Surprise!

Well, knock me over with a noodle! I'm standing in the store this afternoon when in walks by brother, Tom. He was supposed to be on his way home from a Hawaiian cruise! He had planned on coming out next month for my birthday and decided since he was on this side of the world, to surprise me a little early. What a nice end to my day!

I love filling my apartment with pictures of friends, family and happy events in my life. I'm always on the lookout for unusual frames to display my memories in. I love this frame by artist Norma Rapko. A fancy frame for my fancy friends!

Sorry this is a short one tonight, but I'm getting taken out to dinner by my big bro!
XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

TGIF!

I have Friday Fever as well as a cold so my head is too foggy to blog brilliantly ;( But since I am so very much looking forward to tomorrow night...I thought I would share what's going down. Two of my brother's bands, plus a fantastic band from Portland, are all playing tomorrow night at the Bit Saloon in Ballard. The show starts around 9-9:30....and we would adore seeing lots of Curtsylicious folks in the crowd! First up is One Undone...check them out on their Myspace page. Second in the lineup is Mongoloid Village from Portland...very excited to see them. I haven't had the pleasure yet but always hear great things. And last but not least...Rad Touch will be finishing the night. Rad Touch recently won the Paligiacci Battle of the Bands and recorded a few songs up at Bear Creek Studios. They have a single that is often heard on The End's Young & the Restless show on Sunday nights.

Hope to see you all there!

xxxx

How Sweet It Is!

Cupcakes are the new black! Does that even make sense? What I'm meaning to say is that cupcakes seems to be the hot item around town lately. For good reason - I mean who doesn't love a bit of cake heaped with a mound of sugary, yummy frosting? As I've blogged about before, cupcakes are my weakness and I'll do extra gym time to be able to indulge once in a while. If cupcakes are the new black, cupcake wrappers are the new must have accessory. We're crazy about the new designs we picked up from new local company bella Cupcake Couture. Luscious colors and designs make the sweet treats even more tempting.



When we began carrying the wrappers, we ordered a dozen faux cupcakes for display. We've already had to re-order as everyone is snapping them up, along with a hand full of wraps as a cute kitchen decoration. They pair them with one of the great Cake Pedestals by Rosanna and voila - instant home chic.

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

What If You Gave A Party & Nobody Came?

We're a bit bummed tonight! Today was the Shop For A Cause event benefiting local non-profit Global Visionaries. It's been one of the quietest day we've had in ages! We've decided to extend the event to include tomorrow. So, here's some information about this worthwhile group who's doing some amazing things with local youth. In fact, one of our customer's daughters, Jordan Poepping, is in Guatemala right now working with Global Visionaries for 2 weeks.



The mission of this organization is "to educate and empower youth to become active leaders and global citizens who promote social and environmental justice through community service at home and abroad."

If you need gifts for any occasion, please shop tomorrow as Curtsy Bella is donating 10% of our sales from today and tomorrow to Global Visionaries.

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Bachelorettes

Springtime brings ring time! Lots of weddings are in the works around town...and we adore being a tiny part of the special day by providing the Bride & her Maids with fun goodies. Just this evening, I got to see one of our favorite Brides-to-be before her big day this Friday. She was running around finishing up last minute details...one of those being the need for the gorgeous Mary Green Down the Aisle garter. Congrats again to Brooke & Derrick!!!!

If you happen to be responsible for making the Bachelorette shindig unforgettable...we just received Bachelorette Party Lotto, which includes over 100 scratch-n-play games for the lucky lady. Each scratch-off card includes a sassy set of dares for the bachelorette and her bridesmaids to complete throughout the evening. The booklet also contains temporary tattoos to up the sass-factor.

To make your bachelorette party really turns heads that night....we suggest decking everyone out in Classy Bride's bling boyfriend tanks and knee high tube socks. We have always stocked these tanks & socks for everyone in the bridal party...bride, maid of honor, bridesmaid, etc. But we just received them for the Bachelorette & the Bachelorette Party. If everyone will be getting fancy for the festivities...these would be divine to climb into after being in heels all night, while you wind-down and giggle over pictures!

xxxx

Bad Sex?

Bad Sex - some of us have had a less than stellar experience in the boudoir. Most of us don't want to share that experience with anyone. The writers at Nerve.com are the exception. They've collected essays from some great current writers detailing, well...bad sex. This blog is rated PG, so I'll have to stop there, but when you want to experience some of the most hilarious, heartbreaking and cringe-worthy encounters, pick up a copy of this book.

Summer's right around the corner (please God, let it get here SOON!!!). For all those strapless dresses, plunging necklines and lightweight t-s, Nippies Natural are the ultimate nipple cover. Made from revolutionary ultra-thin matte silicone, they give you the smoothest invisible coverage available today. The adhesive version is extra secure when going braless and the adhesive is re-usable.

This Wednesday, March 26th

Shop for a Cause

Curtsy Bella will donate 10% of our sales to

Global Visionaries (www.global-visionaries.org)

Join us for a fun day to benefit this worthy cause.

XOXO

Curtsy Mama

Mary Jo

Cowboys & Indians

Still recovering from our big shindig the other night that Curtsy Mama told you about yesterday. There was so much to celebrate that the celebrating went too late into the night! We were celebrating two birthdays, and all the holidays that Greg missed while on his trip. Said holidays included Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, & Valentine's Day. So the plan for the party was to dress up in Halloween costumes, have a turkey dinner, decorate a Christmas tree & open Christmas presents, count down to some kind of ball dropping, and deliver some valentine's to a little mail box for Greg. So the Captain & I get decked out. I was an Indian Princess....complete with a big feather headdress, dream catchers around my hips, a tomahawk, and fringe stilettos (so freakin' cute...a recent purchase that I didn't even buy for this costume). The Captain was a Cowboy Sheriff....cowboys & indians!!! He looked like an authentic, tough ol' enforcer of the law. He rocked some chaps, a skull & crossbone vest, spurs, a serious mustache, a cowboy hat, and pistols of course (one pistol was full of tequila ;)). Anyways...we arrive to the party to find no other costumes! Awesome. Well....my brother would argue he was dressed up...he put on a Star Trek shirt, and Greg wore a red polo & white hat...Gilligan. Needless to say, we had a fabulous time as the only fun people at the party ;)



The inspiration for my costume absolutely came from my obsession with the new Tarina Tarantino Victorian Navajo collection that arrived in Curtsyland not too long ago. I love love love the wood & lucite multibead necklace featuring a crystal pave navajo cabochon pendant. We also have that same navajo cabochon on a ring & earrings....in both the turquoise & bronze color ways. The victorian aspect of the collection is really seen in the baroque puff heart drop earrings on crystal french hooks. J'adore!



xxxx

Tarina Rocks!

I have to start tonight's blog with a shout out to my son Josh. It's his 28th B-day today. He's an amazing musician, great son,wonderful friend and amazing cook. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I blogged on Monday about the bash we were holding last night to celebrate Josh and band mate Derek's b-days and the return of Josh's roommate, Greg, from 6 months of traveling in Asia. Now Greg is like a second son to me as he lived with our family for several years when he was growing up. He and Josh have considered themselves brothers ever since then. At last night's bash I come to find out that not long after he arrived in Viet Nam on his trip, he was in a serious motorcycle accident. Broke his wrist and 2 ribs and had large patches of road rash. The boys decided not to tell me while he was still over there as they knew I'd be on the next plane to drag him home. Between the language barrier and the lack of qualified medical care in the area he was at, he's one lucky boy to be back pretty much the way he left. The whole trip was the adventure of a lifetime and I know we'll be hearing the stories for a long time.

OK, here's my dirty little secret. I'm an American Idol addict! I watch very little TV, but I got hooked on the show it's first year and have been a fan ever since. Tuesday night Allison Iraheta was rocking multiple Tarina Tarantino pieces including my personal favorites the Carved Lucite & Bead Earrings. I have these babies in 5 different colors covering pretty much every possible outfit in my closet. I love them because they're light weight, unique and never fail to draw attention!

Eat, Drink and Be Married - sounds like the perfect toast for the perfect couple. We loved these cute little wedding shot glasses from Kate Aspen. A great little gift for the rehearsal dinner - just make sure you have a fabulous toast prepared to go with them.

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Birthday Hats & Other Silliness

I hope you had a chance to read yesterday's blog. That Danielle, she cracks me up! As you can tell, she has a vivid imagination, which makes her the perfect business partner. As anyone who has ever been in the store knows, she does a kick ass job with all of the displays. Thank God, because if i had to do her job, the results wouldn't be pretty!


What's not to love about the new 3 Tier Birthday Hat by Trumpette? Even though these hats are made for kids, most of the recipients are adults. We've had many reports of these hats being seen all over the Seattle bar scene. Whether you buy one for someones first b-day or their 21st, the hat is sure to be a fun keepsake.

Have you heard about the 2 British men who bought a lion cub at Harrods Department store in London in the 1970's, raised it until it got too big to keep and then re-introduced it to the wild? A couple years after they returned the lion to Africa, they went there to see if they could find him and they did - the video of the reunion is amazing. I swear it will make you cry. Here's the link in case you haven't seen it:

http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/22/1213801.aspx

So, in keeping with the spirit of Christian the lion, we have the new Jungle Collection Socks by Trumpette. Fit for the cutest of little monkeys, the colorful collection of 6 different patterns will help them show their wild side...grrr!

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Today was so odd in Curtsyland! I kinda had a feeling today was going to be off as I forgot to wear green. I was so excited about a new ruffle grey skirt I bought yesterday that I pulled it on without thinking twice about my kelly green babydoll I should have worn. Anyways....just before lunch, you will never believe who came to see me at Curtsyland. It was a little green leprechaun! This little leprechaun was very polite. He explained to me that he was in a rush to make it back to Ireland so he wouldn't miss all the St. Patrick's Day festivities. However, before he left, he wanted to choose some gifts for his family back home from his time in the Emerald City. (They were all very jealous, you see, that he got to visit Seattle.)

I told him I was more than happy to assist! He told me about each family member he needed to get something for...and how they all love the color green, of course. I was just about to start taking him around the store to show him ideas when the UPS man came in, dressed in all brown of course. Well...after signing for the packages, I turned around to get back to helping my little leprechaun friend...and he was gone!! I called to him, and looked everywhere around Curtsyland for him...but nothin! I figured he must have realized it was later than he thought and he had to make his plane. So I went about my business...kinda sad that he was going arrive home empty handed.

Well....as the day carried on...odd things kept happening. I would be working on displays after customers had left...but I kept getting that funny feeling like I wasn't really alone. I would hear odd noises around the store, but no one would be there. Then...after awhile of feeling spooked...I started noticing merchandise missing. First it was a pair of mohair baby booties. Then a Tarina Tarantino jeweled heart toggle necklace! After the fourth item went M.I.A...I noticed that every missing piece had one thing in common....they were all green.




So my little Leprechaun friend hadn't in fact gone home just yet. I called out to him asking him to appear...but he never did. I would have at least enjoyed wrapping all the goodies he was stealing for his family...and ringing him up for them. By the end of the day, in addition to the booties & the heart necklace, he had swindled a handful of our gorgeous new bejeweled bangles, our yummy green Cake diaper bag by Petunia Picklebottom, a sparkly green rabbit figurine, and green skull & crossbones notecards.



I certainly hope his little leprechaun clan enjoys their hot Curtsylicious gifts. I learned a lot about those little stinkers today. Did you know that leprechauns can become invisible?? Did you know they do not like to spend any of that gold?? Did you know that they love green sooooo much that some other colors are simply unbearable to them?? (I think my little Leprechaun couldn't stand the sight of the UPS man in all brown.) Very odd day.

xxxx

It's A Wrap!

This is a week of celebrations in the Curtsy Family. We're celebrating my son, Josh's 28th birthday, his roommate Greg Gannon's return from 6 months of traveling in Asia and band mate Derek Hernandez's b-day. Lots of gifts to wrap for the upcoming celebration. A new shipment of gift wrap from Midori arrived last week. Although I didn't use either on these patterns on the boys gifts, these 2 were some of my favorites included in the shipment. Both the Eiffel Tower and Chandelier patterns are made from 100% recycled cotton fibers. The dimensions of the sheets are 21" X 29", enough to wrap several gifts. Don't forget that if you buy a gift someplace else and purchase some of our gift wrap, we'll be happy to wrap your gift for you. The Curtsy Girls are all about making our customers happy!

DATES TO REMEMBER

Wednesday, March 25th Shop for a Cause to benefit Global Visionaries (www.global-visionaries.org)

Saturday, April 18th - Tarina Tarantino Trunk Show

XOXO,

Curtsy Mama

Mary Jo

It's Bridal

Sorry we missed yesterday's blog, it was Danielle's turn and she was all prepared to write after dinner. Ends up she got distracted by her lovely newly painted nails. Blame it on Muggins by butter london! Truly a hypnotizing color.

Today the store was all about wedding bling! Our newest shipment from Classy Bride arrived and we're in love. They've introduced some new styles in the jeweled tanks including Bachelorette Party - a perfect way to let everyone know what that group of wild women you're with is up to. One of the favorite gifts lately has been the Bridal Party Tube Socks. These have been the star of many local bachlorette party nights lately we've been told. Great for running down hotel corridors at 2AM. The Happily Ever After Robe is a perfect beach cover up, letting everyone know who's on their honeymoon!

So many times in the business of wedding planning, the groom kinda gets left out of all the pre-nuptial fun. The Groom Boxers will let him know he hasn't been forgotten.

XOXO

Curtsy Mama

Mary Jo

Southwestern Sizzle

I spent a lot of years in the Southwest. I moved to Arizona from Ohio fresh out of high school, never having traveled west of the Mississippi. Talk about culture shock! Over the years, I came to appreciate and love so many things about that corner of the country. When we saw the newest Navajo inspired collection at Tarina Tarantino, we were instantly hooked! This pair of Crystallized Navajo Cabochon Drop Earrings will look equally great with jeans or dressed up to go to the theater. The intricate silverwork coupled with the striking turquoise and the bling of the various colored crystals make these earrings a striking statement in themselves.

Danielle and I have offered to host a bridal shower for a friend who is getting married. There will be an interesting mix of friends from her work and personal life. The two groups have not really mixed much before, which could equal AWKWARD!! We plan on using one of the Bridal Shower Box of Questions to break the ice. With questions like "What are the best and worst kept secrets about married life?" "Who will be the worst influence on the groom at the bachelor party?" "What three things make the groom the luckiest man in the world?" we'll have the 2 groups mingling, chatting, laughing and offering advice in no time.

XOXO

Curtsy Mama

Mary Jo

butter me up

A divine Tuesday it turned out to be! The new butter LONDON colors arrived today! The spring colors are gorgeous...and arriving just in time to cheer us up as fashion weeks around the world are coming to an end ;( No more new shows posted on-line every morning for me to wake up and drool over. butter LONDON's new spring range was created backstage at the Spring/Summer ‘09 fashion shows in London and New York...and now they are happy to share their nail love with all their fashionista friends! I will let them describe...

Artful Dodger: This true teal is a show-stopper. High fashion and so unique, it’s the perfect way to wear this trend without over kill.

The Old Bill: Burnished copper with a beautiful antique patina. For sophisticated metal heads.

Blowing Raspberries: Rich, delicious berry lacquer. Perfect for in-between days when red is too much and pink is too little.

Muggins: Not your mother’s lilac. A opaque shade that’s pale, but packs a punch.

Cheeky Chops: Why no, I do not have a banana in my pocket, but I am happy to see you.

Snog: Bright, happy, hot pink.

We also have past favorites back in stock now....Yummy Mummy, Aston, Bezzie Mate, and Shandy. I am going to rush home and get my nails looking butter worthy.


Curtsyland is full of Easter goodies right now. I definitely thought that filling the store with glitter bunnies would make spring appear sooner. Today has been sunny but still too cold for Peter Cotton Tail. Get your shit together Mr. Spring. Anyways...one of my favorite inexpensive Easter treats to send off to far away friends is the Bloomsberry Chocolate Easter Range. New designs this year include the Flat Pack Chocolate Easter Egg. I also love the design that features the image of one of those hollow Easter bunnies....who you catch thinking that while "I may be hollow, at least I'm not shallow." There is also one with cute little bunnies getting frisky with each other...and the recipient is instructed to spread the love with thumpingly good tasting premium dark chocolate.

xxxx

Out Gallivanting Today!

Danielle & I took the day off to attend to some personal business. We had to be up in Bothell and got stuck in the ridiculous blizzard up there! Crazy, crazy weather! Once I got home, I put on my long johns and took Snick dog for a walk. Froze my face off! I just got back and a nice, long, hot bath sounds perfect right now.


I wish I had a towel as cute as the new Elephant Hugs Towel that arrived last week. Can't you imagine a little cutie, all bundled up in this after bath? Add the Little Peanut Snuggler and someone will be ready for bed.

Sorry this is short tonight, but I've just realized that I have no food for Snickers in the house, so instead of that fabulous warm bath, I have to walk up to Mud Bay. Brrrrr.....

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Twins & Underachiever's

Baby season is in full swing! Having twins seem to be the cool thing to do this year. We rushed in an order from Uncommonly Cute as we were out of most styles of twin onesie sets. And wouldn't you know it....the day after we receive the order, we are sold out of twin sets yet again. So if you know someone having twins....we can certainly reorder the very popular set that reads Baby Squared. Other styles that just arrived from Uncommonly Cute (for those boring folks that are only having one baby) include....word to big bird, I'm kind of a big deal, Elmo is my homeboy, Local Celebrity, peace love & cookies....and sure to be a new favorite: Famous on Facebook.

For those with a bit of extra free time on their hands...say no babies....we just received Naughty Crosswords. Best to let the devious minds at Nerve.com explain...."these 50 puzzles test the old S.Q. (that's sexual quotient). What's a five-letter word for well endowed? In what country is oral sex illegal? Who was the first woman to expose a nipple on TV? Of course, not all the clues in Naughty Crosswords relate to sex. These puzzles test a wide range of knowledge, from geography (63 Across: One of the U.S. Virgin islands) to pop culture (47 Down: Twins who became legal on June 13, 2004) to politics (52 Across: Place where Bill and Hillary started screwing, presumably). Ok, so maybe they're mostly about sex."

Also great for those without offspring....The Underachiever's Manifesto - The Guide to Accomplishing Little and Feeling Great. Written by Ray Bennett....who is actually a medical specialist in Seattle and a recovering overachiever....he encourages you to lower the bar. "If no one in your life thinks you're failing to live up to your full potential, then you've got work to do. Turn it down a notch. Good enough is good enough." It's amazing but after just flipping through this book....I feel as though I was a little too productive today. This guy is good.

xxxx

We love getting books in at Curtsyland. Both of the Curtsy Girls are avid readers and we're always on the lookout for fun books with a bit of a twist.
L is for Lolly Gag fits that criteria perfectly. Billed as Quirky Words for a Clever Tongue, the book is filled with quirky illustrations, fun trivia and lists within lists. A is for alley-oop, B is for brouhaha and L is for Lolly Gag! Truly a fun dictionary for the wordsmith in your life.


We placed several large Tarina Tarantino orders when we were at the LA Gift Show and thought we were done. Then we ran into the sparkly girls from Tarina once again when we were at Magic in Las Vegas several weeks ago. We were thrilled to find that several new colors have been introduced to one of our favorite styles of earrings. The Lucite and Crystal Drop Earrings are some of my favorites from her line. I have them in most colors and wear then several times a week. Because they are so unique, people are always asking me where I got them. The new colors arrived today and as I'm checking them in, a woman is buying a pair in the new Smoked Topaz color. I haven't quite decided my favorite yet, Turquoise (pictured), Amethyst, or Smoked Topaz. Guess I'll just have to get all three.

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Uncooked Brides

I finally got the Valentine's Day cards off the floor today....my goodness I was behind in that department! Luckily we had a new shipment of cards from Uncooked to fill in the empty spots....which means I was laughing the entire time I was displaying them. It seriously doesn't matter how many times I read their cards...I laugh out loud every time. One of my favorite new arrival reads "the best part about having you as a friend is that i can borrow your lip balm and not worry about getting herpes." I also enjoy the new birthday card that reads "i'm not going to let anything get in the way of us celebrating your birthday. well, unless i get diarrhea. then i won't be celebrating anything." We received a ton of Uncooked for Mother's Day & Father's Day as well. We will feature them when the time gets nearer....but seriously some of the best Mother's & Father's Day cards we have ever come across.



So wedding season has definitely begun and we are receiving oodles of new goodies in that department. My absolute favorite addition is Weddingish's new Bridal & Bridal Party Jeweled Ribbon ID Pins! These pretty satin ribbon bows come attached to pins that can be used to adorn any outfit or bag during any pre or post wedding events. Each ribbon is adorned with sparkling crystal letters. The Bridal styles available read Bride, Bride to Be, or Just Married. The Bridal Party styles include Maid of Honor, Bridesmaid, Mother of the Groom, and Mother of the Bride. We also received a fabulous pink sash for the Bride. Absolutely divine for bridal showers, bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners or honeymoons!




xxxx

Sparkling Spring

I do believe it is starting to feel like Spring is in the air....at least in Curtsyland! Our little sunshine spells never seem to last long outside and it is still too cold to start prancing around town in our spring wardrobes. But the days are getting longer and our store is full of glittery Spring & Easter goodies....so we can pretend no matter what the Groundhog decided. We received a beautiful shipment of Gold Rush candles in today. Gold Rush makes the most fabulous, sparkly candles I have ever laid eyes on. The new colors may make your eyes hurt they are so pretty to look at ;) My favorite is the new Mountain Sage...I also adore the Pacific color.... it makes me think of mermaids.



We also received a bundle of goodness from Anna Corba. Anna creates beautiful photo books and candle jars with collaged images embellished with ribbon and glitter. A new style in the photo books arrived...A Day to Celebrate. It is 4 1/2" x 7" and features assorted crown collages embellished with french wired ribbon and a flourish of glitter. We have candle jars to match....and can of course tie one of our fabulous little glitter tiara combs on to the top of the gift!



xxxx

Hot Links

Saucy new styles of cuff links arrived from British designer Sonia Spencer today. These Disco Diva cuff links, hand finished in England, incorporate a moving image set in a beautiful quality rhodium plated contemporary signature finding. A cheeky gift for the well dressed man. These cuff links have become wildly popular gifts for groomsmen, something that they'll actually use and enjoy after doing their part in the nuptials.

Speaking of well dressed men, I caught the Doc Severinsen show at Benaroya Hall this weekend. The man is a snappy dresser and has he got chops! Eighty-one years old and a totally amazing trumpet player.
To hem or not to hem - that's the age old question faced by women everywhere! When we saw this new Hem Tape by Bristols 6, the makers of Nippies, we had to snap it up. No more having to comit to heels or flats - you can have one pair of pants and two or three pairs of shoes to go with. Brilliant!

We held our first Shop for a Cause event on Saturday and it was a great success. Lots of people came out to support the YMCA Community Learning Center at Chief Sealth High School. At day's end we were able to present the organization with a check for 10% of our total sales for the day. The following organizations have signed up to participate in this great new program, so pick a cause and perpare to shop!

Global Visionaries (www.global-visionaries.org) - Wednesday, March 25th
Academy for Precision Learning (www.aplschool.org)- Saturday, April 25th
Northwest's Child (www.northwestchild.org) - Saturday, May 9th
Rebuilding Together Seattle (www.rtseattle.org) - Saturday, June 9th
WACAP (www.wacap.org) - Saturday, September 26th
Spina Bifida Association on Washington State (www.sbaws.org) - October
Susannah White's Three Feet of Sunshine - November

We still have openings for July and August, so if your organization is interested, contact us and we'll get you on the schedule.

SAVE THE DATE!

Tarina Tarantino Trunk Show, Saturday, April 18th

XOXO

Curtsy Mama

Mary Jo