WE HAVE A BRAND NEW BLOG!charmcitycraftmafia.blogspot.com We are in the process of changing around this website as well, but in the meantime you can follow our happenings HERE!
The following is from Shannon of Sweet Pepita:
I’m officially at a loss for words. After writing this post for the Baltimore Etsy Street Team, and then this one for my own blog, I am just exhausted. Today is CPSIA blog-in day so you’ve probably been reading a ton of posts about this poorly written law requiring prohibitively expensive third party testing. The CPSIA officially goes into effect on February 10th. That’s less that 2 weeks away. I am shell-shocked, dumbfounded and a little bit nauseous.
So now, I’d like to present to you my version of letters to the American public (if you’d like to skip the sarcasm, just scroll down to the last paragraph for an important link and how you can help. But really, what’s a cold and icy morning without a little snark?) inspired by text written by Chichiboulie in the Etsy CPSIA Forums…
To the Parents of Young Students:
Hold on there! While those paper clips weren’t originally intended for your student to use, they will definitely have to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. Keep in mind… this law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12. Sorry about that.
Photo by Eric Ferguson/University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries
To the Avid Reader:
Due to this new law, all children’s books will be pulled from library and school shelves. That’s okay though, there’s always television.
*to find out more about how the CPSIA will impact the children’s section at your local library, see this article from the American Library Association
Infant t-shirt from Sweet Pepita
To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Items are destroyed in the testing process now required by law. So that gorgeous, one of a kind, hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available in the next size up. Oh, yeah, and you better throw out that hat once your baby outgrows it… it’s hazardous material, you know.
To the Environmentalist:
All items in non-compliance will be trashed. As always, you can alleviate the strain on landfills by composting your kitchen waste and recycling your paper, plastic, and cans. The reuse of any product designed for a child 12 and under that has not been certified by a 3rd party testing facility is now strictly prohibited. You can’t even give them away. Don’t shoot the messenger.
Thrift Store Sign from pixeljones
To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Toddler skirts are on sale at the Gap for $35. Many thrift and consignment shops are eliminating children’s items all together to avoid future lawsuits. Hmmm. Maybe you shouldn’t plan that second baby after all.
To the Entrepreneur:
The employment listings are in the classified section. Usually in the back. Don’t just sit there… the economy really sucks right now, so you might wanna get started on that.
Want to help change this disastrous law? Visit http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/cpsia-action-kit-and-community-chat-3321/ to download a CPSIA Action Kit. In it, you’ll find a comprehensive list of VIPs that need to hear from you as well as articles chock-full of pertinent information on this egregious piece of legislation. Remember… this is about every product intended for a child under 12. Not just toys. We’re talking clothing, diapers, books (the entire children’s section at your local library), bicycles…
Our friends at BEST will be hosting their first business meetup at the Creative Alliance on Sunday, January 25th. The meetup will feature roundtable discussions led by Cynthia Blake Sanders, MD Lawyers for the Arts; Rebecca Cason, former director of the Buyer’s Market of American Craft; Jen Menkhaus, working crafter and one of the founders of the Baltimore Street Team; Nita Gale, web designer; Ariella Levin of Baltimore’s Best Bookkeeper; and Thomas Wynn, professional photographer. Practical discussions will include legal and accounting basics; marketing, wholesale and pricing; and looking your best– on the web and in promo photos. Lunch will be provided, a great time to get connected with other local artists and crafters to make new friends, show off your work, and share ideas. Come bond with your fellow local crafters, and get some learning done!
Details:
Sun Jan 25. 10am-2:30pm.
Adv reg $25, $20 CA & BEST mbrs. Walk-in $30, $25 CA & BEST mbrs. Includes lunch.
posted by redprairie on January 6, 2009 at 2:04 pm | Comments (0)
Happy New Year, Baltimore!
We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and are ready to help us make this year even better and more full of art, craft and locally hand-made purchases than years past. If you’re an artist - we wish you motivation and inspiration, happiness and stability in your craft, and of course, lots of art & craft sales. If you are a collector, we wish you financial success and continued faith in our community, so you can continue to support the arts. Thank you to everyone who helped us run two great craft fairs, a raffle, a workshop, and a film screening in 2008.
Alex Ebstein of baltimore art blog There Were Ten Tigers (if you don’t follow this one already, you really should) has compiled a great list of 10 reasons to be a Baltimore based artist for 2009. Every single one made us clap our hands with glee and renewed love for our fair city. It’s nice to write these things down. We all should!
We look forward to seeing you all around at craft fairs, art shows, and around town in general this year. Let’s make it a good one, despite the gloomy predictions of a worse economy to come, and obstacles like the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). There is still a community of supportive art and craft and locally made and handmade enthusiasts out there, and we are optimistic, despite the hard work ahead. Ready? GO!
posted by redprairie on December 19, 2008 at 1:30 pm | Comments (1)
Join members of the Charm City Craft Mafia, Baltimore Etsy Street Team, and crafters from all over the Baltimore craft community at School 33, Sunday, December 21st from 10am-5pm. Two floors of local craft, perfect for finding a last minute gift for the lover of handmade and locally grown in your life!
As this is the last fair of the year for most vendors, you might just find some of your favorite items on super discount sale!
Come support local vendors one more time for the year, and help remind yourself how awesome and talented our fair city really is! (so you know, BYO coffee. there won’t be a food vendor at the event).
The Charm City Craft Mafia is urging anyone concerned with both child safety and conscientious consumption to contact their governmental representatives.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which will go into effect on February 10th, 2009, puts forth much more stringent safety measures for products intended for children under the age of 12. Under the very important auspices of child safety, the Act may have grave unintended consequences: fewer choices for families who are looking for handcrafted alternatives. Many of your favorite local artists and craftspeople have expressed fears that they won’t be able stay in business due to the burdensome cost of testing and certification pursuant to the proposed legislation. The Handmade Toy Alliance is urging Congress to rewrite the CPSIA so that toys made in batches of less than 5,000 units per year or manufactured within the USA and trusted countries with established toy safety regimes such as Canada and the European Union be held exempt from third party testing requirements. Such toys could still be subject to random auditing by the CPSC but they are also asking that if testing should still be required, the CPSC should be made to offer free testing services for USA toymakers and importers from Europe or Canada with revenues less than one million dollars.
Visit the Handmade Toy Alliance to learn more about the issues and how you can help by just sending a letter to your Representative or Senator. The Storque also has drafted an open letter regarding the CPSIA. As a venue for handcrafted and vintage items from small entrepreneurs, Etsy has invited the Ombudsman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to join the community in a webchat in their Virtual Lab.
There are a handful of great craft fairs this weekend that we thought you’d like to know about!
Craft Mutiny’s Holiday Trunk Sale:
Baltimore Etsy Street Team’s Holiday Trunk Sale:
Bust’s Holiday Craftacular in NYC:
Not to mention, the MICA art mart, mentioned in the below post, runs through Saturday, and all the local shops are open and ready to help you find gifts galore — without ever setting foot in the mall. Check out all of the Charm City Craft Mafia member shops by clicking on “members” and be sure to visit our friends at Baltimore Etsy Street Team and Craft Mutiny as well! Shop safe, friends, and we hope to see you out at one of this weekend’s events!
We’re thrilled to have plans of doing a little shopping of our own this week in Baltimore! Maryland Institute College of Art is holding it’s annual Art Market from Wednesday thru Saturday in the Brown Center (Which is not actually brown, but instead quite see-thru & looks not unlike a great big beautiful urban iceberg). Find Tons of affordable art on paper & canvas, sculpture, prints, jewelry, fibers and more. Hours are 10am-6pm every day, and the holiday feel is: Hot enough to melt an iceberg.
posted by redprairie on December 4, 2008 at 3:52 pm | Comments (0)
Boy is it a busy weekend coming up! Be sure to come visit craft mafia members at Facets and The Philadelphia Independent Craft Market this Saturday, as well as come watch the amazing and wonderful Maestro Sensational puppet & variety show Saturday night. Then Sunday, get up bright and early to visit us again at Creative Alliance’s annual Merry Mart, Squidfire’s Holiday Art Mart, and if you’re efficient enough, you can finish shopping early, and go to the Mayor’s Christmas Parade in Hampden at 2pm! Here’s a rundown:SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6:
Step aside, tea cozies and clay handprints. Some of the coolest stuff in town is coming out of the region’s burgeoning craft scene. Just in time for the holiday season, Baltimore Magazine’s December 2008 issue features “Made in Baltimore” — an article dedicated to your favorite local crafters (including many Charm City Craft Mafia members!) and the area shops that stock our local goods. Check it out at Baltimore Magazine!
