Other Parts of the Internets

I haven't posted much of late, this week was finals and I'm preparing for a trip to Japan, stay tuned for post from the Land of the Rising Sun.

First, a little cool site,OwnTheHour.com. Its a site for Etsians to advertise on the cheap, and it seems to be pulling in plenty of hits. Check it out to support the site and maybe even get some advertising for your self!

Secondly, an issue that's been kicking around the forums. The CPSIA, a legislation intended to protect children from lead exposure. The idea is good and noble, but the requirements would be difficult for many small producers.

Anyone who makes anything for children under twelve would need to have a sample from each line third-party certified. So, if you buy fabric tested by the manufacturer, and make say, a bunch of shirts and a bunch of pants, you would have to have one shirt AND one pair of pants tested. For people making small runs that's hardly economical anyway. But a number kicked around for third-party testing-$3000. Even if that's a baseline, cheaper options would still run in the several hundred dollars. Effectively, all small producers, one-of-a-kind makers, and cottage industries would be shut out if this measure were inforced fully.

So go checkout this site, write your congressmen, call the agency to bitch, and generally make a stink about it. Your handmade kids brethren will thank you.
And here, for no particular reason, is the worlds oldest known LOL Cat.