Little Ida

Mary's Softdough and HTA

 

It's the tail end of Handmade Toy Alliance's (HTA) blog week and I want to give a shout out to my friend and colleague Mary Newell, HTA Treasurer and creator of the ingenious Mary's Soft Dough!

Mary goes above and beyond her role at the HTA; Aside from  her awesome work as Treasurer, she makes sure our member information is organized, contributes to our website, has performed endless hours of research, and taken part in CPSC panels to help adapt the interpretation of CPSIA in Washington.  Mary has a way of brightening our days with her sense of humor, even when things aren't looking so good. 

Please scroll down to the bottom after reading about Mary, so you can learn more about the HTA and it's important mission.

Mary's Softdough is a unique toy designed to let kids create all kinds of soft sculptures. Taken apart and stored in its airtight containers, the dough can be used again and again. What I like best is that the doughs come in lots of colors including some that have glitter and yummy natural scents mixed in. Even better, it's made from food grade materials so it's completely non toxic and safe.

Mary makes every batch of Softdough from scratch herself in her Oregon workshop. I remember Mary telling me her story about a fairly large (natural/organic) burger chain that had requested thousands of mini dough packs for their kid meal boxes, and yep she made them all herself! Take a look at Mary's complete line and find out where you can purchase Mary's Softdough at softdough.com You'll be happy you did.

A few words about the Handmade Toy Alliance (HTA). The HTA is a non profit organization that was formed in 2008 after Mattel recalled millions of lead laced toys and the CPSIA lead law was introduced. The CPSIA has put hundreds of businesses and handmade items in danger of disappearing forever.

Powered completely by volunteers, the HTA has been working hard ever since to help keep producers and retailers of small batch children's items from having to close shop. Find out more about the HTA's remarkable mission, becoming a member, and how you can help at handmadetoyalliance.org

 
 

Anna Attard

 
 

Fan Craftsbury Kids on Facebook for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate! Just leave a comment mentioning your favorite Anna Attard piece. 

I'm working with a new artist at craftsburykids.com! Anna Attard makes the most incredible altered organic pieces using authentic vintage images, vintage buttons, and embellishments like the lace and muslin ruffle you see here. This dress is one of my favorites; it's personalized with a silhouette portrait making each totally one of a kind. There's also a circus dress, Marie Antoinette inspired tee and lots of other goodies. You can see the entire line of dresses, tops, bodysuits and accessories here.

A doll bed she'll want to sleep in herself

Convincing my 12 year old daughter to play with her 3 year old brother, taking precious time away from texting her friends isn’t easy. Okay, I’m kidding (sort of). She does spend a lot of time on art projects, an activity I encourage. When they engage in free play together, their imaginations are boundless, and that magic thing called bonding is in full force as stories are made up on the fly.

They are both equally attracted to this adorable doll bed by Javis Davis. He is more hands on with it, arranging and rearranging the multiple pieces around his stuffed animals. She enjoys standing by as he plays, and has even tucked a doll or two in.

Javis Davis is a small woman run business, that has been producing gorgeous quality bedding for over 10 years. Mary Lou Cothran designs and oversees production in her Alabama location, and has been doing so from the beginning. A rare gem in the industry, Mary Lou pairs her bedding set designs with a team of sewers who live up to her decadent pieces with production quality and attention to detail that makes them worthy of becoming true heirlooms.

The doll bed is a miniature version of the baby and child sized bedding Javis Davis produces. Each set includes a washable foam mattress, fitted sheet, bed skirt, mattress pad, two blankets, and three pillows. It is available in many different fabric combinations, suitable for girls and boys, and two sizes for dolls up to 13,” or 18” in length. This would make an incredible holiday gift, and can even be matched up with kid size bedding in identical fabrics, if you want to be really extravagant.

Special offer: Post a comment including your favorite Javis Davis fabrics, and be eligible to win a $25 Javis Davis gift certificate!

Take a look at the Javis Davis custom doll beds and bedding here.

Corporate Monster wants to swallow Micro Brew beer brand

As a supporter of small business, and micro business owner myself, I feel it's crucial to post about this: 
 
Rock Art Brewery, a micro beer brewer in Vermont is facing a huge and very unfair problem. The maker of Monster Energy Drink (a 1 billion dollar company) doesn't like the fact that Rock Art brews a beer called 'Vermonster.' The company has asked Rock Art to immediately cease and desist using the name, marketing materials etc.
 
Rock Art began as a one man operation out of the owner's basement. The business now has seven employees and is growing rapidly. The owner created this Vermonster beer to celebrate their 10th anniversary. His trademark lawyer has advised him that there is absolutely no infringement, however the energy drink company can fight this in the courts anyway, and can appeal numerous times. Each court case will cost Rock Art $65,000, and they can not afford to battle this 1 billion dollar company.
 
The ironic thing is that the name 'Vermonster' is commonly used for Vermont products (ie dishes in restaurants, sandwiches, pizza etc.). How sad that some mega-corporation feels they have the right to take that name away from a Vermont company.
 
Please watch this short video and spread the word.

CPSIA: Overcoming Obstacles & Fighting for Change

Photo by UrbanTurn

The holidays are coming and the world's largest toymaker (hint Mattel) has just been granted an exemption from third party testing its toys for lead. The CPSIA law was created because of Mattel, and they've managed to skirt it, while crafters and micro businesses making inherently lead free products pay dearly (or go out of business) to remain "legal."

There is hope. Read my CPSIA article on Etsy's blog and learn about some of the latest news on this complicated law. Our voices are making a huge difference. Let's keep fighting together for change!

P.S Please consider joining the Handmade Toy Alliance. Each business or consumer who joins makes our collective voice louder, and our influence stronger.

Great giveaways + new artists at Craftsbury Kids

I'm excited to share with you the work of four new Craftsbury Kids artists. Scroll down to read more, and find out how you can win some great prizes.

 

Tweet by Willow Baus

Pre-motherhood, Willow Baus designed accessories for a large children's clothing company. Now she makes little wooden sailboats with cotton sails, and toy wooden rowboats just begging to be filled with seashells, sticks, and other tiny treasures. All of the boats are designed to float on water, whether in the bathtub, or park puddles. It’s hard to choose just one of these toy boats. The good news is, if you purchase one or more of the boats this week (by Saturday June 14) at craftsburykids.com, and mention this post, you’ll be entered into a random drawing, for a chance to win an additional boat of your choice.

Cupcakes & Pastries

Inshi Khanna’s Cupcakes & Pastries’ dresses are inspired by old English, French, and Indian films among other things, including her two year old daughter. I love that she created them with tea parties in mind, where cookies, candies, and other delights are served. With features like gold and silver trims and embellishments, and hand printing on some of the dresses, this is a very special collection. Though the dresses are drop-dead gorgeous they’re 100% cotton (excluding embellishments) so they’re comfortable too. We’re giving one Cupcakes & Pastries dress of choice away this week. Take a look at all the dresses here. Order one or more, mention this blog post, and you’ll be entered in the drawing.

BeBe Babies

Casie Nipper is an Oregon-based dollmaker who creates these unbelievably cute  one of a kind plush animals, called BeBe Pets. I love their stitched on bellies, and the way their little faces peek out. If you order one at craftsburykids.com this week, and mention this blog post, you’ll be entered for a chance to win an additional BeBe Pet of your choice.

Urban Baby Bonnets

Colette Palamar is a painter as well as a seamstress. She sees her Urban Baby Bonnets project as kind of a worldwide collage of moving and changing color and pattern– kind of like a walking painting made up of the folks who wear her hats, all over the country, and the world. Her designs are a real work of art with awesome color and print combinations, and the stitching is top notch. Get one at craftsburykids.com this week, and mention this post (as well as your favorite bonnet design). You’ll be entered in a random drawing, for a chance to win an additional bonnet of your choice.

Clothing with kid and parent appeal

Liliputians-NYC children's clothing is created entirely in New York City by seamstress/designer Heather Flottmann. Heather's unpretentious designs offer up just the right amount of colorful whimsy to appeal to kids, while also being attractive to the adult eye.
 
With clean and simple lines, the pieces are not fussy or overdone. How refreshing, in a world where frilly poufy apparel for girls parallels with bland, neutral designs that can be way too serious, with not much in-between. Liliputians is a perfect match for that sometimes fickle time of childhood, where preconceived ideas of style can be an instant turn-off to developing personalities.

Save 15% on all Liliputians items at Craftsbury Kids, for a limited time. Visit craftsburykids.com and Enter code LIL2009 at check out to take advantage of the discount. Offer expires June 24, 2009. 

Shown above from left to right- Foxglove pant set, Jello Dots dress, Frida Decoupaged Folklorico pants. 

Looking to grow your handmade business? Read on...

 

Open Letter to crafters, small businesses, and supporters of handmade (please feel free to post this on your own blog):

You may already be aware that the Handmade Toy Alliance has become a non-profit organization with a mission not only to continue to work toward change in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, but first and foremost to support crafters and small businesses in the children's industry on an ongoing basis. Or maybe you have yet to learn who we are. If that's the case, you can learn all about us at handmadetoyalliance.org. 

Joining the HTA is not just about fighting the CPSIA; it's about you and growing your business. As makers and sellers of small batch products for children, we came together out of an imminent need to fight for our right to remain in business. Along the way it became clear that no organization existed to support people like us. So we thought- "Why not be that support system?"

At the start we were ignored by the CPSC and Congress. Nevertheless, our energy and commitment remained steadfast, and as our numbers grew, our collective voice became and continues to be important and respected in the CPSIA debate, proving that a small group of concerned citizens really can change the world. It's only natural that we use that voice to continue our work, and offer valuable resources to your business.

There are a number of ways that HTA membership can benefit your business, all of which are listed here: http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/join-the-handmade-toy-alliance/ In this post, I'd like to talk about my favorite, and in my opinion--hands down--the most important tangible benefit.

Sure you'll help in the fight for a better CPSIA by joining the HTA, and your support is greatly needed and appreciated. But did you know that membership also includes built in marketing for your business? For my small business, this alone makes the membership dues well worth it. Dues by the way, can be as low as $35 a year.

As a small business owner, I'm sure you're well aware of the ever rising costs of PR and advertising. As an HTA member you'll benefit from a low cost approach to growing your business. You'll receive a profile page on the HTA website, with a description of your services, and photos of you and your products, linked to your own website. The site is regularly visited by members of the press as well as parents and others interested in handmade products. Your inclusion will improve search engine rankings, and open up the opportunity for members of the press to learn more about you, as well as increase your pool of potential customers.

In addition to your profile page, you will be given the opportunity to participate in affordable cooperative advertising, as well as a featured business write up on the Handmade Toy Alliance blog. As we grow there will continue to be new marketing ideas and you'll be on the ground floor.  
 
We are all part of a small and still largely untapped niche in the children's industry. Every day millions search for unique gifts and other items for their children. By joining the HTA you become part of an alliance of innovative businesses ready to serve this unique segment of the market. 

Since its inception, the HTA has been member driven. Rather than act as a large untouchable force, we want to continue to be approachable and accessible as peers. HTA members hold a diverse range of talents and knowledge, and we've been quite successful at tapping into this pool for the benefit of us all. As an HTA member, you get to both give and receive, thus you become a part of the process that shapes the future of this alliance. But rest assured if you're too busy to be involved in this process. Participating in the development of the alliance is optional. You decide how much or how little you want to be involved, if at all, while still reaping the benefits offered.

Please consider becoming a member of the HTA . More information and a sign up form can be found here: http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/join-the-handmade-toy-alliance/ For the low cost of membership you'll be joining with a unique group of businesses that hold in common the fact that we all offer something truly special to the children's industry, and a unique talent for working together to bring novel ideas into fruition.

Yours truly,

Cecilia Leibovitz
Craftsbury Kids
President, Handmade Toy Alliance
http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org

Whitney Phippen feature in Better Homes and Gardens

    

Craftsbury Kids artist Whitney Phippen’s vintage silhouette pendants are featured in the May issue of Better Homes and Gardens. Just gorgeous!

Craftsbury Kids interview with Lyn Pollard

I was recently interviewed by Lyn Pollard of Chalkydoodles regarding Craftsbury Kids, and the Save Handmade movement. It was interesting to reflect on both these projects and really got me thinking about details I hadn't pondered in a long time.

Read part one of the interview here, and part two here.