Saturday Gift Post--New Journals, Page Flags, Magnets.

Before I left for DC, I was grateful to receive some new gift product, mostly so I would have something to post today. We're on a restocking program with Paperblanks, where we get better terms by reordering monthly. Usually this just means bringing back what sold, but twice a year we have new releases and Anne and I were happy to see new designs come in. The most popular new varieties from this journal line tends toward intricate covers with metal clasps and printed edging. Pictured are Gold Inlay, Shiraz, and Kirikane. The folks at Paperblanks take their product very seriously. Here's a post from their own website describing the new designs.

The next shipment that came in was our restocking of Girl of All Work Page Flags and Page Pals. Though a lot of other vendors have entered the market for artsy flags using the 3M developed posting technology, the Girls seem to sell particularly well for us, because I think their designs, packaging and pricing are all quite nice. I'm sad that what with the reflective packaging, this photo doesn't do the Page Pals justice. I think the varieties we have on display right now are flowers, Arctic friends, pets, farm animals, and forest creatures. Or maybe I put out monsters--I can't remember.

A new item that I brought in are Retropet magnets. In the fall we brought in a similar line from another vendor, but I found it hard to find enough other items in their collection to fill out an order (our core business with that line is ornaments) whereas this vendor had a sampler program where we could just buy two of every item. Halley had spotted the catalog and spurred me on to order--she thinks that in addition to having a Westie magnet (Go, Westies), another bonus is that cats are also represented.

Varieties include Lil Stinker Biscuits, Corgi Coffee, and the Whatever Kitty Cafe-Serve Yourself. They all resemble advertising posters and labels. Who wouldn't be this happy with a good dog or cat magnet on their fridge?