Atlanta
Diane A. Maicon -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 2/1/2001
Two new desk clocks featuring a hexagonal shape and a round, white clock face debuted at Staffordshire Enamels, 859A of AmericasMart 2 (AM2), during the January market. The two designs are London scenes (cityscapes hand-painted on each of the six sides) and golfing scenes (sure to inspire anyone to hit the links). In addition, Staffordshire displayed its annual limited-edition Christmas pieces.
Just a couple of floors up in AM2 1010, The Good Ship features a number of introductions. In particular, take notice of Castilian Imports' new home accents and additions to the popular Elephant collection. The hand-painted Quadrangular Vase, the Tall Urn, and the Tureen are all from the porcelain collection, and all are Asian-inspired. Also new is the Temple Top Box that displays a bamboo style roof on a hexagonal hand-painted body measuring 14"x15"x18". A round urn and a Pagoda Top Box round out the decorative items highlighting bamboo, leaf, and other traditional Asian motifs. Perhaps the most dramatic piece is the Marching Elephant on a black oval base in solid brass or antique bronze.
Textillery Weavers, in AmericasMart 1 (AM1) 11-F-2, introduced the company's latest color story: metallic. One new style throw, woven using a log-cabin technique, is available in two sizes and features gold, bronze, and cappuccino with garnet accents. In addition, the company is making new additions to the "Bright" series with a hand-woven, chenille plaid throw-picture a rich harvest of colors such as chili, raspberry, pumpkin, cayenne, cherry, and toffee. Fashion designer Jhane Barnes' collection brings to market a new Step pattern featuring an intricate double-weave design in a palette of gold, dark purple, bronze, raisin, and garnet colors. And the new Chocolate series will thrill the Willie Wonka in us with a range from light butterscotch to deep truffle.
Gund renovated its showroom, AM2 1527, and tripled its display space to 3,000 square feet. The expanded space allows buyers to experience the "Magic of Gund" and see more easily the introductions in the babyGUND, Barton's Creek Collection, Harry Potter, and Gund Design lines. The company also debuted its first line of resin gifts that capture the look and feel of some of Gund's most popular characters.
Music boxes are a perennial favorite. Reuge Music, a manufacturer of quality, handcrafted music boxes and giftware represented by Main Street Marketing, AM2 6132, premiered its Symphony series just over two years ago. The line offers buyers a variety of licensees including Beatrix Potter (just right for the nursery), Glynda Turley and Symphony's proprietary ThreadBears Brand by Adrienne Samuelson, Oleg Parkhomenko, and newcomer Brian Day. New designs by Glynda Turley portray romantic landscapes and floral themes on wooden musical jewelry boxes that have Swiss-made musical movements and a suede lining. The artist's work now appears on 22 Symphony pieces including collectible resin figurines, waterglobes, the Hand in Hand Mother and Daughter Glynda Turley dolls that play "Someone to Watch Over Me."
Other all-occasion gifts might include fancy soaps-perfect for the guest bath or for gift baskets from Primal Elements in AM2 1621. The company's "Smooches" candle is a hand-poured, long-burning candle housed in a pink aluminum tin that features red gel lips set off by white wax and pink, translucent pieces. The champagne and strawberries scent is sure to deliver a romantic message.
