OK, now don’t expect anything too fancy… and don’t expect any thing super expensive… and for heaven sakes whatever you do don’t expect CLEAN!! Now with all that in mind you may take a peek at where I create. Keep your eyes peeled for vintage touches here and there.

Sitting at the sewing machine is a daily activity for me. So I’ve got a great cushion for my fanny! I’ve tried to add some of my favorite touches: like vintage quilts, linens, buttons and ribbons. Believe it or not, I have evolved from a vintage baby dress re-storer, ( say that fast 5 times) to a designer of quilted baby shoes, to now a designer of quilted baby shoe patterns. Which I sell to creative, quilting type gals and also to darling quilt shops.

I have collected dolls for years and am still a little girl at heart! Can you tell? I even hide things behind lovely fabrics too, so don’t even ask me whats behind the bookcase, cuz I’m not tell’n ya, and trust me you don’t want to know.

I found this white shelf and use it to display some of the shoes and boots I have created over the last several months. (some are vintage ones too)

My little shabby chalk board keeps me on task. Ya right! It sounded good tho didn’t it?

This is my very cluttered, but very sweet bulletin board. Believe it or not I know where every thing on it  is too!

When ever I need some storage or something to hang on the wall, I go searching in the back yard. I love using garden elements here and there.

Here are some of my favorite little vintage baby gems hanging across the wall. They are so tiny and sweet and come in such yummy soft pastel colors! So fun to fix up and clean. Well, a little fun.

The details are so amazing! I would never have had the patience for sewing those “itty bitty” pin tucks. It just wouldn’t have happened!

I wanted a very simple window treatment, so I did a valance. But then decided to add tied white vintage hankies for a shabby flair and then finished it off with a curved black iron wall piece. One day it almost fell on my head! I know what your thinking , but don’t say anything.

I love the whole trash to treasure thing! These shutters were left by the side of the road. Yippie, guess they had my name on them. I didn’t even have to paint them either. I just cleaned them and hung them up! The vintage china plates are from a garage sale (like 25 cents each) crazy!

I thought that this little plaque was so cute. “The beehive is the ultimate Home Sweet Home“. Well I guess that just about wraps up my sewing room tour.

This is where I create… this is where I sometimes get frustrated… this is where I wait for inspiration to come, (ya I’m usually in here awhile) and… this is where I go to get away from the world.

So… ladies, where do you create??

Around Easter time, some dear wonderful friends gave me this adorable little gift, because they said that it reminded them of “Curbys Closet”. (Now if you have ever been to my house your will know why.)

As I opened the box I squealed with delight! I could not believe it! It totally looked like my little Curbys Closet, with all my little pastel vintage baby dresses hanging on hangers. And it reminded me of the armoire on the Curbys Closet logo. I just could not believe it!

It was just TOO CUTE!! I actually started to cry it was so cute! Here’s a closer look. This is from the “Wee Forest Folk” Collection by the Peterson Family. These are such precious and delightful collectibles. The details are just amazing! And they are so tiny and so sweet!!

It even came in an adorable box! My friends said that when they saw it , that it just had “Curbys Closet” written all over it! Let’s just say that it will be displayed, treasured and loved forever.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU to my wonderful friends!!!

It’s an Egg-cellent contest!! These eggs are not just for Easter but for decorating all springtime long.

I made an assortment of bright and fun mod podge fabric eggs. I call them “GLAMOUR EGGS!! Because they are frilly and have a touch of bling! I got the idea from the DIY Dish.com. Kim and Kris always have such adorable ideas. You should check them out. They are my new favorite place!

I used fabric from charm packs torn in strips and then I embellished them with ribbon, gems, and scrapbook accents. On this plate they almost look good enough to eat.

This style has a gathered ribbon ruffle rosette with a gem in the middle.

This one has a skinny ribbon butterfly bow on end with a scrapbook flower accent in the center.

I gave away 4 packs of assorted “GLAMOUR EGGS” to family and friends last week and they liked them so much that I decided to offer a package of 4 as a giveaway to you.

So here is how you enter and win... leave a comment below.

Include your email address or contact info.

Be sure to leave your comment before Sunday April 11th at midnight. Winner announced on Monday April 12th.

Good Luck! And HApPy SPrInG!!

Welcome to another fun Vintage ABC Party at Etsy Cottage. They are always so fun to participate in. I love to see what treasures every one shows. Come join me…

C is for China… My favorite is an English china set I got at a wonderful antique shop. I love the tiny pink flowers.

It looks pretty great with my blue transfer ware. Don’t you just love mixing and matching?

C is for centerpiece… I loved doing this English garden centerpiece, starting with a pretty vintage tea pot, lovely flowers, vintage china and vintage tablecloth. All for a garden tea party for my friends.

D is for Dolls… some of my favorite treasures are my 1940’s Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls. Such as Goldilocks and Little Bo Peep.

One year I participated in a Valentines Day Tea Party featuring several of my Vintage Dolls. This picture shows my adorable Cupie doll from 1967, a darling unknown doll from 1961 and of course another sweet Nancy Ann doll.

D is for Dresses… Vintage baby dresses that is. I have refurbished and restored vintage baby dresses for several years now and here are a sampling of some of my favorites. Take a look at this peach one with all the sweet embroidery details. It is from the 1940’s.

This fun bubble bum pink checked dress is from the 1950’s. I just love the details of buttons and lace on the bodice.

Let’s not leave out the little boys! Here is an adorable sailor set from the 1940’s. I like the cute little anchors along the front and of course the sailor collar!

There you go… that is my Vintage ABC collection for today.

Thanks for stopping by. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Now off to visit yours.

Etsy Cottage Style has done it again! Another fun bog party! Come join in the fun and take a peek at some lovely things that begin with the letter “B”!

Here are my favs!

A sweet vintage crochet BABY BIB.

Darling little BIRD salt and pepper shakers.

A very lovely BARBIE BALLERINA doll.

An adorable BUNNY set from BUNNIES BY THE BAY.

Do I get extra points for all the “B’s” in that one! lol

I hope you enjoyed some of my favorite “B” treasures.

Which one was your fav???

Feel like having a nice dinner basking in the glow of candlelight and almost feeling cool breezes. Well, you don’t have to go all the way to the islands to set the mood. At least not in my book.

My son was leaving last week to go to Hawaii and I decided kinda last minute (what else is new) to go all out and set a tropical island style table scape. So off to my cupboard I went.

I remembered that I had given a Bridal Shower for one of my special gals Nikki  a couple of years ago and she had wanted a beach or tropical theme and thank goodness I had saved most all the decorations.  So out they came. I had purchased a few key pieces at Home Goods like mugs and planters to use for the centerpiece. I had a beautiful aqua table cloth ( I just love that color) and some other pieces to add layers and texture. If you have read any of my blog decorating post before you’ll know that I love layers. Try it sometime it is so cool!

I have gold chargers from my fancy Christmas table scape last year. Isn’t it interesting how they can look casual enough for a tropical theme??  (Come on join me in thinking outside the box!) And take a look at the white paper napkin tied with a shell and jute. How easy is that? Doesn’t it make you want to go collect more shells?? I used to love to do that as a kid.

Here is the focal point of the centerpiece, a fun bright, tropical planter container filled to the brim with shells of all kinds and all sizes. I even found a little piece of brown netting to peek out over the edges.  Then I sprinkled small and tiny shells all over the table.

Then instead of using the mugs for cocoa or something like that. I filled them with tiny shells and a big fat chunky orange candle. Light them and you’ll get instant romance or drama.

So next time you want to add a little tropical flair to your table. Get out the mugs, planters, gold chargers and shells and you can create a lovely, calm island paradise that your family/friends will love.

And don’t think that decorating the table is just for girls, cuz guys really love and appreciate it too. My young adult son said “Mom, you are awesome! You always take it to the next level“. Aaawwh!

That’s so sweet!

My challenge…. take it to the next level in your home for someone that you love.

Party on!!

Is there a Wedding or Special Occasion coming up for the adorable baby girl in your life?

Well if so… be sure to check out the lovely and detailed specialty vintage dresses at Curby’s Closet.

They are soft and sweet!

They are layered and full.

They are accented with ribbons, bows and roses.

They are in fantastic mint condition!!

And…they are available now on our Etsy and Lollishop sites. Come on take a peek! You’ll see lots more photos of each dress with a detailed description too.

Click on the banners to the right.

Remember Etsy and Lollishops are fantastic places to shop!!

Trust me I’m a shopping Queen!!

Does this picture bring back memories??

When was the last time that you hung clothes on a clothes line or a drying rack of some kind? A long time ago? Eons ago? How about never! I got to thinking that maybe some young women or young mothers have probably never hung clothes to dry outside on a clothes line. I mean lets face it, we live in a world of computerized washers and dryers. Right?

Well, many moons ago in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s that’s pretty much how my mother would dry our clothes. I remember being just a little girl and holding the laundry basket, handing her clothes pins and then graduating to helping take the clothes off the line and folding them. I remember thinking how soft and pretty the clothes looked hanging in the sun and swaying the the breeze. (Especially the sheets)  I loved to run up and down the rows of fabric and pretend that I was a princess in a far away land. Alright it’s true, I had kind of a wild imagination!

Anyway, yesterday I decided to bust out my IKEA drying rack and sun dry some of my “CURBY’S CLOSET” vintage baby dresses that I had just washed. I am trying not to use too much electricity during the peek hours of the day. This drying rack is really great! It is very light weight, folds totally flat for storage and only cost $3.99! Such a bargain!! Now before you go rushing to IKEA to get one, I must tell you that I purchased this one a couple of years ago. So be sure to check and see if they still carry them or not.

I thought that the dresses looked so sweet hanging on the rack that I took some pictures for you to see. They dried super fast and smelled wonderful!

So, since hot summer days are upon us… you might want to line dry some of your clothes and take a little step back into the past! Simpler times are awesome!!

Leave a comment if you remember the days of hanging clothes on the line!

Most of my earliest memories include DOLLS. Big dolls, small dolls, baby dolls or Barbie dolls. It didn’t really matter much to me, cuz I loved them all! I would sit and play with them for hours. Dressing them up in darling outfits, caring for them using diapers and bottles,  combing, brushing and even CUTTING their hair. Yikes! My Tiny Tears never did look the same after the hair cutting fiasco of 1960.

Anyway…

Pictured below are a few of my Nancy Ann dolls. I did not collect Nancy Ann’s as a child, but my love for adorable dolls brought them into my life a few years ago and I have been hooked ever since. Aren’t they sweet?

Dolls remind me of simpler times and of carefree childhood days spent playing and daydreaming.

Such fun, sweet memories.

So… here’s my question: What did you collect as a child that you still enjoy or collect today?

Leave a comment and share some of your memories.

This blog party is all about your new favorite finds, creations, or pastimes. Because this blog party is all about…. “You’re Never too Old To Play With…”

For me I say “you’re never too old to play with” or have a PIXIE GARDEN or Fairy Garden whichever you like to call them. (For some reason I love the word PIXIE!) A while ago I really got into designing and creating my own little world within these magical little gardens. They are so delightful and so much fun to do. They can be quiet addictive and mesmerizing! They are great conversation pieces and can make your gardens a real treasure to explore.

Take a look at a few of mine…

I always wanted a lion head fountain in my garden and I finally got it. It’s just in miniature size! Along with a sweet PIXIE girl and a nice bee skep among the greenery. I love using interesting urns to plant them in.

How about a sweet PIXIE Baby with her white wire stroller and birdhouse. Maybe you will be able to see the darling little blue bird inside.  (Ya gotta really look!) All the little girls who come over love this one. Let’s face it who can resist a sweet PIXIE baby!!

This is a very special PIXIE girl she is dancing and twirling out the garden gate. Outside waiting for her is a lovely duck sitting on a rocking chair. Now remember this is a PIXIE GARDEN. So of course your gonna see a duck in a rocking chair!

And last but not least is what every PIXIE GARDEN must have “A tea party” with friends. Among the greenery and flowers are 2 tiny PIXIES. One in a ornate garden swing and one setting the little table and chairs getting all ready for a summer tea party.

This has really become a very wonderful pastime for me. I love searching for the tiny flowers, bushes and trees to plant. I am also so lucky to have a wonderful husband who bought me all these PIXIES and all the furnishings, because he knows there is still a little girl in me who delights in these sweet little PIXIE collectibles.

I hope that you have enjoyed viewing my PIXIE GARDENS and will come back to CURBY’S CLOSET soon. I love to share new things in decorating, gardening, entertaining and of course VINTAGE BABY DRESSES!

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think and have a wonderful day!