Burn Baby Burn! (CE testing toys)

So you all know how I make toys? Well did you know that legally to make and sell toys in the EU you need to subject them to safety checks? Bet you didn't - before I made my first doll I didn't.

So what does it involve. Well basically we have to guarantee that there aren't any chemicals in our toys which could poison your kids - to certify this all fabrics and compontents of our toys must comply to EN71 regulations. To guarantee this the components must be tested in labs to make sure they don't react with saliva or stomach acid amongst other factors. We have to pay to get these tests done.

Then we need to show that our toys are well made so that they won't harm your kids. We make sure there are no sharp bits, no bits that can come off that a child could swallow. So for example I use plastic eyes - these could be swallowed if they came loose so I need to show they won't come off. To do this I hang 7.2kg from the eye.

Then I need to show that my stitching is strong enough that it won't readily come undone - because that  would release stuffing which a child could choke on. So the wee toy is clamped on either side of his seams and 9kg of weight is applied (my little girl was sooooo concerned). My seams stayed strong!

Now I show that his limbs won't come off. Again weight is hung from said limb and once again he passes. (I'm not putting a photo of that on because you can see how messy my kitchen is in it!!!). This little guy has poppers on his arms so he can hold things so they must be tested too. I've wrapped wire round one of the snaps and then round my clamp on the weights bag. and 7.2kg is hung from the plastic snap.

 

Thought you might like to see what I use for weights - Tins!!! Knew there was a reason I had a huge bean stash!

 

 Once all the bits have been tested ( we also twist and pull at any sewn on soft bits to see if they come off) the toy is then washed and the testing is repeated when it is dry.

 

After all the mechanical tests are done we have to then look at flammability. In other words - he's got to burn!!!! This little monster is cotton on one side and Minky (or plush if you'd rather) so I held a burner against the Minky side first and measure the rate of burn over 10seconds and then do the same for the cotton side. If he really went up in flames I'd need to test two toys but he didn't. Phew!

 

 

Once all the physical testing is done the joys of writing up the paper work begins! When all the paper work is done my toys can proudly wear this mark.

 

Bet you never knew so much went into testing a wee hand made toy! Well to tell you the truth not every crafter does it (they should - it is illegal not to and the consequences can be serious - but many think that because they are small scale makers the rules don't apply to them) but those who care most do. You can buy happily from Dear Green Place at any of our events knowing that I have done my upmost to ensure all my toys are safe for even the roughest, toughest of kids. If you are buying from craft fairs look for this mark on any item a child would like to play with - if you don't see it ask the crafter why not!



A little Hope?

I have been waiting for ages for this fabric to get to me and at last its here!

What's so special? Well apart form being from my favourite design house - Riley Blake -by buying this fabric we raise funds for Autism Speaks. I have several friends who have children on the Autistic spectrum. Lovely children whose lives are challenged in many ways on a day to day basis and whose parents often have to battle to get their concerns heard. In their own words, Autism Speaks has grown into the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Now I have this fabric I'm looking forward to making some gorgeous bits and pieces with it. I plan to support two charities this year through the sale of items made by with this fabric. The first being HOPE for Autism, a charity local to myself that helps children with Autism and Aspergers and their families. The second charity is not related to Autism but is MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association) as another Doll making friend's husband has been diagnosed with this awful disease. I feel "Pieces of Hope" is an ideal title for  the items I will make with this lovely fabric. 

More details to follow...

Facebook and Dear Green Place

I  love my  Facebook  page  www.facebook.com/shopdeargreenplace  but  sometimes  Facebook can be a bit of a pain in the butt. I  am coming up to 600 likers and would like to do a giveaway on my page  but  the rules and regulations are so hard to follow! I don't want to get in trouble so I thought I'd resurrect the blog to link in with my Facebook page and allow me to do some fun stuff. 

If this is your first time visiting my little blog - please don't read too far back! I am a hopeless blogger - sorry!

Heres a picture of one of my latest DGP creations just to make this post look pretty!

My first stall..........

Well I did it! I eventually got enough items made to be able to stock a small stall at the playgroup ladies night. It was so hard! I spent days behing my machine - so much so that on the Sunday it decided to stop working! Was probably just as well as it gave time to tidy up all the loose end (literally!) before the big day!

The night itself went quite well for me, I had quite a lot of interest and sold a fair amount of stuff. It was also a steep learning curve. I have learned for example that I need some sort of hanging rail so that I can display a lot of my goods properly. The change pads and baby vests etc. all really need to be hung up to be fully appreciated.

so here's some of the stuff I took.....

There was a lot more. Think I'll add a few photos over the next few days.

Autumn..........

I took a little time out of the sewing fest that is life in here at the minute to go to the park with my beautiful family this afternoon.
We went up to Calderglen park near East Kilbride. It's a great park with nice walks, a good playground (although it always has my heart in my mouth watch my boys scale the heights!) and a little small animal zoo. We are torn between loving guinea pigs or meerkats best - they are both so cute.
Well it was super busy at the park today, everyone had obviously decided to take advantage of the sun shine. As we walked round I decided that this was my favourite time of year; lovely sunshine, crisp air, crispy leaves, wrap up and off you go. It reminded me of this photo.



It's an oldie (my how my baby boy has grown in two years!) but it was the same sort of "good park" day!

Its me again!

Hello!
Well its been another 5 months since I last blogged! Being a mother of three is actually requiring more of my time than I thought it would!

However, I have also been busy crafting too. I decided to push myself into doing a stall at the playgroup "ladies night" and have started to make things but it is soooooooooooo hard. I have no idea what to make or how much to make. I guess its trial and error.

Anyway I felt I had to have cards to hand out too and to have cards means I needed a logo. So I got some help from a very talented friend of mine and we came up with this.


I think it is rather nice and can't wait to see it on my little moo cards!

New Addition

I can't believe I've not blogged in 5 months!

OK so I've been busy creating the most fantastic thing in the world - but I never realised being pregnant had taken up so much of my time!

Well just to let you know the production was finished on the 27th of March (two weeks over the official deadline - but all parties concerned decided it was worth the wait!). And here it is...........



A little pink version of my two blue ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're totally delighted by our fabulous little girl - the pink icing on our cake!