Pretty New Newsletter

Our e-mail customer data base has reached large enough proportions that we had to find a service that would send out our newsletter once a month. I've received quite a few newsletters that have used Emma for their distribution. I e-mailed them several weeks ago on a Saturday asking for information. The next Monday a representative from the company called me back, and to my surprise, it was an old classmate of Danielle's from Prescott, AZ. What are the chances of that? Anyway, they got us all set up, designed a little bit of a new look for the newsletter and hopefully, if you're in our database, you received your copy today.


Wedding season is really beginning as we have someone in the store practically every day looking for wedding or shower gifts. The Head to Head Pillowcase Set from Koo Koo makes a great wedding gift. Everyone needs pillowcases and these help remind the newly betrothed of their new roles as Mr. & Mrs.

Or maybe you'd prefer a little funkier gift - Snooze City Designs has the King & Queen or the Me & You set. This way there's no confusion over who gets which side of the bed (the source of many newlywed fights I'm sure).



My kids are taking me to Canlis tonight as tomorrow is my birthday. I've heard so many wonderful things about this Seattle institution, so I'm excited!

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

New Shoes for the Moving Blues

Quick post tonight! I don't have internet service...(or time!)....to blog at our new place just yet - still surrounded by cardboard ;-( I am catching up Curtsyland today and am so excited as our new Jessica Kagan Cushman bangles arrived today!!! Her new styles are bright and colorful and perfect for spring and summer. Each bangle is made out of hand poured resin, hand inked and hand finished...truly a work of art and a great conversation piece. They all have fun, witty phrases on them....."All this and brains too"....."We'll always have Paris"....."You are so off my buddy list." And my personal favorite....one that could not have arrived at a better time too....reads "New shoes cure the blues." As we mentioned before - our new place needed a bit of work.....a lot of work actually. But it is a fantastic location and our rent is so much less than we were paying before. With all the money we will be saving each month....I can shop more. You have no idea how motivating extra monthly shoe $$ is when renovating a place. And I have a whole extra bedroom for all of my new shoes!!!! So.....the end is in sight and I am going to put on my new Jessica Kagan Cushman bangle and have sweet dreams of shiny new stilettos and a clean, organized apartment.

xxxx

New Purse Goods!

Sorry about the absence of a blog on Friday. Last week was all about getting Danielle ready to move and we were frantically painting the new place in preparation for yesterday's move. I'm in good shape, working out 5 days a week, but painting kicked my ass! Every muscle in my entire body is SORE!!! I had to laugh after finishing on Saturday, I had paint on my jeans, in my hair, in my ear and belly button....Danielle on the other hand had a little on her hands - HOW DOES SHE DO THAT??? With the help of many friends, we completed the move yesterday, so hopefully things can begin to return to normal this week.

Just in time for Mother's Day we received a new shipment from Triple C Designs. The business card holders in new pretty designs and colors for spring double as the perfect place to stash a credit card and driver's license for a night out. How's this for a gift idea? Get your mom one of the cases and then actually take her out somewhere so she can use it! One year for Christmas, my son Josh gave me the gift of a night out with him. We went to The Triple Door for dinner and a show and it was a one of the best gifts I've ever received!!
The new wallets from Triple C have a pretty crystallized charm on the front. This cool embellishment really makes them stand out from the blah department store wallets that have no personality at all. In addition to the new wallets and business card cases, we received new purse hangers and a few "purse lights" (clip them inside that giant bag of yours so you can actually SEE what's lurking in the depths). If your purse is anything like mine, it can be downright scary in there!
XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

She.....

It's already 6:15 and I am sitting in front of the computer for the first time. Curtsyland has been non-stop today. I'm here alone as Danielle is taking some time off to paint her new place prior to moving in this weekend. I helped her out by painting all day Tuesday....I'm a messy painter...I end up with A LOT of paint on me. I'm one of those crazy people who actually enjoys physical labor and getting my hands dirty, not to mention my hair, my shirt, shoes and jeans!
When she's gone from the store, I really miss Danielle as I have to re-stock the displays when I sell things. I can NEVER get them to look right. On the other hand, when she's gone, I get to play whatever music I want and not have to endure her rolling her eyes. I mean who doesn't love a little bit of Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Melissa Ethridge?

We received a few more books from Compendium today - I love the one entitled simply "She". It's a book that will inspire, celebrate and thank that special woman in your life. With Mother's Day right around the corner, it's not too soon to make sure you let your mom know how amazing you think she is. If your mom lives sompleace out of Seattle, we're happy to ship your gift via UPS.

I actually had a whole other section written, but Blogger seems to be having some problems tonight as it just lost everything I had written. So......that's all for now - we'll let them work out their problems and you will just have to wait until tomorrow night's entry for the fascinating stuff I wrote about.

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Anniversary Sale Date Moved!!

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are having to move our anniversary sale and after hours bash to Friday May 9th. On that day we will celebrate 2 years in business with a big thanks to our fabulous customers by taking 20% off everything in the store.. We'll also be hosting an after hours bash for all those who are on our e-mail list. We only send out one e-mail a month, so if you're not yet signed up, do it now....go ahead - I'll wait.....now don't you feel better?

It's been a crazy busy day at Curtsyland - no complaints, I love it when it's like that! But tonight's blog will be a short one. One of the gifts I wrapped up today was a copy of Casino Confidential - A Pit Boss's Guide to Beating the House. Sounds like someones heading to Vegas for their birthday. The author of this book is listed as "Anonymous" as it was written by a veteran pit boss and dealer. I still remember my first trip to Vegas when I was 21 - all the guys in my office helped to educate me so I wouldn't be a total nimrod when we got there. I was at the craps table putting my new knowledge to use when my girlfriends came to get me for dinner. I had been winning, but I cashed in my little stack of chips, while several of the guys at the table tried to convince me to stay. I just smiled and giggled and headed off with my posse. When we returned later in the evening, the pit boss who had been working that area told me I should never leave while I was winning and some of those guys who were trying to get me to stay would have given me money to keep rolling the dice (here I thought they thought I was cute) - can we say naive?

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Alfresco already!!

Curtsy Mama spent her whole day off painting away at our new place...what a doll is she??!? The Captain and I took on quite a project.....and as I mentioned the other day - he is conveniently out of town during all of this!! Our new place is owned by a friend's father. It needed some work done before moving in....he is giving us a great deal on it and agreed to reimburse us for any work we do. The entire interior needed a fresh coat of paint.....so Curtsy Mama & I and anyone we can recruit are playing painters in all that free time we have ;-)

While I was playing at Curtsyland today....a gigantic order arrived from Murval Paris. We received fabulously fashionable picnic sets.....I imagine you all are just as anxious as us for it to be warm enough to dine alfresco. The set includes everything you need to have a perfect romantic or family outing. It has a huge insulated section...then the front unzips to reveal flatware, plates, cloth napkins, & wine/juice glasses for four, plus a corkscrew, S&P shakers, a cutting board and a knife. We got them in zebra trimmed in pink, and giraffe trimmed in green (and all the accessories color coordinate!) You will definitely be the chicest girl at the park all spring & summer!!

If you happen to be Francophiles like us Curtsy girls....you will adore our fancy new glasses. We received wine glasses and champagne flutes that have an Eiffel Tower stem. We also got pink cosmetic cases adorned with the Eiffel Tower......they are wonderfully big and come in a set of three.

xxxx

Butter London is Here!!

We are very excited to be participating in Seattle based butter LONDON'S TURN IN YOUR TOXINS campaign. Are you aware the most nail polish brands on the market today contain toxic chemicals? It was news to us too! The three most commonly used toxins , Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP, can cause a bunch of nasty health problems. The folks at butter LONDON tell us they believe in colour, not carcinogens and we believe them!!

From now until May 15th, bring in 3 polishes containing any of these toxic chemicals and we'll give you a coupon for a FREE bottle of the 3 Free Lacquer. This is one of those rare occasions where you really can get something for almost nothing. Really, you don't have to buy anything or do anything other than turn in your toxic, old icky, why did I buy this color, nail polish and we'll give you a coupon that will allow you to have butter LONDON send you a brand new bottle. Now, if you're like me and you love the free stuff, but you want what you want and you want it NOW, we brought in 10 of our favorite colors. Instant gratification - ya gotta love it!!

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

New Glitter

The Captain and I are busy packing our apartment! Very excited to move but hate the process. The Captain unfortunately has to be out of town for Army during the move....he will be in the desert in Cali unreachable by phone or email for three weeks. Our new place is much, much bigger.....it is a two bedroom, and the Captain and I both have big plans for the extra space. I think he may be expecting to come home to a whole bedroom in which he can work & screenprint.....I am thinking I may surprise him with a whole bedroom converted into a closet full of my pretty shoes & clothes & handbags.

I have been sneaking into Curtsyland in the mornings to unpack goodies and get them out on the sales floor. We received amazing new glittery, sparkling glass glitter pieces in from the Wendy Addison Collection. I love, love, love each of them and need one of each for our new place! The shipment included large glitter wall hangings in new shapes.....an anchor, a horseshoe, a fleur de lis, and a skeleton key. We also got little glitter ornaments in each of the mentioned shapes plus a swirly heart.



The Wendy Addison pieces weren't the only glitter we unpacked.....new glitter tiara hair combs arrived!! As with many of our other goodies....these are made with little girls in mind - but I bet they will fly out the door adorning the pretty heads of girls all ages.....I am considering wearing one every single day. We also received fun sets of stretchy pearl bracelets....they come in white, pink, purple & blue.

xxxx

I Saw the Sign....

I ordered a new A-board sign for the store last week. Our old sign was the victim of a hit and run and had been looking decidedly lopsided for weeks! The Captian got busy and designed a Curtsilicious new sign for us. When I contacted the sign company, I told them that it was a 4 X 3 sign, because... well because I thought it was! OK, OK, I didn't bother to measure the old one!! I went to pick up the new sign on Tuesday and was thrilled at how wonderful and well...BIG it was! The Captain's graphics turned out amazing and well...BIG!! When I got to the store I asked Danielle to come help me unload it from the car, we started laughing so hard, because it's so, well...BIG!! Danielle is 5'3" tall and the sight of her trying to carry this sign in and out of the store is rather comical. Luckily, she's pretty strong. Anyways, the new sign is definitely visible and will help everyone find their way to Curtsyland!


We received a new shipment of Tarina Tarantino goodies today. Even though Mother Nature keeps screwing with our heads and telling us it's still winter, we know better! It's Spring damn it!!! I'm ready to wear sandals and pack away my winter coats.

The new Lucite Teardrop Earrings and Carved Rose Bead Earrings will help you bust out of the winter doldrums. The Silver Cherub & Bead Drop Earrings will make a fabulous Mother's Day gift for the hippest of moms. There are a few other new pieces in this shipment and Danielle will be getting them all out tomorrow.





They held another Mommy Mixer here last night and the store was packed with moms desperate to find sitters. So many of the moms just want a date with their husband! The next Mommy Mixer is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28th at 7PM. If you're interested in signing up click on this link and it will take you to their website http://www.mommymixer.com/.

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Eat, Drink & Be Married

Apologies!! I wrote the blog last night and forgot to post it before heading out for more birthday festivities. It was a long night of "passing the boot" at a local German pub.....definitely not a favorite activity for a germaphobe like myself ;-) I can't imagine beer has a high enough alcohol content to kill the germs of everyone drinking out of it. Big Happy Birthday to our friend Brandon though......I suppose you are worth all the cooties!!


More wedding goodies arrived today! Be sure to tell any brides-to-be in your life to come to Curtsyland.....we have a fabulous wedding section right now with all of the Mindy Weiss bridal collection, our bridal lingerie, and now the Eat, Drink & Be Married goodness. We received a wonderful bridesmaid gift.......a ring shaped Bridesmaid flask!! While weddings are almost always a happy, joyous event for all involved....being a bridesmaid can be quite stressful. Now you can ensure that your wonderful, giving girlfriends keep wedding on the mind even when self-medicating.


Also from the Eat, Drink & Be Married collection.....fabulously large diamond cocktail picks! Perfect for the bridal shower, bachelorette party, or the reception....they come packaged in a set of 12 in a cute gift box. We also received Eat, Drink & Be Married coaster sets. Again in a set of 12.....they come packaged in an adorable faux diamond ring.

Mommy Mixer at Curtsyland tomorrow night!! This one is already closed to Moms....be sure to get your name on the list asap for the next one on May 28th. Find out more info about this fabulous company and sign up here. When you attend a Mommy Mixer, you will leave with oodles of babysitting contacts....and you can shop til you drop as the Curtsy Girls offer a Mommy Mixer shopping discount ;-)

xxxx

Save the Date!!!

Hard to believe, but Curtsy Bella is turning 2! Seems like only yesterday we opened the doors to Curtsyland - how time flies! On Friday, May 2nd we'll be celebrating the number 2 all day long!! The two Curtsy Girls will be offering 20% off EVERYTHING IN THE STORE. There's no exceptions or fine print to read, we just want to thank all of our fabulous customers for their love and support. There will be some give-aways and surprises during the day, so mark it on your calendar.
If you have not yet added your name to our e-mail list this might be a good time to do it. We'll be sending out invites to a private after hours soiree to the customers who are signed up to receive our monthly e-mail newsletter. Unlike so many other businesses, we know you don't have time to read a bunch of useless e-mails, so we only send one per month and we will never, never, never release your name to any other companies!

We'll keep you updated about the celebration as the date gets closer.

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

The Masters

When I was growing up, my mother was a golfing FANATIC!!! Oh, how she tried to get me to love the game, lessons with a pro etc... but it was just never my thing. A couple of years ago when I lived in Florida I took her to the Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine. As we're walking through the museum we came to a golf simulator where you can hit golf balls into a screen and it's like you're playing an real game of golf - pretty cool actually. It was a slow day in the museum, we were pretty much the only 2 people in there, so the guy manning the booth convinces us to give it a try. I'm up first and my mother is telling the booth - manning guy that I once took lessons from one of the members of the Hall of Fame. OOOHH!! He was pretty impressed as he watched me shoot a 12 to get onto the green of a par 3! Next it's my mom's turn - she also took lessons from the same pro, but she actually payed attention! So this 78 year old 110 pound little lady shoots and is on the green in 2 shots - WAY TO GO MOM!! That was the last time she picked up a golf club, she can no longer play due to the osteoporosis in her spine, but that's a great memory!

Now, had these adorable Jenny Golf Socks from Trumpette been available to her when I was a baby I'm sure the outcome of my golf career would have been much, much different. Ditto for the Johnny Golf Socks and my brother. I'd probably be playing in the Master's right now - oh, except they don't let women play in that tournament. Well' I'd be playing in the LPGA's equivalent, I'm pretty sure!!


If you have a budding golfer in you house, part of their education should be the official rules of the game. These little copies of The Rules of Golf as approved by the United States Golf Association are an essential part of anyone's equipment. They're small enough to tuck into a golf bag and are invaluable for avoiding arguments on the links.


XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Binkies & Butterflies

I started planning favors for the baby shower I am co-hosting in May.....I am having so much fun already and I am just in the research & development phase ;-) I will update you on everything I work on for it as I think they could all be easily interpreted for a bridal shower or birthday party as well. Speaking of babies....we put together a new Binkie Baby order today, so we should be all stocked up again soon. Binkie Baby clips are fabulous jeweled pacifier clips made by Designs by Nickole. I absolutely believe that every baby needs some bling!! (and I get totally grossed out when pacifiers fall on the ground and end up back in the mouth without being washed....bit of a germ-a-phobe) These gorgeous binkie clips fashionably ensure that that wonderful little mute button is never misplaced. We will let you know as soon as our new order is in!!



We received a big shipment of glitter butterfly garlands in today. We quickly sold out of all the styles we had with our first order. We reordered asap and now we have lots of new sizes and colors.....and they are absolutely glittericious!! Perfect spring garlands or you can cut them off the string and attach anywhere that needs a sparkly flutterby...


xxxx

The Persistence of Yellow

The Persistence of Yellow is a "book of recipes for life". In the forward to this magical book, Author Monique Duval talks of her grandmother's bright yellow kitchen. A room not only to cook in, but to impart life wisdoms and wonders. "The Persistence of Yellow is a book about a place like this that exists in all our hearts." It really is an odd little book, but when you read it, it just somehow makes you feel just swell. I like things that remind us to be a little awed every day. It's so easy for me to get caught up in the business of day to day that I forget to pay attention to the little amazements that are all around.

We finished assembling all of the Tarina Tarantino special order catalogs today. If there are any brides out there that are looking for the perfect accessories for your special day, Tarina has a Bridal Catalog. The Pearl and Crystal Two Row Choker and the Spring Silk Anywhere Flower Clip are just 2 of the items to help you be the most ravishing bride. A lot of the items in this catalog would be the perfect finishing touch for prom outfits as well. Just remember that the special orders normally take 4 - 6 weeks, so be sure to allow enough time.



I received a blog comment today complimenting me on playing the Across the Universe soundtrack in the store the other day. The woman who wrote the comment said she wished I had been singing, because she wanted to bust out in song. Danielle left a note on my computer this morning asking if I posted that comment myself! HA!! We don't always agree on music choices, but I'm not yet loony enough to post a comment on our own blog. Any time you hear music that moves you to song in our store - go ahead - sing your heart out - really - we won't mind! I mean, how can stand you not sing to the Beatles?

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Happy Birthday Captain!!!

Yesterday was the Captain's birthday!!! I snuck him out of town early Sunday morning and headed to Walla Walla. It was our first time over to the wine country. Downtown Walla Walla was kind of quiet....I think we were a bit early as their season is just gearing up and that Taste Seattle was taking place this weekend. But we hit most of the tasting rooms that were open and brought home lots of bottles to fill our wine rack with.

I watched a bit of the Grizzlies practice over at Greenlake this evening.....getting excited to watch my first Footy game this weekend! The Seattle Grizzlies will be playing their first national game of the season this Saturday down in Portland against the Portland Power. The Captain wouldn't let me come to his first few games last season....had to make sure he was good first ;-) He joined near the end of the season....so this weekend will be my first time seeing him.


We received lots of new cards in today.....lovelies from Hello Lucky and Driscoll Designs. Hello Lucky makes great letterpress cards - they have some new designs featuring the art of Julia Rothman...a wonderful illustrator. Other new designs include a few great graduation cards....my fav has a leaping horse on the front and reads "Victory! (that is to say: congratulations on your glorious achievement)" Driscoll Designs are made by a husband & wife team out of Seattle! Their cards are absolutely divine....they have gorgeous art work by the wife Angela....and are almost all adorned with glitter which of course I ADORE ;-) They just started doing matches as well.....I love love love these. (and believe I will need to order more asap.....I sold three right after receiving them before even getting them on the sales floor. Perfect add on when treating someone to a pretty candle....the matches are color coordinated with the cover - and the cover is also sparkling with glitter!

xxxx

Tarina News!!

You know how crazy the Curtsy Girls are for everything Tarina Tarantino! Her collection is so large that it's always a struggle to stay within our budget (such a dirty word) when we place our orders. We do a lot of special orders for customers who have seen a Tarina piece in a magazine or on a friend or celebrity or on the Tarina website, but we've been hankering for a way to let our customers see everything that's available in this fabulous line . Hmmm..... what to do, what to do.? Well, our brilliant TT rep has helped us out by getting us a copy of the complete Tarina Tarantino Catalog (the same one we do our orders from) with the retail prices, ditto for the Hello Kitty, Hair Accessories and Barbie Catalogs. As we place orders approximately every 6 weeks, we're always happy to add a special order onto our regular order. Can't live without the Pink Head Bridal Collection belt buckle pictured here, no worries, we'll order it!

My pal Jane was in town this weekend and Saturday night we had tickets to Cabaret down at the Fifth Avenue Theater. We always try someplace different for dinner and this time we made reservations at the new Capital Grille on 4th Avenue. The food, service and ambiance are all AMAZING!!!!! If you want a really special dinner, this is the place.

It's been a busy day in Curtsyland today, so I need to end this and clean up. Danielle always knows that when she's been gone for a couple of days, that she has to spend her first half day back at work re-creating the displays I've destroyed. Hey, it's job security - right?
XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Mo Glitter

Curtsyland was invaded by the Seattle Fire Department yesterday! Not to worry, they were just doing routine inspections although we never object to having a bunch of cute firefighters hanging around! Clarification - I'm single so I never object. Being safety conscious, the Curtsy Girls do have a fire extinguisher. Being busy all the time, we hadn't exactly gotten around to taking it out of the box. The captain that inspected us was a good sport about it, he just told us to mount it someplace in the front of the store, where it would accessible in case of an emergency. Now, what he failed to notice (typical guy) is that a plain red fire extinguisher would look rather out of place, not to mention downright ugly, in front with all the pretty, glittery things. As Danielle was glaring at him, I was were able to make him see reason and he agreed that she could glitter it, jewel it, feather it - decorate it any way she wants as long as it still works.

Speaking of glitter, Danielle happened to be up to her elbows in the sparkly stuff yesterday. She took an old music stand we had in back and transformed it into a Curtsylicious display for The Ultimate Wedding Organizer. We finally received the last piece of the Mindy Weiss Wedding Collection, and it needed a truly spectacular display.

There are 25 tabbed sections including Budget, Guest Lists, Invitations, Caterers, Wedding Dress, Menus, Wedding Cake. There are page protectors to hold magazine clippings, plastic zip pouches for pens & sticky notes, a section that holds business cards and a note pad. Included throughout are tips from the expert herself, lists to help the bride remember every little thing and samples of wording for invitations. Since I am an organizational geek, it really makes me want to plan a wedding!

I just got the soundtrack from the movie Beyond the Universe and I've been rockin out all afternoon. Yes, I stop singing when a customer comes in, don't want them to run screaming. I'm a child of the 70's and am crazy about all the remakes of Beatles tunes. Their songs are all just complete perrfection!

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Tokyo Hardcore

It was announced today that H&M's next designer collaborator will be Comme Des Garcons!!!! The avant-garde Japanese label designed by Rei Kawakubo is definitely a favorite of mine....I ADORED her Fall 2007 collection....3-D hands grasped the hips of skirts and doll frocks adorned the fronts of dresses. The collection for H&M will include womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, accessories and a unisex fragrance. And since Seattle's first H&M should be open soon in the oh-so-dangerously-close U Village....I can actually get ridiculously excited over this collaboration!! The Stella McCartney for H&M launched when I lived in NY. The morning it debuted, I had left early to hit up the Calypso sample sale before work which began at 9am....then rushed over to H&M which opened at 10am. I arrived at H&M at approximately 10:07.....and it was all gone. Pretty much all I could get my hands on was a Stella jeweled bikini and a keychain....both of which I love but I had been DREAMING of the clothing! Since I have been in Seattle, H&M has collaborated with Roberto Cavalli & Viktor & Rolf....I think I woke up with little tears in my ears on both of the launch days of those collections. The Comme Des Garcons collection will be unveiled in November...it will hit stores worldwide a few days after the exclusive launch at H&M Tokyo.

Soooooo....since I am feeling all things Japanese - it seems only fitting that I dish about our Tarina Tarantino Tokyo Hardcore collection. I swooned over each piece from this collection....I adore neon accents right now. I just got my hair cut short for spring...on Monday (my day away from Curtsyland) I wore my TT pink Tokyo Hardcore cameo anywhere clip and the matching cameo ring. I must have received 20 compliments on my hair clip....every single conversation I had out running errands began in regards to my pretty clip (just featured in Nylon's march issue too!) Next time you find yourself in Curtsyland....be sure to flip through our copy of the Tokyo Hardcore Collection Book all about Love...Fame...Murder...Sparkle!! It stars Davey Havok (from AFI) and Jeffree Star, and features all of the latest TT accessories as eye candy in a story of obsession...and murder.

xxxx

When Life Hands You Lemons.....

A new shipment of our favorite Diary of a Fashion Queen Pillows arrived this morning. My favorite is the one that says "When life hands you lemons, Stuff them in your bra". I think I'm going to order this one to put on my bed to remind me to keep a sense of humor, even when the going gets tough.

I had Snickers back to the vet today for a re-check on his torn ACL in his knee. It's been a tough 6 weeks since he tore it. I still have to carry him up & down 3 flights of stairs at my apartment at least 3 times a day and no matter what, by the time I get to work in the morning, I'm still covered in dog hair. AAARRRRGGGG!!Once in a while, I start to feel a bit sorry for myself as it gets to be a bit much, but then I remember it's not my knee that's hurt. God, just get over it - right? Perhaps a cute pillow with a witty saying will help me remember not to bitch about that which I have no control over! His knee's not getting any better, but at his age he may not be the best candidate for surgery. Luckily, he's not in pain. The vet and I have agreed at this point we're just going to keep him comfortable.


Madison Park Greetings is a Seattle based company that carries one of our favorite lines of cards. The Lu-lu Collection by Anne Keenan Higgins includes cards for every occasion as well as adorable packages of note cards such as the thank you notes shown here. Included in today's order were a bunch of great Mother's Day cards (yes it's coming up quickly!).

My day off is Tuesday and I always love coming into the store on Wednesday to see what Danielle has changed. Her new display in front of the Papaya prints is gorgeous! I don't know how she does it, but she continues to delight & amaze me!

XOXO

Curtsy Mama

Mary Jo

March Customer of the Month!

Our divine & fabulous Curtsylicious Customer of the Month for March is Ariel Simnowitz!!! Ariel has been a wonderful, loyal customer of ours for a long time....and she owns a business with her mom - which our course we totally dig ;-) She always brightens our day and we so appreciate her continued support. For being so magnificent....Ariel will receive a $50 CB gift card and 10% off all of her purchases during the month of April. Remember that no purchase is ever necessary to be named Curtsylicious Customer of the Month. You just have to make us smile....maybe tell us a little story or do a little dance - ending with a curtsy.....and make sure we have your email address.

I had a long day in the front of Curtsyland....making the Easter remains disappear and Mother's Day goodness appear! Curtsy Mama told you about our amazing new art panel prints by the wonderful people at Papaya. (The owner of Papaya is actually a friend of Ariel! I believe they attended high school together if I remember correctly. It's a small, small world....) I hung a pink glittered bar from the ceiling today to hang the prints on. It was a total headache....but perfect for displaying the prints. I fall head-over-heels for each of these prints every time I look at them....I think I need to take one of each home and collage a wall at my apartment. They are accented with glitter (divine!!) and a matching hang ribbon. I also put out the Giclee canvases.....my favorite by far is titled Explorer. It has a quote by T.S. Elliot that reads "We shall not cease from exploration and the end of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

We also received gorgeous new envelope sets in from Papaya. They contain six full-color coordinating envelopes to match the pretty notecards. I love receiving exciting envelopes.....the details on these are lots of fun. While rearranging today....I realized we need to reorder glitter butterfly garlands and glitter Gold Rush candles ASAP....they flew! I still have one butterfly garland out just on display....will be ordering more tomorrow and definitely some different styles - this company has oodles and oodles of different colors and sizes of butterflies to choose. Be sure to let us know if you want to be alerted when they arrive. Also let us know if there is a specific color glitter taper or pillar you would like us to include in our Gold Rush order!


xxxx