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New York International Gift Fair: Collections for a Better Planet - Part IV
BATH TOYS: ELEGANT BABY Homebase: Burlington, NC DESIGNER/ORIGINATOR: The Elegant Baby design team Wholesale prices for Squirties: 6 per style for $7 Elegant is right, and well priced, too. Known for baby's room décor, accessories, sweaters, and blankets, the company now offers these low-priced Beach and Bath Squirties that make wash time fun.
Outstanding pieces: Polka dot duckies in eye-popping colors make easy-to-grab, low priced add-ons. 800-334-5321 E-mail: info@elegantbaby.com
KEEPSAKES: TRUMPETTE Homebase: Sacramento, CA DESIGNER/ORIGINATOR: The Trumpette design team Wholesale prices: $17.50 The Trumpette collection started with socks and now includes T-shirt, knit goods and keepsakes, all vividly colored with a playful aesthetic.
Outstanding pieces: These look like rhinestone-covered Mary Janes, right? They're Mary Janes, but they're not meant for a little girl's feet. They're keepsakes that can be personalized with a child's initials. Think of them as an updated version of the bronzed baby shoe. Tel: 916-851-0000
BLANKETS AND BURP CLOTHS: AMBAJAM Homebase: Denver, CO DESIGNER/ORIGINATOR: Allesandra Mayer Wholesale price for quilt: $150, wholesale price for Jams sets: $15-$36.50 Ambajam is for the retailer who looks for bright, pattern-driven, happy looking blankets, quilts, burp cloths, and T-shirts. Much of the embellishment focuses on the kind of animal motifs kids adore.
Outstanding pieces: One side of Aunt Susan's Handmade Baby Quilt is soft cotton flannel; the other is a patchwork of exuberant small and large-scale patterns that coordinate to all the fleece blankets and trims. Each square is trimmed with a shaggy edge that gives the piece a casual playfulness.
Paired with the quilt or on its own, the Jams cotton one-pieces and burp cloths make adorable gifts. Tel: 303-691-2236 E -mail: Info@ambajam.com
KISSY KISSY / TATIANA & COMPANY Homebase: Tinton Falls, NJ DESIGNER/ORIGINATOR: The Kissy Kissy design team Wholesale price: $28.50 Kissy Kissy is the go-to collection for understated, traditional Pima cotton layette wear. Their new Pima cotton blankets make elegant partners.
Outstanding pieces: The Pima cotton blankets, knit in Peru, sport the classic chevron pattern. They're a nice alternative to flashier crib gear (also available in pink/white and white/white). Tel: 732-345-5073 E-mail: custservices@kissykissyonline.com
LUCKY JADE Homebase: Hermosa Beach, CA DESIGNER/ORIGINATOR: Leslie Pitts Wholesale price for reversible blanket: approximately $29; converter gown: approximately $20 Simplicity, sumptuous fabrications and sweet, understated graphics make this collection of blankets and cotton apparel a boutique buyer's destination stop.
Outstanding pieces: The combination of 65 percent bamboo and 35 percent cotton gives this eco-friendly reversible blanket heft and luxurious sheen. The item coordinates to a cuddly gown that converts to coveralls. The owl motif on the gown's back is a hoot. Tel: 310-798-8265 E-mail: Sales@luckyjadeproducts.com
GUS & MAX Homebase: Oakland, CA DESIGNER/ORIGINATOR: Mari Jansdotter Size of the Reverse-E bamboo blanket: 35" X 35"; Wholesale price: Approximately $20 Jansdotter blankets and burp cloths are for the modernist: quality materials, a range of subdued and bolder shades with few, if any embellishment.
Outstanding pieces: Made from silk-like bamboo, the Reverse-E receiving/stroller blanket, named for the designer's youngest daughter Ella, sports an elegant embroidered reversed E motif. The items (available in pink, blue and taupe) are lovely given singly, or, thanks to the simplicity of the decoration, they can be paired with any print item. Tel: 510-350-8413 E-mail: Info@gustavmaxwell.com
WALL DÉCOR/ROOM ACCESSORIES: TREE BY KERRI LEE Homebase: Long Eddy, NY DESIGNER: Kerri Lee Wholesale price: Approximately $20 Lee interprets childhood rituals - growth charts, leaving the tooth for the tooth fairy - with a modernist's twist. Her room accessories have a sense of nostalgia without being overly sentimental.
Outstanding piece: The Hanging Tooth Fairy Pocket is a multi-tasker: the glow-in-the-dark pocket holds the tooth and lights the way. No more fairies fumbling in the dark for pillows and such. Tel: 845-887-6165 E-mail: info@treebykerrilee.com
FIDOODLE Homebase: Toronto, ON DESIGNER/ORIGINATOR: Jen Bulthuis Size for wood wall paels: 8" X 8" X 2", Wholesale price: $15 Bulthuis, an illustrator, unlocks a child's imagination with her swirling puzzle pieces and building blocks that sport her friendly characters.
Outstanding pieces: The sophisticated drawings on the City and Country wall panels draw a child into both worlds. The dynamic images work singly or paired as a wall display. Tel: 416-805-5632 E-mail: Info@fidoodle.com
TABLETOP: EMILY GREEN - A BRAND OF IMAGINATION Homebase: Los Angeles, CA DESIGNER/ORIGINATOR: Emily Green Sizes for the Imagination Mats: 11" X 17"; Wholesale price for mats: $6.50, add $6.50 for a set of 8 Doodle Sticks
Emily Green's Imagination Mats are illustrated with animals, planes, and trucks that are just as bright and whimsical as child's art work. The mats are laminated plastic on one side; the back is a unique white laminated canvas primed for a child to draw on with a set of 8 Doodle sticks (washable markers) that will not "bead up" on the mat's surface. Tel: 323-988-1264 E-mail: orders@emilygreen.com
Originally published September 15, 2009
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