The Biz: The Grapevine

Jacquard Arts and Crafts Make Rainy Days Shine

By Stephanie Hanlon

Many families make their own “rainy day kits,” full of activities to entertain housebound kiddos. They can go to any craft store for the basics: coloring books, markers, construction paper and glue. But what if you could offer parents high-quality, affordable textile art supplies like fabric paints, dyes, screen inks, pigment powders, fabric art markers and more for an all-inclusive ultimate craft kit? Well get started in what could become a new profit center for your store, with Jacquard Products.

The Grapevine

Long Pond Co. Provides Personalized Craftsmanship

By Carolyn Kavarnos

Bringing art and play together is Long Pond Company’s mission. Long Pond Company creates unique, heirloom-quality wood toys, furniture and other personalized gifts for children. All Long Pond creations are custom made to order. They use furniture-grade hardwoods and hardwood laminates finished with a durable gloss acrylic for lasting beauty and cleanliness. Customers can customize their orders with Long Pond’s original art and characters, and hand-painted personalization is available at no extra cost. All Long Pond Company toys and furniture are made in the U.S.A.

The Grapevine

Freddy Mine Makes Coats of Many Comforts

By Lauren Rollheiser

Freddy Mine is a collection of sweaters and outerwear for boys that focuses on cozy comfort. This line includes classic designs that use warm tones and mixed textures. With two small boys of her own, Kelly Rooney used her 10 years of experience in the clothing industry to design for baby boys. Freddy Mine was inspired by an old teddy bear, worn to pieces. Freddy, the teddy bear, inspired a feeling of “love, warmth, and comfort”. This feeling is woven into each lovingly designed piece. Freddy Mine will be expanding its Spring 2013 collection to include boy sizes 12 months through 5T. It will incorporate knit and woven fabrics as well as woven bottoms.

The Grapevine

TrayKit Keeps Traveling Hands Busy

By Kelly Lee

Travel, both international and domestic, consumes a significant portion of every journey. The trip seems even longer if you are bringing children. Let’s face it: getting on the plane may be exciting (what kid doesn’t like taking off their shoes in public?) and the first ten minutes of every car trip is great, but it’s what happens in between that can make or break even the strongest wills. “Are we there yet?” is an acceptable refrain if the trip is ten minutes to Grandma’s, but not thrilling when the destination is Seoul, some ten hours away. The TrayKit from Content and Calm can help keep kids busy.

The Grapevine

Cool Wazoo is a 5-in-1 Cover All

By Carolyn Kavarnos

One of many things that can boggle the minds of new parents is the amount of stuff that one little baby can bring into their lives. It gets to the point that getting out of the house with baby can have parents feeling like they are packing for a weekend away. Cool Wazoo by Cheerful Child is a multifunctional product that can help to lighten that load. Initially designed to protect children from the blistering temperatures of playground bucket swing seats, Cool Wazoo can also be utilized as a car seat cover, shopping cart cover, restaurant high chair cover, and changing pad.

The Grapevine

“Lately Lily” Puts the “Tee” in Travels

By Mari Gold

For summer traveling or just hanging out, take note of a new line of tee shirts that celebrate fabulousness and adventures. Lately Lily is the star of the show, a curious girl who loves to visit foreign places accompanied by her bright yellow suitcase. The tees come in twenty-five versions, each with a hand-drawn graphic and a hand-drawn hangtag that details Lily’s thoughts on the places she’s visited. Lily’s adventures give shoppers a way to bring home the gift of curiosity, a quality Lily has in abundance. The tees and tags are also a way to motivate kids to keep notes on the world around them.

The Grapevine

Expectant Dads Get in on the Action

By Mari Gold

When a baby is in the process of arriving, all attention focuses — as it should — on Mom. But Dad, often forced to hang out for a long time in whatever he was wearing when the hospital beckoned, is an important player too. With DaddyScrubs^®, a father-to-be gets the ideal labor-and-delivery outfit so he can be comfortable while supporting proud Mama every step of the way. DaddyScrubs is a perfect gift for a new father on his first Father’s Day or a man preparing to welcome a new son or daughter. “Daddy” is writ large on the front chest of the top, with an even bigger, bolder “I’m the Daddy” declaration on back.

The Grapevine

Changes are a Zip with Zopheez

By Stephanie Hanlon

Parents know the potential horror when they pick their kid up while on an outing and realize a diaper change has to happen right then and there. Blizzard or not, a dirty diaper waits for no man. Offer these frenzied parents the perfect option with Zopheez: a fashionable one-piece outfit that actually looks like two-piece separates. The best part? Zopheez features one zipper down the center front for getting dressed and another through the crotch for presto change-o diaper swaps. As a pediatrician, Kerry Newman, CEO, founder and creative director of Zopheez saw many parents struggle with front, back and crotch snaps that never seem to match up. Kerry’s mission is to provide a safe, stylish and easy option for dressing young babies and toddlers.

The Grapevine

Blessence Maternity Celebrates the Joys of Pregnancy

By Lauren Rollheiser

Blessence Maternity is a boutique maternity line that focuses on what a joy and blessing it is to be an expectant mother. As a mother of eight, ShaeLyn Werner knows what it’s like to want to promote positive messages about a woman’s growing body and family. When she found out she was expecting a baby girl in 2007, she designed the Blessence Maternity line as a way to express her joy. Her collection of maternity tops comes in tanks, tees, and long-sleeve tees. There are even a few t-shirts for dads-to-be. Each top is designed with a positive message that uplifts and affirms women throughout pregnancy.