Posts tagged as:

indie

Save Handmade Toys!

by MissMalaprop on December 23, 2008

Say NO to CPSIA!I’ve been hearing a lot within the indie design community lately about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that was recently passed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) this past August.  This new law came about because of concerns over child safety. (Remember all that lead and other hazardous chemicals found in toys made in China?)  This law aims to protect children under 12 from harmful substances that can be found in toys, furniture and clothing.

Unfortunately the law was written in a way that will make it very hard to continue to buy or sell handmade, as well as vintage or recycled, children’s items within the U.S.  It will basically force every manufacturer (including crafters making things at home to sell) to do expensive testing on every single component of each children’s item they sell.  And the law goes for not only newly made items, but anything made before the law goes into effect (thus impacting vintage & recycled goods).

Connie over at Sweet Figments wrote a really great post on the subject, and she explains a lot of the possible implications this law could have on small business owners and handmade items.  The day this new law will go into effect, February 10th, 2009, has been dubbed “National Bankruptcy Day” by many manufacturers and retailers in the industry both in the U.S. and around the world.

I think it’s important to at the very least educate yourself about how you may be affected by this law.  I think everyone agrees that we need to have laws and standards in place to protect the safety of both our children and ourselves.  It just seems like the lawmakers were very short-sighted in this case and didn’t pause to think about artisan goods for children or the environmental impacts of having to trash all of the pre-existing children’s items that don’t comply with the new regulations.

I feel like there are a lot of problems in general with the way we test for health and safety in this country to begin with and this is just another example.  (Another example would be how bottled water is often much less regulated than tap water, and can often contain significantly more toxins than tap water, which is very strictly regulated.)

Please check out this issue.  If you want to take action, here are some resources found at Connie’s blog:

Sign the petition.

Vote for Change at Change.org.

The Handmade Toy Alliance has provided a sample letter and listed contact info for your Congress Person and Senators.

National Bankruptcy Day Site.

Write to man who sponsored this bill and send him an item of yours that will be illegal to sell after Feb 9th, 2009 in protest. http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5949146

Bobby L. Rush (D)
Washington Office
2416 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
phone: 202-225-4372
fax: 202-226-0333

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things I love Thursday

by MissMalaprop on December 4, 2008

Twitter - I put off signing up for Twitter for a very long time.  I think because I was afraid of getting totally hooked.  Which of course I did as soon as I signed up last weekend.  I’ve become a little, shall we say, obsessed.  If you’re a Twitter-phile too, you can check me out here.

Dance Dance Party Party - I kept hearing about this amazing girls-only-get-your-groove-on phenomenon and decided I wanted to help get one of these started here in New Orleans.  No DDPP NOLA until after the first of the year, but we have a tentative kick-off date & time for a late-night version at Z’otz on Oak Street, Saturday January 10, 2009 from midnight til 2am.  If all goes well, hopefully we can make that a monthly thing there, and I’ve also got a tentative location in Metairie for a regular weekend afternoon DDPP.  Let me know if you’re interested in joining in the fun or helping with organizing and promoting!

button scarves at Loup Scarves - These cute hand-knit wool scarves are short and sweet, just the way I like a scarf.  (The neckwarmers I make are a similar style… long scarves just get in my way!) These are made by Yulia in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and she also makes cute hats and longer scarves for guys and girls. Check out her Etsy shop, where she’s offering free U.S. shipping for the holidays.

the Stuff You Should Know podcast & HowStuffWorks.com - I came across this podcast recently on iTunes, as it’s one of the most popular audio podcasts there. And no wonder why! It’s totally addictive for someone like me who loves learning and random trivia. The site is equally addictive. There’s more information than you could ever want to know, on just about anything you could possibly want to know!

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Paraphernalia Victoriana Collection

by MissMalaprop on December 2, 2008

This just in… The lovely and amazing Paraphernalia just launched a competition to help her come up with the stories behind the lovely ladies of her new Victoriana Collection.

All you have to do is write a short back-story (a paragraph or so) for one or more of these fair ladies, and if she picks your story, you’ll win a $30 gift voucher for each story that is chosen. The winning stories will also be featured in the product descriptions and press releases of the collection (with full credits and links back to you)! All you need to do is leave a comment on her blog, her Flickr, or e-mail her at bonmots [AT] paraphernalia.nu. She’s only accepting stories until Saturday, December 6, 2008 so hurry hurry!

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eco-friendly, handmade and fair trade boutiques

by MissMalaprop on November 25, 2008

Geez, there are just so many amazing new shops stocking eco-friendly fashions, handmade gifts and fair trade goods that I’m having trouble keeping up with them all!  It is nice though that this is starting to feel a little more like the norm than a passing trend.

Equita is a Pittsburgh based company with both a webshop and a brick & mortar boutique stocking the best in ethical fashion, organic body care and sustainable home decor.  They are one of only a few American companies currently carrying FIN, a Norwegian brand whose Fall/Winter collection features non-violent silk which is grown in the wild, and handpicked and handspun by artisans.  One of their pieces is this gorgeous zippered dressEquita also carries other well-known eco-labels such as Edun, Loomstate and Del Forte.

Camilla Boutique is another eco-friendly shop located in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill neighborhood. Founded by Camilla Ares after she became disillusioned with the unsustainable practices plaguing much of the fashion industry, Camilla Boutique stocks green clothing and accessories, as well as goods for kids and the home. Camilla also offers an online store, so that that individuals who can’t make it to Brooklyn will still have a chance to buy beautiful eco-friendly clothes.

If you’re shopping for eco-conscious and socially responsible Hanukkah gifts this season, check out the Spertus Shop at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies.  They’ve got some really great products, like these wooden crocodile-shaped menorahs, which are handmade and finished with non-toxic milk paint by special needs adults in Israel.

And for those of you up north, be sure to try goodEGG industries and their eclectic mix of gift ideas, all handmade by Canadian artists. This shop was founded in May 2008 by two Toronto-based craft bloggers: Laural of Thimble, and Jen of the Toronto Craft Alert, who I had the pleasure of meeting during Craft Congress 2007. Their shop has a curated selection of fabulous products, such as this awesome moose antler ring.

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Indiesmiles - indie shopping coupon site

by MissMalaprop on November 12, 2008

Indiesmiles is a brand new coupon site for indie shopping online, brought to you by the same folks who put together the  Etsy For Animals street team’s Artists Helping Animals Birthday Bash this past September. As part of the birthday bash, Sue and El coordinated a 20% coupon promotion involving over 180 different Etsy shops. After the success of that event, they were inspired to take things one step further, just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Indiesmiles offers three levels of promotional services to indie business owners and artists who would rather concentrate on their creations than on marketing and promoting sales.  Starting at less than $5 (for a limited time) for a two week campaign, all levels of service include advertising, attractive promotional graphics, and step by step instructions.  Customers shopping for handmade items at a discount will be able to shop by category and will enjoy the ease of using their uniform coupon system.

El and Sue first got the idea for Indiesmiles during their efforts to help animals, so of course they wanted to bring their passion for animal welfare to Indiesmiles as well. The site features a completely free service called Our Smiles for the Animals, which features products where 100% of the proceeds are donated to animals charities around the world. In addition, 10% of the gross proceeds from Indiesmiles are donated to animal charities every month.

There are so many reasons to shop indie this holiday season… with coupon sites like this one, there’s no excuse not to buy handmade for the holidays!

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discounts & deals at Modish Marketplace

by MissMalaprop on November 7, 2008

Jena from Modish emailed me recently to let me know about her money-saving new project called the Modish Marketplace.  Think of it as a coupon site for all things indie and handmade.  The Modish Marketplace is loaded with deals and discounts ranging from 10-20% off to free shipping to free gifts included with orders for all sorts of cool indie shopping.

There are so many amazing indie designers participating (90 different shops in November alone!), and I’ve already discovered a few sites that were totally new to me.  Zanisa is an awesome online boutique found in the eco-friendly section, and Enju is a cool indie clothing & handbag company based in Dallas, Texas.

Jena is a huge supporter of indie artists & designers and she created the Modish Marketplace to help give these shops a more competitive edge with the big box stores and encourage people to buy handmade & indie goods this year instead.  Go check it out and remember to buy handmade this holiday season!

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Alice in Wonderland corset

by MissMalaprop on November 5, 2008

I stumbled across this Alice in Wonderland corset on Etsy yesterday by accident and immediately fell in love.  The price is really reasonable for a custom made steel-boned corset at only $130, and it’s just gorgeous.

The designer, Inge, creates amazing costumes and steampunk inspired clothing.  She’s got some fabulous bustle skirts as well as other cool corsets.  Check out more of her work at NightBird Designs.

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Every Little Counts Fall Sale

by MissMalaprop on November 5, 2008

Indie t-shirt designer Amy Snider of Every Little Counts wrote in to give me the top secret scoop on her post-election fall sale.  The sale prices go into effect today.

Amy designs romantic, sophisticated shirts for modern girls.  I absolutely love her work.  You can find out more about Amy and her designs in the interview I did with her back in August for the StyleList blog.

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Shopflick giveaway - Buddy t-shirt from Violet Valen

by MissMalaprop on October 31, 2008

Shopflick is this amazing new site for finding indie designers and eco-friendly fashion.  Imagine Etsy, YouTube, and Amazon all rolled up into one. If you’re like me, and you love learning more about designers and where they get their inspiration, Shopflick is the perfect shopping portal for you.  They’ve already got some of my favorite brands such as Envirosax, Poketo, Ric Rac Clothing, and The Battalion Eco Couture.

One designer I found on Shopflick who was new to me is Violet Valen.  This LA-based designer transforms basic boring hoodies into these amazing one-of-a-kind couture Buddy sweatshirts.  Every one is unique and handcrafted, but they all feature the cuddly teddy bear known as Buddy.  Violet got such great feedback on her sweatshirts that she was inspired to create an adorable Buddy t-shirt:

The awesome folks at Shopflick have offered up one of these cute tees to one lucky reader! All you have to do to enter to win a Violet Valen Buddy t-shirt (size medium) is leave a comment on this post before midnight on Friday, November 14, 2008 (Central Standard Time - go here to figure out what time that is where you are). The winner will be chosen at random from the comments and notified via e-mail.

Speaking of giveaways, there’s still time to enter for a shot at my copy of the new book, Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season.  Just leave a comment on the post I made about it here.  You’ve got until tomorrow, November 1, 2008.

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Gaia Conceptions eco-friendly clothing

by MissMalaprop on October 24, 2008

My friend Liz and I have been lusting over the eco-friendly handmade clothing at Gaia Conceptions lately.  It seems like every time she comes over we end up gushing about how much we love all of the clothes.

Everything at Gaia Conceptions is designed, sewn, and dyed by artist Andrea using certified organic and eco-friendly fabrics.  Andrea custom creates each piece based on the individual customer’s size and color choices.

It’s really impossible to choose a favorite piece, but at the top of my list are the French Instructor dress, the Forever Young long dress, and the Kangaroo Pouch hooded t-shirt.

Seriously, this dress in either Eggplant or Rain Cloud = top of my holiday wish list.

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