good news for handmade...

a serious first step has been taken in the fight to save handmade toys. today, members of the consumer product safety commission have "tentatively agreed" to some amendments proposed of the consumer product safety improvement act (cpsia). the proposed amendments allow sale of the following:

"items with lead parts that a child cannot access, clothing, toys and other goods made of natural materials such as cotton and wood; and electronics that are impossible to make without lead."

the rest of this very short article can be read here.

what do you think? can we celebrate yet? i've got my eye here and here.

by the way, all of my well-intentioned phone calls (to senators and cpsc chairperson nancy nord) dead-ended at full voicemailboxes and endless busy signals. my take = serious frustration, but also serious optimism that there are other people out there such as myself taking this issue very seriously. they just happened to leave messages before i did, i suppose.