotary tools to carve, but again, that’s hand-guided, not computer programmed. Nothing against those tools- they are very cool- but it’s not the way we roll.
Where do you get your wood?
About 80-90% is from trees and branches that fall naturally, while the rest is wood from trees that were taken down due to being a danger to the community. Most are from the Montgomery County, MD or Washington, DC area. Julia’s dad has a chainsaw and a portable sawmill, so he and the neighbors are our primary source of wood after a big storm.
What materials do you use?
Each item in our catalogue has its materials listed out, but we typically try to stick to natural, easily available materials. For our fabrics, they are typically thrifted from local stores, so while we take an educated guess at the fiber content, we can’t be precisely certain.
Where do you get your prints?
The prints are based on original artwork by Julia (also available!). The printer we’ve used the most has been CatPrint up in New York, but we’ve also used Alpha Graphics in Baltimore, MD for a few specific pieces.
Damn, XYZ is expensive! Can I get a discount for being cool?
Yeah, making things takes a lot of time and time is money. We try to make things in as wide a range as possible, but we can’t go under minimum wage when we pay ourselves.