At some point you have to stop and focus. . .

When I first found out that I was pregnant I started sewing. I liked that baby clothes were small and I could finish a few pieces in a short amount of time. I also liked baby quilts for the same reason. As my little guy grew I branched out into other sewing projects such as wall hangings, purses, tote bags, coffee cup snuggies, coin purses, and then went back to more baby things such as burp cloths, changing pads and wash cloths. The CPSIA laws put a kink in my idea of making/selling baby items even though there's a stay on the testing I need to read up and see exactly what is allowed and expected at the moment before I go making and selling again. I 'think' that it's just a matter of using materials from the approved list and then tagging the items as per CPSIA and FTC regulations.

My history is full of art and my favorite courses were those taken to pursue a certificate from NCC in Computer Graphics. I LOVE Photoshop & Illustrator. I love fixing old photos and making holiday cards but there are so many people out there it's a saturated market much like baby items were before CPSIA changes last year. I still do some web design/updating and play around whenever possible though to keep my skills sharp.

My love of crafts was helpful when I got married since I was able to make my center pieces and favors which included candles poured by me. I've often thought that making favors and such would be an awesome job but dealing with Bridezillas concerned me. It's easy too and I'd feel silly charging someone for such easy work but at the same time some people can't boil water so heaven forbid they attempt to melt wax.

Candle making on the back burner (pun not intended) I most recently became interested in soaping since candle and soap makers tend to interact in the same crafting circles. I like soaping though patience is not a virtue of mine and waiting 6-8 weeks for a bar of soap to cure is agony. I do love the idea of homemade soap and love being able to give it to people and say, "Hey, I made that!". Now that the holidays are over with I can get back into soaping and I have pounds of lye and pounds of oils and butters so I'm good to go.

In the continued search for SAHM jobs I decided to do something that would actually save me a little money and became a mark. rep. I LOVE make-up and frequent Sephora's website daily to check out the latest trends and products. Mark. bases a lot of their products on higher-end cosmetics so it saves me money and may even eventually be a slight income for me if I actually take the time to try that. I am having my first party the end of the month to see what I can do with it.

And thus my dilemma...I have so many ideas on what to do to take advantage of my time at home in between doing mom and wife stuff but I bounce from craft to craft and project to project. It's also worth making each month dedicated to one thing so I can devote time to just one thing.

For today I'm spending my time on the couch while I drink tea and relax since there's something going around and it got me. . .but then again in my mind I'm thinking of projects at the sewing machine and the soap recipe I finalized that I'd love to test out.

CPSIA. . .

The fun of crafting is seeing the final product. Even better than that is seeing the look on someone's face when you give it to them. The worst part is having the authorities come after you for making the quilt for your friend's baby and not having tested it according to the CPSIA's laws or tagging it as required by the FTC and CPSIA.

I stopped keeping up with the CPSIA laws because they aggravated me. It seems that some testing has been delayed another year but other testing the the tagging must be done presently in order to sell your products. With all of the dangerous items coming out of China they need to focus on imports rather than what Granny's making and giving her friend's daughter or selling at the craft fair.

I just needed to vent a sec because I REALLY wanted to focus on making children's items but there's no way I can keep up with the laws. I need to research because I 'think' my burp cloths may be okay since the individual pieces are okay but I thought quilts would be in the same boat and I've read differently. So confusing. . . I need a CPSIA for Dummies website.


I spent the afternoon crafting baby items and while it felt great it also saddened me because I don't know if I'll be able to sell them as originally planned. UGH

New Year & New Start

So with a new year of possibilities and hopes I sat down at the sewing machine last week to organize. Everything cleaned up and in its place and ready to go. New ideas for burp cloths and soaping ingredients sitting and waiting to be used. It's a beautiful thing indeed!

My goal is to make something new every week...so what will this week's project be? Check back later to find out. :)