Amend CPSIA - Blog-in 1.28.09

**This article was originally written by chichiboulie so that those of us in the blogosphere could participate in a blog-in today 1.28.09.  Many thanks to the author for being so eloquent.**

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.
Article from the American Library Association 

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

Monday Motivation - Jasper Johns - Painter

As you can tell, this week's Monday Motivation was directly influenced by last week's Presidential Inauguration.  I think it can safely be said that no matter your political preference, the peaceful transfer of power is an amazing thing to witness and a great source of pride for us here in the United States.  So, when I received an e-mail from the Museum of Modern Art featuring Jasper Johns' painting, Flag, it struck me that artists are uniquely able to express those feelings in a very powerful, but non-verbal way.  His use of the symbol as a visual object allows us to divorce the subject from it's symbolic meaning.  But, for me it's exactly that separation that allows me to see it's true beauty.  His treatment of the surface and the variations in color lend a depth to the image that can be hard to see when you think of the flag in a strictly symbolic way.  Strangely enough, it is through Johns' eyes that I see the flag as more beautiful and powerful than ever before.  I hope you'll take a moment to explore more of Jasper Johns' work and let his work inspire your week.

Monday Motivation - Lino Tagliapietra - Glass Artist

It's time for our Monday Motivation again and today I'm writing about the man, the maestro: Lino Tagliapietra. He's considered by many to be the best glass artist ever and I'm one of those people.

Born on the island of Murano in 1934, Lino apprenticed under Archimede Seguso and became a maestro at the age of 21.  Over the span of his career, his work has evolved to combine traditional Venetian technique with a contemporary artistic concept.  

In last week's post I talked about Centre College and it's wonderful glass program run by Stephen Rolfe Powell.  Since 2000, Lino has visited the program four times and generously shared his expertise and talent.  Like Steve, he's not only a fabulous artist, but a mentor and teacher as well.  So take a look at some of Lino's work and get your Monday Motivation!

Trying New Things - Marketing with Project Wonderful

This past week I devoted some time and energy toward finding new ways to market my business, Art's Desire.  For months I had speculated that, while I was getting OK traffic to my Etsy shop, I needed to do more to get my jewelry out in front of a new audience.  With that in mind, I started this blog and joined Twitter.  Both were fairly easy to do and have brought some new traffic to my shop but will take some time to build up readership and really take off.

Then I decided to join Project Wonderful.  For those of you unfamiliar with this service, the simple explanation is that they broker online ad space through an auction process instead of a per-click basis.  This took a bit of a leap of faith from me because I wasn't too sure I would be able to run a successful ad campaign on my own.  But after watching a video from the ever helpful Tim Adam, I decided nothing ventured, nothing gained.  His tutorial is a step-by-step guide that shows you how to set up a full-blown ad campaign, rather than simply purchasing an ad here and an ad there.  

So, I made myself a little ad with my Valentine heart (see post below) and set up a campaign to run from Thursday night through Saturday night.  I set my criteria so that I wouldn't spend more than .02 cents on each ad and $5 on the whole campaign and let 'er rip.  After the first day I'd only had about 5 actual clicks on my ad and was a little disappointed.  So I changed my settings to spend .05 cents on each ad and saw marked improvement.  The campaign ended yesterday and I've gotta say, I'm pretty happy with the results for the first time.  My ad was viewed over 44,000 times, clicked on 57 times and I only spent $3.12 for the whole campaign. 

What would I do differently?  Well, I'd start out bidding on .05 cent ads.  I think this brought me a better return on clicks and put me on some better quality blogs.  I'd probably also change up my ad to be a little more enticing.  We all know a picture is worth a thousand words and I think if I spent a little more time on my ad design, I'd get some better traffic.  Did I get any sales from this?  Not yet, but I did get the increase in traffic I was looking for and they were all new customers.  All in all, I'd say I'm glad I did it and I'll definitely do it again!

I'm All A-Twitter

When I first heard about Twitter I thought it seemed like a serious case of TMI.  I mean, why would I want to share my every move with my friends and colleagues?  And I certainly couldn't understand why I'd want to follow a stranger around.  For months I just wrote it off as an elaborate way to stalk each other and steered clear of it.  Then came the election, and Rick Sanchez was there on CNN tweeting all the time.  It looked kind of fun, but still I thought it was all too much and completely unnecessary.  

It wasn't until some of my Creative Glass Guild of Etsy friends started Twittering en-masse that I began to understand the value of tweeting.  For a while now I've been struggling with how to make my Etsy shop more visible.  I imagine the same could be said now for this blog.  Art's Desire is a new business for me so while I may have some loyal followers, it's a pretty small group right now.  But with Twitter I can now share my work with a larger audience (and hopefully a growing one!).  So I invite you to Twitter along with me and see what the future brings!

Love Is In the Air

That's right, Valentine's Day is right around the corner and I'm jumping in head first with some pretty fused glass hearts in my Etsy shop.  This is one of my favorite holidays.  All of the red and white and pink hearts provide a welcome break from the bleak gray of winter.  I hope these pieces will do the same for someone you love!

Monday Motivation - Stephen Rolfe Powell - Glass Artist

Each Monday I'll publish a post about an artist. Some of the artists will be well-known, highly recognized figures, others will be friends and colleagues; all of them will be people who inspire me both in work and life and thus provide me with my Monday Motivation.

I guess I should start where it all began for me.  I was always an artsy kid.  I loved going to art fairs and museums, I was into dance and music instead of sports, I even took private art lessons when I was still in grade school!  It just seemed to follow naturally that when I went to college, I majored in Studio Art.  I started out focusing on my strengths - painting and drawing.  But there was something special about my college, something no other college nearby could offer.  A fantastic glass program with a world-class instructor.

Stephen Rolfe Powell is that instructor and since 1983 he's been sharing his talent and love of glass with the students of Centre College.  A former Centre student himself, Steve has built an incredible program that is turning out many of today's emerging glass artists.  He is an expert with color and texture and his pieces have received international recognition.  I highly encourage you to check out his website and his recently published book.  If you are in Chicago, stop by Marx-Saunders Gallery to see some of his work in real life.  In addition to being an amazing artist, Steve is also a great mentor.  He genuinely loves what he does and is happy to share his knowledge with anyone that's interested.  Now that's what I call inspiring!

Here goes nothing...

Well, it's a new year and I've finally decided to take the plunge.  I've been thinking about starting up a blog for quite some time now but I have to admit, I wasn't sure anyone would want to read it!  I mean, really, there are a lot of boring blogs out there and I'd hate to be adding to them.  ;) Regardless, I realize that blogging can be a great tool for my business, so here I am!  I look forward to posting lots about my work and the work of those that inspire me.  I hope you enjoy what you see and visit often.