Huge Liquidation Sale... CPSIA

Hey all! I'm starting my huge liquidation sale today. It sort of depresses me but it doesn't look like anything will be done before February 10th, so I might as well start selling off stuff now.

Everything I have will be thrown up online in the coming days. The savings on certain items (only certain items) will be 50% or more -- even on my popular Take-Me-Too blankets.

I reserve the right, if there are changes to the CPSIA, to pull these prices... so if you see something you like at a price you like, buy it quickly before I change my mind ;).

Jen

CPSIA Blog In -- What it means to you!

I've spoken a couple of times about the CPSIA and its effects on my business... but I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about how the CPSIA affects everyone. Not just me, not just you, but virtually anyone who lives in the United States. Take a second and become informed -- write your representatives and tell them you are worried about the impacts. Without Americans standing up and demanding change nothing will happen and you *will* be affected.

So, what is it?

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was approved by Congress and signed into law in September of 2008. It states that, on February 10th, all children's items sold (all items intended for children under 12 years of age) must meet "acceptable" levels of lead -- 600 ppm. In August, that number will drop to 300 ppm. As it is retroactive, it applies to everything that HAS been made and everything that will be made.

Ok, but I don't make anything for children... so I'm not affected, right? Well... no... Let's take a second and see who IS affected by this legislation:

Do you purchase handmade items?

If you purchase handmade items, or items created by a small-scale manufacturer, you will see your options completely disappear come the 10th. Why? As the testing for lead is placed solely on the shoulders of the manufacturer (regardless of whether a supplier has already tested for lead), the costs for small-scale businesses will be astronomical. No handmade artisan can afford the testing (which runs $75 per component of the final product). As they cannot afford to test, as the law dictates, they will be forced to shut their doors. You will no longer be able to find handmade items on Etsy, Ebay, Art Fire or in your local craft fairs for children unless they are in direct violation of the law, which carries severe penalties.

Do you visit libraries?

It's not just handmade that's being affected -- as the law covers *anything* that's made for children it includes books. Libraries loan children's books, so they are liable for the mandatory testing as well. No library would be able to afford the cost of testing every book in their children's library so they will be faced with tough choices. They can either ban children from the library, test all children's books or thoroughly eliminate their children's section. As libraries will not be able to afford the testing the most logical consequence is that you'll see children's sections disappear.

Perhaps your child will appreciate War and Peace instead of the Berenstein Bears.

Do you shop in second-hand stores?

Do you, out of choice or necessity, visit the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or one of the countless other second-hand stores for your shopping needs? If so, you might just be affected. Second-hand stores, while under no strict obligation to test, still must be sure that the items they're selling for children are free of lead. They are just as liable as the original manufacturer if they sell something lead-tainted -- including vintage children's clothing.

Again, like the libraries, second-hand stores are faced with few good options. They can stop accepting donations of children's items, they can test or they accept the possibility that they could be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the words of the CPSC's former spokeswoman, they don't have to test... but they have to be sure the stuff they're selling is free of lead. Many second-hand stores will stop carrying children's items to avoid facing this kind of liability.

Do you support charities like Project Linus (a charity that accepts handmade blankets to give to sick children in hospitals)?

As the CPSIA applies to all things traded, loaned, sold or given away, logic would dictate that as it affect libraries, it will, too, affect charities. Perhaps we can all give some great made-in-China blankets to sick children instead of lovingly-handmade quilts.

Yeah.

In the end, the CPSIA affects you if: you've ever borrowed a children's book from a library, ever visited a children's story time hour at the library, plan on borrowing a children's book from the library, bought anything from a second-hand store, will buy anything from a second-hand store, appreciate handmade items, purchase organic (since many makers of organic items are handmade, small businesses), care about the economy (this will shut the doors of thousands of small businesses) or, essentially, live in the United States and are a parent/aunt/godparent/grandparent/etc of a child.

Please, please take the time to demand Congress and the CPSC amend the law. Ending lead in children's products is GREAT, but the law is poorly written and overly broad. It casts too wide of a net to catch the fish (essentially, cheaply made crap from overseas) and will destroy businesses where many of the owners are work-at-home mothers.

Take care everyone!

My husband is defective, can I return him? and other musings...

Some musings from the desk...

*I'm finally over the "big sick" !! Yay :)... What started way back on the 18th has finally reached its conclusion and everyone in the Made By Moms' household is finally better. Goodness, that took forever!

*Something happens to me in September -- I stop exercising... I'm not sure why, it could be the busy nature of the following three months (all three of our birthdays, our anniversary, my parents' anniversary, and three major holidays), or it could be the cold... but I stop running. Well, I started running this week and I feel AMAZING! I ran a personal best in the 5k -- 28 minutes -- and went 2.25 miles today in 20 minutes (before I stopped to go and lift weights). Holy cow, I forgot how good this feels!!!

*I'm running my first "official" 5 k at 9 am on Valentine's day. Wish me luck! I have a goal of making it in 25 minutes... I have my finger's crossed.

*My husband is, indeed, defective. I've wondered about it for years now but this morning I got official confirmation. I think a part of his brain is missing somewhere (he probably forgot it) because he is *so* oblivious. What did he do this time?

Well... we'll start by explaining that he's an eye doctor -- that's how we met (I know, sweet right? lol). I wanted to get a pair of prescription sunglasses and the frame rep gave me a great price on a pair of Brinkley sunglasses so I decided to get polarized lenses. To make a long story short, the lab who did my polarization screwed it up and it makes me nauseous. I need my husband to take the glasses back with him to work so the optician can send them back to the lab to fix their mistake.

Sounds easy, right?

Not with my husband. I repeatedly remind him, only to find the sunglass case left on the kitchen counter each morning. I even put the sunglass case next to his keys, but it's been two full weeks and he hasn't brought them in. Last night I got the ingenious idea to actually stick his wallet INSIDE the sunglass case (it was sticking out slightly) and put his keys underneath the case.

What does my defective husband do? He takes the wallet OUT of the sunglass case, closes it, removes his keys from underneath and LEAVES IT ON THE COUNTER. Seriously, he's defective.

*We're getting closer and closer to February 10th, when I'll have to close my doors. It's making me a bit sad, but I'm getting frustrated at the attitude on the Etsy boards. What started out as a "let's band together and help each other out" has become a finger-pointing, venomous diatribe where people are starting to call others out for closing their doors/staying open.

Look, that type of attitude will get us nowhere. We need to support one another and stop labeling. Calm down, everyone.

If you're not familiar with the CPSIA, I'm going to be doing a piece on it later where I answer the most frequently asked questions to the best of my ability.

*My son is becoming a big boy. He started his second week of preschool and hasn't cried ONCE this week!! It's amazing to see the changes in him in just a few days. Plus, he's made me three necklaces in three days... so my jewelry collection is expanding at an unheard-of rate ;) I'll post some pictures of my beautiful creations tomorrow -- he's a budding designer :). I truly, truly love the preschool I found for him. It's five days a week, three hours a day -- that's perfect for my son's temperment. He couldn't deal with the day on, day off routine of most part-time preschools, so I'm pleased. His teachers are wonderful and they have a child-to-teacher ratio of 7-to-1, which is world's better than those daycares-disguised-as-preschools with a 15-to-1 ratio. Can you imagine having to take care of 15 three-year-olds? Holy cow, one is enough... 15 is a free-for-all. Plus, it's a Montessori and I love how he's learning by doing... he's having fun, refining his gross motor skills and learning to add by the simple process of playing with blocks. I *heart* Montessori :).

Anyway, not only is he going to preschool, but he's finally pooping on the potty! Oh my, you wouldn't know the struggle we've had over that. He's three years old and has been going number 1 on the potty for around4 months, but the number 2 has remained elusive. I've ignored him going poop in his underwear for 4 months (when I ditched all the daytime diapers)... it's so nice not to have to clean up poopy pants for once. *sigh*

Well, that's about it from my desk... my son has had enough of entertaining himself, so now it's time for his nap. I look forward to talking with everyone again, soon :)

Jen

Yay, our interview is on the air!

I'm so excited, I can barely concentrate (it's either the excitement, the throbbing headache or the fact that I still am not 100%)!!

The interview with Carrie from Natural Moms' Talk Radio Show is up on her website.

Please, please read and listen -- I hope I did everyone justice. I was starting to come down with my cold when she called (and I was away from my notes), so please don't be too brutal :).

Here it is!

Enjoy! :)

Jen

I have a bad case of the sick...

Yay... I have officially come down with a bad case of the sick -- right when my son gets to go to Montessori for the first week.

Blergh.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I was interviewed for the radio show last night over the phone and Carrie said it should be up on Monday. I'll provide the link so everyone can listen in. Until then, I bid you adieu until I feel better.

Take care all

Jen

Check out our new bib!

We're running a huge CPSIA special on an item in our store -- one of our new, Messy Baby bibs. It's 100% organic, made from Harmony Art fabric and flannel, and it's being offered for the low, low price of $642.00. You read that right -- how can I offer this stuff for such an inexpensive price, well, let's just say it's an unbelievable deal I'm crazy to offer!

So get yours now, it's sure to fly out of my Etsy store!

Check it out here!

We are on a TALK RADIO SHOW !!! Listen in, please!!

Hey everyone, exciting news! We are going to be featured on an internet talk radio show -- Natural Moms' Talk Radio -- on Monday afternoon at 2 pm. Please take the time to listen in -- go here to to find out how. Carrie, the host, is based in Atlanta and we'll be doing the show via phone.

A little about the show: it's a show targeted towards moms looking to green their environment and simply mother the more natural way (homeschooling, cooking healthier meals, etc). It's hosted by Carrie who is a recently-divorced work-at-home mother of four living in Atlanta. She has a blog and website for the Natural Moms Talk Radio show, so you should definitely go and check them out.

She graciously bumped us up to Monday, as our topic is crucially important, even though she usually has a 12 week lead time. Hopefully, through this effort, we will be able to provoke a lot of ordinary moms and consumers into action. The more attention we attract, the better it will be for us in the end.

Anyway, if you're an artisan, small business or grandma who is impact by this, please leave a comment about how it will affect you... I might just bring it up on air! Take care and have a great day

Jen