what you should know about the CPSIA

Perhaps you've heard something about a new piece of legislation, The CPSIA, which has become a complex and far-reaching issue, especially alarming to the many handmade artisans on Etsy who make their living creating and selling one-of-a-kind children's toys and clothing items. But it's more than that, so much more.

Due to the poor articulation of the legislation, this law will have a myriad of unintended and harmful effects on everything from libraries, handmade artisans, and teachers, to kids, the environment and the economy.

Here is a wonderful explanation of the CPSIA and the widespread effects it will have, written by Gretchen at The Boulie Blog (unless of course you would consider writing to your representative or senator!):


To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves. There is no exemption for them. Here is an article from the American Library Association.

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. But then it won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, we're due to find items in non-compliance dumped into already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the big box stores as well. They can't sell it and they can't even give them away. If they are caught, it is a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend the money for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue making and/or selling them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. In a time when unemployment is reaching record highs, this doesn't bode well for the economy.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” Read about this in an article from The Wall Street Journal.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes

And for those of you prepared for an intellectual workout, The CPSIA

winter finally arrives in DC!

It has been a long wait, but finally, just as January was about to squeak by without a single drop of precipitation, snow has come to DC! I woke up this morning not feeling so well because of some loopy nightmares, but my day was immediately brightened when i opened the shutters of the window to see it falling swift and silently all over our street.

Now, I am from Michigan so I know that those of you in the north will—rightfully—give a chuckle at what DC considers "a whole lot" of snow. If i was still waking up to lake effect snow storms on a daily basis I would indeed be getting a bit tired of the white stuff. But it's rather rare here so there's nothing like a good snow to remind you of what a real winter is!

It's only an inch or so, but for Washingtonians, this is pretty much as serious as the apocalypse itself. For entertainment on nights such as this, we just watch some of the local news around the DC metro area where you will get to see reporters interviewing frightened natives who are stacking up on as much toilet paper and canned goods as they can carry. it's cute really, hehe.

Well, I shouldn't make too much fun though...when summer comes with it's hellish humidity to this old town built on swamp land, karma makes a beeline for me. I may be able to shovel several feet of snow and drive on black ice with the best of them, but the folks in these parts certainly have me beat when it comes to withstanding the august air, so thick with moisture that you'd start to wonder if it could be classified as a liquid! For now then, I'll just shut my trap and enjoy my blankets and hot tea ;)

seeing red (in a good way!)

I just finished this apron today and am so happy with the way the red hand-stitching came out! It also matches the pair of potholders i posted in the shop just a bit ago. If you hadn't noticed yet, I'm a bit in love with polka dots :) I love that they have some vintage charm about them but also a very graphic and modern appeal as well.

I've been trying to update the shop more often so make sure to check it out if you haven't recently. I've got some new draft snakes and vintage items up with other new things in the works—i hope to post more soon on some rice hot/cold therapy bags with essential oils mixed in and about some coasters that i'm working on now!

something old, something new, something just for you!

How do you say "geschichtenvonkat" anyways?! Try this: geh-sheeek-10-vaughn-cat
The name is German (as is my own ancestry) and translates to "histories," or "stories" of Kat (that's me!).

I first used the phrase as a title for my fine art portfolio in college as a way to show how each piece explored a theme of personal histories and memories fused with connections I'd made in the area of my art historical studies and important issues therein which resonated with me and my growth as an artist. I loved being able to trace theoretically rich and visually gripping imagery which allowed me to make sense of all the new things i was learning in light of my own family history and experiences.

When I started my Etsy shop, I thought the phrase could also be quite fitting to the types of items i wanted to make: the kind of simple but elegant household items which I treasure so much as family heirlooms, individually handmade with care so that each has as much charm and style as it does old-fashioned practicality.


One of my absolute favorites has been this draft snake which is now for sale in my shop. I decided to feature it here since it combines all these themes quite nicely and is completely lovely besides! This particular draft snake is made with several different fabrics, many of which have a story to tell...

The toille was used for the very first item which I made and sold on Etsy!

The black satin is leftover from the 50s style dress that my grandmother helped me to make for my senior prom in highschool. I had long matching black gloves and vintage rhinestones to match!

The black oriental silk was hung as the background of a small oil painting done in college.

The blue plaid is a piece of my favorite shirt from high school.

The lime green is from the bedsheets which I used in my first college dorm room. I had stayed home in community college for my first year so heading to Target to buy things for my very own dorm room was a big deal!

The yellow and pale green are bits of vintage fabric from my grandmother. She made a living as a seamstress and taught me to sew using old scraps from her wonderfully supplied sewing room.

The deep red is cut from a pair of curtains that hung in my fiances old chinatown apartment.

The dark brown is leftover from an outfit which my grandmother made for one of my china dolls when i was a girl.

Many of the calico prints are from fat quarters used for many of my own quilting projects.



(Not sure what a Draft Snake is though? Check out the item description to read about how this old-fashioned item can help you save bundles on heating and cooling!)

at the inauguration of our new president

we began our morning at 5am. well, i did anyways because i was too excited to sleep. the alarm came strolling along at 5:30am and we rushed like mad to get out the door in time to meet the rest of our group in dupont circle proper, as arranged the night before.

the light grew as we walked south towards the mall. with each turn we took, with each block we crossed, the crowd around us steadily grew. groups of people dotted the sidewalks, our voices seeming strange with not a single car or horn or traffic cop to mar them on the blocked off streets of downtown. we decided to take a back route through the GW campus and as we neared the vietnam memorial, the crowd of people suddenly seemed to swell. it was truly like nothing i have ever seen before, you just knew the moments ticking away were a part of something so much bigger and were not to be passed without some sense of reflection and awe.



we took up residence just in front of the washington monument. areas ahead, which were closer to the main event remained open at the time, but the slope upon which the monument rests afforded us a better view than trying to move up would have. and so, directly behind us, sat this behemoth (and maybe inspired be some odd masculine inferiority complex?) monument.


but we had hours to wait out in the cold morning air and we bided our time with snacks we'd brought, hot chocolate from nearby vendors, and much jumping.dancing.bouncing around just to keep our limbs from freezing over. John and i even had our obama cookies (which were delicious), given to us by a friend who, with so many others in the city over the past week, was wishing "happy inauguration!" with exceptional glee.


finally, finally, the guests of honor began to be announced as they took their seats (maybe we'll get up there next time...). I was only a little surprised when Cheney's arrival provoked more boos than Bush's. while i have not a single drop of faith in either of them, boos just didn't seem in line with the message of the day. seriously america, stay classy. this guy with the t-shirt on his head obviously understood this as well, haha.


the oath of office, the beautiful poem which was read, the much anticipated presidential speech flew by. the applause from so many people gathered in one moment thundered across the mall and it was quite clear no one had a single further thought of their icy toes and stiff legs. Never so keenly have i felt history write such bold strokes right before me and never before have I dared to think we might not have only sworn in a new president, but a real Leader.


and so it was. the people slowly (and i mean sloooooowwly) began to spread out away from the mall, back to their homes and hotel rooms. how often, if ever again, will I see such a vast array of humanity gathered together peacefully under the strength of such ideas and hope?


i'm sure the way ahead for the country is going to be long and probably more difficult than we would hope for. But I think we all just may have been a small part of something that I truly hope will be passed on with continued vigor to generations ahead as they continue the constant task of being a better and truer people, despite our many differences.

tag—you're it!

i've been tagged by 315thomas (a lovely blog you should check out!), and i thought that instead of tagging other blogs i would tag you, my beautiful readers. i'll share 7 random things about myself and, in turn, ask that you might leave a comment with a random piece of info about yourself so that i can get to know you as well!

so here it goes:

1. friends always recognize me in a crowd because of my laugh. it sounds something like a hyena with hiccups and i have no control over it; i am told this is both endearing as well as disturbing ;)

2. i have been all over north america but have never gotten the chance to travel overseas. i would like to do this more than anything else in the world!!!

3. my greatest fears involve clowns (or really any adult in costume), having my head underwater, and rare skin diseases—weird, i know.

4. i played the violin for 8 years starting in the 5th grade. i love and miss playing in an orchestra and hope that someday i will do so again.

5. i am addicted to shopping at Anthropologie. best. store. ever.

6. in college, i spent a semester in new york city where i was an intern at Saturday Night Live and at the Whitney Museum of American Art. unforgettable and very surreal!

7. i am that person who stoops to pick up pennies in the street, every single one, i just can't help myself!

Valentine's Lined Envelopes are Here!

I got some special papers just for Valentines and here are some of the new envelopes made with them, now in the shop; pretty and a little old-fashioned and perfect for your special valentine! Take a peek, I hope you like them!


In other news, I've finally got some new linen towels that will soon go into the shop as well. Unlike the previous batch, I put these in the wash before setting the ink with the iron. This left them all with a perfectly faded vintage look (now that the ink has been set, they won't fade any further). The red now reminds me of a vintage coca-cola sign.

In this batch, I also tried out some of the kitchen tool linoblocks i had carved along with the usual potato stamp polka dots. I love the way the colanders turned out (see the turquoise towel above) and hope to post the first of these tomorrow as long as I can get through all the photography i need to do of new items!

farmer's market: the other handmade

I've never been a big morning person, but there are a few things in this world that can draw me from my slumbers at an early hour. One of these things is (of course) CHEESE.

all week long i have been craving a salad with a special cheese that my mother made for a simple summer meal when she visited last. Of course I could make ends meet by getting some similar ingredients at the grocery store but (like handmade crafts, fine art, and artisan bath products alike) food is always better when it's made by hand! and by this i mean local organic growers who run family farms, put land-sustaining methods into practice, and sell a part of their best and brightest harvests at farmer's market. I admit, I grew up on a small family farm like this so I may be slightly biased. But even if you were to set aside the environmental benefits and the fact that you're supporting the little guy instead of THE MAN, the food just tastes better. hands down.



We're fortunate in DC to have the Dupont Circle Farmer's Market that runs year-round. If you're in the area and you have not been, it's very much worth making some time for on a Sunday morning between 9am–1pm (opening at 10am in the winter months). The seller's are so friendly and they sell everything from thanksgiving turkeys and chocolate soap to homemade apple "fruit roll-ups," a plethora of produce, and artisan bread. One of my favorite vendors is Keswick Creamery from Pennsylvania. They make cheese that could very well be the best farmstead cheese EVER.


It is their feta cheese that is so perfect in this simple salad. All you need are some mixed greens or some good leafy green lettuce with the feta crumbled on top. Then, instead of gobbing on some fatty fake dressing, just squeeze the juice of a lemon slice all around....it doesn't sound like a lot, but you might just be surprised how the simplest combination of home grown foods can really pack in the flavor (not to mention much more healthy!!). We pooled what little cash was in our wallets..enough to buy TWO! blocks. I feel like a queen. of cheese. and it is awesome.

So when next you head to your local market, try comparing some home grown produce to what is all too commonly the norm at the grocer's: old, moldy, pesticide ahoy, bruised grossness. You'll be supporting another aspect of "handmade" goods and, after tasting some locally made cheese or a bright red heirloom tomato, you might just start craving vegetables too...!

on the horizon

i spent part of my day finishing up three packages of lined envelopes. These new ones are all so bright with very nice paper, very girly and stylish i think. i have such fun coordinating all the pieces, the patterns, the images and colors and a wonderful feeling of accomplishment upon being able to introduce them to my shop and to you!


They've each been posted to my shop now so you can see more photos of them in detail there.


Other than that I also found a part-time job that I want to apply to....finally something I am qualified for exists!! It is a cataloguing position with a fine arts auction house and I'm hoping it could be my lucky break. Everyone knows that being a working adult can be a bit overwhelming at times, but since I have not been able to work, I crave the feeling of being needed, of having an intellectually stimulating purpose to my life in some way. Plus, i've had to start buying awful coffee to help us stay on our budget and GOOD GRIEF, it would be so nice to have some ridiculously expensive whole coffee beans in the pantry! :) Apart from coffee though, I have also loved building my Etsy shop as the weeks and months of unemployment have passed. It's the one thing which I have control of and it has given me back some of that sense of purpose which I thought lost.

Thank you for stopping by the blog, it's always great to see more faces "follow" along and to find out about how other Etsians are getting along with their craft and their growing businesses. If you'd like to follow along as well, just scroll down and to your right to see the new FOLLOW feature on the blog—Welcome and make yourself at home!

favorite finds from great etsy shops!

now that all the christmas gifts have been given and got, i can finally share with you some of the Etsy items we gave and received this year! You could say that Etsy saved our Christmas this year. In part because I don't have a lot of money right now, but i love trying to find unique and personally meaningful things for each person! I also felt good about buying on Etsy because I knew that with every dollar spent, it was going straight to a handmade artisan such as myself, someone trying to get by on their own wits and creativity during not so bright economic times.



one of my personal favorites is this scarf from greenolive. i definitely crossed into coveting territory when it came to this scarf i'm afraid to say and brought it up ever so casually in conversation preceeding christmas way too much, haha. it was so fun to open the present as well: the seller had included a complimentary handmade felted flower pin that matches the scarf perfectly. A fun surprise and the perfect accessory for my winter threads.



These are a pair of elegant and so very gorgeous calla lilly earrings which i gave to my mom...and briefly considered keeping for myself! I purchased them from Khristinne's Unique Handmade Jewelry on Etsy and hope you check out her shop because she has so many intricate and beautiful pieces to offer. Each one seems to have a story to tell, a personality to spout which is a quality I appreciate most about individually handmade items.



one more item which i didn't even know i was looking for until i ran across it in a search of men's items on Etsy was this really cool cotton polo shirt by Vital Industries. For the most part, those selling and buying on Etsy tend to be women and it is rare that i come across really neat items made with the male in mind. Vital has a great selection for both genders and they were so fun to buy from..always refreshing to find nice people out there! I love love love their screenprinted designs and have them on my own (completely rhetorical because i am so very much BROKE!) i want list.

i hope you take a moment to check these guys out or mark them as a favorite shop because they all have very finely made items, friendly service, and speedy packages which are a delight to open (after doing alot of shipping and handling of fine art, i have a kind of big hang up about properly packaged packages!).


on a closing note, do you like the new magnets in my shop? I was really pleased with how they came out and will have more to add in time. otherwise keep your eyes peeled later on in the week when i should have some new linen dish towels ready as well as a sneak peek for a new item coming to geschichtenvonkat.

on a sunday afternoon

weekends are nice. and every so often, you have a really great one. a lazy, grocery getting, lots of time to read-cook-become a sloth and get addicted to playing an endless game of Bejewled on the i-touch (because now it's an app. and i don't need the net to connect to it!!!! thank goodness for itunes gift cards!), dance to oldies (as i make chilli) when no one is watching-sloth fillled weekend! did you get all that? yeeeeah, i'm a bit hyperactive. this happens when i listen to motown. and to explain that i need to tell a story....

(that's me on the left)

on saturday nights when i was growing up we'd eat homemade pizza on a red checkered tablecloth covering the oriental rug (the same one that is now tattered and in my own living room) on the living room floor and watch star trek every saturday night (i realize now this was simply mom and dad's cunning trick to get the couch all to themselves!!). when the telie got clicked off we turned my dad's ancient 70's stereo system to the local oldies station and listened to their "solid gold saturday night" with the lights turned low. my sister and i always got to dance with dad...i remember dancing on his feet to brown eyed girl every time. and for quite some time, i honestly did not understand that there was any other kind of music in existance except for the motown and soul and rock n roll and disco and oldies pop that came through those speakers. now i go back to it every now and then and i can't help but smile because so many good memories come flooding in when i hear it.

Crafting Food: Nana's "Beat the Hell Out of it" Buttercream

Ooooooo goodness grief. I woke up this morning to a nasty cold and several knots in my back and neck which makes moving, well, moving is just not happening in all honesty...what a lovely new years surprise! So here I sit amongst the kleenex, blankets, extra reserves of apple juice and tea, and all 8 seasons of the Cosby Show (ok, that part is pretty darn awesome).

I did promise you a buttercream cake though and I didn't forget! I made it yesterday (before the cold arrived in full force) and we all had it once the clock struck upon the new year.....best first moments of a year I've had yet I do believe!


I'll admit straight away that I started with a boxed cake mix to save some time (o no!). The real standout here is the homemade frosting but if you wanted to work from scratch from the bottom up, any kind of vanilla or lemony batter would work quite well. I buy a vanilla or yellow cake mix for this (set aside just a couple tablespoons worth of the mix for later), follow the directions on the box, and then add a few drops of vanilla extract to enhance the flavor.

Grease the lining of the baking pans and then go for the cake mix which you set aside. This can be sprinkled on after the cooking spray/crisco as it can really help to keep the batter from sticking (thanks for the tip food network!)


Bake according to directions on the box or from your own recipe and let cool for approximately 15–20 minutes before removing.


Now here comes the buttercream frosting, truly a thing of beauty. It's a velvety smooth cream frosting which was popular with housewives in the 50's and my Nana, who passed the recipe on to me, still refers to it as her, "beat the hell out of it frosting," since one needed to do just that in order to get the proper consistency.

She writes beneath the recipe, "My boys liked this frosting and often requested it on their birthday cake. 'We want Nana's beat the hell out of it frosting!'" I crack up when I imagine little kids running around requesting such a cake, goodness.


Here is the recipe just as she gave it to me (the italics are my own comments):

1/2 cup spry (what we would now call crisco)
1 stick oleo (an old-fashioned butter substitute..you'll want to use real unsalted butter!)
1 cup sugar (using powdered/confectioner's sugar will give you the smoothest results)
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

Beat hard and add 3/4 cup warm milk (add slowly, you may not need quite that much)
Beat the hell out of it. (a stand mixer can work miracles here, seriously)
Add chocolate chips or coconut if you like.

So enjoy! You deserve it after all that work ;)