CPSIA–Just When You Thought it was Safe to Get Back to the Sewing Room…

UPDATED:  RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING GUIDE FROM THE CPSC AT 1:23 AM TODAY!:

Guidance on the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) for Small Businesses, Resellers, Crafters, and Charities

Nothing like waiting until last minute?  Unbelievable!

Not sure how the rest of you feel, but this whole CPSIA stuff continues to mentally and physically DRAIN me!  I spend a tremendous amount of time reading, bewildered, rereading, twittering, disseminating information, testing, retesting, and banging my head against the wall.

It has all knocked the life out of me.  Some think it’s no big deal.  But the reality of it is another story.

Read the latest 7 items from the CPSC from this past Thursday and Friday.  Now before you get all excited and think you are off the hook, perhaps you should read some of the thoughts around the web:

Fashion-Incubator:  3 Days Until National Bankruptcy Day

Senator DeMint:  Congress Turns Toy Story into Nightmare for Small Business

Rick Woldenberg:  The Emperor Has No Clothes

Rick Woldenberg:  CPSC Commissioners Speak Out

Rick Woldenberg:  CPSIA More Serious Message

Overlawyered:  CPSIA Roulette

Overlawyered:  What Will Be Enforced?

Overlawyered:  CPSIA Fifty Stars and an Asterisk

Overlawyered:  CPSIA Chronicles February 10th

The Common Room:  There’s a Difference Between a Policy and a Law

The Common Room:  CPSIA and State Attorney General

The Common Room:  Open Letter to NRDC

Shopfloor:  Ambiguous Enforcement-Certain Disruption

CPSIA by Numbers (Part 1):  How Much Safer Will CPSIA Make Us?

CPSIA by Numbers (Part 2):Stochastic Approach

CPSIA by Numbers (Part 3):  Scary Sounding Chemicals

(Note:  Yes, I did eat the tires off my first carriage….LOL!)

Honestly, I don’t have a game plan yet.  I rented an XRF gun to lead test my boys’ clothing line and everything else in my sewing studio (over $400/day).  All fabrics, elastics and trims passed.  Problems occurred with some snaps and zipper heads (thankfully I have lead-free substitutes).  Not sure if the reflection of the silver on these items gave me false-positive results.  So what I’ll need to do now is have these items in question re-tested by a professional (more $$$).

But the good news is I can continue to sell for the next year.  Yet, unless the CPSC decides to allow component testing next year, my business won’t be able to survive the high cost of third-party lab testing.  Kathleen of Fashion-Incubator sums up how I feel.

With friendship,

Lisa

 

Valentine’s Day SWAP from My Favorite Craft Addict

Received a HUGE box yesterday from one of our newest members of our little secret society, Mary the Craft Addict!  So glad we let Mary come sit with us at the cool table…LOL!

Pure Valentine’s Day bliss!  Mary’s mission was to spell out the word HUGS!  However, each letter needed to meet a certain criteria (see below).

H is for HANDMADE tulle corsage heart.

U is for candle to USE.

G is for GOODIES to eat….mini moon pies!

S is for SOMETHING NEW to make me smile all day long.

Doesn’t Mary rock?  Thanks so much Mary!  You’re the best!

Mary was the lucky recipient of The Magic Box giveaway I had last year.  She and I became quick friends!  Over the last year, she and I have shared many phone calls–I can’t tell you how she cheered me on through the launch of Downtown Joey and my daughter’s transplant.  She is simply amazing.

Oh and it gets better!  Mary (of Georgia) is supposed to be up in my neck of the woods this weekend (Staten Island, NY).  Hopefully we can have bunch together on Sunday!

In the meantime, I need to find a gown for a formal affair on Friday night at the Rainbow Room in NYC and somehow sew/embroider a zillion baby gifts for my dear friend’s baby shower on Sunday afternoon.  Did I mention the kids are home due to snow/ice?