I used to draw a lot more, and I recently decided to take it back up again. One of the things I always loved drawing were mandalas. There's something very peaceful & meditative about drawing these concentric patterns. I never have a plan when I start a mandala, so it's always interesting to watch them evolve, and to decide when one is complete. I'm totally hooked on drawing these again, and am debating what to do with them....maybe some hand drawn cards? I think they could also be interesting designs to be screen printed on clothing, but I'm not a screen printer, and have far too many hobbies already to take up a new one. I would love to hear any ideas for what to do with these mandalas, so please feel free to comment below with suggestions! In the meantime, I think I'll try doing one in embroidery. Fun!
I've always been a big fan of Lemon Cadet's work, so when I recently got a little extra spending money, I immediately went to buy a shirt for my daughter. I decided on this sweet little bun bun polo tee. When I saw it, I just knew it would look adorable on little g...and it's even cuter on her than I thought it would be! It's still a little big on her yet, but she'll definitely grow into it soon enough, and it could even work as a dress in the meantime. 
I couldn't resist also getting a plush bean, too. It's a big hit already...little g loves to tuck it under her arm and carry it around. So cute!!Both items are not just adorable, but also very well made - the quality is superb! So if you haven't yet checked out Lemon Cadet's Etsy shop, hop on over and shop!
Time is my biggest obstacle in life. There is much I want to do, and so little time to do it. A 36 hour day, or maybe an 8 day week....ah, I can only dream!
One thing I've been intending to do for entirely too long now is work on revamping my website. This weekend I decided it was time. It's still a work in progress, but I'm pretty pleased with the overall look and feel of it so far, and hopefully you will be too! So without further ado, here it is:
The Clever Kitty's newly designed website
Now, I wonder what of the gazillion other things I want to do will be next...(and there is a gazillion). For the moment, I guess I'll choose sleep. Ah yes, that dreaded need for sleep! If only I could function without sleep, my time dilemmas could be solved!
After all of the viruses, ear infections, and car problems (not to mention all the stress and worry over the CPSIA) over the past few weeks, it's been a rocky start to the year. But I'm thrilled that I now have some good news to share!
First there's this:
CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products
In plain English, that means that they will not be enforcing the lead testing and certification on products for children 12 & under for another year. So, I still have to make sure my products meet the lead limits, but I can do so by making sure that the supplies I use are lead-free, rather than have to have everything tested. Now I realize that this is by no means the end of this mess, but it is at least a step in the right direction. So I can continue to make these adorable baby shoes, at least for the time being:
Even better CPSIA news, a senator from South Carolina is going to introduce legislation to make some changes to the CPSIA. Here's a link to his blog: Jim DeMint's BlogSo it seems that we are finally being heard, and steps are being taken to straighten this mess of a law out. Hurrah! Let's all make sure to keep up the good work on the CPSIA front...keep making those phone calls, sending those faxes and emails, and blogging!
Ok, now for some more unrelated good news:
As you know, I have a day job working at a florist. Each year the Maine Teleflora Unit (for those of you who don't know, Teleflora is a network of florists that enables you to send flowers world wide) awards a scholarship to one lucky person to take a class at their headquarters in Oaklahoma City, all expenses paid. Well, I just found out that I am this year's scholarship winner! Wow!!
So sometime this year I will being heading to Oaklahoma City to take a floral design class for free, and my whole trip is paid for...plane tickets, hotel room, food, everything! How cool is that?? Now I just have to decide which class I want to take. One of my top choices would be the Wedding Design class, as weddings are my favorite occasion to design flowers for (which reminds me...I have some pictures from a couple of Bridal shows that I need to get off my camera so I can share them here!). Another top contender is one called Creative Edge: East/West Fusion, which takes principles of Ikebana, the Japanese Art of Flowers, and adapts them for contemporary design. Hmm...decisions, decisions! In the meantime, here's some of my floral sushi for you:
Floral Sushi, designed by Shannon Hanley
In an effort to help bring awareness to the unintended effects of the CPSIA, bloggers from all over the world are uniting for an International Blog-In today. You can see a list of participating blogs here:
International CPSIA Blog-In Participants
If you have a blog of your own, I encourage you to join us today in sharing the the effects of this well-intentioned but poorly thought-out law. Holly of Winklepots & Gretchen of Chichiboulie put together the following post for people to use for the Blog-In. Everyone is welcome to post all of it, part of it, or just use it for inspiration:"As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.
Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.
The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too. How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:
To the Parents of Young Students: Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.To the Avid Reader: Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all. Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322
To the Lover of All Things Handmade: Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.
To the Environmentalist: Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.
To the Second-Hand Shopper: Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.
To the Entrepreneur: Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.
To the Antique Toy Collector: Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html
To the American Economy: Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.
To the Worldwide Economy: Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.
If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html
And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html
Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react."
Etsy recently put together a CPSIA Action Kit, which is packed full of information, and ways you can help. Please see this article:
CPSIA Action Kit and Community Chat
It's been a crazy couple of weeks around here! Working at a florist is always hectic around the holidays, with all of the holiday centerpieces, party arrangements, poinsettias, wreaths, and other floral gifts. So the couple of days before Christmas were busy, busy, busy! Then we traveled to visit my husband's family for Christmas, which was super fun! I have the most adorable nephew who is exactly 2 months younger than little g 
(who will be 18 months in a couple weeks!). The two of them were so funny together. Last time they were together, he was a crawler and she was just starting to walk. This time they were both running all over the place! It was great to see them start to interact with each other a little. We even got to play in the snow!
The one downfall of the trip was that we were all sick! Poor little g got ear infections, and my husband and I both got a virus that I still can't seem to shake. I really hope it goes away soon. Since we were all feeling a bit under the weather, we decided to take it easy for New Year's, and just use the precious day off to rest. Plus I knew that I had a busy weekend coming up again - there's a big bridal show here the first weekend in January every year, and the florist shop I work for always has a booth there. Friday we were busily preparing bouquets and arrangements for the show, which was Saturday & Sunday. And now we will be traveling again this week! I'm looking forward to seeing my family, but I will be glad to be back home with nowhere to go for awhile. Then we can all just kick back and relax a little! Yay!
I've been wearing this one all weekend, and I love it! I'm seriously considering making a bunch more of these for my Etsy shop. I certainly have enough felt & embroidery floss to get started...it's just a matter of finding the time. They are quite time consuming to make, but they're a small project, so they're extremely portable. That means I can take one or two of them with me everywhere to work on at any given moment. Perfect for my lunch break at work, or waiting at the doctor's office. Fun!
