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National Stationery Show 2010: A Tighter Focus I've attended the National Stationery Show (May 16-19, 2010) at the Jacob Javits Center in New York for several years. The first time, the exhibition was a behemoth. Designers exhibited anything that could possibly fall under the "stationery" category, as well as gift shop goods - clothing, bath products, chocolate, perfume - rounding out the offerings. Now, the definition of stationery, at least at the recent show, has narrowed. While there were gift shop collections on view, the majority of the vendors offered items specific to paper goods: cards, albums, wrapping paper, art prints, etc. Bridal collections were abundant, with less talk of personalization, last year's buzzword. And "green" lines, those made of recycled papers and vegetable-based inks, are no longer a trend. Green items are a given.
JEWELRY AND HAIR ACCESSORIES:
CAROLYN FORSMAN CONVERSATION PIECE JEWELRY Homebase: New York, NY DESIGNER: Carolyn Forsman Wholesale price: .40 for Stretch Marks, $2 for Watch Spring Bracelets Timely, whimsical and priced to sell, Forsman's designs are as comfortable in museum shops as they are in children's stores.
Outstanding piece: When are Stretch Marks good? When they're rubber bands printed with defining words such as "Pundit," "Jerk" and "Chocoholic."
Worn in multiples, the Watch Spring Bracelets, lightweight metal springs painted with animal patterns, make a chic statement. Tel: 212 664-1919 E-mail: Hello@carolynforsman
SMITTEN KITTEN Homebase: Ontario, Canada DESIGNER: Amy Kwong Wholesale price: $6.50 Kwong is smitten with all things vintage. Share her ardor by perusing her collection of repurposed "brooches," necklaces made of charms or brass findings, cards and notebooks made from recycled vintage paper and pretty hair accessories.
Outstanding pieces: The bobby pins embellished with vintage plastic fleur de lis, look pretty holding back a lock of hair. Tel: 416-880-6369 E-mail: Info@smittenkitten.ca
GIFTS:
ELEGANT BABY Homebase: Burlington, NC DESIGNER: The Elegant Baby design team Wholesale price: $12 Christmas Bear, $7.50 3-pack socks, $15 knit blanket The holidays are coming and you haven't ordered anything that screams "Christmas!" Now you can.
Outstanding piece: The designers have done all the work. You just put a bow on the bear, or the adorable coordinating slipper socks or blanket, and you've got Christmas covered. Tel: 800 334-5321 E-mail: customerservice@elegantbaby.com
ROOM ACCESSORIES AND WALL ART:
TREE BY KERRI LEE Homebase: Long Eddy, NY DESIGNER: Kerri Lee-Sensiba Wholesale price: $32 Her soft colors and vintage aesthetic is Lee-Sensiba's trademark. She's employed her pretty palette and stylized animal motifs in a great new piece to hold a child's most precious possessions: books!
Outstanding piece: There's a different animal on each of the no-slide ends, so a child can turn the piece for a different look. The borders of each bracket are edged with vintage book pages for more visual interest. A great new piece from this always charming collection. Tel: 845 887-6165 E-mail: Info@treebykerrilee.com
URUBBU Homebase: Ontario, Canada DESIGNER: Geraldo Valerio Wholesale price: $1.96 for cards, $7 for 8.5" x 11" print Children's book illustrator Valerio debuted Urubbu, his collection of cards, bookmarks and prints. His animal imagery is reminiscent of the flat, highly stylized prints of the 1960s.
Outstanding piece: Valerio turns vintage magazines into collages and then prints the images on heavy stock with a semi-gloss finish. The colors - bright lime, turquoise and gray; orange/red, wine and taupe - have a muted sophistication. Group and frame the cards for a dramatic display. Tel: 647 342-6369 E-mail: Info@urubbu.com
SHOWER CARDS/BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:
FUGU FUGU PRESS Homebase: Pasadena, CA DESIGNER: Shino Charlson Wholesale price: $2 each With their focused color palette, stylized imagery and humor, Fugu Fugu's recycled, soy-based ink designs are for the modern parent.
Outstanding piece: No one will have to guess why they're receiving a card. "Preggers" tells it all. Tel: 626 826-3287 E-mail: Fugufugupress@gmail.com
HEATHERLY AND WRITEABLES Homebase: Fort Worth, TX DESIGNER: Heather Chang Wholesale price: $2 Clean motifs as well as timeless patterns, and a color palette of fresh, mid-tone pastels, make Heatherly designs a sure seller on store shelves.
Outstanding piece: Crisp stripes and preppy coloration look modern with an off-center lime dot. Tel: 871 781-4813, 871 330-9717 E-mail: Info@heatherlydesigns.com
MAX & BUNNY Homebase: New York, NY DESIGNER: Rebecca Hardie Wholesale price: $2.50 First-time exhibitor Hardie launched a collection of richly colored, boldly expressed items for the "look-at-me" crowd.
Outstanding piece: Baby! Baby! Baby! One life changing word. The bright colors are repeated in the polka dot-lined card. Tel: 718 887-6224 E-mail: Rhardie@maxandbunny.com
TREENEX GREETING CARDS Homebase: Cleveland, OH DESIGNER: Ignas Dundulis Approximate wholesale price: $2.90 Here's a clever idea. For every card sold, TreeNex will plant an oak tree. On the back of each card are directions for creating a "tree-ID". Once that's established, a person can keep track of the tree's growth with photos on the website. In addition to its green gimmick, the cards sport playful, brightly colored, cartoon-like graphics that are sure to please the recipient.
Outstanding piece: "It's a baby!" announces an infant's arrival in style and with good intentions: it's made of recycled paper and printed with vegetable-based ink. Tel: 202 684-6653 E-mail: Ignas@treenex.com
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