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!
Making Christmas cookies is so much more fun when you have a little helper. Little g and I made gingerbread and sugar cookies together this year. She helped spread the flour around on the table, cut out the cookies, and of course sample the finished product! It was fun to watch her try to use the cookie cutters. She definitely had the right idea, and ended up with some interesting shapes. So we have quite a few abstract cookies this year, and they're all delicious!
I adapted a sugar cookie recipe I had to be egg-free and dairy-free, since there are little ones with allergies in the family. I know it can be hard to find good egg-free dairy-free recipes, so I'll share mine:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In large mixing bowl, beat coconut oil until soft. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add applesauce and vanilla; beat well. Add flour mixture and beat until well mixed. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.
2. Roll dough 1/8" thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes or until done. Cool on wire rack.
3. Decorate if desired, or eat them immediately! Yum!!
I found that the coconut oil worked pretty well, since it is solid when cool. You could probably also use shortening instead of the coconut oil, but we didn't have any on hand. Another tip: if you let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two after you take them out of the oven, they're much easier to take off.
It's not often that I am able to snag a treasury. When I logged on to Etsy tonight, I popped into the treasury just for fun, and low and behold, there were treasuries set to expire in just a few minutes! What luck! Treasuries are loads of fun to make, but it's rare that I'm actually around when there's a slot open. They are coveted by many Etsy users, and get snatched up quickly! I didn't really have a plan for one, so I had to scramble to put one together. I decided to go with a Christmas theme...'tis the season, right? So I picked out some adorable Christmasy items for kids:My Christmas Kids Treasury
Ho, ho, ho! :)
I've always loved Christmas time, and get into the holiday spirit on the early side. Those who know me well know that I excitedly get out all my Christmas music shortly after Thanksgiving, and start decorating and baking right away...I've been known to bake a large assortment of cookies to mail out to family and friends (I think the most I ever made was 17 different kinds of cookies!). But this year I'm finding that I'm just not in my usual holiday spirit. I can't believe Christmas is already next week...it seems like it really snuck up on me this year! I did manage to get a wreath decorated for our front door, and we finally got a tree up and decorated it last week. I'm hoping to at least get a little baking done before next week. Little G helped me mix up some gingerbread cookie dough this morning. She loved dumping the flour into the bowl! The dough is now chilling in the fridge, so when she gets up from her nap, we can try rolling it out & cutting out cookies together. Should be fun, and I hope it helps me get into more of my usual holiday spirit!
EtsyKids: The CPSIA: get informed, get involved!As the EtsyKids Founder and Team Leader, I am deeply concerned about the CPSIA (Consumer Products Safety Information Act), and the effect it will have on our members and team as a whole. And not only is this issue near and dear to my heart (being both a mom and a maker of products for children myself), it will affect anyone who makes, sells, or buys products for children in the US.
The US Congress passed the CPSIA, and August 14th, 2008 President Bush signed the Act into law. This Act, which will go into effect on February 10th, 2009, puts much stricter safety regulations on products intended for the use of children ages 12 and under. While the intentions behind the law are undoubtedly good, there are some major problems with this law as it is currently written.I am not going to claim to understand or try to explain all of the ins and outs of the CPSIA, as it is a very broad and complex law. It's crucial that everyone (and I do mean everyone) do their research, and make sure you are informed on the CPSIA, and how it will affect not just yourself, but other people that you know. Make products for children? This law will affect you. Sell products for children? This law will affect you. Have children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends with children? This law will affect you. Shop at stores that sell products for children? This law will affect you.I have had many discussions with various people about the CPSIA, and I have not had one person question the fact that measures should be taken to insure the safety of our children. The CPSIA imposes some strict new regulations on testing for lead and phthalates, which are both nasty substances that should certainly not be in products intended for children, or anyone for that matter. No one I have spoken with is opposed to the testing itself, but rather the manner in which the testing be done, and the expense of it, which could cause many small businesses and independent designers and craftspeople to go out of business. If amendmants are not made to this law before February 10th, 2009, sadly this may be the case. I urge everyone to contact their government officials and local media about this well-intenioned but poorly-thought-out law.
Please see this article on Etsy for an open letter regarding the CPSIA: http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/handmade-childrens-items-unintended-consequences-consumer-pr-3056/
If you would like to read the actual law, it can be found here:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsia.pdf
FAQ from the CPSC website is located here:
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/faq.html
Wiki entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Protection_Safety_Improvement_Act
I sifted through the CPSIA FAQ on the CPSC site, and pulled a few of the questions that I thought would be most helpful for my fellow crafters, artisans, and Etsy shop owners to see. I hope this helps some of you make a little more sense of this incredibly vague and complicated law. Make sure to see my previous blog post for a list of links with more information.Lead Content and TestingDo all children's products require testing for lead or is it only products with some type of surface coating? We sell products that are used in physical education classes (e.g. hula-hoops) that are made from polyethylene and are not painted or coated. Will this product require third-party testing and certification for lead content under the new CPSIA? All children’s products (as defined by the CPSIA) subject to the lead limit of the Act will eventually require testing for lead, not just those with surface coatings. It is important to distinguish between the rules that apply to lead paint and surface coatings and the rules that apply to lead content. The CPSIA provides limits to the amount of lead in paint and surface coatings and limits to the amount of lead in the content of the product itself. Children’s products that are painted, or have surface coatings are also subject to the lead paint limit, in addition to the lead content limits.When do the lead content limits go into effect for children’s products? The lead content limits for all children’s products go into effect February 10, 2009 (600 ppm) and will be lowered again on August 14, 2009 (300 ppm).What certifications are required for children’s products that are tested for lead content? Children’s products manufactured after February 10, 2009, when the lead limit may not exceed 600 ppm, will need a general conformity certification based on a test of the product or a reasonable testing program for products after that date. Children’s products manufactured after August 14, 2009, when the lead limit may not exceed 300 ppm, will have to be certified based on third-party testing of the product by accredited third party laboratories after that date.Does the CPSIA envision stuffed animals falling within the scope of the CPSIA’s lead limits or phthalate limits? Most stuffed animals would be considered to be children’s products and presumably toys. A manufacturer would need to determine whether the design of the stuffed animals is such that it is subject to the lead paint limits, the lead content limits or the phthalate limits. Labeling of all children's productsThe law requires manufacturers to start labeling product and packaging one year after enactment. Does that mean it would affect products manufactured for the 2010 retail season or that items in retail stores would already have to have tracking labels as of August 2009? The law requires that one year after enactment, or August 14, 2009, manufacturers of children’s products must place permanent marks on their product providing the information specified. Thus, the Commission staff believes that the tracking label requirement applies to children’s products manufactured on or after August 14, 2009.What information needs to be provided on the product to meet the tracking label requirements of section 103? Does section 103 of the CPSIA require that a manufacturer’s name be present on a tracking label? Section 103 of the CPSIA provides that the tracking label must contain information that will enable the manufacturer to ascertain the location and date of production of the product and cohort information (including the batch, run number, or other identifying characteristic) and any other information determined by the manufacturer to facilitate ascertaining the specific source of the product by reference to those marks. Section 103 of the CPSIA further provides that the tracking label must contain information that will enable the ultimate purchaser to ascertain the manufacturer or private labeler, location and date of production of the product, and cohort information (including the batch, run number, or other identifying characteristic.) Thus, section 103 of the CPSIA does require that the tracking label contain information sufficient for the purchaser to ascertain the manufacturer of the product. Watch the Commission's website for postings regarding further guidance on this issue. The Commission will seek comments from the public during this process. Phthalates Limits and TestingWhat kind of products does the phthalates prohibition apply to? Three phthalates, DEHP, DBP, and BBP, have been permanently prohibited by Congress in concentration of more than 0.1% in “children’s toys” or “child care articles.” A “children’s toy” means a product intended for a child 12 years of age or younger for use when playing, and a “child care article” means a product that a child 3 and younger would use for sleeping, feeding, sucking or teething. Three additional phthalates, DINP, DIDP, and DnOP, have been prohibited pending further study and review by a group of outside experts and the Commission. This interim prohibition applies to child care articles or toys that can be placed in a child’s mouth or brought to the mouth and kept in the mouth so that it can be sucked or chewed that contains a concentration of more than 0.1% of the above phthalates.How do you determine whether a product is a child care article for purposes of compliance with the phthalates limits? A child care article is a consumer product designed or intended by the manufacturer to facilitate sleep or the feeding of children age 3 and younger, or to help such children with sucking or teething. By way of example, a pacifier/teether would be an item that would help a child with sucking or teething; a bib would facilitate feeding; a crib mattress would facilitate sleeping as would pajamas and crib sheets.Does the prohibition on phthalates apply to jewelry? It depends. If such jewelry is intended for use as a toy for a child 12 years of age or younger, the phthalates prohibition would apply. When does the phthalates ban go into effect for children’s toys and child care articles and does it apply to inventory in existence on February 10, 2009? On February 10, 2009, DEHP, DBP, and BBP are permanently banned, and DINP, DIDP, and DnOP are banned on an interim basis, for children’s toys or child care articles as defined in section 108 of the CPSIA. The ban on the six specified phthalates in section 108 of the CPSIA only applies to products that are manufactured on or after February 10, 2009. For more information see the Office of General Counsel Advisory Opinion (http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/advisory/320.pdf). What certifications are required for children’s toys and child care articles subject to the phthalates ban? Children’s toys and child care articles manufactured on or after February 10, 2009, will need a general conformity certification based on a “test of each product or a reasonable testing program.” Starting in September 2009, children’s toys and child care articles will have to be certified based on third-party testing of the product by accredited third-party laboratories. The Commission must post its procedures for accrediting labs to test for phthalates in June 2009.
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:
