Great article, I would imagine that everything that if something is being sold in the US its supposed to be safe, however that is not always the case... Its great to have those rules to regulate children's products, but they have to be realistic and give us what we need...

Great Artical, thanks Paperdreams, calling representative today.

Super article, we need more people aware.

I sent a letter to my senators and representative. Thanks!

Thank you. We all need our voices heard. Being a small business I believe we take extra care into our produces, making it as Eco-friendly as we can. Over seeing much more than BIG box owners. Caring about buying locale-made and Handmade as well. Great job on this Article. Spread the word. Everyone should care, makers and buyers.

It would be a real shame if small batch makers are treated like big producers. Thanks for getting the word out.

very helpful:) Thanks!

Thanks for the info Paperdreams. We agree and will contact our representative.

Thank you, I will be a voice!

Making these calls WILL make a difference - thank you for including the contact info!

Thank you for keeping us all aware of the CPSIA goings-on, I am calling now so we can all keep our wonderful shops!

great article and lovely items. thank you!

thanks for info

Thank you for the information!

What would the admendment say? How does it help? Thanks!

wow, so much to take into consideration when making children's items. hope the amendment goes through.

A great article - thanks for making us aware!

Great article, thanks

This big mouth will definitely be heard....even if it is just on an answering machine :O Thanks for the info!

Three cheers for Cecilia! I hope that not only *makers* of small batch children's items but *buyers* too make a phone call and try to get the amendment through. I will do what I can; hand-made and locally crafted children's items are the best!

thanks for the info! can you make some suggestions on talking points? i want to help, but i'm afraid i'd just mumble into their answering machine and not be sure what to say!

Very informative and helpful, thanks!

Thanks for the update!

I just called and an actual person answered the phone! Thank you for posting this vital information.

Thank you for bringing attention to this!

Thanks for raising awareness on this important topic!

Sure halpal28. Say that you would like to request the CPSIA bill be sent to markup. Let the person you speak to (or leave a voicemail message for) know that the bill makes important exemptions to 3rd party testing for small batch manufacturers, and without it, your business is in danger of extinction when the testing stay of enforcement is lifted on 2/10/11.

Sure halpal28. Say that you would like to request that the CPSIA bill go to markup. Let the person you speak with (or leave a voicemail for) know that the bill makes important exemptions to 3rd party testing for small batch manufacturers, and without it, you face extinction when the testing stay of enforcement is lifted on 2/10/11.

Cudos for all the hard work!

THANK YOU, I ALSO WILL BE A VOICE. WHEN I LOOK AT ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL AND WELL MADE ITEMS BY OUR ETSY PEOPLE,WE WILL SUCCEED.

thanks! will call!

Thanks for the update. It wouldn't hurt to also write to them as a follow up.

Thanks for staying on top of this very important issue, etsy!

Thanks for staying on top of this very important issue, etsy!

Here is the draft of what I will be sending them: "I am writing you to request that the CPSIA bill be sent to markup. It is my understanding that recently a bill was introduced by the Department of Energy and Commerce, to amend the CPSIA, offering important relief to thousands of small batch business owners. This relief would prevent many from closing their doors. The bill makes important exemptions to 3rd party testing for small batch manufacturers, and without it, many businesses are in danger of extinction when the testing stay of enforcement is lifted on 2/10/11. Most of these small batch sellers use lead free materials made in the USA under USA guidelines. Many will not be able to afford to pay the cost of getting every item tested before placing it on the market on Hand Made Product sites such as Etsy.com, Artfire.com or their own websites. I would ask that you urge the House Commerce Committee to allow the CPSIA draft bill to go to mark up and become open for discussion. Anything you can do to assist would be greatly appreciated."

thanks and thank you for the little blurb on what to say because like Halpal i would probably get all tongue tied.

Thanks for the article. I will send them to our representatives. Georgia is very much a business oriented state and I hope they will support us. We need small businesses here in the USA!

i will absolutely send a message this evening! nice draft southernbelleoak :)

Great article!

how does one find out who their Representative is?

I hope everyone starts calling today! Here you can find out if your Rep is on the commerce committee: http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=160&Itemid=61

Thanks, I posted the article on twitter and that may help if everyone will put this on their twitter page and it will get passed around beyond etsy.....

great article! thank you for raising awareness!

Thank you Paperdreams. I will contact my senators. gogo v

I will most definitely be contacting my senator and rep. Thank you so much for this info., and for continuing to 'fight the good fight'. Thank you, thank you, Liz

SouthernBelleOOAK - Thank you! I have used your words - and added some of my own - in a letter to the AZ member on the committee.

Its so great to create for children! thats part of what I do too!

great article! Thank you Paperdreams for raising awareness!. I will contact my senators.

Both called and contacted my rep, who is on the committee in question.

Thanks for the update.

Thanks for the info!

It would be an absolute shame for all of the amazing, artistic talent that goes into the handmade kids products here on Etsy, to be lost and replaced with manufactured knock off's of these goods! =( Thanks for keeping everyone updated.

Thanks for the update!

Great that things are progressing positively

Thank you so much for your article.

Thank you Etsy and paperdreams for all of your hard work on this critical issue!

thank you for letting us know paperdreams. I will be a voice today and call.

Interesting information! thank you for keeping us informed!

Thank you so much for posting and for all the great info!

Great article. Thanks.

Good article. Those organic baby boots are adorable!

Thank you Etsy so much for the great article.

I know that as a small manufacturer myself, I could not stay in business if the CPSIA is not reformed. It would be such a shame to send even more jobs and work to China because our hands are tied at home. We already owe thaem billions in loans. They already own our economy... Buy American!! If you can find it anymore....

Thanks for the numbers and for keeping us informed. I made the two phone calls immediately after I read this. I was informed by the majority side to call my representative directly, as this would be more effective, so I did a quick search in google to find the number and called there as well. I was a voice, and I will make a difference. Thanks paperdreams!!

Great article and cause! ~Peace~

Very informative ! Well, I don't really think any of us would ever make something made with lead paint or chemically soaked plastics ( like they sell in big stores! Most of children's items on etsy are cloth ( that have be sold already in big stores, and passed ) or wood painted with water based safe paints. I can see some might have a problem with small items a baby could choke on , like buttons on an item. Most shops are very careful with that. www.birdshaveflowers.etsy.com

Thanks for posting this great article!

Wonderful information! Thank you so much.

Thank you AND find your District here/email by State http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

Super info!!! Thank YOU!

It's worth noting that if your representative is a democrat on the United States House Energy Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, it's especially critical you contact them and explain why this is so very important. A list of the democratic members of this committee: * Bobby Rush, Illinois, Chairman * Jan Schakowsky, Illinois, Vice Chair * John Sarbanes, Maryland * Betty Sutton, Ohio * Frank Pallone, Jr., New Jersey * Bart Gordon, Tennessee * Bart Stupak, Michigan * Gene Green, Texas * Charlie Gonzalez, Texas * Anthony Weiner, New York * Jim Matheson, Utah * G.K. Butterfield, North Carolina * John Barrow, Georgia * Doris Matsui, California * Kathy Castor, Florida * Zack Space, Ohio * Bruce Braley, Iowa * Diana DeGette, Colorado Please note I am not making any sort of political generalization other than the statement that in this particular case, the democratic members of this committee, along with Chairman Waxman, are the ones who are trying to delay this amendment.

I'm confused -- wouldn't small crafters be more likely to make a safe item? Why the need for an exception? Thanks.

i called both numbers. i will get in contact my rep from bowsinbloom's list. thanks.

Crazy, I called and both numbers I was able to speak with someone right away! Please call now!

I will do my part. I appreciate all the work and research that others have done. Hope we can survive this CPSIA

I emailed my representative. I couldn't get the phone number to work. Constant busy signal. I hope he reads my email, and hopefully listens!

Is there any address we can send an e-mail to? Or several? I just feel like I don't know exactly who I am calling when I call. I feel like I can put my words down in writing better than in conversation or leaving a verbal message :)

Thanks for the article, very helpful

as a mom I care both part :)

I just called... and someone actually answered!

One of my favorite websites: http://www.usa.gov/ You can find *anything* about government here. Here's a page that lists house members by state and gives a link to each one's website. If you want to email, I'm guessing each has a "contact me" link - mine does: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml#ne

If anyone is interested, I believe this to be the memorandum to the agenda: http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20100420/Briefing.Memo.ctcp.04.21.2010.pdf Thank you for the post.

I will do my part!

I do not make baby or children's items..but this is a very, very worthy cause..I will definitely call!!!

Thanks for keeping us updated on this! I'll be making some phone calls!

Thanks for the alert, will definitely voice my opinion with Washington on this. It's small cottage industries and self-employed people who have decided to take control of their income in this recession, keep themselves off unemployment compensation and create jobs for others....we don't need to be brought to our knees everytime we try to succeed.

Great article, great cause. Thanks so much. And best of luck to all those who make and sell children's items!

Great article thanks for making us aware!

My daughter uses a cloth diaper system much like the 2 featured here. They are initially very expensive, but then it's OVER. They are (if anything) more absorbant and less stinky. They adjust to the life of the baby and I bet he'll be trained younger than a child being "groomed" for "pullups". The disposable companies would like kids in diapers until they are 5 , I have no doubt.

We need to do everything possible to keep the small business person in business. Big businesses can and do easily overrun small business people and we need to speak up to keep this from happening here. Thanks for the letter, SouthernBelle - it's very helpful.

I called both numbers and talked with real people! The second person I talked with wanted me to also call my congressperson's office directly...

Thanks for that post. I'll keep my fingers crossed - as a foreigner I can do hardly nothing..

Maybe it's just me, but anytime someone urges me to contact my Congressman I want more information about what exactly I'm advocating. I'm assuming that in the amendment small businesses would be exempt from some safety measures. Do you have more specific information on the topic? Or a link to more specific information? Clearly I want to support handmade industries and small businesses, but I always like to know the details of what I am advocating for. Thanks!

I have read the article three times, trying to see if I missed exactly what the exception would amount to, and I have read the splash page for the link. I still can't find how this amendment will impact those who make toys in small numbers. While I am certainly in favor of having less government intrusion in our lives and businesses, I just don't have the time or the inclination to wade through hundreds of pages to find the synopsis. Can someone please be more specific in outlining the issue raised here? Since laws are written by lawyers, I'm sure this bill is probably the equivalent of killing flies with an AK47 when it comes to small business....you know...REAL people.....and it is wrong to lump people who make things by hand in with factories that load up children's items with lead and cadmium, but I still need to know what the exception pertains to. Thanks.

Sewingsparklz and stunninglittlethings, following is more information about the amendment. It is far from perfect but the Handmade Toy Alliance has chosen to endorse it because we feel it is the only chance small batch producers have for relief at this point. Yesterday we sent a letter to the House Commerce Committee highlighting the areas in which we think the bill didn't go far enough. You can read it here- http://handmadetoyalliance.blogspot.com/2010/05/our-letter-to-house-commerce-committee.html For more information on the amendment itself (known as the CPSEA- Consumer Product Enhancement Act), you can watch the videos of last week's hearing here- http://cpsia-central.ning.com/video/cpsea-hearing-1-of-2

I will do my part too!!

Correction- The full name of the amendment is the Consumer Product Safety Enhancement Act.

Dem's mailbox is full! But I left a message at the Rep side of things. Oh dear, this is an important issue! Tweet!

Thank you! Did my part.

Thank you!!!

IF YOUR REPRESENTATIVE IS NOT ON THE SUBCOMMITTEE, I USED THE FOLLOWING LANGUAGE: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Rep. _________________: Please encourage your colleague(s), ________________, who is/are on the U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection to please send the CPSIA bill to markup. I currently sell small batches of handmade childrens' items on www.etsy.com. The current CPSIA bill, without the pending amendment, would put an end to this. It is my understanding that recently a bill was introduced by the Department of Energy and Commerce, to amend the CPSIA, offering important relief to thousands of small batch business owners. This relief would prevent many from closing their doors. The bill makes important exemptions to 3rd party testing for small batch manufacturers, and without it, many businesses are in danger of extinction when the testing stay of enforcement is lifted on 2/10/11. Most of these small batch sellers use lead free materials made in the USA under USA guidelines. Many will not be able to afford to pay the cost of getting every item tested before placing it on the market on Hand Made Product sites such as Etsy.com, Artfire.com or their own websites. I would ask that you urge the House Commerce Committee to allow the CPSIA draft bill to go to mark up and become open for discussion. Anything you can do to assist would be greatly appreciated.

thank you for this valuable information!

Thanks so much to SoutherBelleOOAK and bowsinbloom for talking turkey on exactly what to do! From there it was easy to Google Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich, and I just sent him a very long email telling him why he should see to it that this amendment is passed. Unfortunately I am not exactly in his district, but hey, an uproar is an uproar and he will hear it! I would urge all of you to find bowsinbloom's list of Reps who are likely to be blocking the amendment in this thread, and email directly the one in your state, using SoutherBellOOAK's template. If there is no Rep from your state, well, pick one from another state! Let him know how you feel as an American.

Thank you also to marykaren! I just emailed my own Rep, John Dingell, 15th District Michigan, using your template, and also pointed out that handcrafting and Etsy are important sources of income for many displaced workers in Michigan.

Here is a link to the list of all the members of the U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection: http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1572&catid=160&Itemid=61

When I first heard about that CPSIA stuff a couple years ago, I thought it was definately a death threat for all small scale makers and mom & pop operations. Seriously, testing costs a ton of money that business that are this small just don't have. If that amendment doesn't go through, I'm going to wonder if CPSIA was actually meant to close down all small scale makers.

done! Although the democrat answering machine was full... I will try back later. Thanks for the heads up!

Thank you so much for all of your work on this and for posting this article. I have already signed your petition and sent it around to everyone I know, posted it on facebook. I will be calling these 2 numbers today as well.

Voices of the People are a Strong message to those who depend on our votes. This works! They will hear mine. Thank you for a wonderful article.

This link: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml allows you to find and email your representative. I just sent my message!

Thanks for bringing awareness to this issue! Off to make some calls.

great article!! I feel like calling as I make children stuff too but from the Netherlands???

I'm not sure exactly who to call if you live outside of the country, but I do know that you too have a chance to speak up. Especially if you know of a way to contact your country's diplomatic services, as they will usually have someone who can answer questions about trade agreements between companies. And yes, the CPSIA is definitely something that falls within those agreements!!! Speaking as a crafter who tries to re-purpose many different items (silk flowers, craft bears, vintage jewelry, glass, etc), I've been overwhelming concerned with this movement since it seems that so many politicians really don't care anymore about the people they supposedly answer to! I know I'll do my part, but make sure that in with those calls to the representatives you include a few calls/e-mails to friends, family, and business associates! Hopefully if enough people yell out, the more politicians will be forced to listen and act rather than just nod!

Thank you for all your info and the hard work. I must admit that I get tongue tied too so I have copied and pasted one of these letters to give to my rep. (I hope that is ok? I figured it's better to have the voice then to try and put it together and never send it. Thank you to each of you for being true to your craft!

Ok, I sent an email to my state rep! thank you again for the letter to send and the info to be aware of.

Thank you PaperDreams for keeping us informed and thank you SouthernBelleOOAK for the draft letter! Hope we can keep all these fabulous people in business!

Great article!!

Super Cute Items Featured!

wow, i had no idea! thanks for the info. I will definetly be contacting my representatives and letting my friends and family know!

Thank you for the info! Great article.

I am calling now. I will also pass this on to family and friends.

Thanks for the information. This bill is so badly written and in many ways unnecessary. I am at a loss to find out why it was even written. How many children have actually died or become ill from some of the products that are banned. For instance, Swarovski crystals contain lead but any good crystal does. I know of no one that has died from drinking from their Waterford or any crystal glasses. The bill is founded on emotionalism instead of scientific fact and common sense without any regard to the financial impact that it would have on children products that are safe. I do not know of any child that has died or became ill from the proper use or supervision of these so called "dangerous" items that are banned. The good should not have to suffer because some parents will not watch there kids to make sure they are not chewing on anything that might have lead in it, lie bike handles, metal components traditionally used in wagons, toys, car seats, etc. What are our children going to have to play with if California decides that any item containing polycarbonate that has "tulates" is banned? This is any soft plastic item. Perhaps California has passed this bill so that can avoid the bigger issues their state has such as bankruptcy, unemployment, gangs, education, materialistic consumerism and obsession with looking good on the outside. Perhaps our government is passing the buck to the individual when they should have strict requirements on what is allowed to be imported. Perhaps America should be looking at the "true" cost of have these items made abroad in the terms of loss jobs, governments deficits and the fact that most of these items that contain lead or banned items come from China (that owns a good part of our debt) and other countries that do not have regulation. To but this burden on the individual that makes or sells children products is simply ignorant and impossible but also unforgivable.

Yay for the little guys!

Thanks, this is so important to those of us that craft items for babies and children!!!!

this is great! If you are interested, you can check out my site: www.etsy.com/shop/olive34

This is such an important thing! As a handmade jewelry maker, I understand the value of a handmade item. They last longer, they are more original, and especially important with baby toys, they are usually made with more care so they are safer for our children!

Thank you for this!