Hummingbird Cam Update

If you were following the amazing Hummingbird Cam for the birth (hatch?) of Phoebe's two little ones, then be sure to check them out again.  They are just about to fly and will probably only be in the nest for a couple of more days.  They are just the cutest things I've ever seen, and I'm so grateful to the folks that put up the camera and shared them with us.  Go watch....and enjoy!

CPSIA: An open letter to my Congressman

The CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008) is killing business for many of us.  We can make a difference if we make our voices heard.  Following is my letter to the Honorable Kenny Marchant.  Please feel free to copy any part of it in your own message to your representative.  You can look up and contact your representative at Write Your Representative by entering your address and complete zip code.

My letter:
I recently lost my full time job and I supplement my part time income selling handmade arts and crafts, including children's items.  I produce high quality clothing and toys that I use with my own grandchildren.  CPSIA compliance has made it nearly impossible for me to comply and  will put me out of business when fully implemented in 2011.

I am joining many in the handmade community asking for you to bring relief to thousands of small batch children's product makers.  A law intended to stop  the import of shoddy and dangerous products into the US is now threatening the small business owners within our borders.  It also hurts parents by limiting the goods they can buy for their children, my local fabric store by lowering their sales, charity and thrift stores by cutting off their supply...and on and on.

Thanks to the collective voices of American small business and citizens, we were heard by the media and our representatives, and a bill was introduced by the Department of Energy and Commerce, to amend the CPSIA, offering important relief to thousands of small batch business owners.  This relief would prevent many of us from closing our doors.  We need Democrats and  Republicans in Washingon to work together to help American small business owners.

Please take a stand and show your commitment to keeping our businesses alive.  We are  asking the House Commerce Committee that the CPSIA draft bill go to mark up and become open for discussion.  Please help me, and thousands of others, to keep our shops alive.  Please work to pass this important legislation.

Sincerely,
Norma Brock
Texas Eagle Gallery
www.texaseaglegallery.com

p.s.  You will notice my shop has almost no children's items.  They were my biggest sellers up until 2/10/10 when I had to remove them to comply with CPSIA.

Amazing Travel Tips

 Baggage is the nightmare that tempers the joy of travel.

This NYTimes article gives fantastic tips from a flight attendant.  She's packed for a 10 day trip in just one carry-on!  I'm printing her tips and placing them inside my bag.....now if I just had a 10 day trip to pack for!

Mothers Day for Phoebe

Orange County, California had a special Mother's Day surprise for the world.  A tiny little hummingbird nest is captured on webcam so we can all see Momma Phoebe hover back and forth over her two little eggs.  The first hatched on May 9th, Mother's Day in the USA.  At this time we are all waiting patiently for egg number two to hatch.  You can watch Hummingbird Cam too, and we bet you will be in love with Phoebe too!  Check it out - it's mesmerizing!

Shoppers Prefer.......Etsy or Zibbet????

Which online shopping site do you prefer...Etsy or Zibbet?  Before you answer, please take time to visit each shop and see it with an open mind, as if it were your first online shopping experience.  We aren't playing favorites here; we LOVE all three of our shops.  They are like 3 children to us -- each different but loved for it's own special characteristics.
 http://www.texaseagle.etsy.com

http://www.weeirish.etsy.com

http://www.zibbet.com/texaseagle

So, please check them out, then take our poll located at the side of this page.  And we'd love to hear your thoughts too. Tell us WHY you prefer Etsy or Zibbet.  Tell us what you'd like to see.  Anyone leaving a comment is automatically entered to win a $25 gift certificate to any of our shops.  Winner will be announced on Monday, June 1st, and will be chosen randomly from all entries.

We really need your input!  Please read this, check out our sites, then respond to our poll.

Wordless Wednesday

Zibbet and Etsy

There are lots of folks out here bashing one venue or the other.  Not me, I've loved being an Etsy seller for over a year now and have done quite well with our shops.  But the opportunity to join Zibbet just felt right so we followed our hearts and jumped right in.  Glad we did!

Zibbet is not Etsy.  So what?  It's warm and friendly with a hands on, small town shop feel.  I think it's like having a shop on a lane in a lovely neighborhood as opposed to a booth in a market on the highway.  Both attract buyers, and both are necessary.  Why choose just one?   Different strokes for different folks!

Zibbet makes listing a breeze and it's been no problem keeping up with both.  We've continued to have views and sales at both.  We do market and promote the Zibbet site more strongly at the moment,  but we certainly have more Etsy followers and fans.  April stats showed more views on Zibbet items than for the same items in Etsy....Sweet!  So, all things considered, we highly recommend you try Zibbet.  You can sell up to 25 items in your shop for free, or move up to  a premium account for a small monthly fee.  Click here for more info:
http://www.zibbet.com/texaseagle/sell