Carnival Time!

I've participated in several of the Etsybloggers Blog Carnivals and they're always fun. I enjoy the challenge of the suggested topics but sometimes I find I'm distracted by other things as the deadline approaches and don't get my submission in on time. Not this time!

The topic for this one is about why you opened a shop on Etsy and what you like about being an Etsy seller.

I blame my daughter for all of it. She's The Pink Samurai on Etsy and you really ought to take a minute to check out her shop and her blog. She's grown up watching me work as a freelance photographer and dabble with other artsy stuff. She's been a great tester of my child-safe plush toys like my teddy bears and puzzle balls, too. She started an Etsy shop and soon encouraged me to do the same. Together we learned the ropes about running an Etsy shop and we still compare notes.

One of my favorite things about running an Etsy shop is all the wonderful people I've met. Many of my customers have become my friends, returning for repeat orders. I've gotten to know a great group of other moms through the Etsymom and CafeMom Street Teams. I'm learning more about the arts in my area of the country through the EtsyCREST Street Team. And, of course, the Etsyblogger teams has helped me learn the ins and outs of blogging and kept me writing.

This month I've been the Featured Etsyblogger and the Etsybloggers have really outdone themselves. I've been so encouraged by all of these bloggers that I decided to share them all with you. Go see what they've been saying about me:


scribblenation.typepad.com

bunnykissd.blogspot.com

twozanyzebras.blogspot.com

purrprints.blogspot.com

beadedtail.blogspot.com

jleighdesignz.blogspot.com

offthepeg.blogspot.com

winemakerssister.blogspot.com

maryeb-blog.blogspot.com

designsbynico.blogspot.com

designsbyvanessa.blogspot.com

patti-peacox.blogspot.com

dorothywyn.blogspot.com

rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com

jaimesews.blogspot.com

aboutangiescrafts.blogspot.com

youvegotmaille.blogspot.com

liletsyshop.blogspot.com

madebymelissa.blogspot.com

homemadeoriginals.blogspot.com

thefabmissb.blogspot.com

shellmitchell.blogspot.com

wearewedges.blogspot.com

lunasbaublebilities.blogspot.com

devinedesignsjewelry.blogspot.com

lostmittenblog.blogspot.com

fiveoclocksomewherejewelry.blogspot.com

heatherknitzdesigns.blogspot.com

heatherscustomsewing.blogspot.com

storybeader.blogspot.com

akeepersjackpot.blogspot.com

http://www.curiousmess.com/2009/02/february-etsyblogger.html

panopticamx.blogspot.com

beadedtail.blogspot.com

macaroniandglue.blogspot.com

morningskyjewelry.blogspot.com

magdalenejewelsblogs.blogspot.com

thecoppercauldron.blogspot.com

memoriesforlifescrapbooks.blogspot.com

greyeyedesigns.blogspot.com

aliciamae280.blogspot.com

pinkzinnias.typepad.com

ishyscreations.blogspot.com

stormydesigns.blogspot.com

http://www.xanga.com/aliciamae_8/693342493/february-featured-etsyblogger/

roseworksjewelry.blogspot.com

candycrackcreations.blogspot.com

chezchani.blogspot.com

mamasmagic.blogspot.com

3rexes.blogspot.com

downthestreetcreations.blogspot.com

cozyetsy.blogspot.com

cozystitches.blogspot.com

cardsbyjenna.blogspot.com

lazytcrochet.blogspot.com

jenniferhayessketchbook.blogspot.com

miesmama.blogspot.com

http://www.jrosebud.com/designs/catalog/blog/?p=602

julieantinucci.blogspot.com

sewingmachinegun.blogspot.com

rockababyclothingco.blogspot.com

sumikocreations.blogspot.com

dodadidit.blogspot.com

createathoughtetsy.blogspot.com

magicmarkingsart.blogspot.com

http://alittlemousesaid.typepad.com/a_little_mouse_said/2009/02/featured-etsy-seller-donna-pool.html

A Bear With Spirit

Now this custom teddy bear has team spirit!

A friend of mine sent me an old sweatshirt to recycle, complete with team logo. I cut out the pieces for the bear so that the team logo will appear on the left side of the bear's chest. I haven't put it all together yet because I still need to embroider her nephew's initials on the bear's backside in thread that matches the logo. But that's on my agenda for today. I'll post pictures of the bear when I get it all finished in a couple of days...I hope!

All Done

When I'm working on a sewing project I'm spending less time on the computer, which means less blogging. That's why it's been so long between posts. I've been working on a new custom teddy bear, this one in pink flannel, and it's finally finished.

Must Read for Parents Whose Kids Have Ipods

I've got a friend with a new blog and if you've got a kid with an ipod...heck, even if you don't...you really ought to read this:

http://madstepmother.blogspot.com/2009/02/ipods-are-not-essential-for-life-unless.html

For you it may be a Nintendo DS or a another electronic device of some sort, but I'm sure every parent knows how this feels!

CPSIA...What Now?

So much is at stake with the passage of the CPSIA and confusion runs rampant. Here's an excellent way to try to sort out how it effects me and so many crafters like me. Just read this:

http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/cpsia-its-february-10th-so-now-what-3413/

Then click on this for more helpful information:

Will There Be More?

I've just started working on a couple of new custom teddy bears. I can't help but think how the new CPSIA law will change what I do, though. Many of the bears I make are intended for children under 12, though, so they're included in the items the new law addresses. Most of the bears I make are made from fabric scraps I've cut from discarded clothing...blue jeans, t-shirts, even children's clothing. One would assume such things wouldn't be dangerous to children. But according to what I've read about this law, I would be required to perform a test for each product I sell (since each one is unique) and those tests would generally cost about $400 each.

Granted, I'm not a lawyer, so maybe I'm missing something here. You can read a previous posting in this blog and find links to articles that spell out the details more clearly than I can. But I know enough to know that many crafters who are like me...moms who need to make money selling what they make...will have to shut down their businesses or be in violation of this law if it goes into effect without significant revisions.

I don't pretend to know what the perfect solution will be. Nobody wants children to be at risk from dangerous contaminants. But a law that is hastily written without taking into account unintended consequences doesn't seem to be an acceptable solution either.

MLK & Me

When I was very young, I would often go with my family to Love Field airport in Dallas to drop off or pick up visiting relatives. My father seemed to have a knack for spotting old friends or famous people in the crowds and sometimes we'd have an opportunity to meet someone special.

I remember once we were introduced to a very nice black man. I guess it stuck in my mind (I think I was 3 years old) because we didn't encounter many black people in my white neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. But I remember how my father spoke with such respect as he introduced us. Clearly, this man was somebody special and I was told I would remember meeting him. And I did.

I was much older before all the blanks in my child-like memory were filled in and I realized that that man was Martin Luther King, Jr. He was on his way to a meeting of the Atlanta Pastor's Conference, and my parents told him about my grandfather who would also be there. We later heard that my grandfather did meet him there and when Dr. King heard his name he said, "Oh, I just met your three beautiful grandchildren in Dallas!"

I remembered Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and he remembered me.



*Author's note -- please take a moment to read the comment left by "TheVaryIdea". That's my dad, telling the rest of the story.