BeeBlog

New Stuff!

2009-05-18T21:44:40Z

Check out my sweet new screen-prints! Available in my etsy store.

Swag, swag, swag, swag, swag!*

2009-04-18T12:52:12Z

*(you should totally be singing that to the tune of the Spam song from Monty Python)

Here are some photos of my contribution to the Spring Bada-Bing! Swag Bags:

The first 2 photos are my stuff, and the third are the cute pocket mirrors sent to me from Promos in a Snap.

If you're one of the first 200 shoppers this Sunday at 11am, you will get a fantabulous swag bag full of goodies like this.

And if you're a vendor, you'll get one too & it will definitely have a pocket mirror in it. But not the mirror in the lower right with the crazy-eyed bird and the wacky beaver, because I totally stole that one for myself. I am a bad person. Nah Nah Nah.

Look Ma, I'm on the TeeVee!

2009-04-17T00:20:37Z

Yeppers, yours truly will be on Virginia This Morning on Friday April 17th demo-ing easy DIY wedding crafts and pimping Spring Bada-Bing.

Tune in and laugh at me!

Volunteer at Spring Bada Bing

2009-03-17T12:05:07Z

Spring Bada Bing, the boss of all craft shows needs YOU to volunteer! The show is on Sunday, April 19th and there are three jobs available:

1) 8-10am- Load-in: helping vendors load-in... and assisting them in any way possible! This is an active job which will require being outdoors some of the time.

2)10am-5pm- Show volunteer: Handing out swag bags and programs, sitting at booths while vendors take a much needed break, etc. You don't need to be available for the entire day, just let us know when you'd like to help!

3) 5-6pm- Load-out: Helping vendors pack it in, breaking down some tables, general helpfulness, etc.

Overlap into two categories is totally fine, and you don't need to be available for the entire slot!

Want to volunteer? Email Jackie@RichmondCraftMafia.com with your name, email address, phone number, and the time slot you would like, and we'll see you at the show!

Oh, and did we mention that every volunteer gets first dibs on our awesome SBB *Swag Bags?* Must have slipped our minds... :)

Update on Sen. Demint's CPSIA Relief Bill

2009-02-06T01:16:00Z

S.374
Title: A bill to amend the Consumer Product Safety Act to provide regulatory relief to small and family-owned businesses.

Sponsor: Sen DeMint, Jim [SC] (introduced 2/4/2009) Cosponsors (3)

Latest Major Action: 2/4/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Here are the members of the committee, if you live in these states call your Senator and urge them to support this legislation! Don't let it die in committee!

Chairman John D. Rockefeller, IV (WV)
Daniel K. Inouye (HI)
John F. Kerry (MA)
Byron L. Dorgan (ND)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Bill Nelson (FL)
Maria Cantwell (WA)
Frank R. Lautenberg (NJ)
Mark Pryor (AR)
Claire McCaskill (MO)
Amy Klobuchar (MN)
Tom Udall (NM)
Mark Warner (VA)
Mark Begich (AK)

Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
Olympia J. Snowe (ME)
John Ensign (NV)
Jim DeMint (SC)
John Thune (SD)
Roger Wicker (MS)
Johnny Isakson (GA)
David Vitter (LA)
Sam Brownback (KS)
Mel Martinez (FL)
Mike Johanns (NE)

Call Your Senators!

2009-02-05T03:08:06Z

Senator Jim Demint of South Carolina will soon be introducing legislation to amend the CPSIA.

Please take a few minutes to call both your Senators and ask them to support this legislation. It won't get anywhere without wide bi-partisan support.

Remember, phone calls are 1000 times more effective than an email, so don't be shy! If a phone-phobe like me can do it, you sure as hell can too.

Senator Demint to Introduce Legislation to Amend the CPSIA

2009-02-02T13:03:15Z

This was posted on a boutique cafe blog post by Senator DeMint's staffer:

Tom Jones Comment from Heather Flottman's Blog
Heather's full post- http://www.boutiquecafe.com/home/2009/01/31/2188/

Heather- you hit the nail on the head here.
First an introduction. I'm Senator DeMint's staffer that handles the CPSC issues for him. A couple quick things.
If your readers could:

1) Call their Senator Monday and let them know that the problems with the CPSIA still exist. There are still liabilities issues out there, its not clear yet what retailers reaction to the order will be (its great to not have to test for a year but if no one will sell your goods that a bit of a hollow victory), PIRG is going to sue to overturn the order and the order doesn’t do anything to deal with State AGs. And of course all the problems come back full-bore in a year. Please try to impress these things on your Senator’s office.

2) When you are on the phone with the office make a very specific [request]. Let them know you want the Senator to co-sponsor the DeMint bill. Have their staff contact me. (I work on the Commerce Committee and my email is in the “Global Email Directory.” (they’ll know what that is) I can also be called through the DeMint front office phone line which is 4-6121.) Also let the person on the phone that you’d like a written response on whether the Senator will co-sponsor issue. Finally say thanks for talking to you. The person who answers the phone has the lowest job on the Congressional totem pole and when the phones get hot it can be very stressful. Throwing a little sunlight their way helps.

The main line for Congress is 202-224-3121. Tell the operator which state you are from and ask to speak to one of your Senators. Once you’re done with that, hang up and do it again with the other Senator.

Thanks again for all your help with this. If it wasn’t for you guys being so engaged on this issue, it wouldn’t be moving like it is.

Tom

And thus it begins again!

2009-02-01T15:21:01Z

I can't believe it's Spring Bada-Bing time again already! This means we will have been in our house a year in March. Wow, time does fly!

Anyhoo, for you crafty peeps out there who want to throw down at SBB 09, applications are open through March 6th. Get to it!

Oh thank God.

2009-01-31T04:34:29Z

So, unless Congressman Waxman has an apoplectic fit, I think we all have a one year stay of execution.

http://cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09115.html

But that's all it is: this law still needs to be radically redefined in order to be both reasonable and enforceable. Keep at it, guys.

Wow.

2009-01-30T13:10:47Z

Possibly THE best CPSIA-related blog I have come across. He really hits home everything that is wrong with this law.

http://learningresourcesinc.blogspot.com/

CPSIA Blog-In

2009-01-28T12:31:56Z

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect children from lead-contaminated toys?

The answer: they're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on February 10th, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television!

Article from the American Library Association

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed redundant and uneccessary lead testing. And it no longer will be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making the testing of one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter. That's ok, there's always Walmart!

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the retro-active nature of the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away, despite the fact that this law did not exist when these items were made. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second-hand. Although they are not required to test items, thrift stores are still liable if an item they sell is not compliant with this new law. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur and Small Businessperson:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America!

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs plus the loss of revenues from suppliers who sell to the effected businesses. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake and will force thousands and thousands of small stores, home-based businesses, and online shops to close.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many quality European manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please contact your elected officials and the CPSC. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

Find your elected officials by entering your zipcode on http://www.senate.gov/ and http://www.house.gov/

Contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at: http://www.cpsc.gov/about/contact.html

Today is the CPSIA Blog-In. If you have a blog and you care about this issue, please re-post this information!

Make Your Voice Heard-- there's no time to lose!!

2009-01-28T00:24:16Z

(Re-posted from LittlePeanutShop's blog)

February 10 is drawing closer, but there is still time to voice your concerns about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) to Congress and the national media. With so little time left, it's important that we use only the most effective means of communications: the phone.

Forget about email. Forget about letters. Those take too long to be processed and are easily ignored.

It's much harder to ignore or set aside a real person. And if we all make a few phone calls, we'll be speaking with one very loud voice. The more pressure we put on our representatives the more likely they are to work for change.

Below, you'll find list of phone numbers to help get you started. The representatives listed are folks who, if persuaded by some very vocal constituents, might be able to help sway Congressman Henry Waxman. Of course, you'll also want to contact your own representative.

Congressman Howard Berman - Southern California (818) 994-7200
Senator Diane Feinstein - California (310) 914-7300
Senator Patrick Leahy - Vermont (802) 863-2525 or (802) 229-0569
Congresswoman Hilda Solis - 32nd District, California (323) 307-9904 or (626) 448-1271
Congresswoman Maxine Waters - 35th District, California (323) 757-8900 or (310) 642-4610
Congresswoman Diane Watson - 33rd District, California 323-965-1422
Congressman Bobby Rush - 1st District, Illinois 773-224-6500 or 708-385-9550
Congressman Henry Waxman - 30th District, California (323) 651-1040 or (202) 225-3976

Let's not forget about the media! Here are a few numbers of some national media sources that we should all be calling (again, forget about press releases, emails and letters). Ask them if they've heard about CPSIA and how it is going to devastate American small businesses, share your own story and urge them to cover this issue!

CNN - 404 - 827-1500
Associated Press - 212-621-1500
New York Tim es - 888-NYT-NEWS
Wall Street Jour nal -1-800-369-2834

Still looking for information on CPSIA and how you can help? Check out Reform CPSIA.

15 days until the death of handmade

2009-01-25T16:55:17Z

Well, maybe if not "death," then at least "long dark coma."

On February 10th, legislation called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) will go into effect, requiring that all products made for, marketed to or even just "appealing" to children 12 and under must undergo third-party lead testing in order to be sold in the USA.

I put all in bold because, as this law is currently written, they really do mean all.

All toys of any kind (or anything that looks like toy), whether they are made in China by Mattel or right here in the USA by a single mom in her kitchen.

All children's books and educational supplies.

All children's clothing & accessories.

All children's furniture and wall decor.

Anything and everything imaginable that is produced for the use of anyone under 13 years old.

Now, I support the idea that kid's toys should be lead-free. That's a given. I also support the idea that the corporations that violated the public's trust by importing dangerous toys from overseas should be held accountable for those actions and be subject to stricter regulation.

What is deeply wrong with this law is that, instead of focusing on the problem area (ie: toys and items with metal or painted surfaces that could have lead content), they are requiring that everyone who makes anything for children pay to have each and every item tested, no matter how small their business is or how unlikely their item is to contain lead.

Teddy bear? Yep, gotta test it.

You sell knitted baby hats made out of organic yarn? Yep, sorry, gotta test it.

You publish children's books? Yep, gotta test them all. (Even though they all use the same materials!)

You sell art prints that might go in a nursery? Yep, you gotta test 'em.

Seriously, people, as of the time I am writing this post, children's books & art prints are included, despite the fact that paper and printing ink are highly unlikely to contain lead!

The tests required for certification under this act range from $300 - $4000 per item, and must be completed each time you manufacture a batch.

That means if I get 1 print made for an Etsy order that is technically a batch. (So really I would have to get 2, so that one could be sent away and tested because the lab test destroys the item.)

Let's say the test is on the "cheap side" at $300.

So now my digital prints which I currently sell for $15, would cost you $315 so that you can be assured by the US government that they are lead free.

Of that $315, approximately $8 would be my profit from the sale.

But all of this talk of cost is moot, because the few labs currently certified by the CPSC to do these tests won't even deal with a business as small as mine. They only deal with the Hasbro's and the Fischer-Price's of the world.

So, as you can see, this bill will put most small producers and independent artisans who make anything for children out of business, not because they have unsafe products, but simply because they cannot access or afford expensive and redundant testing to prove otherwise.

And, ironically, the only toy producers still in business? The ones who started this mess in the first place, because they are the only ones producing at a volume which can absorb such an expense.

Please write, call or fax your representaives and urge them to postpone the implementation of this law until the effects on small businesses can be fully considered.

There is a CPSC public comment period on the issue of component (supply) testing versus unit (finished product) testing open until January 30th:

Comments can be e-mailed to Sec102ComponentPartsTesting [!at] cpsc.gov or visit www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html
Comments can be faxed to 301-504-0127
Comments can be mailed to: Office of the Secretary / Consumer Product Safety Commission / Room 502 / 4330 East-West Highway / Bethesda, Maryland / 20814
All comments should be captioned "Section 102 Mandatory Third-Party Testing of Component Parts."
Act soon. The public comment period ends Jan. 30.

There is a dedicated voicemail line for the Congressional Commerce Committee: 202-225-4434

You can locate your elected officials by entering your zipcode here: www.house.gov/ & here: www.senate.gov/

I also urge you to write the Consumer Product Safety Commission: www.cpsc.gov/about/contact.html

And if you are feeling extra sassy, please write or call the office of Congressman Henry Waxman, as he is the genius behind this bill and the one with the authority to call a hearing about it (which currently he is refusing to do, despite the outcry from small businesses, because he is an utter turd).

Site update coming soon....after turkey.

2008-11-25T23:29:45Z

All you fine folks who saw my new work at Holiday Heap & Merry Market, well, I can tell you that I will be putting a whole bunch of it up on Etsy after I come out of my Turkey Coma on Thursday. And, if all goes according to plan, I will update beeskneesstudio.com on Saturday or Sunday. So stay tuned!

Gobble gobble!

Best Cake Topper. EVER.

2008-09-03T01:46:41Z

So, since the Sparkly Orange Bird was the goofy beginning of our matrimonial story, we thought it would be super cute to have the same artist (the fabulous Jenny of bubbletime.etsy.com) create a cake topper of equally silly proportions. And she succeeded with flying colors. Just look at this crazy thing:

Seriously, how can you not smile?

And it sounds as though my mom has truly outdone herself with the cake she selected: it sounds like it will match the spirit of the Sparkly Birds very nicely. But you'll have to wait for pictures of that...even I don't know what it looks like! Ooooh, surprises!

More progress!

2008-08-31T23:35:32Z

Not done, but certainly dress-shaped:

When finished, it will be shortened to show the crinoline. There is also a jacket and a sash, but one thing at a time!

Calling Richmond, VA Crafters!

2008-08-30T15:12:39Z

Woot!

The Richmond Craft Mafia is partnering with the Visual Arts Center to present a juried Holiday craft show featuring local talent!

The show will be December 12th & 13th at the Visual Art Center.

Click here to go to the online application.

The deadline to apply is September 22nd, so get to it!

Dress Progress!...And how much I hate turning things rightside out.

2008-08-26T01:38:12Z

A few cryptic pics of dress progress for you, since I love how the pieces of a garment are one weird mobius strip until like the last 3 steps....

E.T. phone home!

This pattern has lots of those fun little tiny pieces that you sew almost all the way around and then flip them right side out. Joy. Let me tell ya, it may not be a proper sewing notion, but a chopstick is reeeeal handy for this...

And when you've turned this piece right-side out you've made...a bunny?!?

OK, and one that actual shows some features of a recognizable garment!

No lie: the bodice of this dress has 18 pieces. What was I thinking?

My Handmade Wedding: Do-it-Yourself Invitations (AKA Death by Cuteness!)

2008-08-23T17:09:06Z

OK, now I knew wedding stuff was expensive, but wow I had serious sticker shock with invitations. Luckily, we both were pretty into the idea of making our own anyway!

We started with a very basic but tasteful invitation kit that I could run through my printer. I was really excited to find something that was a)cream rather than blind-you-instantly white and b) did not have bells, flowers, bows, rings, glitter or fake gilding. Blech. It was unbelievable how many tacky kits were out there!

To make it special, one-of-a-kind, and (most importantly) really, really cute, I commissioned a special double version of Etsy seller craftpudding's adorable "loving squirrel" stamp.

We bought some decorative papers and flower-shaped scrap-booking brads at the craft store, stamped the squirrels onto the nice paper, cut them out and attached them to the invites with the little flower brads. Voila! In the time it took to watch Sense & Sensibility for the umpteenth time, we had made 100 of the cutest invitations ever. I even got a little extra artsy and added a coordinating flower brad to the RSVP card.

70 reasons why you haven't heard from me lately

2008-08-11T03:09:04Z

The first 38 reasons can be seen here, occupying every flat surface of my studio.

These are thirty eight 5" paintings I am doing for a children's art & furniture manufacturer. They will end up as 6" stretched canvases which will be introduced at a trade show in September. Fingers crossed that they will be a success!

The other 32 reasons are right here:

Yeppers, 32 pieces of fabric, lining, contrast bands and interfacing that will eventually be a wedding dress. Wish me luck!

Bizarre Market at Joe's Inn!

2008-08-03T16:16:23Z

There will be a very special Bizarre Market this Saturday August 9th

from 11-4 pm on the 200 block of North Shields (outside of JOE'S INN).

This market will be held in conjunction with ART 180's Jonny Z Festival during which they
will be unveiling the mural project they have been working on.

The day will include many festivities including a moon bounce, live music, raffle drawings,
and sounds from WRIR.

Not to mention the best in arts and crafts that local artists have to offer!

Come on out, shop local and support Art 180!

My Handmade Wedding, Part One: How to Get Your Man to Propose and Part Two: The Fruits of Your Labor

2008-07-11T20:55:30Z

OK, so I've been meaning to blog the progress of my very DIY wedding and, let's just say, I'm a little slow in getting around to it. Well, better late than never...

Part the First: How to Get Your Man to Propose

Buy him a sparkly orange bird from bubbletime.etsy.com!*

Well, that's what I did anyway. I had no idea they were imbued with magical pop-the-question vibes! And to all those nay-sayers who say it was mere coincidence that I gave him this on the very same night the M-word was mentioned, well I say "poo!" to you.

*OK, so Ryan really likes this stuff. Your results may vary.

Part the Second: The Fruits of your Labor

I'm not the kind of girl who wears jewelery on a regular basis (in fact, I am more apt to be found wearing a goofy felt pin of some sort), so knew I wanted a really unique engagement ring. Also, since we were just about to buy a house, I definitely did not want the whole 2 month's salary thing (not to mention the ethical issues involving diamonds). So, with the help of the ladies of Richmond Craft Mafia, we trolled Etsy and IndieFixx for a fun, pretty, and affordable ring. I fell in love with this ring by ornametal right away, but I kept looking just so I didn't pick the first thing I saw.

Turns out, after a week of searching, I realized it was the very one I wanted. (Funny, we did almost the same thing when we bought our house: we bought one we fell in love with the first day out!)

Start savin'!

2008-03-28T13:51:50Z

I don't know about you, but I am really excited about doing some shopping at this year's Spring Bada-Bing! Oh, yeah I almost forgot: will be vending as well. :)

Make sure to mark it on your calendar, save your dollars and come visit me and over 60 other indie craft vendors from all over the region, it's gonna be a rockin' show!

Movin' on up...

2008-02-06T03:07:23Z

...to a deluxe craft blog in the sky.

Richmond Craft Mafia's "I Heart Craft" event (and thusly my graphic for it) was featured on the craftzine.com blog!

Neat-o!