These new Tribal LEFTZ (pronounced le-ft-e’s) toys stopped me in my online tracks.  Whoa! They’re perfect for building a Utopian civilization, catching a tasty fish or discovering the mysteries of fire. Look how cute they are. You will absolutely love them. Plus they’re made right outside of Reading. The etsy shop explains:

LEFTZ are plush softies made with upcycled material from yard sales, thrift shops, or family. These eco friendly plushies are stuffed with recycled plastic shopping bags and are unique in their own way.

Aren’t they great? I want the whole tribe. Where to find LEFTZ by ArtTales (Mary Casher)?

• LEFTZ on Flickr
• LEFTZ on Etsy
• ArtTales blog

If you have a little girl, or have one in your family, then you MUST have a look at this week’s featured artist! I found this talented seamstress through Around Main Line and instantly fell in love with her pretty, unique, and well-made clothing. Rachel of Momi Boutique and Pink Momi is a mother of two and energetic designer/seamstress. I hope you will enjoy a day in her life!

A typical day in my life begins anywhere from 6-8 am, depending on the events in my shop the night before. I never set an alarm (pure bliss), so I am either abruptly awaken by my internal clock, who has no rest for the weary, or one of my two sleeping angels, typically the youngest.  The events of my day have become pretty predictable and the day usually plays out as follows…
 *I take the 10 step commute across the hall and dive right in to all that needs to be done.  My mornings are usually filled with putting the finishing touches on orders that will be shipped that day.  After all orders have been tagged and pressed to perfection, all folded nice, and lined up on my cutting table…I get into a pure packaging frenzy.  Tissue paper, tape, & ribbons are flying.  That’s usually about the time Leah (1) & Lily (3) wake up and the work is put on hold for a breakfast downstairs. If I feel overloaded I will just serve them dry waffles in a tupperware and let them watch tv upstairs so I can get back to work right away.  

After their breakfast I am on on-call diaper duty and play referee as they play about & bicker often.  I would say that packaging takes up about all of my morning from approx 7-12.  After I place all of the orders on the post office counter and drive away in my car I feel relief and a large weight lifted from my shoulders. Sometimes I feel so good that I take the girls to a local drive thru for lunch. 

*The afternoon hours are usually spent cutting new orders and new designs that will be sewn that night.  I found this is the best time to cut orders because Leah is usually napping so that is the time with the least distractions. I use my own copyrighted patterns but for some of my designs I do not even use a pattern and it just takes a lot of simple arithmetic to cut the order.  When I have little mouths chattering at me it can be hard to add and subtract at the same time and that is why I choose nap time to cut orders!

*The evening hours are used for sewing, sewing, and more sewing.  I currently have 3 machines in my shop but, only 2 hands! My husband arrives home from work anywhere from 8:30-9:30.  He is gone approx 70 hours a week so the majority of the time the girls are my sole responsibility and they have learned to march to the beat of my drum…for the most part. They know that mommy makes pretty dresses for little girls all over the world but, heaven forbid if I should try to get them to put a dress on! I will have to chase them around the house and wrangle them like a rolling alligator.  I believe I have given them a dress phobia with all of the modeling that they have done and still do for Momi boutique and Pink Momi.  

Around 12 midnight I will make coffee & see if I can stretch my day just a little longer…afterall I do not have elves in my shop at night.  Some days time is on my side and I will stay awake sewing until 3am, other times the eyelids can not stay open and it’s just time to call it a day. However, I will never go to bed early if there are orders half complete.  I run a very tight ship at momi boutique and know that it shows in my turn around time and the quality of my work.

 
Of course everyday is not the same as I do have to make time to blog, photograph my designs, create new listings in my shops, and customer service of course!  I check my emails and sales approximately 12 times a day. Typically I do this from my phone while I am working so that I do not have to jump on the computer.  Get me on the computer and I may just never get off!

Michelle is a graduate of Albright College with a B.A. in Visual & Apparel Merchandising. After years in the fashion/ retail industry, she is now a WAHM. Michelle is a self-taught jewelry designer and owner of Michabella Creations.

i had the pleasure of meeting jen, from peachy tuesday at crafty by nature over the summer. not only is jen seriously adorable – not to mention her little ones – but her little textile collage creations are too. funky cute – perfect for the girl that know accessories make the look but isn’t into fairy princesses (at least not most of the time…).

from her profile: “My Name is Jen, and I have always had an addiction for Hair doodles of any kind. I could also spend hours of time looking at buttons and finding places to sew them. I came to realize I could make my very own hair accessories using these buttons I adore so much. I especially wanted to make these for my two beautiful little girls to wear. I started with some Holiday headbands. The response we received wearing these hair accessories inspired me to make more.”

1. Leather Inspirational cuff, Fear Nothing by MichelleVerbeeck - $17

2. The Three Little Pigs by MamaMadeThem - $20

3. Lime Green Monkey Baby One-Piece Bodysuit by tadpolecreations - $15

4. Earflap hat by IrishHooksAndYarn - $12

5. Simply Green – light green baby blanket by spinningsheep - $35

Jenya is a Philadelphia based artist who focuses on the concept of unique and original designs that are done using free form technique. Her forEvaMore handmade clothing line features one-of-a-kind pieces made with natural materials and her EvaForeva shop is full of hand knitted winter accessories.

1. Pack of Polka Dots-Set of 6 Ribbon Lined Alligator Clips by BabySewChic – $4

2. Custom Handknitted Doll by JennyPieProductions - $25

3. Mist and Moss Mauve Floral Headband by OrdinaryMommy - $18

4. Waddles the Penguin Mini Plush by ZAPOLdesigns - $5

5. Sweety – The Monster Cupcake by dkoss2 - $50

6. SALE Reese peasant dress..Custom size by momiboutique - $32

7. Giraffe Wooden Pull Toy in FRUIT LOOPS Print by cookiedough - $23

Jenya is a Philadelphia based artist who focuses on the concept of unique and original designs that are done using free form technique. Her forEvaMore handmade clothing line features one-of-a-kind pieces made with natural materials and her EvaForeva shop is full of hand knitted winter accessories.

This is my new definition of PERFECT:

There is no question that my beautiful daughter is my new definition of perfection. She also happens to be my muse – allowing me to pursue goals I had only dreamed of. Without her, this site would not be!

So in honor of my perfect one, here’s a sampling of some handmade in PA baby & children’s goodies!

• Rosie’s Whimsy {2}- not going to lie, Rosie is my girl’s grandmother (and my mom!) and my girl was the inspiration behind Rosie’s precious dresses (like the one above).
• Cookie Dough – creates just the kind of toys that my girl (read: Tara) likes: simple, wooden, beautifully designed.
• Sweet3LeafPrints {1} – baby & toddler basics made unique with stamped prints made from real leaves! My girl has one of these and it is so beautifully made & even has her name painted on the back.
• WatersGirls Crafts – Kristen has been a supporter of HiP from the beginning. She creates a variety of baby & children’s items.
• Clothesline Designs {3} – Jen is a Z-towner and I had the privilege of seeing her work in person last year. Well made, traditional quilting meets hip patterns & prints. Oh, and did I mention stuffed giraffes??
• WoolyBaby {4} – Tiny baby booties created from recycled sweaters. Almost makes you wish winter wasn’t over…almost.
• theAnecdotes {5} – Cozy crocheted items, including assymetrical sweaters, hats, and more!

For most of my life, I have prided myself on living a healthy lifestyle, eating well, being physically fit, and being aware of the impact the environment has on my life and vice versa. When I became pregnant, this consideration grew exponentially. Not only was I taking care of myself but I was taking care of a small life that had no means for taking care of itself. As the end of my pregnancy neared, decisions like cloth diapers and natural baby care products made me face the fact that the modern life of a baby included many unwanted interactions with chemicals & plastics – potentially harm both my fragile child and this fragile planet.

I have chosen to have my baby’s life leave the least impact on the environment as possible. And I seek to choose products for her that will leave the least impact on her, as well. One way I do this, of course, is by choosing as many handmade products for her as possible – handmade clothing, toys, baby food, accessories, etc… Unfortunately, the availability of these products is now in jeopardy.

For some time, media attention about harsh chemicals and other nasty ingredients in children’s products has been growing. Standards in Europe are much more stringent than here but many of the manufacturing countries of the world have many fewer standards. In August, a law was passed to increase oversight on the products that come into contact with our children. Great! Not so fast, no exemption was built into the law for small business – and specifically handmade businesses. Beginning in February, all products sold that may be used by a child under 12 years old must be tested for lead content.

Boto Designs' Blushing Plant Onesie

Not only does this process destroy the item, it is extremely costly and time-consuming. Large corporations will have no problem with this but, undoubtedly, they will either pass the cost on to consumers or absorb the cost in reduced benefits for employees. Small businesses will have no way of complying with this rule.

SewFragment's Softy Ball

The beautiful items displayed here, all by PA artisans, will no longer be available. You can catch up on all the details at many websites including the Handmade Toy Alliance and Craftsbury Kids. You can also vote on Change.org to save handmade toys. Of course, you should also write your local representatives and Senators Specter & Casey.

sweet3leafprints' brown owl tee

It is my firm belief, however, that the way this problem will be solved is by media intervention. Write the Patriot News, the Inquirer, the Post-Gazette, the Morning Call, the Eagle… and let them know what’s going on! Let WHTM, 6ABC, KDKA… know that you are upset about losing the ability to purchase handmade children’s products and about losing your business! While this cause is gaining substantial momentum on the internet, we need to break free from the confines of the computer and enter the public discussion.

Thank you for helping to keep businesses like those above in business!

Don’t forget to enter the Baby Vagabond giveaway by January 9th at noon!

Tomorrow, look forward to a feature on a great fiber artist – Natasha at luxefibre.com.

I’m proud to announce the first giveaway for Handmade in PA! Our first sponsor is Baby Vagabond, which specializes in custom boutique clothing for girls (sorry, boys!). Most of the designs are available in baby, toddler, and “big girl” sizes – spanning from 3 months – 5/6! This week’s giveaway is for one of the dresses pictured below – in any size.

Baby Vagabond's Blue Trees Sleevelss Frock - Baby, Toddler, Big Girl

Rosie Nevius is the designer & seamstress behind this shop. She has over 25 years of professional experience and recently became inspired to create baby clothes because of the birth of her granddaughter. Okay, so her granddaughter is my daughter – full disclosure, right?! Does that make you want that adorable dress less? I think not!

Baby Vagabond’s clothing is all designed for maximum use and therefore maximum value. Each piece grows with your child: in the summer it could be a dress, in the fall, a tunic, and next summer a cute little top. You can easily get a year’s worth of wear out of each piece! Also, each style looks great on it’s own, over a t-shirt or onesie, or with leggings, jeans, or tights.

Baby Vagabond's Funky Cows Sleevelss Frock - Baby, Toddler, Big Girl

Rosie’s favorite part of designing is discovering new fabrics and putting them together in interesting ways. The frock pictured above is a print that features cows with pink polka dots and fushcia swirls! Don’t worry, the trim is a bit more conservative.

Baby Vagabond's Asian Flowers Frock - Baby, Toddler, Big Girl

So, how can you enter? Well, first you must be a resident of Pennsylvania. Second, go poke around Baby Vagabond’s shop and leave a comment here about your favorite item. For extra entries, blog about Handmade in PA & this giveaway or subscribe to my RSS feed (at the top of the page) – leave a comment for each action. The giveaway will end Friday, Janauary 9th at noon. The winner will be picked at random and announced by 5pm that day.

♦CALL TO ACTION♦

To follow-up this giveaway, tomorrow, I’ll be featuring other children’s designers in PA and discussing the new CPSIA regulations. If you’d like to be included, please email me at tara AT handmadeinpa DOT net. Don’t let makers of handmade children’s products go out of business in February!