Finally have a few moments to catch up a bit and share some local highlights from the New York International Gift Fair I recently attended.

It’s a major trade show, where local shops go to find what they’d like to sell.

It’s also where local companies show off what they make, or import… basically, there’s a lot of shopping going on.

We use the event as a great way to see what’s doing in the marketplace, talk to vendors from around the world, literally, to see how they are doing, to find out what they’re seeing as trends — and of course, catch up with locals.

Here’s a bit of a recap.

The lobby of the Javits center featured an exhibition on sustainability.

Here are a couple of items on display.

Forget throwaway pedicure slippers; use these from Creations by Alan Stuart.

Rebagz offered this tote made out of recycled plastic juice packages:

The show itself is massive; many buyers go for more than one day.

You want to see as much as you can, but I make a list filled with locals to try and visit. Many of the companies are wholesale, and you’ll find their products in local shops. Others do sell through their own Web sites.

These clocks were from Bai Design based in Croton-on-Hudson. Sleek, don’t you think?

In a quick aside…

Union Street Glass might be from Richmond, Calif., but boy did I love their booth’s look:

I caught up with a few of the ladies behind the Soap & Paper Factory, which offers bath products and stationery. The Garnerville-based company, a collaboration between Brickhouse Soap and Dewey Howard papers, finally opened a retail outlet (yeah!) in Nyack. Here’s what they were showcasing:

Also stopped by the booth for MINT, the design collective that features Yorktown High School grad Scott Henderson.

He wasn’t on hand, but I got to again see the group’s “Abra Candelabra,” a piece that is just so funky:

Don’t you love these new bags? They are from Liora Manné, the Manhattan designer who also has a home in Katonah:

Some companies with local ties I just found out about included Jars Ceramistes. It features ceramic dinnerware and home-decor items from France and has a Bronxville connection:

Also, Anne De Solene, which features luxury linens and textile goods from France, has ties to Bedford:

I also made contact with a handful of companies that I knew were local but haven’t worked with — yet.

These included Casafina, the Brewster company known for its ceramics, glass and tabletop items, including these new selections:

And — you know how I love jewelry so this was a treat — Anne Koplik Designs, also out of Brewster:

By the way, heard about a few more warehouse sales, so stay tuned… how’s that for a teaser?

And it wouldn’t be a traditional trip to the gift fair if I didn’t catch up with our “usual suspects,” those companies I run into quite a bit in my travels.

Start with the Red and White Kitchen Company, which is based in Mount Kisco. Their retro line’s new additions included these great towels and totes with a decidedly nautical feel:

Also caught up with Jennifer Rutheny, an artist who makes such lovely jewelry.

She has a Croton-on-Hudson gallery that also serves as her workshop and an art exhibition space. Check out her Web site for plenty of special events.

These little guys, she told me, are among the favorites she’s ever made (and she’s done a lot).

She told me she has an exclusive agreement with a cruise line to carry them — think congratulations are in order.

And get this, Rutheny’s own booth decorations (featuring Hudson River driftwood) were also a hit. A shop asked her if they could buy these, too!

Pam Older, a jewelry designer from Larchmont, recently visited Thailand. Some of her new offerings, she said, reflect her journey:

And of course, I had to stop by Island Imports, the Hawthorne-based home of Island Designs by Harry Haslett and the Christian Livingston Collection.

Wasn’t disappointed — the bags, jewelry, accessories… well, you’ll see:

Now I think the next Island warehouse sale is some time in April…

As I said, stay tuned!