Please Vote ...

And help save handmade children's items! This includes toys, clothing, blankets, burp cloths ... anything intended for children under the age of 12. A new law was passed this year and goes into affect February 2009 - their intentions were good BUT the law is so vague that all these small business owners will go out of business. And no longer will you be able to purchase all of the wonderful handmade items you have for your little ones(without it being against the law).

This information was copied from www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia - A Proposal From the handmadetoyalliance.org: In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China and other developing countries violated the public's trust. They were selling toys with dangerously high lead content, toys with unsafe small parts, toys with improperly secured and easily swallowed small magnets, and toys made from chemicals that made kids sick. Almost every problem toy in 2007 was made in China.

The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number.

All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational toy manufacturers to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and update their molds to include batch labels. For small American, Canadian, and European toymakers, however, the costs of mandatory testing, to the tune of up to $4,000 per toy, will likely drive them out of business. And the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

The CPSIA simply forgot to exclude the class of toys that have earned and kept the public's trust. The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade toys will no longer be legal in the US.

Thriving small businesses are crucial to the financial health of our nation. Let's amend the CPSIA so that all businesses large and small are able to comply and survive!
- Cecilia Leibovitz (Founder, CraftsburyKids.com)

Please keep in mind that this does not affect only toy makers. As the law is written at this time I could not continue to sell my blankets and burp cloths without the proper testing - which as you read above is EXTREMELY expensive. Please click on the link to the left and vote.

Thank you,
Kim

Silent Auction

I was recently asked if I would be willing to donate an item from my Etsy shop to an online silent auction and after visiting the blog and reading about what this woman and her family have been through I knew that I could not say no - I felt so completely honored to have been asked to participate.

They have so many great items to bid on and are always listing something new. Please check it out at http://www.auctionforcarol.blogspot.com/ or click the button on the left. Thanks!

Revolution Money Exchange

Hello. I am now accepting RME as a form of payment in my Etsy shop. If you have never heard of RME please click on the green button to the left for more information. It's a safe, secure and alternative way to accept and send money. It takes about 2 minutes to sign up! Thanks......Kim

New items on the way!

Here is a sneak peak of some new items I will be listing this week! I also listed some new stuff in the last few days or so - come check them out in my Etsy shop. Not quite seeing what your looking for? I have a ton more fabric here on hand. Have a certain fabric in mind? I also do custom orders. You can contact me either through my Etsy shop or email me at larson_kim@yahoo.com. Have a great day!

New burp cloths ...

FINALLY! So I'm out of my slump and made a ton of new burp cloths ... a ton being close to 30! I know, that is such a ridiculous amount, right!? But I just couldn't stop buying all of this beautiful fabric and I will admit I went a little overboard but oh well. I have already begun adding them to my Etsy shop and will continue to do so for the next few days or so. Come take a look ...

Lazy summer days ...

Man, I'm kinda in a slump here! I have been totally neglecting this blog and still have not made all that pink fabric below into burp cloths! I do have a tendency to become a bit of a procrastinator in the summer but thats because I live in Minnesota and we only have 3-5 warm months a year(its looking more like 3 months this year ... boo!). I did find time last week though to make a few things like this adorable sock monkey security blanket ... its so cute AND soft!

I just ordered a ton of fabric yesterday - lots of new stuff - AND the chenille for those burp cloths so hopefully I will be able to get started on those early next week. When I am done I will have quite a variety, a little something for everyone hopefully.

And one last thing, I am so excited to almost be celebrating my 100th sale on Etsy!!! I can't believe it! And the anticipation is killing me because that lucky 100th sale is going to get a free gift! I've been holding at 99 for 4 days now - come on someone buy something!!! Come on in and take a peak at my shop http://www.klarson.etsy.com/.

New blankets!

What a productive weekend, I made six blankets! This one is my favorite - the fabric is from Amy Butler's new Midwest Modern line and it is absolutely beautiful ... I LOVE it! I listed it today in my Etsy shop plus another blanket with brown and white mod tree's. I will hopefully get the other blankets listed tomorrow and Wednesday ... keep an eye out for them.

Pink, pink and more pink!!!

Ahh, I can't stop buying pink!!! Oooh it is such a good thing that I don't have a daughter ... could you imagine if I did!? Ha! We'd for sure be broke! I don't know what it is but I'm obsessed with really girly fabric lately - I just love it! So I just got some new stuff in this week that I've never bought before, its by Heather Bailey and it is SO pretty! I only bought a little of each because I wasn't sure if I'd like it(I don't usually buy flowery fabric) but now I'm wishing I would've bought more! These will definitely be on my next fabric order for some blankets but for now I have enough to make two burp cloths out of each piece - watch for them in my Etsy shop.

New fabric!

I have a ton of new fabric here waiting to be made into something beautiful for baby! If your looking for something a little more retro or modern for your little darling I've got the fabric ... and if I don't then I can always order it! I am obsessing about trees this week - I have a print that is baby blue with brown, green and white trees on it and also a print that is brown with white trees ... I LOVE them! Oh and I can't forget about the sock monkey's - too cute! If you are interested in having something made for your little one or as a gift just convo me at my Etsy Shop(click on link to the left) or at http://www.klarson.etsy.com/.

Yay!

I am SO happy, I sold one of my favorite blankets! And I didn't even have it listed that long which is awesome!!! I hope the person receiving it loves it as much as I do! The fabric is by Amy Butler called Brown Lacework and its backed with retro pink minky dot ... so soft and pretty! I may just have to make another one ...

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to my very first post! This is all very new to me AND exciting! I thought this would be a great way to promote my Etsy shop ... I make baby and toddler blankets, burp cloths and changing pads - with hopes of expanding that line in the upcoming months ... if I could possibly ever find the time!!! I am a very busy stay at home mom to three boys so finding the time to sew is hard but I manage to squeeze some in during naptimes and on the weekends when my husband is home. You can check out my shop at www.klarson.etsy.com or click on the link to the left. Okay, I've got to move on to the next thing now ... I've spent WAY too much time on here already! :)