National Bankruptcy Day

For those of you who are on my mailing list...you have already heard. if you have not heard yet, please be aware the CPSC has issued a stay of enforcement on the CPSIA law for 1 year. No products can be sold with above legal limits of lead or phthalates, but testing is not required. Because of this, we have decided to tentatively remain open for the time being. Pillows & basic ceeweesacks are still being discontinued and are on sale--only a few are left. From this point on, we will focus on what we do best: creating quality natural & organic fiber ceeweesacks.

I want to assure Ceewee Baby customers that we use only the highest quality fabrics & components for our sleep sacks. All the products we use have been, or are being certified by the manufacturer to be in compliance with the law.

On a cheerier note, we have 2 new prints that will be available in the coming months. Look for them soon! Also, the 2009 organic ceeweesack line will be introduced in next month: trim will be an organic colorgrown brown & cream gingham.

Take care!

The Vultures Swoop In!

After announcing my potential closing, I have been swamped by orders! Unfortunately, a few vultures who were circling also swept in to see if there are any scraps left. Even more unfortunately, these vultures are my children. They came into the studio yesterday, picking over pre-made pillowcases and declaring which ones were "theirs." No asking me if they could have one...nothing. I should have said something, but was so amazed by their behavior I just sat there, dumbfounded. Let the looting begin.

An Update on Changes & Free Thread Snips

Thank you all so much for the outpouring of emails and calls I have received in regards to the new CPSIA law and its impact on Ceewee Baby. I really do appreciate the support SO much. It seems as if the CPSC is waiting until a day or so prior to the enactment of the new regulations to offer clarifications or amendments. So, as of February 10th, I should know whether or not Ceewee Baby will continue. If no changes are made to the CPISA, Ceewee Baby will be forced to close up shop. If that does happen, I will post our closing schedule here and send out an email to all on the list. If reasonable amendments are instituted, then it will be business as usual. Already I have stopped re-ordering supplies, put toddler pillows on a major sale (it will last until all inserts are gone), and the few sacks remaining in the Basics line are on sale as well. Any fabric that remains if we do shut down will be sold as yardage. So, I promise I am not trying to be like a rug store that has a continuing going-out-of business sale....as soon as I know, you all will know as well!

Oh, and I have a new way to get some really good thread snips. Simply tell your child who wants to use your machine that he must "respect the machine and always pay careful attention". Then, and hour later, forget your own advice and look at something else while you hit the button to jam the needle into the fabric to begin sewing. After said needle breaks and you look around trying to figure out why, note the thread flying wistfully from your finger that is throbbing dully. Then, note the needle stuck through your fingernail and protruding out the other side. Go to the emergency room and endure the nurses laughing at you. After 5 hours of waiting for a 10 minute procedure to get the needle removed from your finger, you get some FREE suture scissors that make really good thread snips! Ugh. What a day.

Huge, Huge Changes for Ceewee Baby in the Coming Year

So my plan in this post was to write about how Ceewee Baby was going to expand. I was going to go into larger scale production, place many more products in a wider range of retail outlets...really ramp things up. This season has been great and although I have been keeping up with demand due to some out of character good planning, I realize I need to move things to the next level.

And then......

Because of the very public recalls of children's items that have happened in the past year, congress passed a new law (CPSIA) which gives the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) new guidelines for all apparel, and especially onerous ones for children's items. All children's items must be rigorously tested to ensure they conform to standards, such as minimum lead. While this sounds great (as a mom of 2 small boys, I do appreciate it), because of the way the law & subsequent regulations were written, it will effectively reduce, if not put out of business, many small & medium sized designers.

For instance, let's look at the Funky Monkey Sleep sack. Children product manufacturers must test the end product, not the materials used. I would have to test each color used in that fabric, but so would each and every other manufacturer that uses Funky Monkey fabric as well. We can not rely on certified testing from the fabric mill. I have heard estimates that for printed fabric items, testing can run upwards of $4,000. I will have to test each and every sleep sack print I offer. A more reasonable testing program would be to have 1 sleep sack tested, and then secure certifications from each fabric mill that the different prints are free of lead, etc. I think all manufacturers would be wiling to pay a few pennies more for fabric certified by the supplier, than to repeat the same test 1000 times on the same fabric.

But the law and regulations are written differently, for now. I am hoping for an amendment that has a more reasonable burden for manufacturers. If not, Ceewee Baby will hopefully be able to survive, but will more than likely only offer organic sacks. I know small manufacturers have been swamping the CPSC and hopefully new guidance/regulations will be offered. Hopefully.

Holiday Schedule....

Eeks! It is already November! Time has certainly flown here. I have been busier than ever, but doing my best to turn around orders in approximately a week. Now is my truly busy time, mostly because it is my son's birthday, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas. Oh, and Ceewee Baby...did I mention that? So, without further ado, here is the official schedule for holiday orders & the annual holiday studio shut down:

Ceewee Luxe & Organic sleep sack, pillow, nap blanket & burp cloth orders: Must be received by 12/12
Ceewee Basics sleep sack orders: Must be received by 12/18

All orders in the pipeline will be shipped by 12/19 via Priority Mail as usual, which will ensure Christmas delivery.

The studio will then shut down from 12/19 and re-open on Monday 12/29.

Please note than between 12/12 and 12/19 you will not be able to order Luxe or Organic items, but can browse the shop. After 12/19, you can still browse but no orders will not be taken until 12/29.

New Sleep Sacks are Here & Other Business

Its been a long time since I posted...but really doesn't feel that long. Summer is over and the fall crunch is here. Just in time, the Ceewee Baby Basics sleep sacks are here as well! As promised, they are one of the most affordable natural fiber sleep sacks available. They are padded, available in 5 prints, in sizes 3 months-2T, and ready of immediate shipment. The only down side is once they are gone...they are gone. Order early!

Other news: A wonderful shop called Green Baby Gift Box has opened online. This shop is the perfect place to 'gift' a new baby and/or an older sibling. Sarah MacMillian, the owner, has put together different green gift boxes and arranges them by theme, like 'Tree Hugger' or 'Adventure Calls'. And just take a guess at what is one of the featured items in the 'Sleepytime Sleepyhead' gift box???? Take a look at this gorgeous store & find out!

Also, Ceewee Baby now has all organic toddler pillows. Organic inserts, organic pillow cases...the whole nine yards.

On a personal note, both my 'babies' started back at school this week. I think it was rougher on me than on them. My oldest officially started kindergarten. This past month has been amazing with him. He graduated into the regular tae kwon do class out of the preschool program and has been doing astonishingly well. He spontaneously told me I had to take the training wheels off his bike & just rode off on his own after I did so. He figured out how to divide numbers all by himself and began driving me crazy by asking complex math problem when I am most tired ("hey mommy-what's 435 divided by 62?"). And then, he goes off to school all by himself and is so excited about it. I don't know what clicked in his little mind, but it is like he is going through a renaissance. Next year will be even harder with my youngest, I imagine. Maybe I'll homeschool him and teach him to sew so he can help me. He can already sew a mean button. Is that considered education or child labor though?

Back to the studio....

Fall Prints are Arriving

The new designer fall prints are slowly starting to arrive. I received a few yesterday, and expect a couple more by next week. The remaining ones will be here right around the beginning of September, just in time for the busy fall season. I anticipate ordering one or two more to round out the collection after one particular designer I love introduces her new fall fabrics. I think I am a little 'slow' given how most retailers operate. We went to buy summer sandals for the boys at the end of May, and I received a Back to School coupon for shoes in the bag. Sheesh!