Short Takes

Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 12/1/2000

Purple Haze

Tea's on! Ideal for a hostess gift or as a whimsical office addition, purple-accented teapot icons spice up these coordinated pen gift sets for $5.99, sticky notes for $2.50, snag-free wired notepad for $2.99, and magnetic list pad for $4.99. Brownlow, Fort Worth, TX. (800) 831-3831. #484

In case you didn't notice, purple correspondence cards are Tres Chic, with white script at the top and lots of space for personal messages, shopping lists, or doodles. They're $13 for a box of ten, or $117 for 100 in bulk. Carly's Wish, Minneapolis. (800) 627-2648. #485

Combine this season's hottest color with the craze for animal patterns. The Nathalie collection is a cover and case line for Palm Pilots, CDs/DVDs, checkbooks, pocket address books, pocket planners, pocket journals, and wallets. Premiered by actress Melanie Griffith, the line features a raw-silk hot purple lining and a zebra body. Prices range from $14 for address book, pocket planner, or journal, to $44 for a large planner. Many other hip styles available. Sunny Kate, Hermosa Beach, CA. (310) 318-2530. #486

Got purple? These frames do! White backgrounds lend themselves perfectly to the look of a picket fence covered with violets. A resin hat and shoe accent a frame that holds a 3½"x2_" photo, or put a 5"x3½" photo in a violet paper-wrapped frame with a wooden bezel. The mini resin violets frame is ideal to showcase a business card, or choose either the heart-shaped, violet-detailed, resin frame or a wicker-look resin frame that holds a 1_" square picture. $4-$12. Lady Jayne, Cypress, CA. (800) 274-7685. #487

Magnetic wow! Accent the purple papers and cards in your store with a display of marble mosaic magnets, magnetic tartan mosaics, or magnetic flowers. Vivid patterns and bright colors make a brilliantly colored addition to your magnet section, or a wonderful start to it. Magnets are 7"x9" in 1" squares. Keep them together to form a mosaic or pull them apart to create new patterns. $18. Greggo Magnets, Minneapolis. (888) 781-7289. #492

Spring On

With its cute face and perky ears, no one can resist a bunny, especially one talented enough to croon. In pastel overalls with checkered accents and faux leather shoes, the fully accessorized Rainbow bunny is available in both boy and girl styles. Bunnies stand 16" tall, and will dance and sing spring tunes. $32. Berkeley Designs, Hawthorne, CA. (800) 272-3872. #490

Thanks to Kinka, now Valentines float! Adorable children and cuddly bears are printed on both cards and balloons in six adorable styles. Notable is a card depicting a teddy bear swinging on a heart balloon that reads, "You sweep me away and fill me with love." Attractively packaged together, they are an affordable $5. Raecath Inc., Madison, CT. (800) 63-KINKA. #488

Design Gallery is the latest stationery collection from Socially Yours, which features 19 clean, contemporary, and simple images for a host of social occasions. The heartfelt Love design comes as 5"x7" imprintables with pre-punched stock and vellum along with ribbon, $18 for a box of ten, or with die-cut corners to hold the vellum, $11 for a box of ten. Minis run 5½"x4 1/8" in imprintables, and have prepunched holds for ribbon, $16 for a box of ten, and 5½"x4¼"notecards are $8.50 for ten. Socially Yours, Bakersfield, CA. (877) INVITING #489

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day comes the Qualatex Spring collection with shamrock-shaped balloons and the Happy Go Lucky bouquet, manufactured entirely of Microfoil for long-lasting decor. The pot of gold is filled with 4" Microfoil gold-coin balloons, and provides an anchor for the high-flying, colorful shamrocks. $20.75, or $9.50 for just the shamrock balloons. Other St. Paddy's day products include Shamrocks glass mugs, latex St. Patrick's day balloons, and Kiss Me, I'm Irish balloons with Clip 'n Stick holders for party favors. Pioneer Balloons, Wichita, KS. (800) 803-5380. #491

The Victoriana market overlaps with that for scrapbooking; custom-made for these customers is HOTP's Vintage Papers. Huge sheets include several seasonal designs, as well as ones featuring florals, kittens, butterflies, fans, and birds. Vintage Papers is printed acid-free, each book has 18 pull-out pages, and each page is 11_"x12". $7.95. HOTP, Canby, OR. (503) 266-9102. #494

Celebrate all three dimensions of love with pop-up valentines. A red velvet, white-winged heart flutters out to greet loved ones, and the wings move up and down as the envelope is opened and closed. If chocolate is more appealing, there's also a card featuring a real red velvet candy box which pops open to reveal realistically embossed chocolates. Several other designs to choose from, $5 each. PopShots Studios, Bridgeport CT. (800) 852-POPS. #493

Chocolate is a year-round pleasure, but it is especially appropriate for Valentine's Day and Easter. Now there's a book devoted the subject that is not only fat-free, it has no expiration date and an unlimited shelf life! From the DK Living series, Chocolate is a must-have cookbook for all chocolate lovers. Illustrated with mouth-watering photographs, it includes easy-to-follow instructions for cakes, pies, tarts, puddings, ice cream, sauces, cookies, and confectionery, plus drinks from hot chocolate to Brandy Alexanders. Step-by-step guidance is given throughout, while an introductory section details basic techniques, including how to make curls, leaves, and other decorations to add a professional finishing touch. Paperback, 7½"x9¼", 144 pp. $13.95. DK Publishing, New York. (212) 213-4800. #658

All prices retail