Chicago

Take a magic carpet ride at Creative Visions, Chicago Merchandise Mart (CMM) 1599, which just added Global Home area rugs and its specialty, printed jutes. Styles range from traditional to contemporary, and there are four sizes ranging from 4'x6' to 8'x10'. The collection includes artist Jane Adams' designs, as well as a new children's ensemble featuring farm animals, sports, and nautical themes.

New at Excelsior, CMM 1559, is Madi Candles, a line of pillars in three sizes that have objects such as corn, potpourri, cinnamon sticks, and dried flowers embedded in them. River's Edge is the perfect men's gift line because it centers on fishing, hunting, and nautical themes. Large scale fishing lure replicas make great wall decor. The line also includes woodsy-looking picture frames, birdhouses, and a host of unusual items. Need a Santa or two? Look at the Renaissance Co.'s line of collectible Santa dolls that are limited editions of 250 pieces. The fabric clothing is handmade.

Got Milk? is an eight-SKU introduction of mouth-blown ornaments from Scottish Christmas (SC) depicting Santa or his reindeers in milk-related scenes. Got airplanes? If not, SC has vintage aircraft ornaments such as the P-51, Corsair, and B-17. And SC also has sports team logo ornaments of the National Football League, 60 NCAA teams, NHL, and Major League Baseball. The Gary Patterson Collection of mouth-blown characters such as dogs, cats, and golfers is also new from SC. Frank Kaminskas & Associates, CMM 13-272, now reps SC, replacing Zangs Marketing.

Life is a carnival at North Star by Premier, CMM 1572, with jesters, minstrels, tuxedoed monkeys, ringleaders, and other circus dolls dressed in colorful emerald greens, purples, and hot pinks. The Carnival collection also includes garlands, blown glass circus animal figures, and ornaments, all with the line's coordinated coloring. Also new at North Star is the Majestic look that features a more sophisticated color palette of mauve, reds, burgundy, and gold trims. Sparkles, faux fur, hats, and glitzy buttons are just some of the accessories added to the many snowmen that adorn the line's general Christmas goods.

Ashton moved from CMM 15-102 to CMM 15-105. This gives the company an additional 300 square feet of space, and one of the positions on the 15th floor for its print and framing services.

Spring showers bring May flowers, but they also bring wet kids home. To the rescue comes the Forty-Mile Creek division of Wellipets, which just introduced a children's accessory line of rain coats, boots, swimming goggles, fins, and clogs at Sarmco, CMM 1575. Hey Mate, the Mimco division of Australia Steamboat Connection, offers personal tote bags, cosmetic bags, and hair accessory kits. Brisa is a gifty music CD line with titles packaged in round tins. Artists such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, or world music such as African Danca or Roma, are just some of the titles that round out dozens of selections in classical, rock, soul, '40s , '50s, and '60s genres.

An unprecedented 11 complete themes are among the introductions at Sullivans Inc., which has just added 1,400 square feet of space to its CMM 15-102 showroom. Traditional Classics features red glass and acrylic items. European Expressions offers a Euro look of green with white floral accents and four sizes of wreaths. Partridge In A Pear Tree has no partridges, but it has quails amidst brilliant hues of orange, yellow, and copper. Also take a look at Sullivans' sparsely branched, but stylish, Norwegian pencil pines. The company is also showcasing newly introduced potted floral arrangements that are pre-made in tropical, fall, and Christmas styles. Sullivans added to its dried floral and leafy items as well as the transitional Tuscany Collection, which features new colors and arrangements.

Hedge your bets on the garden business blooming with Hedgies at David Smith Associates (DSA), CMM 15-122. Hedgies are metal stakes with an iron plaque with laser-cut designs and inscriptions such as a falling star, lucky shamrock, or the word welcome. The plaques can be hung independently, and they also include a hole for putting in florals and other decorative items. DSA is the exclusive U.S. agent.