Finally some legal action

A class action suit is being filed over CPSIA by those who make handmade childrens items. To join the suit, or just to get more information, go here.

Another plea

to save handmade

http://shalomscottagehome.com/Assets/Special%20Graphics/save%20handmade_book.pdf

(I was not involved with the creation of this little book, but I think it's nicely done, and want to help it get out to the masses!)

January Featured EtsyBlogger: RoseWorksJewelry

This month I have the pleasure of featuring Ruthie of RoseWorksJewelry. I'm extra excited to feature her because she featured me on her treasury blog way back when I was a brand new EtsyBlogger. So I kinda feel like she was my first EB friend. ☺ Her treasury blog was also my inspiration to start posting regular treasuries of my own! She also keeps a regular blog, of course, and the shop... She recently opened a brand new shop too: Kindred Spirit Treasures.
Ruthie lives and creates in western Washington--which is where I grew up. Once a Washingtonian, always a Washingtonian, you know? So even though I'm now in Alaska, we're sortof like neighbors. See, toldya I was excited to feature her!
The best way I know to show a sampling of someones stuff is to post their etsy mini, so here are Ruthie's:

Etsy Buy Handmade RoseWorksJewelry

Etsy Buy Handmade KSTreasures

Treasury of Sisters

I have a sister who is 18 months younger than I am. Throughout childhood and most of our teen years we shared a bedroom. We were even roommates for a semester at college!
Today is her birthday, so I thought I'd share a treasury of sisterhood...

(photos link to listings)

This could have been us--
although my hair was curly, and she was never bald... ☺

scrabble pendant from HappyHaven

because I do

artwork by EmilyBalivet

artwork from KarenKayArtworks

and I am glad that WE are sisters K!

CPSIA's flaws blow the mind!

I've got some more CPSIA links for you.
Here are a few consequences that I think the government forgot to consider...

• Astronomy will be out of curriculum--telescopes cost too much to test ($24,050 each).
• No more microscopes in schools--the light bulbs have lead in the solder point on the base.
• Kindergarten is in trouble--over $6000 to test existing classroom materials per room. Special needs/accessible goods will be extra. Oh wait, aren't those required in all schools? Um...

(links courtesy of NationalBankruptcyDay)


Incidentally, if you didn't do it yet, here is a place where you can go to contact all your legislators at once. Yup, just write your message, then fill in your address, and the system will automatically find your congresspeople and send the email to them.
The form puts some default text at the beginning and end of your letter, but you can put whatever you want in the middle portion... here is what I wrote:

As your constituent (and someone who voted for you), I am writing with the hope that you will take this matter seriously, and work to edit this bill. As a mother I appreciate the concern for our children's safety, but this bill is badly written and MUST be changed. For economic and ecological reasons, I like to buy second-hand goods--CPSIA will end that. I like to support work-at-home-moms and small businesses--CPSIA will end that too.
I work part time from home as a seamstress, making childrens blankets, clothing, and cloth diapers which I sell on www.etsy.com. I will be put out of business by this legislation, because there is no way I can afford this testing. The legislation NEEDS to include exclusions for small businesses, and for second-hand goods.

I agree with the need to protect our consumers, and to make sure they know exactly what they are getting. I would be more than willing to attach tags to each of my items which read "As a small business, [this company] is excluded from CPSIA testing requirements. These items have not been tested for lead content or phthalates." My customers can then make an informed choice--are they willing to take a risk on me or do they prefer to stick with the big companies who can afford to prove that their items are safe. I suspect that millions of people--like myself--will be more than willing to continue to buy handmade and second-hand goods.

EtsyBlogger Carnivals

So, every month the EtsyBloggers team has two carnivals--each member (eg: me) participates in one of them. So once a month my link gets published out there somewhere, and it (hypothetically) brings me traffic. In my first few months as a member of EB I didn't visit many other blogger's links, but what goes around comes around, so I figure if i want to invite the karma (and the traffic) then I should get out there!
I'm proud to announce that for this carnival, I visited every single post, and commented on at least 1/3 of them. ☺ I don't know how well I'll keep it up in future months, but I intend to at least try!

Wishing You a PEACEful New Year

(as always, each photo links to the listing)

What better way to begin a new year than with a declaration of peace?!

in Sanskrit
Chinese
Hebrew
English
(yes, it's soap!)
and the universal symbol

My hope and prayer for 2009 is that more of us will seek to spread peace within the microcosm of our daily lives, and to promote it wherever we touch the larger world.

May Peace Prevail on Earth!


All we are saying is give peace a chance!
~John Lennon