Pinwhirls

PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING OR USING PINWHEELS.

•WARNING! Our pinwheels/pinwhirls are not toys and should not be utilized as such. They are for decorative purposes only. Please keep operable pinwheels away from small children under the age of 3 or children who mouth toys as they contain small and sharp parts which may become dangerous and pose a choking or health hazard if pinwheel is disassembled. As our pinwheels are assembled using a pin and small beads, even with children under 12, parental supervision is necessary as to avoid injury. Crossroads Cottage will not be held responsible for injuries sustained.

•Although our operable pinwheels are able to spin, they will not spin as easily as the traditional metallic pinwheels as the paper used is a heavier cardstock. As with all pinwheels an adequate amount of wind is required for movement. They will not operate with merely a slight breeze nor will they operate indoors without either a fan on hi or blowing on them. The direction of wind also plays a part as to whether they will rotate independently. If you are having trouble getting them to spin outdoors in the wind, rotate the angle of the pinwheel. All of our pinwheels are made to rotate by blowing on them. It is best to blow on them from a side angle rather than directly forward onto them.

•Each of my pinwheels is tested to ensure that they will spin before they are packaged. If your pinwheels arrive and they are having difficulty spinning, parts of the pinwheels may have shifted during packaging or shipment. To correct this problem, carefully move the pin (metal) portion of the pinwheel. Slightly moving this portion of the pinwheel (either left or right, or up or down) usually corrects this problem.

•Each of these pinwheels is handcrafted in smoke free homes. Although they are hand made with quality, since they are assembled with small and delicate objects, they will not withhold strong pulls on parts, bending, or being crushed. We will not be held responsible for pinwheels that are damaged as a result of rough treatment or pose a danger to users because of this disassembly.

•ALLERGY NOTICE: The homes where the pinwheels are created are not nut or peanut free zones. Although the risk is probably very minimal, if you are worried about inserting the cupcake toppers into cupcakes because of a serious nut allergy, please let me know and we will create your pinwheels away from kitchen areas.

• Please note: Since they are made with papars, the pinwheels are not water or weatherproof.

ENJOY!

OTHER FAQs:

Q: I’m interested in a custom order, how long does it normally take to complete an order from initial contact to shipment?
A: FYI: Please visit our home page for our CUSTOM PINWHIRL PRODUCTION SCHEDULE to see when custom items are available for shipment. Shipment depends on the order size and the paper requested. If special paper is required, additional time may be needed as I will need to wait on arrival of shipped paper before beginning the assembly process. If you need a custom monogram or paper designed, this will also add an additional 7-10 days onto processing. With this being said, the sooner you order the better as we can really work with you on creating the perfect custom pinwheel. Additional fees are added to rush orders. For a listing of these fees and additional information on rush order, please see below.

Q: Are custom pinwheel orders able to be rushed?
A: Yes and no. As our pinwheels are very labor intensive it depends on the size of the order and whether we have time available to complete your order taking into account our current production schedule. (See above question). Please inquire to us at shana@crossroadscottage.biz as to whether we are able to fit your rush order into our production schedule. The rush fee is 25% of your total order. (For eg, if $200 was ordered, there would be a $50 rush fee added onto the total of your order. For a $50 order, $12.50 would be added onto the total.)

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We are not responsible for rush orders that have shipped and are either missing in action or have been damaged during shipment causing the items not to arrive in time for your event. Please allow plenty of time when ordering in case of situations such as the above. We also suggest that you request insurance on all custom orders as we are not responsible for damages or missing packages once the items leave our hands.

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If items are damaged during shipment (this has not happened yet - fingers crossed), we will try to work with you on re-making the damaged pinwheels. This may be especially difficult or even impossible if your order was a large rushed order and also if special paper was ordered. If your order was a rush/last minute order that was damaged, we will not be responsible for the additional express shipping charges. If we are uanble to accomodate re-making your pinwheels in time for your event you will receive the insurance money due instead of products.

Q: I'm interested in ordering pinwheels for an event or wedding in the far future. What is your process for placing these orders? How far ahead should I place them?

A: Please contact us as soon as you are sure that you'd like to utilize pinwheels at your event. This will ensure that we are able to fit your order into our production schedule. We normally prefer not to assemble or ship our pinwheels more than 2 months in advance. However, we do recommend that you begin the paper selection process now. As soon as you find a paper you love we recommend ordering it as sometimes companies discontinue paper lines. We can place the order for you or you can ship the paper to us (we'll let you know how much you need to order). If we place the paper order we will need to bill you for the paper total only. This will serve as your non-refundable deposit in case of cancellation of your order. In addition, if you decide to go the custom paper route, one templates are purchased and we begin the paper design process, we will bill you for the template and design fees. The deposit will then be subtracted from your total once you are billed for your product total. For orders placed in advance of a month, a 50% deposit of estimated total is also due before we'll begin on your order. Although the remainder of the balance will not be billed until items ship, once we've begun working on an order, it is understood that the total amount will be due to Crossroads Cottage, even if the event is cancelled.

Q: Do you have paper already in stock for smaller orders?
A: Yes, we do have a wide variety of papers in stock for smaller and even larger orders. We print these papers in house and thus we can print as many as you'll need. To view our paper selection just click here.

Q: I'm not finding a paper design I love on your website, how do I begin the process of selecting different paper?
A: I normally suggest that clients visit local shops that carry scrapbook paper. These include Archivers, Jo Ann Fabrics, Etc., Hobby Lobby, and Michaels. Visiting the shops in person will allow you to see the actual color of paper instead of the papers online where colors may vary due to monitor settings, etc. If you find something you like you can either mail me the paper (I will let you know the approximate # of sheets you will need and I will also deduct the cost of the paper from your total order.) or you can let me know the paper company and name of paper and I can place this order online. If you don’t find paper you like in your local areas, you can find many papers online by doing general web searches for 'scrapbook paper’. You can also visit the links below. Many of these sites will allow you to search by color scheme, which makes things much easier.

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Recommended Online Scrapbook Paper Stores:

Scrapbook.com

Two Peas in a Bucket

A Cherry On Top, Scrapbook Shoppe

ScrapbookPal.com

Creative Visions

Memories Across Miles

Scrappin Grannies

Q: What type of paper do you utilize when creating these pinwheels?
A:We prefer to work with 12x12 scrapbook papers. We normally work with 24lb to 65 lb. The lighter the paper the easier the pinwheel will spin. The heavier cardstocks will spin; however, just not as easily as the lighter papers. The heavier the paper, the sturdier the pinwheels will appear. It's up to you which takes priority - the spin factor or the sturdy factor. We also love working with double sided cardstock papers as they are much more vibrant than the single sided papers which are usually white on one side (or you also have to be aware when searching online that some of the papers have gridded backsides or scanning bar codes). The only exception to the double sided papers recommendation is if you plan on having your monogram printed on the inside of the pinwheels. We prefer this paper to be white so your logo will pop off the paper, and your monogram colors won’t interfere with colors pre-printed on the papers.
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For our small cupcake topper/mini pinwheels, smaller patterns tend to work best as the pinwheels themselves are tiny. Mini dots and stripes seem to work very well with all of our pinwheel sizes.

Q: I've searched and searched in the stores and online and I still don't see I paper I love. What are my other options?

A: We can work with you on designing your own custom paper. For more information on custom paper please click here.

Q: Why do your pinwheels seem to run a bit higher than those who have recently started resaling pinwheels?

A: Our custom papers are printed in house on our wide format printer. The printing process for these papers also utilizes a large amount of ink and is much more costly than larger print runs of thousands of sheets of paper so those companies who utilize commercial scrapbook papers to assemble pinwheels costs are naturally much lower. In addition, our printers are quite costly and the time involved in printing papers and designing them also increases our fees. Just so you have an idea of how costly this is, many retail print shops will charge upwards of $3 and above for printing just one side of a 12x12 piece of paper.

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New! Our Shana D. Papers are now sold by the sheet. Please click here for more information. If you are willing to print the papers yourself, you are also able to purchase digital paper files here.

Q: I'm interested in hiring a calligrapher to personalize the seating card flags that will be attached to my pinwheels, do you have a preferred calligrapher?

A: Yes, we highly recommend Lisa with Pen & Ink Calligraphy. After your pinwheels are assembled we'll mail you the pinwheels and mail Lisa the seating card flags. After she has completed the calligraphy process, she'll mail you the flags. You'll need to work with Lisa directly to begin your calligraphy process. She can be reached at lisa@penandink-callligraphy.com. Please be sure to let her know that you are working with me on a pinwheel project. (She can also work with you on any of your other calligraphy needs including envelope addressing.)

Q: I'm really interested in integrating pinwheels into my upcoming event, how have people utilized your pinwheels in the past?

A: Our pinwheels have been used in many different fashions at previous events. For more information, photos and additional ideas on how to incorporate our pinwheels please click here and here. Or to view some of our previous custom products please click here.

Q: What is wheatgrass and where is it available for purchase?

A: Wheatgrass is normallly grown to blend into highly nutritious drinks or shakes. However, in the past several years it's also been highly used in event centerpieces. Just picture perfect green spring grass. (See below links for photos.) In most centerpieces it's cut to a height of several inches or can be cut shallower depending on the type of inserts/flowers you are planning on inserting. For more information on wheat grass including links for order, please click here.

Q: I'd like for my pinwheels to be "dressed up" a bit. Is this possible?

A: Yes, this is certainly possible. If you'd like more frilly or eye catching pinwheels we can certainly add glitters, ribbons, etc. In fact, we have lots of colors of ribbon in stock. Just e-mail me your ideas/thoughts and I'll provide a quote on additional costs.

Q: I'd like the paper utilized in my pinwheels to also be utlized on my table number signs, menu cards, or other misc. signage throughout my event. Are you also able to produce signage for my event?

A: Yes we are. If you are interested in this please let me know so that when your paper order is placed I'm sure to order enough to cover both pinwheels and signage. For more information on styles and pricing, please click here.

Q: How are your pinwheels and paper items packaged for shipment?

A: We've all had packages left on our door step in the rain. To avoid problems that may occur if this should happen to you, all of our pinwheel and paper products (including table number signs) are packaged in our zipper closure bags before shipment. They may not be the prettiest, although we try to dress them up a bit, but they'll be sure to keep your purchases clean and dry. :-)

Q: What method of shipment do you normally use on custom orders?

A: PLEASE NOTE: WE DO NOT BILL CUSTOMERS FOR SHIPPING AND HANDLING FEES UNTIL ORDERS HAVE SHIPPED. We dislike it when we are upcharged on shipping and thus we try to bill you as accurately as possible, which really isn't possible until we know what you've ordered, the quantity and where your package is going. After your item has been prepared for shipment, we will bill you the additional amount via Paypal.

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We normally ship via USPS Priority Mail, Insured. With this shipment type, most items should arrive within 2-3 business days from the date they are shipped. As our items can be delicate, we require almost all items to be shipped Insured for the total cost of the product. This protects both you and I in case of damage during shipment. (We also label all of our packages as 'Fragile' and 'Do Not Crush'.) Exception: In some cases we prefer to ship our large handheld and yard pinwheels via UPS Ground as UPS is much more budget friendly on larger sized packages. (Although shipping on these items is still much more costly - usually starting around $12.) Shipping with UPS Ground normally takes 4-5 business days.

Q: How do you charge for shipping and handling?

A: Shipping costs are calculated using the size, shape, and number of products in an order. As we recommend Insurance on all of our products, Insurance will also be billed to all custom orders. We also reserve the right to add a small fee to orders to cover the packaging supplies such as bubble wrap, tissue paper, peanuts, and boxing. We never try to make a profit off of shipping and do our best to charge you only for the actual shipping, packaging, and handling costs incurred. This additional shipping amount will be billed/invoiced via Paypal after your item(s) have been prepared for shipment. It will be billed to the e-mail address on file.

Q: What are your estimated shipping costs?

A: From past experiences, most smaller orders of only a set of pinwheels, party hats, or table signs usually run around $4.99 for shipping and an additional $1.75 or so for Insurance. Some of the heavier items such as pinwheel handles may increase the fees by $2-$3 depending on the number orderered. If you live either far East, West, North, or South your shipping fees might also increase by $2-3. In general most shipments of only a few sets of pinwheels run anywhere from $6.50 - $9, Insured. Larger orders of many pinwheels will certainly run more and our larger handheld (12" pinwheels) also increase the cost. Please contact me for guesstimates - although I'll only be able to give a guesstimate until your order has actually been boxed for shipment and an address has been forwarded.

Q: Can items be Express shipped?

A: Yes, if an item is currently in stock (and not custom made), it may be able to be Express shipped. In addition to the higher shipping fees imposed by the USPS, we will charge rush fees on our end - generally $5-$10 depending on the order. These fees will be added to cover our time and mileage for an additional rush trip to the post office. See Question #2 above about rushing custom orders.

Q: Can items be shipped internationally?

A: Although we do ship internationally, at this time our cart is not set-up to take international orders. This is due to the high shipping and handling fees generally associated with shipping beyond the US. If you'd like to place an order just contact me and I'll do my best to guesstimate shipping and handing fees before we put together an order for you.

Q: What is your return policy?

A: All custom or personalized products CANNOT be returned or refunded. This includes our custom printed papers. If item is damaged or you are unhappy with an item, please let me know within 24 hours of your receipt of shipment. Thanks.

Q: I'm interested in ordering some of your custom pinwheels, but they are slightly out of my budget - what are my other options?

A: If you have the time and patience, we now have a Do It Yourself area on our site which sells all of the products we use to assemble our pinwheels, so we personally know the products work. We also have a Do It Yourself Instruction Guide available for purchase. Now anyone with the time and patience can assemble the perfect party pinwheels. :)

Q: I recently ordered some of your pinwhirls. Upon receipt the colors appear a bit differently in person from the colors I originally saw posted on your site, why is this?

A: This is more than likely due to monitor settings which are not exact and differ from monitor to monitor. If you have questions or concerns about colors, please contact me prior to purchase. I'm usually able to mail a paper sample and am not responsible if you are unhappy with the color so if this is of concern always request a sample.

Q: What are your sticks/handles made of?

A: Our paper sticks/handles are made using a special grade of paper (layer upon layer) in compliance with the FDA which is made solely from virgin pulp and never contains recycled materials. Since they are made of paper, they will not hold up emerged in water for more than an hour or two. Please keep this in mind.

Taken at Lemiga Event's Soiree.

Photo courtesy of Altmix Photography.

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