Ultimate Baby Shower Includes Babycapes

Shari Murphy from Baby Banz is about to have her first baby girl. To celebrate Baby Banz is throwing a virtual baby shower with wonderful items for Shari, for charity and also for you! Enter to win at http://ebabyshower.blogspot.com/

Trifecta of Tears

Tomorrow I will go to a funeral. On the other side of our country a family will bury their beautiful little girl. I will wear purple for Maddie and cry for them. I will also cry for the family of Thalon Bruce Myers, another perfect child who left this world Easter Sunday. And I will cry for the family of Mike Bizub. His life was cut short by colon cancer. He was a son, a father, a brother.

I will look like hell tomorrow, but that is fine, because compared to what these other families are going through, my pain is nothing.

Tomorrow and every day, I will hug my kids and tell them they are amazing and that I love them more than anything else in the world.

"Time is yours, but you can't own it"...just heard that on Medium.

Tears

Sometimes I feel like twitter is a guilty pleasure. Yes, I have made some great contacts and seen some cool links, but I have also wasted many hours reading posts about what people are having for dinner and how to get 10,000 followers in 10 days. But on April 8th, 2009 I was overwhelmed by posts about a mom blogger and her husband, who I did not follow and had never heard of, who, the night before, had lost their beautiful 17-month old baby girl. Being on twitter since this tragedy has been a moving experience.

A loss of this magnitude is, of course, the worst nightmare of every parent. Over the next 24 hours every other twitter post included the #Maddie hashtag as thousands of caring people around the world expressed the pain and love they felt for a child most had never seen, and parents they had never met.

Today is only the fifth day since this dear child has passed, and almost $25,000 has been donated to the family's March for Babies pledge page and other teams marching in more than half our states have been formed in her honor. Many others have donated to the Spohr family directly, released purple balloons, and turned their twitter avatars, backgrounds, and blogs purple in her honor. The family has requested that all who attend Maddie's funeral service on April 14th wear purple, and word has spread that all who wish to honor her wear purple that day, wherever they are. As fate would have it, we will be attending the funeral of our friend Mike Bizub that day.

This experience has brought to the surface again the painful loss of Emma Hope Walker, my sister's dear baby girl, who was lost to us more than ten years ago. She will always be in our hearts and her life changed every member of my family forever. When I think of the devasting pain the Spohr family must now endure, I am flooded with memories of Emma's death, her funeral, and the years of healing that followed.

In loving memory of Emma Hope Walker and Madeline Alice Spohr we are walking in the March for Babies on April 25th, 2009 in Martinsburg, WV. A link to our March of Dimes sponsership page can be found on this page. If you cannot donate, please take a moment to pray, reflect, or meditate in your own way for the Spohr family and for all those who have lost those they love.

Sale ends March 31

Our Big Sale will end Tuesday, March 31, so if you haven't already taken advantage of these unbelievably low prices you better act fast. Remember that if you buy now, your child still will fit into Babycapes next winter. Don't go through another winter struggling with car seat straps!

Some styles may not be available in the fall as we likely will have fewer design choices to keep our Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) compliance testing costs in check.

Elizabeth heads to DC for CPSIA Rally

On Wednesday, April 1, 2009, I will be making my way to our nation's capitol to attend the Amend the CPSIA Rally. Information on this event can be found at http://www.amendthecpsia.com/. Please let me know if you will also be there so we can meet.

I have seen reports that Democratic Congressmen and Congresswomen are not attending the event. Please email your representatives and urge them to at least listen to the proceedings. I have stressed to my representatives that we support children's product safety and lead testing but that this law is too broad sweeping and the testing requirements will have a seriousdetrimental effect, especially on small businesses like Babycapes which produce in small quantities.

Thanks for your support!

Victoria Recano of Entertainment Tonight, The Insider Loves Babycapes!

Photo courtesy Inda Reid /The Hot Moms Club.

We just received a wonderful "Thank You" note from Victoria Recano of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider. We gave her a Pink Sherpa Suede Babycape for her Celebrity Baby Shower sponsored by The Hot Moms Club and Fit Pregnancy.

Here is what she wrote: "Dear Elizabeth and Suzi - Thank you for the beautiful pink Babycape! It is gorgeous and everyone loves it! Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated and your adorable gift made the day extra special. Sincerely, Victoria"

We are happy to report that Victoria delivered her darling baby girl last Sunday! Congratulations!

Babycapes on 'Daytime'

Erin from The Mom Buzz just sent the link to the video clip from "Daytime" which aired on Jan. 20. Check it out here.

Thanks, Erin, for doing such a terric job presenting Babycapes! We might need to hire you as our spokesperson!

Today is CPSIA Blogging Day

Reprinted with permission from Buy By Mom.

Today is CPSIA Blogging Day. Another big push to get the laws changed and prevent thousands of small business owners — artists and crafters making beautiful handmade items for children — from going under. Bloggers across the country are posting today about this important issue.

So, what can we do?

First, learn everything you can about the CPSIA. Here and Here are really good places to start. (Please take a moment to check both of those links. They are certainly worth your time!)

Next, make your voice heard! There is an ACTION KIT made by the etsy administration that contains sample letters you can use to contact all the pertinent representatives. Do not be afraid to contact your representatives. They must become aware of the impact the CPSIA could have on thousands, if not millions, of mom-run businesses.

Then, help spread the word! Put up a post today about CPSIA Blogging Day. Send an email to all of your friends. Tell your best friend or your sister when they call. Shoot a text message to the moms in your local playgroup. Tweet your heart out about it.

So many companies that Buy By Mom loves to feature and support (including Babycapes and Suzi Homemaker) will be affected by this new law. In most of the cases, the testing fees required will put these small businesses and WAHMs in bankruptcy and/or force them to close their doors forever.

I don’t want to imagine a world without etsy, ebay, or WAHMs who use their amazing talents to make wonderful items for children. I want to be able to continue to support *all* WAHMs and their businesses.

Please help spread the word about the CPSIA. Every day I am shocked at the number of people who don’t know about the CPSIA or don’t think it’s any big deal. This is a big deal. Something must be done to change this law. Take a moment to read up about it, and then do something. It won’t take but a moment. Let’s unite together and make our voices be heard!


--Angie Vinez, Buy By Mom

Upscale Baby takes up CPSIA cause

Susan Maphis from Upscale Baby has been doing a great job spreading the word about how the Consumer Product Safety Information Act (CPSIA) will adversely affect mom-made and handmade products in the United States. She contacted Elizabeth and I (coincidentally right after I had just posted my piece on the CPSIA), to see if we would provide comment on how the new law could affect us. Please read her post and others she has written on this topic. Also, sign up to receive updates via Upscale Baby's CPSIA Alerts Newsletter. Additionally, they have compiled a list of resources that provides more information about the law and what you can do to help save these products and countless businesses affected by it.

Some good news--for a change!

Despite all of this CPSIA crap, marketing of our product goes on. So instead of whining about stupid laws, let's celebrate some of the good press we've been receiving lately.

Babycapes is featured in this week's edition of Tot Trends Weekly. The magazine is theme-based and features Babycapes as its #1 pick for items that will keep your little ones warm and stylish this winter.

We've also had some television exposure of late thanks to our publicist at Orca Communications who landed us a feature spot on "Sonoran Living" in Phoenix. The video segment features top safety products for children that were invented by moms. Babycapes also was featured on Jan. 20 in many southeastern markets on the syndicated program "Daytime." Erin Taylor from The Mom Buzz presented Babycapes in a segment that featured top products for children. The show was blacked out on our television affiliate, so we were unable to view it, and, as of yet, Erin has not seen it either. Hopefully, someone out there was able to record it for us and we'll be able to view it and share it soon.

Babycapes received a glowing review from one of my favorite bloggers Jacqueline of Blessings Abound. The picture she has posted of her daughter in her front carrier wearing her Babycape while at a zoo in Alaska is priceless.

Angie of 5 Vinez Monkeys and Buy By Mom, two more of my daily reads, also gave Babycapes a rave review! She loved the cape for her son so much that she purchased one for her darling little girl, too! Angie also has Elizabeth and I as her Featured Moms for the week, so if you haven't read "Suzi and Elizabeth: A Love Story" yet, now's a good time to check it out!

Another thing to celebrate is our new President Barack Obama! In honor of our new President we are holding an American Economic Recovery Sale on our retail site! We are so looking forward to the Change that President Obama has promised throughout his campaign and are going to do our part to help stimulate the economy one Babycape at a time! Please check out our deep discounts--nearly 40% off retail pricing for a limited time only and while supplies last!

How the CPSIA could affect Babycapes

A lot has been written around the blogosphere about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which was passed in August 2008 and will go into effect on Feb. 10 of this year. The law, although its intentions were good, could, in effect, wipe out an entire cottage industry in this country. Small businesses that produce/sell children's products (like Suzi Homemaker and Babycapes) are going to be required to implement extensive and expensive testing on all products that are used by children under the age of 12.

Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in children's products, mandates third party testing and certification, and requires manufacturers of all goods for children under the age of 12, to permanently label each item with a date and batch number.

I am not an expert on this law, but I am an expert on Babycapes. Rather than go on about how ill-conceived the CPSIA is (there are hundreds if not thousands of other bloggers and small business owners that have written about it--just Google "CPSIA" and you will be amazed at the public outcry), I am going to tell you a little bit about how this law will affect Babycapes.

First, a little background information...When Elizabeth and I set out to make this wonderful product more than two years ago, we both felt strongly about having it produced in the United States because of the stigma surrounding products being made in China. Even though we are paying three times as much per garment to sew it in the U.S., we felt it was important to keep production in this country and put Americans to work. Initially, we hired several seamstresses to produce the capes, but soon demand became so great that they could not keep up so we set out to find a sewing contractor to produce a large quantity of capes in a relatively short period of time. There are not many U.S. sewing contractors left, so it was quite a feat to find one that was relatively close by.

We purchase our luxurious Minky fabric from a wholesaler in North Carolina rather than purchase directly from Korea (where the fabric is produced, again, putting Americans to work), our snaps from an American-based notions supplier, and our labels are produced by an American company in Florida that also produces our hang tags. According to the CPSIA, it is not enough to obtain certificates of conformancy from these suppliers. Instead, we will be required to test a sample item from each lot of Babycapes, in each color and style, after complete assembly, and then the testing must be applied to each component (the fabric, the snaps, the labels, the hang tags and even the thread. Aside--I'm still trying to track down any instances of lead found in fabric or thread, but have had no luck thus far). Currently, we offer nine different styles of Babycapes and nine different styles of hats. Additionally, a new label will have to be added to each Babycape every production run providing the date and lot number. Those labels will need to be tested, too. That means 90+ different tests every production run.

And testing ain't cheap.

Not only does the law apply to future production runs, but to existing inventory as well. Although it has been amended slightly, the law initially stated that products that have not undergone testing will be considered contraband after February 10, 2009. According to the website Change.org, "It will be illegal to sell or give these items away to charities, and the government will require their destruction or permanent disposal, resulting in millions of tons of unnecessary waste, and placing an enormous strain on our landfills." (Can you imagine disposing of dozens of Babycapes at a landfill? I guarantee there will be renegade moms out there storming the trash piles, rescuing these precious garments before they hit the rubbish!) Rather than grandfathering in the testing requirements, existing inventory must comply with rigid standards, as well. So, again, more testing is necessary.

Not only is the testing expensive, it also is hard to come by as the number of certified testing facilities in the United States are few and far between--especially considering the sheer volume of children's products currently being offered in today's marketplace--all of which will need to be tested in order to show compliance with the new standards.

So what do we do? Cut down on the number of styles we produce, limiting choices for our customers? Jack up the prices to accommodate our testing bills? Take our business away from our U.S.-based sewing contractor and our American suppliers and give it to a factory in China or India because it will be less expensive to produce, padding our budgets a little to allow for ridiculous testing? The least attractive option would be to close our business completely, thereby throwing away the thousands of dollars we've invested bringing this wonderful product to market.

Our product was designed to keep babies and small children warm, comfortable, but most importantly, SAFE while traveling in car seats or strollers, do you really think we would use any supplies that would cause our children harm?


Please check out Goodies for Mom for a chance to win a Babycape and other wonderful handmade/mom-made products that will be adversely affected by this law.

All styles of Babycapes on sale--$10 off reg. price!!!

We are ringing in the New Year with a $10 off sale on all styles of Babycapes at BabycapesOnline.com. Sale prices will be in effect throughout the month of January, maybe longer. There's plenty of cold weather ahead of us this winter and now is the time to ensure that your child is warm, comfortable and, most importantly, safe, while traveling in a vehicle this winter.

Additionally, we have a number of "Factory Seconds" that have minor imperfections (such as an arm hole being slightly off or a skewed hem or skipped stitches) that we will be offering at deep discounts. While the functionality of these garments is the same, we can't, in good faith (as we are PERFECTIONISTS!), sell them at full retail price. So if you have been wanting a Babycape for a while, but have not wanted to spend the full retail price (even though the garment will last through several seasons), now is your chance. Just email sales@BabycapesOnline.com for a list of available colors and styles.