patterns in my head

on the drive to work today, i had visions of patterns in my head. how many people have visions in their minds of colors and shapes and patterns? they happen all at once. i see a whole picture of something that never existed before, and i'm compelled to create it. i know it's not just me.

it doesn't always happen. several times in the past week i've brought all of my paints out of their pink and orange storage boxes only to sit in front of a blank canvas (or random wood item) and stare blankly. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS? and even making a mark and continuing is exhausting. that's why i ended up cutting out red felt hearts last night, over and over. i have a plan for them, too.

rings are the thing i've made most frequently. some more ring designs are above, including the old newspaper that accompanies my workspace.

now, it's eleven hours later, and i still have the pattern in my head.

i don't know why i'm drawn to hearts, but i am. i've made the same drawing/painting many times, just a heart on a surface. i want to make a hundred of them. and i will.

until then, here is a link to a new cpsia article - concerning the law's effect on resale shops. disturbing!

more about the cpsia

there are many thoughtful articles and discussions about the impact of the cpsia on crafters and consumers, and i'm tempted to post them here, but then i need to remember that no one really reads this blog yet and i'm pretty much talking to no one. but, i'm keeping track for my own record of this drawn-out path to opening the mirthmarket.

it was not really my intention to market my new items for children. i've done that. i've sold handpainted furniture, and i'm thankful that i've already crossed that off of my list of things to do in life, because as it stands now, that would not be happening with me under the cpsia. my fear is that something i would create would be viewed as something intended for children.

under the legislation, it is not okay just to have a disclaimer that says "not intended for ages 12 and under".

i use a lot of bright colors and simple images, because that's what i like. so now i feel like i have to edit what i'll sell. it's all so subjective, though. the painting above is one that i sold at a tiny shop in greenwood several years ago. this, to me, was intended for a child. fuchsia flowers with sparkles are not standard in most living rooms, and that was never the intention of this piece. so, under the cpsia, i would refrain from creating selling another painting like this.

but what about this painting, that was created for a charity auction? i would imagine that it could be placed in several different settings.



if the earrings and rings i've already made are viewed as possibly intended for children, then i won't be able to sell them. but i have honestly never intended for them to be for children!

grr. this whole law is so frustrating. i really hope that the government realizes how its breadth and lack of specificity (also the exorbitant expenses incurred by sellers of one of a kind items) is harmful, not helpful. it's NOT bad to want safe items in the hands and mouths of children, but this law goes beyond that. and i won't lose my livelihood over it. but others will, and it's beyond sad.

i wanted to mention also that the cpsia makes no exceptions for resale shops, goodwill, garage sales, ten thousand villages, charities, or other potential places where items for children can be obtained.

it makes no exceptions for custom made clothing, like baptismal gowns or flower girl dresses.

it makes no exceptions for natural wood toys, cloth diapers, or handknit baby blankets.

yes, i have already contacted my congressmen and the cpsa (consumer product safety administration), and you can too. some etsy sellers have contacted their local media, which is also a great idea.

more soon.

yikes...

i have been reading a lot about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and its mandates for lead and/or phthalate testing on children's products. it sounds like a lot of sellers of handmade children's products aren't clear on the specifics of the law, but from what i've read, this is what i'm processing:

if someone makes a toy, article of clothing, baby sling, etc. intended for a child under 12, then every part assembled to create that item must be tested for lead before it can be sold. they must be individual tests, after the product has been completed. AS IF IT IS THE SELLER'S ISSUE. were three shades of pink beads used on a toddler's barrette? each of them has to be tested. AND the barrette itself. and each of those tests will run approximately $180 each. if the toddler's six year old sister wants a green barrette instead of the pink one you'd made for the toddler, well, you need to retest everything, because those beads were a totally different color. EVEN IF THEY WERE ALREADY TESTED BEFORE YOU BOUGHT THEM.

and if you wanted to stop right there and never sell a barrette again, it would only set you back about a thousand dollars, i'm noticing. or, you could just become a one-person sweatshop and manufacture enough identical barrettes for the testing to pay for itself.

as interpreted, i cannot sell children's jewelry anymore, without this mess of testing, which i'll gladly avoid. i'm not a mass producer and don't intend to become one.

it's ridiculous. and it passed overwhelmingly in the house and the senate, most likely because it wasn't fully read or understood when it passed. i don't know the reasons. it will be a burden for multi-employee apparel and toy companies as well, and some are reportedly giving up on selling anything in the USA anymore.

and for those 10 people in the house and senate who didn't vote on this bill, thank you, whoever you are (i don't know!)...and i hope this issue isn't twisted into some crazy campaign ad that says, "he was the only senator who voted AGAINST lead testing for children's blankies!" because seriously, this is deeper than that - it will impact so many entrepreneurs who just LIKE TO MAKE THINGS and are already safe about it, and in turn, will impact creativity and choices. i sure hope i am reading all of this wrong.

fashion incubator forum posters interpret that this law also means there will be no more children's clothing resale. it would be illegal to sell something that has not been tested.

national bankruptcy day, as it is referred to by creative insiders, is february 10. 2009. the link above will take you to a site with more links, so if you're concerned, you can write a little bit about how you feel and hope that it is heard in washington.