Save Handmade!

I am all for strengthening the safety standards of mass-produced toys, clothes, and accessories made in China, and banning toxins like phthalates and lead. But this year, congress passed the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act, a law which goes into effect February 10, 2009 and will absolutely decimate the small toy manufacturers, independent artisans, and crafters who have already earned the public trust.

With this act going into effect February 10 2009 so many people we love will be affected: Moms who sew beautiful handmade clothing, artists who hand-carve trucks and cars out of natural woods, etsy and ebayers who sell children's dolls and jewelry--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 goods. Not without investing tens of thousands of dollars into third-party testing and labeling, just to prove that toys that never had a single toxic chemical in them still don't have a single toxic chemical in them.

I am one of many who will no longer be able to sell my items intended for use of children 12 and under. I do currently use crystal stones, and everyone knows crystal contains lead. Even if I did switch to lead free stones such as, glass or acrylic the cost of third-party testing required on each item is into the thousands of dollars. Not being able to afford testing on each custom item I make it will be considered a felony for me to sell them and I would face a 5 year prison sentence along with a $100,000 fine. No thanks.

I hate this for all the stay at home moms who rely on their talents to bring in extra cash or who need it to pay bills. I hope none of them are forced to search for a job in this economy. Most importantly I hate that handmade items may disappear. It amazes me how talented people are and what they can make. Here are some pictures of items that will be affected.

I wanted this for my little boy! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=96642




http://topknots.etsy.com



http://dmollison.etsy.com/


http://butterflybabyplace.etsy.com/

And me!

Please check out these sites and help fight this!

Send letters to your congress person and senators.

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

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

http://www.etsy.com/forums_board.php?forum_id=4