Creative Contest

Oh my have I been remiss on blogging!! Shame on me! I wish I could say it was because I've been SO busy filling orders, but alas that is not the case :( As a matter of fact, this is the slowest season I've had since my first year selling online. I'm not sure whether it's the economy or if I need to revamp my Sassy store.

I think after the New Year, I may try a little revamping and see what happens. Maybe more aprons for little girls (other than my art aprons). Maybe I'll even try my hand at making baby booties. I think I also might need to make more items for older children since other than my art aprons and monster dolls, most of my items are for babies and toddlers.

That being said, I have decided to have a little contest. Let's see how creative you can be! Here's how it'll work. You give me an idea of what new item(s) I can make and carry in my Sassy store and if I like the idea(s) enough, I'll make the item and give you the first one! Who knows--if I like several of the ideas, there could either be several winners or you can win more than one item! Sound like fun? Just post each idea separately (so I don't get confused or miss any ideas in the shuffle). I'll choose a winner(s) on Dec. 17th. That gives you a little over a week to come up with some ideas. So--get your thinking caps on moms and let 'er rip!

Book Review: Sew Darn Cute

This week's book is called "Sew Darn Cute" by Jenny Ryan. It features the cutest projects for everyone! It's divided into four chapters so you can easily find projects according to descriptions. For example:' Pretties' contains accessories such as fabric bracelets, embellished tank top, fabric button necklace, scarf, headband, etc. 'Totables' contain bags and cases for your glasses, laptop, wristlet, and pouches.  'Nest' contains items for your home such as coasters, curtains, towels, and fabric art. 'Kids Stuff' contains just that--cute stuff for kids like monogrammed t's, bibs, quilts, and toys. The last chapter is called 'Crafties' and it has misc items you can use for your crafting organization such as crochet hook cozy, craft apron, needle book, sewing machine cover, and a wrist pin cushion.

You can find "Sew Darn Cute" at these locations:
JoAnn Fabrics (where I purchased my copy)
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Overstock.com

Book Review: Nursery Stitch

If you are like me, you absolutely LOVE books--especially craft books. Since crafting seems to be the "in" thing now, there is no shortage of wonderful books for every type of craft. Personally, I sew, cross stitch, do plastic canvas, and a little bit of paper crafting, so these are the books I usually purchase.  I have so many crafting books in my collection that I love, that I thought it might be fun to review one each week! The books I will review will not be hard to find, and I will try to provide links so you can purchase your own copies.

So--on to the first book to be reviewed! I just happened to purchase this book today at JoAnn Fabrics (with a 40% coupon of course!). I saw it there last week and couldn't wait to get my flier with my coupon so I could buy it! It is called "Nursery Stitch" by Rebecca Shreeve and features 20 adorable  projects to make for babies.  Along with applique designs you can use on purchased items, such as bibs, towels, pillowcases, socks, and clothing, there are also some very cute projects you make yourself like toys, mobiles, a rabbit blanket, fleece bear hat, and a dog draft stopper.

I am very happy with this book and all it's adorable projects! If you'd like to purchase a copy of your own, either check your local JoAnn store,  Barnes & Noble, Borders, Overstock.com, or Amazon.

Patent Problems

As some of you may know, some sellers on etsy and ebay have had some of their handmade baby toys/blankets removed because of patent infringement. There is a company called Taggies, Inc and they are going to handmade selling sites, stores, online shops, etc. getting baby toys/blankets that have ribbon loops on them removed because they infringe on their patent. The woman who has the patent is named Julie M. Dix.

Now, according to quite a few people, these toys/blankets have been around for quite some time (as far back as the 70's) so for this person to have a patent on something she didn't quite "invent" herself is beyond belief, but to have items removed is even worse. Especially when some of these items are obviously not infringement. I did find out that if it can be proved these items were actually made (via photo, article, etc.) before 2003, then it would make her patent null & void since, apparently, she is NOT the inventor of these toys/blankets.

There are a great number of sellers out there who are getting very weary of her antics. She has gone above and beyond to harass some sellers. It is my belief that she has a serious power trip going on. She seems to think that using ANY ribbon loops on ANY type of item is infringing on her patent. She also seems to think she owns any word associated with "taggies". While she may have copyrights to the word "Taggies", as far as I am concerned, she does NOT own the words, "tag", "taggy", or any other word of that nature.

I have had my teething toy/wrist rattle sets removed because of this woman. And I am more than a little infuriated. I have revamped them and relisted them on etsy. I opted to cut my ribbon loops so that they are now separate pieces of ribbon. I left one loop to hold the teething ring. This should not infringe on her patent since I only have one loop (her patent refers to having loops ALL the way around the toy).
But, we shall see what happens because it appears that etsy won't get into this mess and if she says someone's toy/blanket infringes on her patent, they just seem to pull it without reading the patent themselves to verify this information. Which also infuriates me. Etsy has said that they are only a marketplace and therefore won't get into any legalities. However, I do think they owe it to their customers to at least make sure their items infringe on a patent before they take said patent holder's word for it and just pull items.