Happy New Year!

Happy almost New Year from the Curtsy Girls!! 2010 was a big year for us! After over 2 years of planning and saving Curtsy Mama traveled to Africa with her best friend Pamela. We were able to go on safari and attend 2 World Cup soccer games. It was pretty awesome!

After that was the wedding of Curtsy Girl Danielle to her long time love, Ed. Danielle pushed her creative/artistic boundaries by making all of the bridal bouquets out of vintage jewelry, and the boutonnieres out of brass stampings. She also added to the magic of the day by creating glittery accessories for guests to wear in the photo booth we rented. The tables were adorned with custom made signs as well. Her wedding is featured in Seattle Metropolitan Bridal Magazine which will be on sale in January 2011. Custom Curtsylicious Creations is an expanding part of Curtsy Bella and Danielle is available to help make your wedding or event an affair to remember.

We were also able to push past the tough learning curve thrown at us with our new embroidery machine this year. That has allowed us to offer an ever expanding array of gifts that can be personalized. We've learned that Seattlites have just as wicked a sense of humor as the Curtsy Girls as evidenced by the success of our naughty holiday hand towels, napkins and golf towels.

So what's in store for 2011? The Curtsy Girls will be heading to the Atlanta Gift Show in a couple of weeks. Look for expansions in our wedding and baby sections this year. In May we'll be celebrating 5 years in business, so stay tuned for details of this special milestone. We'll also be launching a brand spanking new website in January. We'll be back to faithfully blogging showing what's new in the store and what Curtsylicious fun events are happening.

As we say goodbye to 2010, we want to say thanks for your support this year. We are two of the luckiest girls in the world. We have a job we absolutely love that brings amazing people (our customers) into our lives.

Stay Safe! Stay Glittery! Stay Curtsylicious!

Happy New Year!!

Engagement Pictures

I have been promising to many of our lovely customers that I would post pictures & updates as the wedding plans progress. A few weeks ago, we had Engagement pictures taken by the divine Barbie Hull, who will also be photographing our big day. The pictures don't have the same feel as the wedding will....you see, I found these ahhhmazing Empire State heels...and since we got engaged in NYC, I had to have them for our engagement session. The shoes led to a red, black & bling theme for the shoot. I brought a few goodies home from the store to use that some of you may recognize....the bling skull lamp, the jeweled pistol wall vase, and the triple gun table vase.

That skull lamp was actually a project that the Captain & I did together in the first few months we were dating. I had found the lamp at an antique store and had started adorning it with crystals. He came into my life just about the time I had become tres tired of bedazzling, and picked up where I had left off. He was on such a jeweling high after he finished it, that he decided to do the pistol wall vase as well. I'm pretty sure I knew right away that any man that would rhinestone for me, was a man I wanted to marry ;) That's spidey on a gorgeous pearl encrusted ship that will be appearing in my hair at one point during the big day. I found the ship at a little antique store just after we got engaged. Our wedding has a Marie Antoinette-ish theme...so a ship in the hair was a must!

Which shoes to choose indeed!!!! Hope you enjoy...I will do another post soon to feature the Bridesmaid inspiration boxes I put together. In the meantime...Barbie just posted pictures of our invitations on her blog....she took the most beautiful pictures of them and I am so grateful!!!!! Check them out here!

xxxx

Engagement Pictures!

Here is a sneak peek at our engagement pictures! They were taken just last week with the divine Barbie Hull. Barbie posted some favorites here on her blog, and check back soon as we will be posting more. I swooned over these Empire State Building shoes...and since we got engaged in that fabulous concrete jungle, I simply HAD to have them for our engagement session!

xxxx

May Newsletter

Curtsy Confections.....luscious treats custom made by Curtsy Girl Danielle. This amazing crown was crafted for a very special young lady's Alice in Wonderland themed 13th birthday party. She also made a giant "Surprise Ball" filled with tiny treasures. Need a wonderful creation for your next special occasion? Come talk to Danielle, she'll dream up something sweet!



May is all about Mom and we have loads of great gifts for Mother's Day. Bloem Boxes are pretty little containers filled with seeds. Give her the beginnings of a Hummingbird Garden or a Tiny Tin filled with Miniature Rose seeds. She'll think of you all spring & summer as her garden grows.


Emilie Sloan has new bags and new patterns. Many of these bags embroider beautifully making them a truly personalized gift for someone special.

SHOP FOR A CAUSE!
Saturday, May 15th, Curtsy Bella will be donating 10% of our total sales to Seattle Musical Theatre. For more than 30 years they have been Seattle's only theatre company devoted exclusively to producing the finest selections of the great musical theatre catalog - and do they deliver! Come shop to help us support this local treasure!

Doodle Flower Gift Box by Seattle Chocolates. Comes with markers to color the outside of the box & filled with a scrumptious Truffle assortment of Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Creme and Mint. Perfect for the little ones to color & present to Mom or Grandma.



Mark Your Calendar!
Wednesday, May 12th will be a big day at Curtsyland. We'll be having our 4th Anniversay celebration & SALE. Everything in the store will be 10% off (including sale items!) all day long. From 5pm-8pm, we'll be having a PARTY, co-sponsored by Seattle Chocolates. They will be introducing their new Cocktail Line of Summer Truffles. We'll have live music, cocktails (drinks) and cocktails (chocolates)....What could be better?

Welcome to Spring!

Aaaahh...Spring! The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, the sun is shining......oh wait, that's the scenario in our heads. This is Seattle and it's raining and the wind is howling! Sounds like a good day to snuggle in and read what's new in Curtsyland!

We've always been big fans of Alice in Wonderland and the new Tim Burton movie seems to have reved up everyone's interest in a place where rabbits talk, pigs are used as footstools and there's a Mad sort of Man in a purple hat! Tarina Tarantino's new Acid Alice collection celebrates the celebration of the madness! We love the Baroque Lucite Framed Ring that can serve as your reminder to take nothing too seriously.

Wedding Season is starting and Curtsy Bella has the perfect shower gift. Bella Barudan, our spiffy new embroidery machine is helping us offer truly personalized gifts for the new bride. A soft terry robe customized with her new married name, or one that simply says "The Bride" on the back and her first name on the front is something that she will treasure as a reminder of this special time in her life.



This is a busy year for the Curtsy Girls. Curtsy Mama is traveling to Africa with her best pal this summer and Danielle and the Captain are tying the knot is August. It's so easy to let the days slip by in a mindless hurry. The Simple Abundance book is filled with 366 short essays that serve as a reminder to take the time to slow down and enjoy the gifts of each day. It is a truly wonderful gift to give to someone special or yourself.



Danielle is constantly scouring antique and second hand stores for unique pieces to use in her displays. Several times she has come across miniature lady head vases, but they have always been expensive. When we stumbled upon these at the Atlanta Gift Show, brand new and soooo pretty, we did the happy dance! There are 3 different styles and they are just the right size to hold mini bouquets for your Easter table, or your makeup brushes on your vanity , or pencils on your desk.....the list goes on and on.


Favorite new guy gift in the store! Mysack is a fun, unique way for him to carry a few extra balls...golf balls that is, on his golf bag.

That's it for now!
XOXO
The Curtsy Girls

Celebrations

Sorry for the 2 week absence, the nasty strep bug that has been circling bit me and bit me hard. I'm not one to stay at home much and spending days on the couch feeling lousy is not my idea of fun. As least the day before it hit, I had adopted 2 new kitties and this gave us some bonding time. They are actually 2 year old sisters different as night and day. One is on the plump side and the other is absolutely tiny! They have turned out to be very fun and loving cats. I had to change their names as the tags they came with were un-feminine and certainly not fitting for 2 such fabulous felines. Their new names are Coco and Chanel...much more fitting!


Today is my son Josh's birthday. We began the day by taking him to the Queen Mary Tea Room for a b-day brunch, complete with making him wear the crown they keep on hand for guys. The Curtsy Girls love celebrations, especially birthdays!

A couple of years ago I found the Happy Birthday Flower Candle and was so amazed by it that I simply had to have it for Curtsyland. If you haven't seen one work in person, your life is simply not complete. When you light the closed flower, a tower of sparkles begins, then the flower opens with all of the candles lit and then the flower spins around while playing Happy Birthday. One of the best selling items in the store.

No matter what age the birthday celebrant it, a hat always helps them to feel it's their special day. The 3 Tiered Birthday Hat does just that and it comes in the most adorable little striped hat box as well!


Whatever you are celebrating, you know that Curtsy Bella will always have just the right gift and we'll always make it look beautiful.

XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo

Acid Alice

A few of the Acid Alice pieces from Tarina Tarantino arrived today. We have been eagerly awaiting these additions to her fabulous Queen Alice Collection and as usual, we were not disappointed. I am particularly crazy about the Mad Hatter Pendant Necklace. The purple rosebud bead makes a cool accent on this piece (I'm a big purple fan right now) she has made it so the necklace can be worn long or short, making it really versatile as well.


The new Jelly Colors from Butter London are here and we can't wait to try them. Juicy, Sheer colors made to give just a hint of color that looks like slick, wet lip gloss for your nails. Want a bit of a more dramatic effect, layer a few coats or, better yet, mix layers of the sheer colors for a stunning, effect as unique as you.

For a while now, we've been on the lookout for a baby book worthy of earning a spot in the Curtsyland baby section. You know us, nothing too ordinary or cutsy is going to pass muster, but when we found Baby's First Tattoo - A Memory book for Modern Parents, we knew the search was over. Sure there are albums out there to document baby's first tooth, haircut, steps....whatever. But where can new parents write down those alternative moments that really should be documented. Baby's First Projectile Vomit, Baby's First Tantrum in a Crowded Grocery Store, Baby's 10,000 Dirty Diaper. These things must be remembered, documented, written down.....otherwise you might forget them and think of becoming parents again :).

SHOP FOR A CAUSE TOMORROW

SATURDAY, MARCH 5TH, WE WILL BE DONATING 10% OF OUR TOTAL SALES TO YMCA PARTNERS IN YOUTH. PLEASE HELP US SUPPORT THE IMPORTANT WORK THIS LOCAL ORGANIZATION DOES.

xoxo

Curtsy Mama

Mary Jo