Newsboy Style

I just received pictures back this evening from my model and her mommy and I could not WAIT to share my new Newsboy style hat!! Isn't it just lovely? I really love it so much! What is really exciting is that this can be made to fit a size 2T up to an adult size in practically any color combo!! I could probably make it to fit a bit smaller size too, but I would have to tweek the pattern just a bit to do so. ;) Isn't Elle just a living doll? I just love those beautiful blue eyes of hers. I am always impressed with her and her mommy Mandy's pictures! They are such a joy to work with. If you are interested in having them model for you, you can find them Here and Here. And don't forget to check out her BLOG.




With Love,
Lindsay

A Funny Little Chick

Okay so this has got to be the FUNNIEST hat I have ever created! The whole time I was crocheting it, I couldn't help but to burst out laughing. Hubby, who sat next to me on the couch while I was busy making him, kept asking me what was so funny. As soon as I sewed his beak and eyes on with those funny legs, he was cracking up laughing with me! LOL!! Little Chick is now on his way with Blue Bunny to be modeled. ;) I can't wait!

With Love,
Lindsay

Wonderful News For Crafters!

The CPSC just granted a one year stay of testing and certification requirements for certain products. This is wonderful news and a great relief for all crafters. But the battle is not completely over; only delayed! Here is the link!

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

With Love,
Lindsay

A New Hope For Crafters

I was just informed in an email that the USCPSC recently held a public meeting with American Apparel and Footwear Industry Leaders. The meeting discussed the new CPSIA law for children items ages 12 and under. In the meeting it was discussed that textile items such as treated and untreated natural fabrics which includes cotton, wools, silks, and synthetic fibers such as polyesters, nylons, acrylics, knitted goods, as well as felts, laces, nets, and braids should be exempted from the new law that goes into effect February 10th. While textile items should be exempted, components such as zipper pulls, plastic buttons, grommets, snaps, screen prints, rhinestones, etc, were discussed that they should undergo third party testing for lead because the unpredictable and various amount of lead trace were still found. To read more information about this meeting please check out the Haute Couture For Kids Blog. Also here is the video of the public meeting. It is over an hour long but it is very informative and gives crafters hope.
http://www.cpsc.gov/vnr/asfroot/apparel01222009.asx

With Love,
Lindsay

A New Edition and a Blue Bunny

I thought I would introduce our newest edition to our family!! Meet Pineapple the Gerbil!! He is such a cute little thing, isn't he? He is very timid. He isn't quite sure of us yet, but I know in time he should feel a little more comfortable around us and will let us hold him. His favorite things to do are nibbling on toilet paper rolls and giving himself a sand bath. His favorite thing to eat is Cashews! Hehe!! He hates using his wheel and has been letting us know by using it as his very own bathroom. :( At least he is starting to like walking around in his ball, or maybe that is because he thinks he has a chance to run and escape from our wacky family! LOL!
Zella just cracks up when he starts rolling around in his little ball!!


Last night I finished up this little blue bunny hat.

I made it to match a set made by Rachael of Princess Pickle Boutique. I decided to try something new and overlap the buttons for his eyes and I really like how it turned out! I am working on another hat now to match another set of hers and then I am sending them off in the mail for her sweet daughter Kenzie to model! She is pictured on the home page of her website. ;)

With Love,
Lindsay

It's Tool Time

Earlier on today Xiera decided that her bedroom door needed some repairs, so she put on her hard hat, got out her tools, and went to work! Here is the video!!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did recording it! ;)


With Love,
Lindsay

A Birthday Just Around The Corner

Next month Zella will be turning 2 years old, (I know, crazy, right?) She is in LOVE with Sponge Bob right now so we have to have him as the theme. I have all kinds of cute ideas planned for the party. Sponge Bucket Toss, Pin the Pants on Sponge Bob, and if we have time, Fishing for Jelly Fish. For the cake I really wanted a cake that looked just like Sponge Bob. I called our local bakery who can make practically any themed cake you can think of. Well they told me they couldn't make the entire cake resemble Sponge Bob because he is a licensed character, but that they could put a Sponge Bob toy on it, and decorate the cake with the toy(s) on it. Well I decided this year, I would take matters into my own hands once again, and design Zella's birthday cake. Remember all of the cupcakes I baked last year for her first birthday party? I have done some research online and found this website quite helpful. I am going to try to bake a tester cake this week. So wish me luck and I will post pics. ;)
This past weekend,I decided I wanted to make Zella a little something special for her big day; her very own Little Miss Mini Me Doll! This little gal took a lot of time. The hardest part in creating her; Her hair. I think I spent 3 hours alone trying to get her hair just right. It brought back a lot of memories creating her since I used to restore rainbow brite dolls and create my own OOAK characters years ago. I really love her pink and blue striped tights and pink rosy cheeks.

Xiera of course wants me to make her one now too. I made a pinky swear promise that she will get one for her birthday too. ;)


With Love,
Lindsay

National Bankrupcy Day

On February 10th there will be a mandatory law for any children's item that is sold for a child 12 and under to be required to have testing for lead. Because of this, on February 10th Crochet*D*Lane will no longer be able to sell any crochet items made for children under the age of 12. I will still be able to custom make any of my designs available to the measurements you provide, but they will not be intended for the use of any child under the age of 12 due to this new poorly written law.

The issue:
In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China and other developing countries violated the public's trust. They were selling toys with dangerously high lead content, toys with unsafe small part, toys with improperly secured and easily swallowed small magnets, and toys made from chemicals that made kids sick. Almost every problem toy in 2007 was made in China.

The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number.

All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational toy manufacturers to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and update their molds to include batch labels.

For small American, Canadian, and European toymakers and manufacturers of children's products, however, the costs of mandatory testing will likely drive them out of business.


A toymaker, for example, who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.

A work at home mom in Minnesota who makes cloth diapers to sell online must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.

A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.

And even the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

The CPSIA simply forgot to exclude the class of children's goods that have earned and kept the public's trust: Toys, clothes, and accessories made in the US, Canada, and Europe. The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade children's products will no longer be legal in the US.

If this law had been applied to the food industry, every farmers market in the country would be forced to close while Kraft and Dole prospered.

How You can Help:
Please write to your United States Congress Person and Senator to request changes in the CPSIA to save handmade toys and children's products.

I have already signed many petitions and sent an email to my Senator. Kristin of Gock's Frocks has a great blog post with all the necessary links. She was also interviewed by her local news station. You can check out the news clip HERE. Please spread the word to save handmade children items.

With Love,
Lindsay

Baby It's Cold Outside!!!

Brrrrrrr... This week has been the coldest week ever. It started out in the 30's and then by the end of the week it hit 10 below!! Before it got too cold we were able to have some fun outdoors.
The girls LOVED going sledding down the little hill on the side of our yard!

Xiera collected icicles and ate the snow. She made sure it was white. ;)

Daddy got a new toy to play with. Don't worry they weren't in motion during this picture. We wear helmets for safety. ;)

Indoors the girls were dreaming of warm summer days!! I have to say I am too!


With Love,
Lindsay

I Heart You!

I finished a pink and white version of my past Peppermint Duster design for a beloved customer. It would be just perfect to wear for Valentine's Day. I just LOVE how it turned out and had to have Xiera model it so I could add it to my website and myspace store. I call it My Sweetheart Duster. Now looking at it, I think it would have been super cute with little white heart pockets on each side. O well maybe next time! ;)



With Love,
Lindsay

Remember This?

Do you remember the doggy diva halter I was making for a special little customer of mine named Roxy? I posted about it HERE. Well her mommy sent me a few pictures and I just have to share them with all of you! Isn't she a cutie?


Here is picture to see what the halter looks like.


I hope everyone had a very safe and Happy New Year! I have a few custom orders I am working on and then I will be starting on new fresh designs for 2009. ;)

With Love,
Lindsay