Retailers'
Hot Picks for Summer 2007 Shopping - Part
V
Baby
gifts. We love to buy them but with so many manufacturers
offering such great gear, how do you choose? We asked a
few retailers with great selections to share their "Hot
Picks" for summer presents. They responded with items
that are sure to cement your reputation as an
extraordinarily gifted gift-giver.
There's an art to finding the best
kids' furniture and room décor as well as unusual
gifts. It's an art Kim Gellman of ARTISTIC
SENSATIONS has
perfected. The lines of bedding, furniture, and wall
décor she offers on her 10-year-old website appeal
to mothers who appreciate rich pattern and color and
possess a playful spirit.
Gellman chooses Rustic Letters by
Twelve Timbers as a "Hot Pick." "These are a fabulous
gifts because you can personalize a room with a saying or
a child's name for a great price. They are hand cut and
come in over a dozen colors," she says. The letters (and
numbers) made of softly distressed wood are available in
several colors. (5.5" letters/numbers $6.99 each, 10.5"
letters/numbers $11.99 each.)
"I love the ABC's of Life Wooden
Word Boxes by Inspired Generations," says Gellman.
"Beautiful sayings and messages can be spelled out for
your family and loved ones. It's a unique item and one of
our best sellers." The high quality wooden box, available
in natural wood, pink or blue, contains 30 wooden blocks
with letters, words and graphics. The ABC's come with a
wooden display stand housed underneath the blocks. Not
sure what to write? The accompanying Little Book of Big
Inspiration offers kids hundreds of sayings to assemble
($69).
Two Tinas' blankets have been
spotted on the arms of celebrity moms in US Magazine and
a slew of other publications. The playful polka dot items
($48) reverse to buttery soft "ChicMink" for ultimate
softness next to an infant's skin. "Baby's initial
personalize the cozy, printed blanket," says Gellman.
"They're perfect for gift giving." Each blanket is
shipped with a soft yellow grosgrain ribbon and
customized hangtag. The monogram is hand sewn with 100
percent polyester washable felt.
BELLE
PEARL offers fine
quality pearl jewelry for girls of all ages. "Our
products are made with the highest quality genuine
freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystals and sterling
silver. We offer an adorable selection of precious baby
and children's jewelry as well as an exquisite adult and
bridal collection," says the company's owner Angela
Apon who has owned her business for four years.
Her customers appreciate the fine
workmanship of each piece as well as Belle Pearl's
elegant packaging: every gift is packaged in a soft pink
box and tied with rich chocolate brown ribbon.
A "Hot Pick" on Apon's site is
infant-sized jewelry. "Whether you select classic hand
knotted freshwater pearls with a filigree clasp or the
colorful "Garden Party" bracelet, these gifts will be the
delight of those who give them and wear them," says Apon.
The "Emily" (4" up to 6", $29.99) is "elegant, delicate
and sweet. It's a real heirloom piece," she adds.
A tiny pearl bracelet adorned with
a pearl-covered cross or tiny post earrings with a
similar cross make thoughtful gifts for those early
religious ceremonies. So does a lovely bracelet strung
with soft pink pearls with a silver Star of David
dangling from its clasp. "Our customers love the items
for bat mitzvahs, baptisms, communion and confirmation
gifts," says Apon. (Bracelets in sizes S, M, and L fit NB
to 6 years and older. Baptism bracelet: $39, Star of
David bracelet: $38, Stud earrings: $20.)
Who knows more about gifts for
babies than grandmothers? In the case of NAMELY
NEWBORNS, you can make
that two grandmothers. Denise Glasser and Roz
Stuzin are the duo who own and choose the great items
for their three-year-old website. "We cater to first-time
mothers who trust our judgment and expertise and
grandmothers and friends who are looking for affordable
luxury gifts," says Stuzin.
The clients of these
"grandmompreneurs'" have made the I.D Bracelets by Stacy
($39.95) a "Hot Pick." The item, made with Swarovski
crystals and sterling with the baby's name spelled out in
sterling silver baby blocks, offers plenty of style at an
affordable price.
Personalized gifts are always
welcome, especially when they're as beautifully crafted
and showcase as much vintage charm as Sophie Jane
Accessories. Her hand
decoupaged line of personalized picture frames, step
stools and buckets ($35.95-$70) are "timeless, unusual
gifts in great colors and patterns that accent any
nursery," Stuzin says.
Whenever I see a collection with
that intangible "something special" my heart starts
thumping. It was doing somersaults in early 2006 when I
met Sude and Joe Peta of FEATHER
BABY at the
ENK
Children's Club Show.
Sude's understated color sense, her sweet shapes that
never teeter into preciousness and the subtle Asian
prints she designs marked the debut of an original
designer to the children's wear market. (All designs are
available in sizes 3 to 24 months.)
This is one of the pieces at
Feather Baby's launch that I loved, and I'm not alone.
"This design is still the best selling item in our entire
line," says Joe. With a touch
of vintage charm and bit of the Orient, this comfortable
pajama ($28) "makes a great gift, according to our
customers."
"This garment is a major "Hot Pick"
for spring and summer," says Joe of Sude's new Playdress
in a charming lollipop print. With a slightly
Japanese/vintage flavor and an easy-on-the-wallet price
of $42, you get a whole lot of bang for the modest buck.
Joe chalks up the T-shirt's "Hot
Pick" appeal as a "shortage of simple tees in a market
that's over-saturated with logos and prints. Moms who
wear Splendid T-shirts can now buy something similar for
their little boys (and little girls, too)." This very
cool top in rich dark peacock sells for $16.
Nirvana is just a mouse click away
for parents who admire all things vintage. Log onto
Angela Clemente's recently launched
TABLE
FIVE DESIGNS where
everything from the flower-bedecked lamps, crystal wall
sconces and ruffle-adorned panties are touched with a bit
of nostalgia. "I want to showcase the finest infant and
children's clothing, art décor, playhouses and
furnishings," says Clemente.
The Sweet Tulip Lolita Set by
Tralala (12 months, $36) is an example of Table Five
Designs' aesthetic. The colorful tulip-strewn print is
right out of grandma's kitchen and there are just enough
ruffles adorning the top and pants to add flirty appeal.
The soft, woolly lamb on this tee's
front and the coordinating patch on the pants of this
practical set by Victoria Kids (3-24 months, $45) add
just enough tactile detail to the ensemble. "The two
pieces are a perfect summer outfit for picnics and
stroller rides," says Clemente.
"The set is a 'must-have' for any
summer outing," says Clemente of the "Diapering
Attaché" with a coordinating blanket by Cedar
Bluff ($32). I agree. It's not only practical - just roll
the set into any tote and you've got the day's diapering
handled - the adorable cowboy pattern should elicit sighs
of gratitude at this season's baby showers.
Originally published June 25,
2007
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