5 reasons why we love Chickiddie's really cool baby blankets

Chickiddie is a small company (we love small companies- oh I should be counting- that's # 1) started by two friends with a passion for great design and color and perhaps looking for a creative outlet in their lives. Sarina Galu used a quilt that she received as a baby gift for her son- Tucker as inspiration. She loved its vintage feeling and she loved that Tucker cherished that quilt as much as she did. She and her friend, Nicole Intile (who has an extensive background in design, namely at Ralph Lauren) fell in love with some amazing fabrics at the ultra chic fabric and yarn shop, Purl Soho in NYC. They created a quilt that has a vintage feeling with sweet fabrics but has a modern construction (we love modern interpretations of old crafts, #2). The panels are larger than most quilts, giving the quilt a clean (less busy) look. But the color combinations are just fabulous (#3)- browns with green, bright purples with orange, mustard yellow with turquoise- they are not traditional but so fresh. After observing her son drag his precious quilt all around the house- Sarina came up with adding a ribbon in the corner of the Chickiddie quilt to allow the opposite end to be pulled through. This shortens the quilt so he can still carry it but not drag it- we love this brilliant concept (#4). They are all lovingly hand made to order and some fabric choices may be slightly different than photographed but Sarina and Nicole have a great eye and you will be pleased with the final creation (#5- we love handmade)! These blankets make a wonderful gift for a new baby that will be cherished for years to come.

Select candles on sale! Relax for less!

The holidays may be over but our lives still seem to be crazy. . . well, at least mine is. This is the time when we attend multiple trade shows to search for unique product for spring, summer and even the fall. It's also a busy time socially and then there is school stuff for the kids and summer camp to think about. Look, I'm not complaining. I'm so grateful. I can't stand when moms complain about all the driving they need to do for all their kids activities- as if they are being tortured (certainly fighting kids in the back seat can feel like torture). But, they chose all those activities for their kids- no one forced them to sign them up. And they should also be grateful for being able to afford all those classes, sports and the incredible amount of gear that is required. I do believe kids are way over-scheduled! They don't know what to do when they are at home, by themselves. I think a little boredom is healthy- it spurs the imagination. I have to do camp because it gives my time to work but I would love it if they were just running around outside all day- exploring, discovering, pretending, etc. Anyway, I digress - this post is supposed to be about candles. Candles provide a great source of relaxation. Light one and take a hot bath- with a cup of tea or cuddle up with a good book. I'm reading a great book called The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Or, listen to some relaxing music- one of my absolute favorites pieces of music is Yo Yo Ma's version of the Prelude from Bach's Cello Suite, Number 1. It is slightly over played now that American Express used it for their most recent ad campaign. I first heard it in the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with Russell Crowe. They played this music while filming the Galapagos Island- just beautiful. Or light a candle and meditate. This is something I'd like to to learn how to do this year. Sounds strange to say that you have to learn how to meditate- but I don't think it comes naturally. Check out this great post from Gwyneth Paltrow's blog called Goop about meditation.

Lastly, if you are like me, you are cooking a lot of comfort food- casseroles, soups. The smell of onions can just linger terribly. Lighting a candles helps rid the house of that odor. Our candles are as much of as 50% off! Click here.

Finally back . . . check out See Design by Donna Gorman

Aaaaah. I'm finally back to blogging. We had a very busy holiday season and I just could not fit in blogging which was so sad to me because I actually do enjoy it. There is always so much to talk about but it is just so hard to make the time to do it! Today I want to put a little shout out to Donna Gorman who designed our new line of casual, beach accessories called See Design. Donna Gorman, former designer and Vice President of the Finnish textile design house, Merimekko is quite a talented and fascinating woman. She left in 1992 to start her own design company with Merimekko as her first client. Since then she has consulted for Crate and Barrel, Target and Dansk, among others. Her aesthetic is clean, modern, sleek and very, very colorful. She was initially trained as a photojournalist and still travels to some pretty exotic places (Morocco, rural Mexico and India) to take photographs of anything and everything that she sees in daily life. Those photos eventually serve as inspiration for a textile design. She has been interviewed for some great magazines, such as Cookie, I.D Magazine, Abitare and most recently Metropolitan Home where her vacation home in Puerto Rico was featured on the cover. See pictures below. Her first book has already been published by William Morrow, called the "Artful Table."


Her home in Puerto Rico - just where I'd like to be right now!


Lastly, her design work is part of a permanent collection of the Museum of Applied Arts in Munich, Germany.

We picked up some great pieces from her new line called See Design. They are fresh, fun and very well-priced, perfect for your next warm-weather vacation or for your trips to the beach or pool. The tote holds a ton! The cosmetic bag is a great size, big enough for some shampoo / conditioner bottles and great for year round.

Check out See Design, click here.

Wrapping, packing and wrapping and packing!

At some point, after Christmas, we'll be back to blogging! Right now, we are wrapping and packing and wrapping and packing and shipping and wrapping and packing and shipping!

One little note (shhhhh), now through 12/18, all MZ Wallace bags are 20% off! Use coupon code MZpromo.

Happy Holidays!

Linnea's Lights- simply divine!

I met Laura Cler of Linnea's Lights back in August at this wonderful event called Monday Morning Mimosas organized by the fabulous Erika Firm of Delphine Studio and joined by Smock Paper, Green Paper Company and Russell and Hazel. It was a nice way to spend a morning in the city before I trekked on over to the jinormous NY Gift show in the Jacob Javits center. I just fell in love with these candles for so many reasons. Linnea's Lights, founded by Laura Cler, is a small but quickly growing company based in Indiana. Laura and her mother run the candle company where they meticulously hand pour these lovely triple scented candles in small batches to get the mix and scent just right. The fragrance is subtle and lasts for the entire 60 hour burn. The wicks are of lead free cotton and there are two of them on each candle. They use only pure essences, fine fragrances and sustainable soy wax to create these masterpieces. Their process is completely done by hand. The packaging is a simple, yet sophisticated, recycled natural kraft cylindrical box that is hand stamped with the name of the scent. The glass candle is wrapped in brown paper along with a box of matches. The scents are divine and yet quite unique. They make absolutely lovely gifts, especially at a wonderful price of $28.00. We have already sold a bunch of them. They've been featured in several magazines including In Style, Vogue and Everyday by Rachael Ray. You will be pleased! We carry 8 scents: Moss, Fir, Pomander, Blue Agave, Current Rouge, Bamboo, Yuzu and Winter. I think Pomander is my favorite because of the cloves and spice- it just perfect for this time of year but I also love Bamboo and Yuzu for their really unique and soothing scents. It's really tough to choose!

New fab items from Susy Jack!

We have carried Susy Jack since we started. Created by Susan Connor, a Manhattan artist and designer, the collection emerged in 2007 as bold new alternative in the paper goods market. Inspired by everything from trips to the hardware store to textiles and fashion, the collection's joyful colors, carefully chosen materials, and fun, functional product brings paper to a new place; as much a statement of the user's individuality and style as it is a useful and artistic object.

We just fell fell in love with her great eye for color and modern designs. Her designs just make us happy. Really. She writes an awesome blog at http://www.susanconnordesign.typepad.com/ which is chock full of great images and collages of fashion, style, home design, paper and mundane stuff. It is total eye-candy! We are quite excited to offer her 2010 desk and wall calendars. The colorful and clean images will brighten anyones day. We swear. And, with the help of Susy, we created two different paper goods gift boxes. One for both sides of your brain and life- work and play. The "work" box will help you organize your everyday "to dos" with fun magnets, days of the week clips and a handy notebook for sparks of inspiration. The "play" box also has great magnets and clips but with a nod towards your more imaginative and thoughtful side. Use these to hang pictures of your friends, kids, family and favorite vacation spots. Let these images remind you of what really matters in life (after you pay the bills of course)! Also included is a box of notecards to send to a quick thank you or a "just because note" to your mom or a friend. They come in a stylish eco-friendly "take-out" box for added kitsch. Both the gift boxes and calendars make great gifts for just about anyone on your list, especially for corporate and teacher giving. They are chic, modern, fun and so well-priced! How can you go wrong?

Susy is also committed to creating the most eco-friendly paper goods possible. All of Susy Jack's products are printed and hand-assembled in the USA. Recycled packaging is used for shipping and office needs whenever possible. All papers used in Susy's products are 100% Post Consumer Recycled. How cool is that? We are not sure how she manages to do it all-she is quite amazing!

Thank you! Gratitude Day!

From left to right:

first row:
1. Sukie special notebook
2. Morris & Essex Thank You card
3. Paper + Cup letterpress "You Rock" card
second row:
4. Blue Ribbon Designs Thank you card
5. Paloma's Nest "Cherish" hand stamped petite bowl
6. Smock Paper bamboo "Thank You (kindly)" card
bottom:
7. Zeichen Press letterpress "You Rock" card

I have not written a blog entry in weeks! I do apologize. A large, overwhelming trade show, a trip to Cape Cod and back to school preparation are just some of the distractions that have kept me from blogging! But, we are all finally getting back into a nice routine. And although I love spontaneity, like a child, I do find comfort in routine! Today I got an email from the stationery website called Tiny Prints about Gratitude Day. I didn't even know Gratitude Day existed but it's a fabulous idea! Today is the day we should all spend a moment (or two) to express our gratitude for the little and big things that make us happy and complete (less the turkey, parades and stuffing)! I'm thankful for my wonderful husband and sweet (most of the time) and beautiful little girls, for my Mom's strength and kindness and for my Dad's warmth and wit. I'm also thankful for my brother's creative talent and his ability to see beauty in so much - a trait he has passed onto his amazing daughter, Ananda. I'm grateful for my little cat, Nikita, who is cuddled up on my lap right now, purring (and unfortunately passing gas)! And for my health, support of my good friends, good coffee, hot showers, great wine, a run without stopping and this absolutely gorgeous day! And of course thanks to all of you who read my blog and shop on my site!

Check out the video that Tiny Prints made. It's pretty cool:



Also, check out this fun application for your Iphone that encourages you to write down something you are grateful for daily!



Thanks!