Anderson House "Tilly"

All of January the Etsy Angel Team has been raising dollars for Anderson House, an organization for battered women and children. 

"The Anderson House is located on Prince Edward Island in Canada. The Anderson House was established in 1980 to provide a place of safety for women and children who are victims of abuse and to work towards the elimination of family violence. The Association believes that it is a basic human right to be free of abuse and fear of abuse in relationships. The women are provided with support from the trained staff there and help with their children."

It is partially funded by the government but relies a great deal on donations. The Anderson House also does fundraising of their own. For more information go to their website: http://www.gov.pe.ca/infopei/index.php3?number=5531

This is such a fantastic organization that has done so many wonderful things for these women.  A "safe" place.  One of our Angels lives on Prince Edward Island, Mona or "Sewing Granny" to us!  She, along with ALL our Angels, have worked so hard all month on this charity.

"Tilly the Turtle" kinda became Anderson House's mascot, we don't know how it happened, it just did.  The thought that Anderson House "helps these women and children come out of their shell" was the motto we picked up on, and what better way to demonstrate that than with a turtle!

Tilly has done a great job raising money for Anderson House and she was so very glad to do it.  To know that so many "Tilly's" went to people all over the United States, Canada and even as far away as Thailand!

This is a very special Tilly, she is the only one of her kind.  On her shell is embroidered "Anderson House" and a heart.  She will be taken by Sewing Granny and presented to the Administration at Anderson House along with all the money we raised for them.  We don't know that total yet as our sales continue to bring money in until the last day of January, but Tilly will report back as soon as we find out.

The Etsy Angel's "special" Tilly will be leaving here and heading to Prince Edward Island very soon, and some other Angel's purchased additional Tilly's to go with her for the children to play with.  If you have not made a purchase from any of the Etsy Angel's this month, please do so, we only have a few days left of our charity benefit.  You can find the shops listed here:

Etsy Angel's January Benefit for Anderson House

Wall Street Journal article on the insanity of the CPSIA Law

Below is a link to a fantastic op ed (opinion editorial) written in the Wall Street Journal.  Take a few moments and read it if you will.  It really explains the insanity of the CPSIA Law.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html?mod=article-out

Here are some of the letters to the editor in response to the WSJ op ed a few weeks back.

"New Lead Law May Have Toxic Consequences for Jobs"

"Thanks for putting the editorial spotlight on the new lead in children's
product legislation passed by Congress last year ("Pelosi's Toy Story Review & Outlook, Jan. 14). The sad part is that adequate federal law existed to stop the import of Chinese toys containing lead, the importers simply did not obey existing law.

Now comes the silly part. The prior law was based on toxicology (how much lead can be extracted from the children's product through use or abuse). The new law only considers total lead in the product. And the maximum allowable lead content starts at a very low level, and keeps getting smaller in future years. Many metals, metal alloys, and a wide range of other materials are perfectly safe and comply with the earlier law, but will become "banned hazardous materials" on February 10.

The new legislation covers "all products designed for children under 12 years old." The crowning glory is that all children's products now need to be tested for lead content. By the way, did you catch that this means all children's products in existence on February 10, not just children's
products manufactured after that date?

Put it all together and we have a spectacular example of incompetence.  For example, elementary schools are designed for children under 12 years old. Does this mean that everything inside the school, and all of the construction materials used to build the school, need to be tested for total lead content by February 10? What about library books? The Consumer Product Safety Commission can make exclusions, but the law is very broadly written, allows no phase-in time, nor does it grandfather previously made products.

The law says "The Commission may, by regulation, exclude a specific product or material from the prohibition . . . if the Commission, after notice and a hearing, determines on the basis of the best-available, objective, peer-reviewed, scientific evidence that lead in such product
or material will neither -- result in the absorption of any [my emphasis] lead into the human body . . . [OR\][or] have any other adverse impact on public health or safety." This doesn't seem to give the CPSC much wiggle room.

All products and materials that exceed the total lead content will need to be disposed (a few examples of these banned hazardous materials include bicycles, desks, ballpoint pens, chairs, computers, and HVAC systems).

It will indeed be an early (and very long) summer break for our
children.

Jeff Green
Midlothian, Va.

---------------------------

Thank you for highlighting this issue. We are a small Washington, D.C.-based manufacturer (probably the only one) that will likely be compelled to close our doors because of this legislation. The minimum cost for testing our products -- harmful items such as headbands -- would be triple our gross revenue. As a result of this law, only the Wal-Marts of the world will continue to exist. The opportunity for individual expression or individual initiative will be permanently
quashed.

Let's hope that Congress can do the right thing before hundreds of thousands (or millions) of quite small businesses go under as a result of this crushing and utterly unrealistic legislation.

Marc Chafetz"

EDUCATE Yourself about the CPSIA Law...

Below are a few website you can visit to educate yourself regarding the new CPSIA Law which will go into effect on February 10, 2009.  Please do what you can to "Save Handmade".  Even if you do NOT manufacture children's products, this law is going to affect YOU.  Do not let the large toy manufacturers which prompted this law reap the benefits of small businesses going bankrupt.  They were the ones that outsourced their toy manufacturing to China, they were the ones that had no quality control over their own products, they were the ones that were more worried about their "bottom line" than the health of our children.

Your only "choices" will be those SAME large manufacturers as the small business, home crafter, cottage industries will ALL BE GONE DUE TO THE COSTLY TESTING REQUIREMENTS.

Educate yourself, educate others, call, write, email, fax....let's work together to STOP THE INSANITY OF THIS LAW.

http://cpsia-central.ning.com/

http://www.nationalbankruptcyday.com/

http://www.change.org

http://Wallstreet Journal

ETSY Stands with it's Sellers of Children's Products...

Yesterday, Friday, Matt from Etsy Admin. held a virtual chat with concerned Etsy Sellers regarding the CPSIA laws and the ramifications to our stores.  The chat was laced with "technical difficulties" but he kept at it until he got them fairly well worked out.  It was wonderful to see Etsy stand up and link arm and arm with it's Sellers....in fact....it's about darn time.

I don't think that they (Etsy) realized how big a deal this was and how it was impacting those of us that have been fighting this thing tooth and nail.  We go from civil disobedience to being totally insane over what is happening to us all.  It often feels as if we are knocking our heads against a brick wall and everyone is standing around watching us....

Etsy decided to allow us to put our "CPSIA Inspired" listings back up for the time being.....and we agreed to that.  We will, if asked by Admin., take them down on January 30th when the "public comment" window has closed.

So please, if you have not done so, write to whomever you can and try and get them interested enough to do something about this law.  If you sell children's items or not, this is going to impact YOU TOO!

Join the Handmade Toy Alliance for the most up to date information on the CPSIA law...

http://groups.google.com/group/handmade-toys?hl=en

You do not need to be a manufacturer of children's toys to join, joining is free....

Today Is A New Day...

"Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary-line and adding to one's liberty." 

-Henri Frederic Amiel

Pushing back at a line someone has drawn in the sand. Being made of strong enough stuff to push back at things that life challenges us with every day. Believing that if we push hard enough our efforts will be rewarded. These are just a few things that we must remember. 

A good friend sent me a convo last night reminding me of these things because I was ready to "give up and give in". She told me that I cannot quit "pushing back" because to do so would mean being defeated by my own "giving up". Today, push back at things that are trying to keep you on the other side of that "boundry-line". Sometimes you need to stand and fight.

Etsy Pulls My CPSIA Listing!

I can't understand why Etsy, that professes to care about the issues surrounding all it's merchants of children's items, pulling my CPSIA listing.  There is a group of sellers of children's items on Etsy that have joined together to "protest" the CPSIA Law which goes into effect on February 10, 2009.

This law will force small artisans, stay at home mom's, grandmothers and grandfathers that create items for children 12 and under to have their "final" products tested by a Third Party certified testing lab.  The costs are staggering!  

My listing for my Tools for Tots-Tool box, with the required testing fees, would sky rocket to $10,940.00!  My normal charge is $20.  This is the ACTUAL price I would have to charge to recover the testing fees, plus my usual $20 price tag.  Below you will find the actual listing as posted in my store on Etsy.

"CPSIA INSPIRED SPECIAL-Tools for Tots-Baby/Toddler Tool Box   $10,940.00

Be the first to purchase the new CPSIA Inspired Tools for Tots Tool Box! I can just about guarantee you you'll be the first parent on the block to own this beauty.....and we KNOW that YOUR baby is well worth the price!

Based on the new CPSIA law which goes into effect on February 10, 2009, and using the current costs for testing this tool box is a steal!

My Tool for Tots Tool Box has a grand total of 26 "different" components....as follows:

* 6 different fabrics
* 17 different embroidery and regular sewing threads
* 1 kind of interfacing
* 1 hypoallergenic polyfil stuffing
* 1 length of belt webbing for handle

At $70 PER COMPONENT for lead testing, that adds $1,820.00 to the cost. PLUS each of the 26 components need to be tested for phthalates at $350 per component which adds an additional $9,100.00. Add that to the "true" cost of the Tools for Tots tool box, at $20.00 and you have a total of $10,940.00

Jump on this listing because at this price it won't last long!! NOT !!!!

And I am offering FREE SHIPPING anywhere on this item, how can you go wrong!!

For further information, please read:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/cpsia-deadline-for-changeorg-vote-cnn-article-3247/

cotton flannel, fleece, cotton thread, poly embroidery thread, belt webbing, interfacing, stuffing

Item ships from: United States
ship to:
• United States: $0.00 ($0.00 if shipped with another item)
Payment Methods  
accepts the following forms of payment:
•  
PayPal Credit Cards

So YOU be the judge, what terms of use did I violate?  It is a true item, already made and ready to ship, and that is what the actual cost WILL BE IF THIS LAW IS NOT AMENDED !!