Introducing... Sugarplumkinbaby!

1. What is your DaWanda Shop name? SugarPlumkinBaby
2. What is your DaWanda shop URL? http://www.en.dawanda.com/sugarplumkinbaby
3. When did you open your DaWanda shop? I opened this shop on January 21, 2008
4. Are you in the DaWanda shop directory? Not yet.
5. What category are you under? I am in DaWanda under Baby/Children category under Textiles.
6. What do you sell? I sell baby blankets that are made out of all minky which is a type of polyester and it is the softest fabric out there. I also sell baby blankets made out of 100% cotton or cotton chenille and almost always they are backed with minky. Burp cloths are another item that I currently sale.
7. Describe 2 of your curent products: Currently I have a several different blankets on display.

My favorite is the Mod Dot Baby Blanket. It is a minky blanket featuring mod dots in pink,brown and green on a white background and the reverse side is done in pink minky dot. I love how the pink and green look with brown. Here in the US, those colors seem to be in style.

The other blanket is a Paisley Blanket in Blue. This one has a paisley and pineapple design in brown against a light blue background and the reverse side is done in light blue minky dot. Again, I like the brown against a lighter color. The design on this blanket is sophisticated, but yet very modern and trendy.

Both of these blankets measure approximately 30 inches by 36 inches and are super soft. Babies love how the softness of this blanket feels against their skin, and no matter how many times these blankets get washed, they don't lose their softness.



8. Tell me about you: My name is Lucy and I live in Los Angeles, Ca. US. I am 28 years old and I have been making blankets for the last three years. As a child I was not very creative and I never liked art. As I got older I learned to become more creative and I even started making my own greeting cards and gifts. Whenever I had to give out a baby gift, I found myself lost in the teddy bear and rubber ducky motifs. That's when I decided to start making my own. I searched and searched for the right fabrics, until I found what I really liked. I learned that I am attracted to reproduction vintage and retro prints by Michael Miller, Alexander Henry, and Amy Butler, as well as minky and chenille. These types of fabrics remind me of my own childhood. I currently work as a nanny for a wonderful family with three girls and one more on the way!

I have been married for almost two years, but no children yet. I have Bachelors degree in Humanities with a minor in Italian. I took extra courses and got certified as a Forensic Specialist, but after working on my interniship at the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office for a year, I decided that working with children and creating pretty things that make people happy, was more rewarding than working there. Babies usually get attached to something and most of the time it is their blanket, whenever one of my blankets becomes a babies favorite, that just makes me feel so good inside.

9. Do you have a website or a blog? I do not have either one right now. I am planning on getting my own website, but first I must take professional pictures of my products.

How to Browse the Directory of DaWanda Shops

It's simple; use the link on the right hand panel of this blog, called 'DaWanda Shop Directory Links' and you will be sent straight to the directory. Once you are there you can view the shops in 2 different ways; firstly by category and secondly by scrolling through the posted shops. Once you have found someone you like follow the links to there store!

You can return to the Directory Blog at anytime by pressing the link on the top right hand panel.

Enjoy your shopping!

Sara x

I need to find a Helper to moderate one of the DaWanda groups!

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for some much needed help... Are any of you on Indiepublic regularly? If so can you spare a once a month trip to the DaWanda group there to help moderate?

What does that entail? Well I need someone to welcome new members, and reply to new forum threads, delete very old threads, delete negative or unDaWanda related posts by the occasional Spammer... In return I will add your page link to the introduction to the group, so that people know who you are and where to find you.

If you are interested can you please post a message at
http://indiepublic.ning.com/group/dawanda/forum/topic/show?id=946391%3ATopic%3A416186

Thank you,
Sara xx

Check out our DaWanda ‘How tos’

As a community we have already written a great number of guides and how tos to make you DaWanda experience a better one. If you would like to check them out, press this link… http://dawandashopdirectory.blogspot.com/search/label/How%20to%2Fguides

Written by Sara of http://en.dawanda.com/shop/sarastexturecrafts

Introducing... Maribel Made!

1. DaWanda Shop Name: Maribel Made
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://maribel.dawanda.com/
3. When did you open your shop? Maribel Made was founded January 2008
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Yep, http://dawandashopdirectorylinks.blogspot.com/
5. What Category are you under? Boutique (mixed product)
6. What do you sell? I sell stuffed animals, hats and earrings at the moment. Basically, whatever I make goes into my shop so it'll be a variety of work. I consider them my works of art. 7. Describe 2 of your current products.

Two of my favorite and most distinguishable products are a stuffed whale and a hat you can wear two different ways.

Jebby the Whale was painstakingly designed from the ground up. Trying to imagine a 3d figure in your head and applying it to a pattern was hard. I made about 6 iterations of the pattern and what I came up with in the end was a lovely baby sperm whale. He is sewn on a limited edition, vintage Scalamandré print called Pompeii. The fabric consists of 80% cotton and 20% silk. Materials used to make him are glazed satin, white acrylic felt, polyester fiberfill, glass eye and eye hook. Jebby the Whale is a Physeter Cathodon.

The second item is a hat I called the Britney Hat. This one took me a while to get just right. I was going for the sexy trilby hat you see so much on celebrities in Hollywood. To complement the contrasting color band I crocheted a flower called the Bourbon Rose, designed by Megan Mills (see rosehowto on http://megan.cc/). The hat serves two purposes. It can be worn as either a sexy trilby hat or a cute bucket hat! I personally love this hat and I'll definitely be making one for myself.




8. Tell me a bit about you...

My name is Maribel Castellanos and I'm an artist living in London. I began making stuffed animals, hats and earrings at the end of 2007 because I needed an escape from much work in graphic and web design. At the time, I lived in a small place in Seattle, WA in the US and I lacked the space needed to paint or do large-scale drawings, so I looked to the small things I could make in our living room. I moved to London soon after and I had the opportunity to dedicate myself to my art full-time.

My work is focused on "Small Things" and represents the things I can make with my hands. The items I have on display are only a few of the things I love to do. I'm very versatile, but the thing I love to do the most is draw. I also look forward to transforming some of my drawings into digital artworks and paintings.

Art, fashion and music are a huge influence for me and I can spend long hours contemplating new ideas and plucking away tirelessly to the sounds of the right music.

9. Do you have a website, or blog?

I just started a blog to promote my work. See, MaribelMade.com. It's still in the works, but in time it will look more like a real blog. I plan to update it with works in progress and thoughts related to design, art and possibly music.

Promoting Tips & Tricks Part II: Directories

Now that you've got your shop set up the way you like it, it's time to let people know about it! There are a number of directories out there providing inexpensive or free listings. Some are specific to DaWanda, some are general and will accept a shop regardless of where it's hosted.



DaWanda Shop Directory Links is associated with this blog -- but I'd rather tell you twice than let you miss it! It's a comprehensive listing of DaWanda shops by category. In addition to a place in their listing, by signing up you'll also get featured in a blog post.



Shoparama Marketplace is a huge directory of shops all over the web -- again, divided into categories for easier shopping. It also allows users to rank shops, so you get a better idea of what other people liked and didn't.



The Hand Made Product Directory, in addition to the directory itself, also provides lots of advertising opportunities -- but more about the advertising later. :)



For those concerned about the environment, Green Shopping gives a list of green and green-related sites to shop at.



Another Handcrafted Shopping Network here. Again, you can rank the shops.



I'm also in the Naturally Boulder directory -- this only applies to those in my local area but if you check around you may find something similar where you live.

I know there are more out there -- these are only the ones I've found. Simply typing 'craft directory' into Google will get you a lot, though you have to sort through them yourself to find out which are really worth it. Any more you've found useful?

I'll note (to continue the descriptions discussion from my last post) that writing the little blurb to go with the link to your shop is very important. Most directories only allow a line or two (and you don't want it longer than that anyway) so you've got to get a lot of punch into a little space. Again, I can't offer a lot of advice on how to do that -- I'm still working on it myself! So any tips you have on how to do that would be welcome.

Next up, blogs and mailing lists.

--

I don't need to be the only one writing this column -- I welcome your tips and tricks (and will credit you for them), and if you've got an article on business aspects of using DaWanda, please contact me and we'll talk about getting you a byline!

--

Written by Kate of http://en.dawanda.com/shop/omshantihandcrafts

Closed for Christmas!

We'll be back in the New Year, but before we go...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From your Editors!

No SPAM please!

Now we all know that we are going to get SPAM, it's a fact of on-line life... but it does annoy us and can become upsetting when it comes continually from one source. Recently I have had a run of SPAM in the form of blog comments here on the blog, all of which I delete before they are published... but still they keep coming. I think someone thinks I will miss one and press 'publish'!

So here are my requirements for leaving comments, here on the blog...

1. Leave a comment related to the post in question, or a general 'this is a great place, thanks for sharing' comment... we all like to hear that!
2. Do feel free to leave discussion based comments... it's always good to hear feedback or work with new ideas.
3. Do feel free to ask a question... we are here to help.
4. Please do not leave comments that ask us to visit other sites unrelated to DaWanda... they will not be published.
5. Please do not leave comments that are HTML based... these will not be published.
6. Note that no negative comments will be published... it's unfair to the sellers who work hard to promote themselves and DaWanda here.

Ok... rant over!

OHh Fireworks

Woo it's the new year and that means a new year of fabulous finds! Hopefully you didn't get too festive on New Year's Even and found yourself face to face with this guy. The print from alyoisiusspyker is awsesome but the description is even better.

The night before the morning after, you know the one?
Where even the most unsuitable people create 'fireworks'.

Written by Andreanna of http://en.dawanda.com/shop/glamasaurus

Want to be a featured seller?

Please answer the following questions and send them with the original questions to me at DaWanda Directory - English Editor. You can also include 3 photos these must be .jpegs, no more than 700Kb and no bigger than 13cm in either direction. Please note that 1 of these photos must be your shop's logo or banner, so that buyers can easily recognise you.

Questions:

1. DaWanda Shop Name:
2. DaWanda Shop URL:
3. When did you open your shop?
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here?
5. What Category are you under?
6. What do you sell?
7. Describe 2 of your current products.
8. Tell me a bit about you... (no more than 500 words)
9. Do you have a website, or blog?

You do not need to be listed on the directory attached to this blog to be featured and you don't need to list solely on the English site. This feature is for all sellers.

Introducing... Bia Sorao!

1. DaWanda Shop Name: Bia Sorao

2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/Biasorao

3. When did you open your shop? 24.09.2007

4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Yes.

5. What Category are you under? Baby & Children

6. What do you sell? Personalised hand painted artwork and wall decor for kids rooms and other handmade creations and gifts for children.

7. Describe 2 of your current products.

a. Me and my dog is an original artwork, hand painted with acrylic paint over mounted canvas. The canvas has its laterals (sides) painted in the same motif of the wall art, not needing any frame and being already prepared to hang. It can be personalised and it measures 30x30cm / 11,81"x11,81"

b. Skiing is another original artwork, hand painted with acrylic paint over mounted canvas. The canvas has its laterals painted in the same motif of the wall art, not needing any frame and being already prepared to hang. It can be personalised and measures 30x30cm / 11,81"x11,81

8. Tell me a bit about you...

My passion for crafting and painting started very early, and ever since I remember I have always made lots of little works that I keep finding in my parents’ home: crochet, jewellery, tricot, painting and design, sewing clothes, embroidery, tapestry, softies, you name it! I took some art and illustration courses and have since painted, already exhibiting in Portugal, Belgium and other countries. Recently I decided to focus my passion in art and handmade creations for children and start selling them. I’ve opened my little business some months ago, in August 2007, and since then every day is a fight to make my work known and sell enough to keep going. At the same time however, I have a wonderful excitement for doing something I really enjoy.

9. Do you have a website, or blog? I have a website http://www.biasorao.com/ and a blog http://www.biasorao.blogspot.com/

I am a bear woo!

Now for my final find before Christmas is a gift for me! If you love me you could buy it for me hehe! I may just get it for myself. I love this little Polar Bear Hat from SharaLambethDesigns! It is so cute and so fitting with this unbearable weather we are haivng in Switzerland. So I wish you all a great holiday and remember give the gift of handmade!


Written by Andreanna of http://en.dawanda.com/shop/glamasaurus

Introducing... My Little Magick Shop!

1. DaWanda Shop Name: My Little Magick Shop – Handmade Magick Items For The Discriminating Witch
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://magickshop.dawanda.com
3. When did you open your shop? Just a week ago! I'm very proud to say mine is the first witchcraft shop on Dawanda.
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Yes
5. What Category are you under? Other (no categories for witches LOL)
6. What do you sell? I sell handmade items for the practise of magick and spirituality, as well as downloadable rituals. I want not only to sell items that are ready to be used, but also teach what I've learned in 18 years of experience in the topic. I want to take witchcraft into the light and offer my products to artsy, intelligent people like I do to my customers here in Tenerife!

7. Describe 2 of your current products.

Fairy Dust for Crazy Wishes Powder: Magick Cleansing powders are a perfect solution for the very discreet witch, as small pinches of it can be placed almost anywhere without noticing, even on yourself. Specifically, the Fairy Dust For Crazy Wishes powder is made to improve the power of your wishes and make them come true, and boost creativity since the presence of Fairies is a powerful muse! Also, it is a great product for anyone who makes fairy-related art and wants to be more connected with the Fairies themselves.

Prosperity Ritual – Digital File: I only have this one available at this moment, but I will be adding digital rituals regularly to the shop. This specific file is a fifteen page tutorial not only about how to make a prosperity ritual to increase your finances and boost your business, but also tons of information about what is a ritual, how to make it more powerful and how to plan in advance your rituals to get the maximum from it.




8. Tell me a bit about you...

I've been reading Tarot and practising witchcraft for almost two decades, but I'm not what people often think a witch is.

First, I do not believe in dark, "ghetto" magick; I believe magic is an expression of self-acceptance and creativity, and not a blurry idea where you have to believe in things you don't understand.

I believe in the infinite power of faith, but not in blind faith; faith in ourselves.

I believe magick is a product of our own power. We're not victims or puppets, but the agents of all change.

I believe the inner energy of plants, minerals and all elements are here to help us reach our goals on our way to self-transformation, but we have to make the bigger part ourselves, being focused and serene, connected with the divine.

9. Do you have a website, or blog?

I write a blog at http://magickshop.wordpress.com, where not only I promote the products, but where I will be adding regularly useful content about witchcraft, divination, and the business side of witches too. I would love to feature anyone with Dawanda shops (loosely) related to the topic, so if you're interested please contact me!

Advertise your stores on Facebook!

In early January Jenny Bridger (aka Jenny B's bottlecaps) sent me an email invitation to her new Facebook page at Jennybs-Bottlecaps on Facebook. She had cleverly used Facebook's new 'Business page' application to market her work on-line and open the networking door to thousands, if not millions of potential customers. Now she is sharing this great find with us in the DaWanda Forums at DaWanda Pages on Facebook

There is already a small gathering of DaWanda sellers and followers on facebook at DaWanda Facebook Group
and a web fan page at We Love DaWanda. Do pop over and join us!

Oh and here's my page Saras-Texture-Crafts on Facebook. If you have a new facebook page... add your link as a comment here, so that we can find you.

DaWanda finds on Stylehive!

Title: Dress Echo - Fashion Design - DaWanda - green - dawanda - evening Stylehive BM 356515 Tags: Description: more

See all comments

Blogged By: DaWandaShopDirectoryEditor

Send me your articles and get featured!

So, I'm looking for some new ideas for articles... Can you write about...

How to guides - everything from listing an item, to leaving feedback and buying items.
Craft business ideas
Promotion ideas
A day in the life of a DaWanda Seller
DaWanda Sellers at Craft Fairs
My First DaWanda Sale
Your favourite finds on DaWanda
Your DaWanda Pinboard
Sales or special offers in your DaWanda store
The new collection in your DaWanda store
Your first purchase on DaWanda
Your favourite Seller on DaWanda

If so then check out this link... http://dawandashopdirectory.blogspot.com/2007/10/want-to-be-guest-writer.html

Each article gets a shop link as a byline.

Introducing... Misty Aurora!

1. DaWanda Shop Name: ~*~ Misty Aurora ~*~ Dingalin's Handmade Goodies
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/Dingalin
3. When did you open your shop? February of 2008
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Yes
5. What Category are you under? Jewelry
6. What do you sell? I sell handmade jewelry and accessories
7. Describe 2 of your current products.
I had a polymer cake craze this weekend so i made a bunch of fruit cakes and pies into earrings that you can find in my shop :)



8. Tell me a bit about you... I currently live in Sweden enjoying the amazing scenery and the clean air (!).

My handmade adventure started about 10 years ago when i was still in school, making and exchanging polymer clay pendants with my best friend.

I love making jewelry and accessories with a variety of materials.

Mostly I work with polymer clay, beads and felt but im always up for the custom order challenge.

Every day I try to discover a new way of making stuff so be on the look out for new special and unique goodies in my shop.

9. Do you have a website, or blog? My blog is at : http://dingalin.blogspot.com/ and you can also find me at Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/dingalin and Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1386586490

What is DaWanda?

To help explain what DaWanda is to those of you who have stumbled across this blog site...

DaWanda is a site based in Berlin, Germany and they state 'Dawanda is the online marketplace where those who love uniqueness meet people with a passion to create.' What does this mean? Well it means that each seller has spent time hand crafting and hand making each item and has put passion and love into each item.

This site is perfect for buying gifts for friends and family, or even that little 'pay-day' purchase! The site offers secure on-line purchase and supports payment by Paypal (more information coming soon).

I have found the DaWanda site to be very easy to use and there are several ways in which you can search for your gift ideas.

1. By category.
2. By colour on the Coloranda, which is great if you have something in mind already.
3. By Seller.
4. Keywords.
5. Technique - for example photo.
6. By new product.
7. By new shop.
8. By featured item.
9. Pinboards - surf other DaWanda sellers favourites.
10. Trends - shop by DaWanda's trend information, from popular items, to popular sellers.
11. Style Lab - your way to buy your own commissioned pieces.

If you would like to know more about DaWanda and find useful hints and tips for buying and selling, then please press the following link DaWanda - Your complete guide to buying and selling on DaWanda This is also a permanent link on the right hand panel.

If you wish to go straight to the on-line shopping site then please choose one of the following links;

DaWanda - English site

DaWanda - French site

DaWanda - German site

Introducing... Studio Bee!

1. DaWanda Shop Name: Studio Bee
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/StudioBee
3. When did you open your shop? I registered Aug 2007, but only opened my shop January 2008.
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? I have requested an entry in the Directory.
5. What Category are you under? Art
6. What do you sell? Original paintings. Still lifes and portraits from your own photos.
7. Describe 2 of your current products.

The eyes are the most important feature of my portraits. Whether it is the soft melting brown eyes of the two Border Terrier brothers, or the little girl with beautiful blonde hair and smiley blue eyes.

8. Tell me a bit about you... I am a British painter currently living on the island of Cyprus, with my husband, four foundling dogs and two cats. I suppose I am a bit obsessive ... I have to paint, and no day feels quite right unless I do :) I love to find that certain expression in a face that makes it unique. Then I work away until I've expressed it on my canvas the very best way I can.

9. Do you have a website, or blog? Work in progress and snippets of my life on the island of Cyprus can be seen at http://indigoblah.blogspot.com/ and completed paintings at http://studiobeegallery.blogspot.com/

I'll take the Checks!

I am totally smitten with this awesome top and skirt set from Akasha Couture. Too bad I can't fit into a S/M to save my life. Maybe you can and then you will have your very own one of a kind outfit! So check it out and remember to pin her fantastic shop!

Written by Andreanna of http://en.dawanda.com/shop/glamasaurus

Looking For A Handmade Product That You Create?

Then look no further! Find all of your fully customisable products using DaWanda's Style Lab.

The Style Lab is easily accessible with lots of products especially designed for you to add your own personal touch. Here's a taste of their current offer...

English site - Style Lab
French site - Style Lab
German site - Style Lab

It's simple and easy to use...

• Choose the product you like... introductions include the price and shipping costs
• Press 'Create my Style'
• Read the description (there are easy instructions to follow on the right hand side of the screen, if you forget the following)
• (An aside - If you wish to find out who you are buying from then press the sellers icon at the top right of the page, or press profile.)
• To continue buying scroll down the page.
• You will now see a list of items, or 'elements' that you can choose from in order to make your own unique version of this product, from main colour to choice of prints, etc...
• Select you choices by clicking the little blue box under the 'element' you wish to have.
• Once selected these will fill the boxes that read 'Please select an element'.
• Scroll down the page.
• Add a message to the seller... for example if the description does not indicate how long the seller will take to make your item, then ask the question.
• Press the button under 'Create the product with your selection?'
• You now need to confirm your purchase in the usual way

I hope you enjoy creating your own products!

Written by Sara of Sara's Texture Crafts

Introducing... HipKid!

1. DaWanda Shop Name: Hip Kid T-shirts
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/HipKid
3. When did you open your shop? I opened my shop January 18, 2008. So it's pretty new.
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Not yet, but I plan to be soon.
5. What Category are you under? I sell under Children. But I have some adult T-shirts that I will be adding soon.
6. What do you sell? I sell funky and hip T-shirts for babies and children.
7. Describe 2 of your current products.

In my shop you can currently find silk-screened tattoo T-shirts. You can choose a heart tattoo with either mom or dad in the center. The tees come in pink or chocolate brown. I also am starting a line of organic cotton tees and onesies. Right now I have an organic onesie with a mom tattoo silk-screened on it.

8. Tell me a bit about you...

I am Suzanne. A technical writer during the day and a designer and silk-screener at night. I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband and 6-year old son. My son is my muse. When he was a baby his favorite color was pink, but he wanted a robot on his tee. Try to find a boy's tee in pink with a robot or a cowboy. So I started silk-screening my own T-shirts and found that I loved this creative outlet. I haven't stopped since. I hope to be doing this for a long time, but who knows how it will evolve.

9. Do you have a website, or blog? I have a blog that I updated usually once or twice per week. It's a bit schizophrenic, as I like to cover lots of topics. http://www.hipkidtshirts.blogspot.com/.

Introducing... Lucy's Jewellery!

1. DaWanda Shop Name: Lucy's Jewellery
2. DaWanda Shop URL: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/-Lucy-/
3. When did you open your shop? I opened my shop January 12, 2008
4. Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Yes, just today.
5. What Category are you under? Jewellery
6. What do you sell? Handmade jewellery made in various techniques, styles and materials.
7. Describe 2 of your current products.

a) These adorable earrings are made of silver and precious rare peruvian opal stone. Earrings are also oxidized and smoothly polished to give them an antique look.

b) Romantic necklace in light rose and white colors with a focal polymerclay bead.
Perfect for any occassion including Valentines Day!

The necklace sits very comfortably and it is lightweight, because of plastic beads. I also used glass seedbeads and antique copperwire.

The lenght of the necklace is 40cm (this type of the necklace sits very close to the neck).




8. Tell me a bit about you... My name is Lucy (Ljudmila) and I'm 19 years old. I'm from Estonia, from the small city Haapsalu. At the moment I'm studying at the university in Tallinn. I study interior design and am totally crazy about it!

My second passion is making handmade jewellery. I have been making them now for 8 years and still am not bored! I get my inspiration for jewellery from the materials, nature, colours and even interior design.

Take a look around in my shop, I hope you will find something especial for you or a gift for a friend!

9. Do you have a website, or blog? Yes, I have a blog- http://www.fun-ljuda.blogspot.com/

The CPSIA and You

We've all been hearing a lot about the CPSIA recently. For those not in the know, that's the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, passed in the US in August and ready to go into effect February 10, 2009.

There are a number of provisions to the new law, and many of them are welcome and make a lot of sense. Among other things, the CPSIA requires that a company do a lot more to publicise recalls, getting information about unsafe products into the hands of those who need it more quickly. It also bans lead and phthalates in children's products. Personally, I don't see a lot to object to in either of those goals.

Another thing it does, however, is require testing for lead in 'all consumer products primarily intended for children twelve years of age or younger.' Said testing must be performed by an accredited third-party laboratory. (Information from the official CPSIA site; I suggest taking a look at this for further information.)

Who does it apply to? Perhaps it might be of more use to say who it doesn't apply to. For starters, this is a United States legislation; if you do not live in or sell anything to anyone in the US, you don't need to worry about it. The CPSIA also doesn't apply to you if you don't sell anything intended for the use of children under the age of twelve.

Which doesn't include a lot of things. But in addition to toys it does include products like:

• Children's clothing
• Sporting equipment
• School supplies
• Baseball cards
• Bedding

Note that the above said nothing about the size of the manufacturer. It does not apply only to large toy manufacturers (many of whom could probably use more stringent testing requirements anyway). It applies to anyone who's making products intended for children 12 and under.

That's a whole lot of us, folks.

Without going into detail I'm simply going to say that the testing is out of your price range. It's certainly out of mine (and believe me, I'm glad I decided to go into bath and body instead of, say, carved wooden toys).

So what's to be done? Alas, most of what follows will only work for US residents, but some of it will still apply to people everywhere.

The goal is to convince the US government that while regulating testing for large companies is fine (and honestly a really good idea), there should be exceptions for small, home-based companies. There are a lot of ways to do this.

Here are some petitions to sign:

• http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/handmadetoys/
• http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html
• http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/Home/our-proposal-to-modify-the-cpsia

Petitions are great and all, but there are plenty of other things to do, too:

• You can always write your congress person and senators; there's a sample letter here. This will be even more effective if they serve on the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection or the House Committee on Small Business. Better yet, call them. Be brief, concise, and above all polite.
• Contact local news outlets -- this is a local story as well as a national one! Find some local sellers (This link will do that on Etsy; I'm not sure how to do it on DaWanda or Artfire), especially those who sell children's things. If there's a local toy store that sells natural children's toys, they'd be great too. Ask for a business reporter and tell them that you have a number of local businesses about to be driven out by this legislation -- chances are if you do the spadework you'll soon see a story.
• Change.org is a great place for making lots of issues heard -- check
• here to vote for the CPSIA. The top 3 issues in each category will be presented to President-elect Obama.
• Send an email directly to the CPSC or contact chairperson Nancy Nord at 301-504-7923. While you're at it, call the CPSC ombudsman's office. The number is 888-531-9070. Again, be brief, concise, and above all polite.
• Get the word out! Blog about it, Twitter (with hashtag #cpsia), find others blogging about the same issue and comment. There's a Facebook group, a Ning group and a thread on Etsy.
• Here's a badge you can put on your blog or website to help spread the word.

This tale is still playing out -- let's all do what we can to keep the US friendly for small businesses.

Written by Kate of http://en.dawanda.com/shop/omshantihandcrafts

My Valentine Finds on DaWanda - post your entries!

Have you got something to sell the world for Valentine's Day? Or have you found the perfect item for your 'special someone'?

I'm looking to feature a selection of artists here as a special DaWanda Valentine's feature... if you are interested please visit the forums and post your items here 'Show me your Valentine's'.

I will also be selecting my favourites to pin on my pinboard at To My Valentine!

Sara x

DaWanda teams... Sellers working together!

Have you seen the DaWanda shopping Community lately? Well groups of Sellers have started to put together several specialized teams at http://dawandashopping.ning.com/groups in order to help promote their shops, their crafts and spread the work about DaWanda.

Here are the few there are so far...
DaWanda Promo Bags
German Sellers
United Kingdom Sellers
French Sellers
Australian Sellers
Jewellery Makers
Glass Anarchists
Fibre and Felt
Everything about Paper

They are all free to join and could prove a great help to newbie shop owners, Buyers who love to buy a particular product and want to find the shops on DaWanda and as fun places to hang out and chat about your favourite crafts.

Meet our new Favourite Finds Editor!

Today I would like to introduce you to the very lovely Andreanna of Glamasaurus who has kindly agreed to share her favourite finds on DaWanda, here on the DaWanda Directory Blog.

You may have already spotted Andreanna's sweet jewellery making waves over on DaWanda and seen her cute little avatar around the forums and the DaWanda Shopping Community ... well now we will have the her very welcomed help here too! To catch up with Andreanna and find a few tips on what to put in your DaWanda shopping basket do check out Andreanna's articles (usually posted on a Thursday) at Index - Favourite Finds on DaWanda.

Thank you Andreanna!

Written by Sara of http://en.dawanda.com/shop/sarastexturecrafts

DaWanda Shopping Community - New Rules

Recently we have had a run of negative things happening on the Shopping Community and so to avoid further disruption and emails from upset members I would like to set some ground rules.

So here are my rules for site interaction and SPAM...

1. MEMBER PAGES - Please feel free to list where you sell and your on-line networks within your own members page only. Please also tell us about you and your work... you can also add an RSS feed from your personal blog here too.
2. MEMBER PAGES COMMENTS - Please leave a comment for other members and help to grow your own network of on-line friends. Remember to keep those comments friendly!
3. MEMBER PAGES BLOGS - Please only relate your entries to your DaWanda shop, your personal work, tutorials or related blog. This is not a space for you to mention other shopping sites, or networks and these entries will be removed. Repeat offenders will be banned from the network.
4. COMMENTING ON MEMBER BLOGS - Leave a comment related to the post in question, or a general 'this is a great place, thanks for sharing' comment... we all like to hear that! Do feel free to leave discussion based comments... it's always good to hear feedback or work with new ideas. Do feel free to ask a question... we are here to help. Please do not leave negative comments... it's unfair to the sellers who work hard to promote themselves and DaWanda here and also to the buyers, who wish to share their DaWanda experience.
5. CONTACTING MEMBERS - Please do contact members if you are interested in what they do, would like to invite them to a group here on the DaWanda Shopping Community (only do it once!), or have a question about their shop, or products. Please do not SPAM other members (or all of your added friends and group members) and ask them to visit your shop, your sale, your external sites. Repeat offenders will be banned from the network, I cannot allow members to be upset within the community.
6. EVENTS - Please add shop sales, events and competitions to the Events page... you are also welcome to add an entry for any craft fairs, markets and shows you may be selling at... who knows we may just come and visit! Please do not create events for other shopping forums, or unrelated topics. These will be removed and repeat offenders banned from the network.
7. FORUM - Please add topics related to each category... you will note that there is a special place to promote your shops and sales here. Please feel free to join in and comment on any of the forum threads you find there. Please do keep topics and discussions friendly and positive in tone... this site is a representation of DaWanda buyers and sellers and a promotional tool for all of us, so let's keep it 'up beat'. No... naming and shaming! This site is not part of the Dawanda company and these topics should be discussed with the DaWanda company through their feedback system only. Repeat offenders will be banned from the network.
8. GROUPS - Please do add groups related to DaWanda and keep them open to all members... this is a community and members should not feel excluded in anyway.
9. NOTES - Please do not add notes... this is for site reference only.
10. PHOTOS - Please add photos of your work, turtorials, events and business. Please make sure that they are safe for all viewers, including children.
11. VIDEOS - Please add videos of your work, turtorials, events and business. Please make sure that they are safe for all viewers, including children.

If you have any concerns, queries or things to report please contact me via the 'Report an Issue' tab at the bottom of the page.

Thank you,
Sara.

Introducing... Lola Van Loo!

1 DaWanda Shop Name: Just my name: Lola van Loo ;)
2 DaWanda Shop URL: http://de.dawanda.com/shop/lolavanloo
3 When did you open your shop? in July 2008
4 Are you in the DaWanda Shop Directory here? Yes.
5 What Category are you under? Jewelry
6 What do you sell? Jewelry made from Swarovski crystals and pearls as well as from glass and plastic beads. At the moment there are bracelets, necklaces and earrings in my shop. From autumn I will also make rings and hair accessories.
7 Describe 2 of your current products.
- MAUDE Earrings - for wedding or other romantic moments - vintage inspired earrings with ivory colored Swarovski pearls and metal cameos.
- COCO Long Necklace - for the colorful and coltish sites of life - bonbon-colored long necklace with lilac, fuchsia, crystal and ivory-colored Swarovski crystals, plastic beads and plastic heart pendants.




8 Tell me a bit about you... I am a crazy and coltish girl who spends her days (and sometimes the nights) interviewing celebrities, writing scripts and hosting radio shows. If I am not at work or spend my time with my favorite occupations such as free climbing, reading, and dancing... I create jewelry pieces all the time! I knew from a very young age that I wanted to live a creative life. So every free minute I sit at my desk and create jewelry. The little girl in me is attracted to anything that sparkles, the young lady in me in all things modern, vintage and romantic. It is a great feeling to see the smile people get when they see something that I have made.
9 Do you have a website, or blog? www.myspace.com/lolavanloo and http://www.lolavanloo.wordpress.com/