CPSIA

*EDIT: There has been a 1 year stay on the law while lawmakers work out the kinks. This doesn't mean, however, that we're in the clear! Small crafters still need your help to make sure the revisions and "clarifications" will allow them to keep making safe toys and clothing. Please continue to contact your representatives! For now, I will continue to sell baby items*

Due to the new law going into effect on February 10, I will no longer be selling baby items through my website. I, like many other home-based businesses, will not be able to afford the thousands of dollars required to test EACH item prior to offering it for sale. Because every one of my baby items are one-of-a-kind (OOAK), the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) requires that each new item and its various components be tested by an third-party lab. Under the guise of protecting our children from harmful lead and pthalates, Congress is enforcing the belief that ALL children's items are toxic until proven otherwise. You didn't know there was lead in fabric & thread? That's because there isn't any. The CPSIA is an absurd & over-reaching law. If you like handmade toys & other children's products, made in the U.S.A. by small businesses that care about toy safety, please let your voice be heard! Contact your reps today to ask for their support in getting the CPSIA amended!

http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/
http://sites.google.com/site/handmadetoyalliance/
http://coolmompicks.com/savehandmade
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

15 Reasons for Buying Fabric

1.) It insulates the closet where it is kept.
2.) It helps keep the economy going. It is our patriotic duty to support cotton farmers, textile mills, and quilt shops.
3.) It is less expensive and more fun than psychiatric care (ok, this one I might have to disagree with on the expense part!).
4.) Because it's on sale.
5.) Because I'm worth it.
6.) A sudden increase in the boll weevil population might wipe out the cotton crop for the next 10 years
7.) I'm participating in a contest: the one who dies with the most fabric wins.
8.) It keeps without refrigeration, you don't have to cook it to enjoy it, and you never have to feed it, wipe its nose, or walk it.
9.) I need extra weight in the trunk of my car for traction on snowy, icy roads. This is important, even in Florida and Southern California--you never know when the weather will change.
10.) Like dust, it's good for protecting previously empty spaces in the house, like the ironing board, the laundry hamper, the dining room table...
11.) When the Big Earthquake comes, all the quilt shops might be swallowed up and never be seen again.
12.) Stress from dealing with the Fabric Control Officer (my husband) made me do it.
13.) It's not immoral, illegal, or fattening. It calms the nerves, gratifies the soul, and makes me feel good.
14.) Buy it now, before your husband retires and goes with you on all your shopping expeditions.
15.) A yard a day is all the quilt shops of America ask.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings...

...Because he's so darn cute! I found this project by Jamie on the Pretty Ditty blog. She has some adorable crafts and sewing projects, as well as links to other fantastic blogs. So pop over and check out this birdcage if you get the chance. Wouldn't it look "tweet" hanging in your sewing/craft room?!

Let it Sew (I Mean, Snow!)

We are FINALLY getting some snow in MD!! It's not a lot, but it's definitely pretty to watch as it falls (and maybe sticks a little). I love snow, and Mother Nature has been quite stingy with it this year. The hubby is working today, so the house is quiet and I can have the dining room table all to myself. It's the perfect time to sew! I just found a new project to try from one of my favorite embroidery sites, so I think I'll sit down this afternoon with a mug of hot chocolate and see how it goes. I thought you might enjoy this pic of the snow on our deck. A cardinal was lunching at our neighbor's bird feeder, but he flew away as soon as I opened the door so I wasn't able to include him in the pic.

Mission: Organization

For those of you who know me pretty well, you know I love to organize stuff. For those of you who don't--I LOVE to organize!! I'm constantly rearranging things, buying new plastic containers and baskets, and whipping out my label maker every chance I get. I'm green with envy when Martha Stewart shows her audience her work space and craft room. She and I would get along famously! The new year is a fantastic time for me, because it gives me the excuse to say "I'm going to get organized this year", even if I've already organized something. Because then, I can undo everything and reorganize. Call it my 'slightly' OCD tendencies (see the previous post about the stack of rainbow fabric and you'll start to understand!). Needless to say, The Container Store is my best friend!

Anyway, the hubby came to me (unprompted, out of the blue) the other day and said that I could have the basement for my studio. We live in a townhouse, and the so-called "basement" isn't all that big, but nevertheless, it will be mine! Frankly, I think he is tired of not having a dining room table at which to eat because it is overtaken with the sewing machine and various accoutrements, hence the strong suggestion to move my stuff downstairs. Not that most of my crafting stuff isn't down there already, because it is, but this is now permission to take over completely! *evil laugh* Muahahaha!! Victory is mine! Of course, I can't let on that I had plans all along for a full scale conquering invasion, so we'll keep that to ourselves, shall we?

IKEA, here I come! Well, actually, not until the tax refund in February, but I can plan, right? Time to break out the black marker, catalog, and post-it notes, along with all my Real Simple magazines. Maybe some graph paper, too. I have visions of a long table for my machine and laptop, with jars and cubbies lined up precise order on neatly arranged shelves. Ahhh...bliss. No more rummaging around trying to find that particular elusive notion. Yes, Martha, it is definitely a "good thing"!

Yummy Fabric!

Thanks to a gift certificate for Christmas from the in-laws, I was able to pick out some delicious fabric yesterday! Isn't it great to spend other people's money? I usually think out my purchases ahead of time and plan carefully to maximize savings, getting only things that I need for a project and using as many coupons as I can. This time it was different. I was able to be totally frivolous and get something that made my brain happy--a rainbow stack of thirty 1/3-yard cuts from Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett fabric collections. I will probably just look at them, sitting pretty, for awhile before I get the courage to cut into them. I can think of so many uses for the fabric, yet an opportunity like this doesn't come around often so I wince at the thought of using up the beautiful stack! I know, it's silly to enjoy looking at the pile as much as I do, but there's something about a coordinating collection of vibrant fabrics that is incredibly satisfying to me! I hope you enjoy looking at these pictures as much as I do! :-)