The other day M asked if we could buy food for "the men with signs". How could I say no?  Off we went to a big box store so we could get groceries and socks. Now I know I talk a lot about quality of food here, preach about organic food and all that, but I wanted to get as much food as possible so we could give a few people meals. I also wanted to be mindful of any issues that could be caused by the stress of living on the street. For some reason we tend to forget that the hungry are also human and could have food sensitivities like peanut allergies or stomach ulcers. It's hard to explain to a 4 year old why the hungry man on the side of the road turns down a juicy orange, but he has his reasons and it's probably not because he's begging and choosing.


By the way, we also bought food for women with signs.

Producing produce


I'm pretty sure toddlers don't appreciate the nuance of a handmade gift, but since I have the time, I've been stitching up a storm for my 1 1/2 year old niece.




I bought $4 worth of eco-felt (recycled plastic bottles) and have been making a variety of not so tasty fresh produce for her to play with. I decided the strawberries were too small (thanks to Fox's quick grabbing ability) so they'll go to another favorite little girl (my own). 

Are you making any gifts this year? Last year we did a lot of making, but this year we're not so on top of things. You gotta do what you gotta do to avoid the holiday stress, right?

We're gettin all crafty up in here




We're getting in the spirit of holidays around our house, and M and I have been crafting up a storm in the afternoons. It occurred to me that we're going to have an abundance of snowmen (a few were made for loved ones as little gifts to give to kick off the season at Thanksgiving), so I was brainstorming a way to use them.

It didn't take long (probably aided by that extra cup of coffee) to realize we could list them in the shop, sell them, and give the proceeds to Little Sugar Creek Community Garden! We need a shed, I have an abundance of quirky, festive snowmen, and you have an extra $10 to spare?  The sale of one ornament will buy us 2 2 x 4s with a little extra going into buying paint, exterior wood, and hardware.

Our grow/share garden is in dire need of a shed. Last year someone jumped the giant fence, stole nearly all of our tools, and tried to steal our picnic table (too heavy?). To describe the current building as a shed is generous. It's a plastic contraption with a roof over the top, but the doors have fallen off and lean propped up against the front. The plastic-ness prevents us from being able to replace hinges and get the doors back on. There's simply no way to secure the tools. 



Okay, so maybe you don't need a snowman? Well, we're hosting a workshop in December: Drafting ornaments from the garden. I made a few prototypes from materials from my own front yard to show what we will be making: pine cone Christmas trees, and tiny grapevine and rosemary wreaths  We'll have all sorts of festive, shimmery ways to decorate your ornament, as well as gardening chatter and all around merriment. The workshop is $8, and as soon as I have more details I'll fill you in!

Not in Charlotte? There are DIYs for similar ornaments all over the internet: pine cone trees, grapevine wreath, rosemary wreath.

Cody Foster and Co PR semantics


In case you haven't seen it, Cody Foster and Co. released a statement about their business model. Keep in mind this statement was released November 5, 2013. Also note: There are sentences omitted, ones which I feel are inappropriate and blame-shifting, as well as not on topic to this post. All emphasis below is my own.
Cody Foster and Co. acknowledges that a small number of products in our catalog of more than 1800 items bear strong similarities to ones being sold by others. When this issue first came to our attention in mid-October {1}, we immediately pulled those products from our catalog and offered refunds to any of our customers that asked for them {2}.
We deeply regret any harm we may have inadvertently caused to our customers and the artist community at large. We are instituting new processes and procedures to reduce the likelihood that this happens again.
Our explanation for how this happened is simple, though not excusable. Unfortunately it occurs regularly in this industry. Documenting “artistic inspiration” {3} for reproduced craft products – particularly for those based on folk designs – is a difficult process and presents a huge challenge for suppliers, artists and retailers alike.
Cody Foster and Co. is a small, privately owned business with 18 employees located in central Nebraska. We greatly value original design and artistic creation and we are committed to properly compensating individuals who clearly create unique designs that delight and inspire {4}. Even before this incident, we have been exploring new ways to engage with artists through commissioning designs and providing royalty agreements based on sales. We know that more needs to be done to protect artists and we look forward to doing our part to ensure a fair environment for everyone involved.
{1} Let's visit a blog which posted this statement October 03, 2009:
 
About a month ago it was brought to my attention that this specific xxxxxxxx (sold in 2007 and pictured above left) is being mass produced by a US based company and sold through their holiday catalog, wholesale and very very cheap (pictured above right)...
Now I am finding myself working with a lawyer for the first time, and spending hours and hours researching this company, snooping on the internet, and dwelling over what the release of these knock offs may do to my holiday business. 

Just to beat a dead horse, here's a response to a Cease and Desist letter from Henderson Dry Goods in November 2012:

An amicable enough letter, though one that overlooks any previous damage that may have been done to the artist's livelihood.  The solution to the first instance is unknown, while the solution to the second is, as expected, free of responsibility. Two examples which further prove 2013 wasn't the first time Cody Foster and Co. had a little trouble.

{2} They offer a similar hands-off approach to resolving issues with resellers. This approach only works if the businesses have read the recent CFandC public statement and leaves the rest with a shop full of wares they may be uncomfortable selling.


{3} We can guess their inspiration sources, though theoretically applying the term "folk" could obscure any reference to originality. Thank you Cody Foster and Co for the world's shortest PHIL101: Intro to Postmodernism. *second shortest here. 

At this point, if you haven't read it, I'd like to direct you to John Brownlee's acute observations of the Cody Foster statement.



{4} As for proper compensation, I will direct you to the response House of Moss received from Cody Foster and Co. November 1, 2013:

Thank you very much for your recent email and for bringing your concern to our attention. Due to the similarities and out of an abundance of precaution we will cease and desist as per your request. Or if you prefer we would be happy to discuss a royalty or licensing agreement. Again, we are very sorry for any inconvenience you have been caused and hope to work with you moving forward.

Which states they'll stop producing the item. It does not indicate if they will no longer sell the items produced, and does not offer compensation for previous sales.

All that said, what do you think? Was it all a big, messy coincidence?