A New Baby

As many of you know, for the last nine months we have anxiously been awaiting a new addition to our Picket Fence family.  Today we are pleased to announce that he has finally arrived!  In honor of little Camden's arrival, we thought we'd feature some of our favorite baby products.  Some are new lines we recently discovered, some are tried-and-true favorites, but they all make great gifts for mom and baby.

Chewbeads are one of the hottest baby gifts on the market.  This fashionable teething jewelry is made from 100% silicone (similar to pacifiers) and is soft on baby's gums.  Available in necklaces and bracelets, they make the perfect accessory for moms who love wearing jewelry but don't want their little ones pulling or chewing on delicate metal chains.  They also recently introduced teething rings specifically for baby.  We love pairing a teether with a necklace for a gift both mom and baby can enjoy!

We couldn't resist when we stumbled across these stuffed animals.  Besides being soft and cuddly, these little guys come bearing gifts.  The croc and octopus are carrying four pairs of socks, while the turtle is topped with a knit hat making them two gifts in one!
 

Every baby needs a soft blanket and these definitely fit the bill.  Whether you choose the large crib blanket or the smaller taggie square, you're sure to give a gift baby will love.  The large blankets are great for tummy time or covering baby on walks in the stroller, while the taggies are small enough for baby to hold onto and are surrounded with silky tags to promote tactile development.  As an added bonus, they are all handmade in California.

We've had many requests for organic baby items, so we were thrilled to discover these organic farm buddies.  They are all made with organic cotton and even contain a natural corn fiber filling.  Each character is available as a rattle, blankie or stuffed toy.

Of course no list of baby gifts would be complete without Jellycat.  From stuffed animals to cloth and board books, Jellycat products are among our most popular baby items.  Pair one of the many stuffed animals with a corresponding book for an easy gift.

This is just a fraction of what our baby corner holds.  Next time you're in the market for a baby gift, we hope you'll stop by and check it out.  And of course we can't resist sharing a shot of our newest arrival -

Back in Stock

Ever since we sold out over the holidays, many of you have been asking when we would be getting in more Michel Design products and we always had to say we weren't sure when it would arrive.  Now after weeks of waiting, we can finally say "It's here!"  We just received a huge shipment of Michel trays and soaps, including several new styles and fragrances!

Not familiar with Michel?  From their beautifully decoupaged trays to their amazing soaps, this line is full of wonderful gift ideas for any occasion.  The triple-milled soaps from England are always a customer favorite, as is the foaming pump soap.  There are several new fragrances in the line this year and we're having a hard time picking a favorite!  They've also expanded their home offerings with new paper placemats and coasters in a variety of fun patterns.  Pair them together for a great hostess or housewarming gift.

Here's a peek at some of the new arrivals -

Hope you can stop by soon to see them in person!

More Market Finds

More of our market finds have arrived!  It seems like every day we receive some new treasures to unpack and display.  Since we're so excited about all our new arrivals, we thought we'd share some of them with you.

These art blocks from the "Lost & Found" series are all hand crafted using a traditional plastering technique applied in multiple layers over a block of wood.  Every block is individually produced enhancing its uniqueness and creating a vintage look. 

Designed to stand or hang, these four-inch squares can be used in a variety of ways.  Place one on a bookshelf to fill an empty spot, prop a meaningful block on your desk for a little inspiration or hang several as a group on a wall.

 

All "Lost & Found" blocks are handcrafted in Canada.

Our popular "The Gathering of Friends" cookbook series just got even better.  Volume Five was recently released and has already become a favorite.  Just like the first four volumes, this new book is filled with delicious recipes, thoughtful entertaining ideas and beautiful photography.

Not familiar with the series?  We have all five books in stock right now, so it's a great time to check them out.  It'll be hard to choose a favorite!

Of course we can't forget the kids while we're hunting for new lines!  We're always on the lookout for fun finds to add to our selection of baby and kid products, so we were glad to find these great colorful toys.  Meet the newest additions to our baby department...

The Winkel is made from soft, pliable plastic making it easy for baby to grasp.  Available in two colorways, it can also be refrigerated and used as a teether.

The Skwish appeals to baby's visual and tactile curiosity and is made with sustainable rubberwood.

The Orble, Ringable, Skwinkle and Baby Beads are designed for babies 3 months and up and are easy to carry with you on outings.

These are just a few of the new products that have arrived at the shop and we have many more on the way.  Be sure to stop by soon and check out all our great new arrivals!

Back from Market

We're back from our annual buying trip in Atlanta!  Last week we were at the Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Mart seeking out great new products to bring into the store.  Given the long and important-sounding name of the market, you can probably guess that this is no small undertaking!  For five days we walked through the three multistory buildings that comprise the market, took too many escalator rides to count, looked at thousands of products and only got lost a couple times among the labyrinth of the floors and corridors that make up the market.  We are happy to announce that we not only survived and had a lot of fun despite all the time on our feet, but also found some exciting new lines for the shop and got a good start on our Holiday 2013 buying.  (Yes, we know it's only January!)

Speaking of new lines, we want to show you two that have already arrived at the store.  First we have a wonderful line of creamed honey from The Vintage Bee.  Made on a family-owned farm in North Carolina, we love that the owners are involved in every step of the process.  Their honey is available in a variety of flavors, all of which are delicious!  When we got to sample them at the market it was hard to choose, but we finally settled on plain, cinnamon, lemon and raspberry.

 

We also found a new candle line from Charleston, South Carolina.  Rewined Candles are made in recycled wine bottles and come in a variety of wine-themed fragrances.  We loved the details on the packaging - note the wax seals and batch labels signed by the "vintner" before they are shipped.  We thought these would be a great complement to our current line of wine candles in bottles with original labels while adding a new assortment of fragrances to our candle mix.

 

We have much more that will be arriving over the next few weeks.  Stop by soon to see all the new arrivals!

Merry Christmas!

From all of us at The Picket Fence, we'd like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas!  Thank you for another fun holiday season - we can't wait to restock with all new merchandise for the new year!

All remaining holiday merchandise will be 50% off beginning December 26.  Our holiday hours are -

December 26   9-5
December 27-28   10-7
New Year's Eve   10-4
New Year's Day   Closed

We will be closed on Sundays for the month of January, but will resume our normal hours the rest of the week. 

We hope you have a wonderful holiday!