Birthdays, toy safety, etsy updates

I’m another year older again. I survived. I picked out my present and I’m very excited for it to arrive! I ordered a beautiful wooden advent spiral by Holz und Spiel. I’d been waiting for it to get back in stock at my favorite online toystore, Three Sisters Toys. But I found out that Holz und Spiel (a wonderful German toy company) isn’t going to be sending new shipments to the U.S. any time soon due to the new toy regulations. So I ordered it from the Wooden Wagon instead. (Funny enough, today it’s listed as sold out there too!)

Small toy stores, and craftspeople all over the country are working to spread the word about the potential impact of the legistlation scheduled to go in next month. It sounds like there are some approved exceptions for natural materials like wool, cotton and unfinished wood. But without additional refinement, this is going to require expensive testing that the small businesses can’t afford, and that toys imported from trusted European companies won’t afford. (Here is some more info if you’re interested.

I’m still holding out hope that the public outcry and potential closing of businesses all around the country will get some refinement to this law. Yes, it’s great to have safe things around children. But when almost all alternative sources for those clothes and toys (natural stores, online stores, craft fairs) are now told they’re selling contraband hazardous materials…something went wrong with the good intentions.

For more information, and to cast your vote to bring this issue to President Elect Obama’s attention, check out Change.org. I don’t know if it will help or not, but it can’t hurt! There is an awful lot of grass-roots effort going into this issue right now. And I would think that they won’t push through a measure that will close businesses when there are lay-offs happening all around. It was a knee-jerk law written with very good intentions. Now they need to refine things again.

I’m trusting in common sense to win out, and am continuing as normal. On that train of thought, I added some pretty playsilks to my etsy store. And I’m going to participate in Februrary’s Spotted Box on etsy. It’s a box of samples sold each month from craftspeople making family oriented things. I’ve got some work to do before then but I’m excited! I’m thinking felt sugar cookies. That’s a lot of cookies. It’s my act of faith that there will be a refinement in the law and that I will not be selling illegal hazardous materials if I choose to continue operating my etsy store. Gotta have faith!

That’s enough politicizing…wanna see something pretty? Look what you can do with koolaid and a microwave!