Phat finds at the winter markets

The outdoor living crowd is spreading. Quite literally.

At the Dallas Market, Glenda Ray, v.p. of marketing at home-décor giant CBK, told me that designers have begun increasing the width of several of her company’s patio chairs. The move is to accommodate – how shall we say? – the continuing expansion of the nation’s waistline.

That said, I want to share some of the cool new garden-related products we saw at market this winter. Check out these, um, heavy hitters:

• Tad and Beth Featherman, well-known designers of home and garden accents, signed a license with home accent company IMAX to create a signature collection that includes mantel urns, a faux bois collection, whimsical garden follies, indoor/outdoor sculptural wall decor, fountains and more. Tad and Beth Featherman are the founders and designers of the Hen-Feathers Collection.

• Ferry-Morse expanded its Veggie Tales line with new Veggie Tales Pails, a fun and educational gift for the young seed sower.

• They’re the footwear you either love or you hate. Now you can dress up your Crocs to match the season, reflect your mood or support your college team. Crocs recently acquired Jibbitz LLC, a company that manufactures more than 400 designs in colorful snap-ons created just to adorn the holes atop those ubiquitous Crocs.

• From the Why Didn’t I Think of That Department: Customers can replace dull factory-issue plant hangers with Bead Sprouts, bejeweled plant hangers made of colorful patterns of elegant glass beads.

-- Kevin