You’ve got the bag, but now what to fill it with? Or more importantly, what not to fill it with.

Sometimes diaper bags can become so bogged down with baby gear that they lose their usefulness as you dig to find your cell phone or that container of wipes. Through a combination of pairing down and organizing what remains, PPB owner and designer DeNai Jones shows you how to keep your diaper bag fashionable and functional in her recent article on The Cradle, a website for all things pregnancy and parenting. From baby essentials to mommy must-haves, find out what should be in - and out - of your diaper bag in Diaper Bag Essentials.

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Start your autumn shopping now with one of our new prints for Fall 08 - now available in stores and online at distinguished Petunia retailers.

[center: Journey Pack Compact in Heathered Black; clockwise from top: Moon Over Macau Crosstown Clutch, Afternoon in Katmandu Touring Tote, Parisian Pansy Crosstown Clutch, Zanzibar Roll Boxy Backpack, Devonshire Dandelion Crosstown Clutch, Peruvian Roll Touring Tote, and Lotus Roll Boxy Backpack]

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Last week we told you here how the expanding role of fatherhood is requiring a new wave of dad-specific gear and the rave reviews our Scout Collection has gotten from modern dads everywhere. For Fall ‘08, we are proud to introduce some updates and additions to this coveted collection.

You talked and we listened and as a result the classic leather Rubicon Rucksack has been revamped to make it lighter and easier to carry with the added Low Profile Handle as an alternative to the shoulder strap.

The rugged Journey Pack has also been updated to include a gorgeous heathered black in addition to being available in the original heathered gray and olive green.

Finally, we have a new addition to the Scout Collection––the Journey Pack Compact. All the same features in a new, smaller streamlined size. Check out actual dimension and all the features of the collection at www.petunia.com.

Tags: Fall 08, Scout

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The Insider column introduces the people and places that make up Petunia Pickle Bottom. Click here for past episodes.

Meet Nina Mazur - Customer Service Supervisor

If you’ve ever called the Petunia offices with a comment or question, there’s a good chance that you’ve talked with Nina Mazur, our Customer Service Supervisor. Filled to the brim with friendliness and a desire to help, Nina is our very own UK-expatriate. If her charm doesn’t win you over, her delicious British accent will.

So you were born and raised in London. How did you end up in Ventura? I’m not quite sure exactly. After living in the UK with my husband we decided about a year ago to come and try life in sunny California. He’d lived here for quite a few years before moving to London and so we thought we would give it a try. Somehow we ended up choosing Ventura.

What was the biggest adjustment or culture shock about coming to the U.S.? Everything! Everything is different, nothing is the same! Not even the language we speak. I had to learn quick to stop asking my officemates to borrow their rubbers (what you call an eraser).

Besides for proper British English, what else do you miss? Proper fish and chips, sausages, nice looking English money, weather seasons, Robinson’s fruit drink, rugby, the English accent, being able to walk to the store, English TV soaps, British movies and music, the Queen mom…oh my list can go on and on.

C’mon, you know that California is growing on you though. Anything you’ll admit is better than back home? I love the fact that I can grow vegetables here. Yesterday I picked my first green beans which were delicious. Also, the beaches are beautiful and there is one just 5 minutes away from my home. Plus I have a lovely growing family here of friends.

I imagine in Customer Service you get to see both the good and the bad in Petunia bag owners. What’s the best part of the job? Receiving emails on how happy a customer is about the service we provide or receiving little thank you cards or photos of their families. I like the personal contact and the fact that I can almost become a friend, someone they can trust to help them through the situation.

Any advice on how to deal with difficult customers? I believe customers come to me because they really have a legitimate concern they need help with. The best advice I would say is to listen and try to understand their point of view and then help find the best steps forward. I believe PPB gives me a lot of freedom which helps me help the customer to the best of my ability.

Have you had any funny customer service encounters you can tell us about? One time a store called wanting to replace a Scout wipes case because it had dents, but the message I received said the store wanted a replacement “buttwiper holder” which cracked me up for days.

I’m sure you get questions about all the products in the PPB line. What’s your favorite PPB product? Ohh, it has to be the Pink Parfait Touring Tote, I’m short so this bag is the perfect size for me and I am constantly amazed at how much I can put in there. The pockets are great because I can keep all my things separate, and the shoulder strap allows me to wear my bag messenger style when I don’t want to fiddle around with it. I also have the Kimono Roll which is luxurious and perfect for day or evening.

Okay, now some fill-in the blank…
Favorite beauty product? Lip balm. You can’t have chapped lips.
Three things we can always find in your desk? A photo of my family, food and hair bands.
Topping your playlist? John Mayer, Rachael Yamagata and The Prodigy
Favorite website? Right now ….. Facebook. It helps me keep in contact with all my mates in the UK the rest of the world and also family. It’s fantastic!

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So you’ve seen our current collection of fabrics…

You’ve even seen our new Fall ‘08 line….

And still you’re looking something different, something special, something exclusive…..

Introducing our PPB Exclusives, available only at Nordstroms and Nordstroms.com.

Indulge in the Cherry Blossom Roll with it’s dusty pink blossoms on a golden brown facade.

Or cool off with our two-toned Sea Glass Roll highlighted by floral medallions.

Both bags are available exclusively at Nordstroms for a limited time.

And a word to the wise - Nordstroms is current having their annual Anniversary Sale and the word on the street is that many stores sold out of these exclusives bags on the first day. Be cyber-chic and pick up one of these beauties online while they last.

Read more >> Options >>

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While you may still be savoring the summer sun, our design team here at Petunia has been hard at work creating a beautiful collection of custom fabrics for our Fall ‘08 release. What’s inspired us for this autumn? Rich chocolates, decadent creams and delicious cherries. Whether you love Moroccan motifs, peacock plumes, or lacy florals accented by pops of eye-catching color, visit Petunia.com to find your ideal autumn accessory.

Around town or around the world, take Petunia with you this Fall.

Read more >> Options >>

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According to a recent article in Parents “The New Face of Fatherhood”, modern fathering has gotten more hands-on, more involved and more daddy chic than ever before. Dads are more likely than in past generations to be stay-at-home dads, to be emotionally connected with their kids and to play an active role in child-rearing. But while the modern dad may be secure in being a stay-at-homer, few guys are thrilled to whip out pastel bottles and toss a floral print diaper bag over their shoulder. So if dads are going to be hosting playdates and toting around tots, they’ll need more masculine gear to do it in.

And designers have been taking note. Recent years have seen an increase in dad-specific baby gear, from utilitarian front baby carriers to manly diaper bags.

Not surprisingly, some of our favorite items for the modern dad are the bags from our Scout Collection. The clean lines and classic silhouette of these bags transcend flavor-of-the-month trends and are highlighted with designer touches like our custom antique brass hardware. Co-owner Braden Jones helped work with the design team on the Scout Collection to ensure that the style, functionality and sentiment of the bags would appeal to modern fathers. “I wanted to make sure that the bag could transition seamlessly from work to the playground, “says Braden, “and so worked on integrating features like the snap-out laptop holder, the removable changing pad and the new low profile handles to give dads a multifunctional bag that didn’t scream ‘Baby on Board’.”

The Scout Collection offers two options for modern dads on the go. The Journey Pack is available in rugged heathered gray or olive green felt and includes nine interior and exterior pocket to hold everything from bottles and baby wipes to your Blackberry and business cards. The Journey Pack also includes a wide adjustable should strap and a signature clip-and-ring closure.

For an added touch of class, the Rubicon Rucksack is constructed out of luxurious black or brown buffalo leather. With even more versatility than the Journey Pack, the Rubicon Rucksack includes two snap-in interiors. The first is geared for fathering with pockets and compartments for bottles, beanies and binkys. The second snap-in interior contains a padded laptop lining and storage for all your work-related needs.

From the boardroom to the baby’s room and beyond…one bag to meet all the needs of modern fathering.

But don’t take our word for it. See what other people are saying about our Scout Collection.

“Details like an adjustable shoulder strap and antique brass hardware take the style quotient to the next level.” - Cool Hunting

“When we first saw photos of this rugged leather satchel, we referred to it as the diaper bag Indiana Jones might carry. Now that we’ve held it in our hands, we know that the Harrison Ford-worthy exterior belies a truly swank interior…Invest in this bag and you may not need to buy another one for years — new baby or no new baby.” - Babble

“The Scout Journey Pack is a great baby bag for stylish dads. It features absolutely tons of pockets and comes with a water resistant changing pad and a cool antique brass wipes case.” - Uncrate

“This is a well tailored and beautifully designed baby hold all. Based around a single strap system in a classic satchel style, The Scout features detachable bottle pockets, a matching embossed wipe case, changing pad and it still has room to fit all of juniors needs, with space left over.” - Style Heist

” I just stumbled upon this fantastic bag, the Scout Rubicon Rucksack in Black Buffalo by Petunia Pickle Bottom… the perfect options for the dad on the go!” - Due Maternity

Though geared for guys, the Scout Collection is also gaining interest among women looking for a bag with less fuss and frill.

“Can you believe this is a diaper bag? The Journey Pack from Petunia Pickle Bottom’s Scout Collection…isn’t too pretty to deliver. It’s billed as a bag that Dads won’t object to toting around, but a minimalist mother will surely appreciate the sophisticated subtlety, too.” - Cookie

Click here to find a retailer to surprise the dad or dad-to-be in your life with something special.

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Do you know someone expecting this summer? It seems around here that summertime is full of baby showers and deliveries. If you’re looking for the perfect little something to swing by the hospital or drop off at the house, check out our gift sets of organic cotton socks, swaddling blankets and onesies, each available in three delicious color trios.

Sock Gift Set - rated a Babble Best for socks that stay on!

Swaddling Blanket Gift Set - perfect for a chic swaddle that lasts

Onesie Gift Set - soft, snug and stylish, according to Upscale Baby

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Imagine that this is your freezer. No room for ice cream or a bag of peas and good luck trying to fit a frozen pizza in there. No, instead your freezer is full of milk. Breast milk to be exact. Bottles and bottles of breast milk. This is the situation Petunia Pickle Bottom owner Korie Conant found herself in when her now 8-month-old son Beckett was born 2 month early.

Like all preemies, at just 33 weeks Beckett had not mastered the “suck, swallow, breathe” reflex and had to be fed droplets of milk through a tube. Encouraged by the doctors and nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Ventura’s Community Memorial Hospital to pump, pump, pump to keep her supply up, Korie was left with an incredible amount of milk that her newborn son would never use. “Seeing all those sweet little babies in the NICU and hearing horror stories from some of the other mothers about how little milk they were able to produce started to make me feel pretty guilty,” described Korie. “Here I had this overabundance of milk and the mother next to me had almost nothing. I couldn’t just pour the bottles down the drain.” After poking around on the internet, Korie came across the International Breast Milk Project. “From my first visit to the site, I was completely touched,” Korie recalls. “I really connected with the founder’s story of how she started the organization and as tired as I was from the emotional roller coaster of our NICU experience and as daunting as the process seemed—I just felt like this was what I needed to do.”

The International Breast Milk Project is an worldwide organization that provides donated breast milk to the over 3 million infants orphaned by HIV/AIDS in developing countries as well as works to improve the health care, sanitation, education and employment opportunities in the local communities. In May of this year, IBMP sent over 43,000 ounces of tested and pasteurized breast milk to South Africa, including Korie’s - equal to 10,000 meals for infants in need. “I felt very connected to the mission of the Milk Project and excited to be a part of it. Though there was a small pang of fear when it was all packed up and ready to be shipped. It was completely irrational fear…like Oh my gosh, what if my milk dries up tomorrow and I have nothing to feed my son!”

Although initially donating the milk seemed overwhelming, “the whole process turned out to be very simple,” Korie explains. “The people within the organization simplified the process so very little burden was placed on donors. All correspondences were short and to the point. Every shipment contained simple instructions, pre-addressed and pre-paid envelopes. I simply filled out the online application to begin the process and everything else just sort of flowed like clockwork.” For Korie, the experience meant an empty freezer and relief knowing that her extra milk was going to good use. For the orphans in Africa who received Korie’s milk, it meant life.

If you or someone you know if interested in donating milk or money to the International Breast Milk Project, visit www.breastmilkproject.org for information.

Beckett Conant, 8 months

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Meet our feature store of the month - It’s Hip To Be Round

The girls at It’s Hip to Be Round know what every pregnant mom needs - fabulous finds that allow you to preserve a sense of self and sexiness while your body feels anything but normal! From designer maternity wear and diaper bags to strollers and nursing supplies, It’s Hip To Be Round offers everything moms and moms-to-be crave.

What prompted you to open It’s Hip To Be Round?
I opened It’s Hip to be Round to provide the women of Richmond, VA a fun and friendly place to shop while they are pregnant, and after baby is born too. There was nowhere in Richmond to find great maternity clothes and diaper bags all in the same place, and I knew it could come together for us!

What about your business brings you the most satisfaction?
Helping a pregnant woman who feels not-so-great in her changing (and growing!) body feel better about herself and her wardrobe options.

Top 5 things people are buying today?
(1) Designer maternity jeans-because they don’t feel like giving up exceptional fit that they are used to just because they are pregnant.

(2) Nursing apparel-it has gotten so much better looking, better feeling, and is wearable during pregnancy and after.

(3) Diaper bags-our customers know now that they don’t have to get a utilitarian diaper bag that is heavy and bulky or lightweight and flimsy-that they can get form AND function….they are going for the bags that have multiple carrying methods (especially the Boxy Backpack!), and that stand out as a great bag that just so happens to be a great diaper bag too.

(4) Wrap dresses-they work from the early fat days, through the very end, and in the post-partum fat days that no one warned them about! I have more customers coming back telling me how they are still wearing their favorite maternity clothes nearly a year after they have their babies!

(5) Slings-especially for 2nd timers, who have a toddler to keep up with as well as their newborn. Thanks to the prints and styles available, they are probably more popular right now than the Baby Bjorn was in its heyday!

Read the entire interview with the girls of It’s Hip To Be Round here. Be sure to visit them if you’re in Richmond, VA or check out their online store - here are some of our favorite finds.

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