CPSIA

Read this and you will too.

Can you feel it? Can you feel the love? We’re feeling it around here! We’re feeling it because thanks to all of you — our readers, clients, fellow artists, small businesses, and those who value handmade goods as much as we do — thanks to your willingness to help us take action, we successfully secured a spot in the Top 10 Ideas for Change in America at Change.org!

What this means is we’re one step closer to saving handmade from the CPSIA! Is the fight over? No. We still have hurdles, but we have made a huge leap forward thanks to YOU!

Sounds like a perfect time to celebrate with a giveaway from The Baby Gardner! What the heck. We’re so pumped around here, let’s make it TWO GIVEAWAYS!

Giveaway #1: Puppy Wishes Gift Tags – Set of 8 large tags with ribbon ties. The finishing touch for that special gift.

Giveaway #2: Cheerful Cherries Cloche Hat – Turquoise wool-blend felt with red gingham appliqued cherries. Lightweight and perfect for any season. Size: 3-9 months.

Win it! Just leave a comment on this post telling us why you love handmade! Be sure to specify which giveaway item you would like to win. Giveaway ends Thursday, 1/22 at 11pm GMT. A different winner will be chosen for each item. Winners will be announced next Friday and chosen at random. Good luck!

Want to improve your odds? Place a link to this post on your blog. Include that link in your comment and you’ll be entered twice!

Just gotta have it? Both of these giveaway items are available everyday at The Baby Gardner!

We’re still in this fight to save handmade goods for children. Now more than ever, we need your support and your VOTE! If you’ve already voted (thank you SO much), we need your vote again as we have now entered round two of voting at Change.org.

As you may know, the CPSIA passed the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act which goes into effect on February 10th (next month!) and will put many small toy manufacturers, independent artisans, and craftsmen out of business.

Ironically, this law was passed in response to the many recalls in 2007 of products from China. But if this law is left as-is, toys from China will likely be the only products readily available to purchase. Small businesses and independent artists who create and sell handmade goods using natural materials, will not be able to comply with the $4000 price tag (per product) to test for chemicals that never existed in them in the first place. They will simply be forced out of business and what will remain are the large mass-manufacturing plants like those in China.

This law won’t just impact artists and craftsmen, it will also make the sale of secondhand clothing, toys and books for children illegal as well (think eBay, Goodwill, and every consignment store you know of).

Crazy, right? The law has good intentions. It just does not consider the broad impact to small business. And now, maybe more than ever, the government needs to preserve small business in America, not destroy it. Simple modifications can be made to the law that will still protect our children from chemicals without eliminating handmade goods and toys in the process. This is what we are fighting for.

The good news? We’re raising our voices and we need you! You can help! Vote for handmade goods! Voting will end on January 15, 2009. We have a very short window, so vote early and please spread the word!

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement! We couldn’t do this without you!

For more information on this cause and links to government websites that outline the full impact of this law, please read our previous post on the topic.

My friend and fellow artisan, Laurie at Old School Acres, brought this to my attention today. How it’s flown under the radar for so many months, I do not know. But I am disheartened and concerned more than I can say — not only for small artisan shops like The Baby Gardner, but especially for the indie artists themselves who’s livelihood comes from their talent and their craft. The impact this measure could have on the industry as a whole is unbearable to imagine.

Sounds pretty somber, I know. I could never describe the circumstances as succinctly as Liz and Kristen from CoolMomPicks.com, so here’s the scoop in their own words…

Of course we’re all for strengthening the safety standards of mass-produced toys made in China, and banning toxins like phthalates and lead. But this year, the CPSC passed the ill-conceived Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act which goes into effect in two months and will absolutely decimate the small toy manufacturers, independent artisans, and crafters who have already earned the public trust.

They will all go out of business. Period.

Moms who sew beautiful handmade waldorf dolls out of home, artists who have spent decades hand-carving trucks and cars out of natural woods, that guy at the craft show who sold you the cute handmade puzzle–even larger US companies who employ local workers and have not once had any sort of safety issue will no longer be able to sell their toys. Not without investing tens of thousands of dollars into third-party testing and labeling, just to prove that toys that never had a single chemical in them still don’t have a single chemical in them.

In other words, handmade toys will now be illegal.

So many of our past reviewees are pleading for your help. Here’s what you can do:

• Find your congress person and senators and write a letter like the sample here, particularly if they serve on the consumer protection subcommittee.
• Send a letter directly to the CPSC.
• Join the Handmade Toy Alliance and check out their proposed changes to the act which make a whole lot of sense.
• Spread the word to everyone you know who cares about helping the little guy, particular in today’s economy.

Thanks mamas. We know we can help make a difference and preserve this important cottage industry, keep good honest people in business, and protect the playthings we all love best of all. -Liz and Kristen and the whole CMP staff

Edited to add: It would seem this act impacts not just toys, but all children’s products including clothing, hair accessories, shoes – pretty much everything we feature on CoolMomPicks.com. Please please, if you do one thing today, shoot off an email or two, will you?

It almost sounds like a terrible hoax, an email chain gone too far. Wish it was. What I hope it is for all of us, is a call to action. Have you emailed your congress person today?

[This post by Business is Personal is the most thought-provoking article I've read on the issue. Check out his list of 'reasons to care.' Wow.]