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!!!

E is for Estate Sale!! One of my most favorite things to do on a Saturday. I have found so many gems and treasures over the years. And really GREAT buys too!! An old vintage 6ft. shutter divider was FREE!! ( My favorite price!) It was an ugly dark brown and so I painted it a shabby white. I took out the broken shutters and replaced them with lovely shabby fabrics in  blues, pinks and greens. Some are even vintage fabrics.

This was a great find too. A wonderful garden shed at an estate sale for only $50.00. It was dark wood and I painted it a sweet country blue with white trim. We love it and use it all the time in our garden.

This 5 piece wicker set was also a fabulous Estate Sale find. It was beige and pretty dull until…yep you guessed it. I painted it white!! And only $75.00 for all 5 pieces! I used vintage fabrics to make seat covers.

F is for Flowers These are some heirloom flowers we had in our garden last year. Foxgloves are a very old variety and are a very English flower. To me they are pure heaven!

We also planted heirloom Sweet Peas. They are so delicate and fragrant. One sniff and you’ll be hooked.

Thanks for joining me at the Etsy Party today.

Which one struck your fancy??

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!!

Take a peek at the table scape I designed for our Easter dinner yesterday. I used quite a bit of green with just a splash of orange!

I thought that I would share with you some of the crafty and fun decorating ideas I used and thought you might like to try them on your table.

I used gold chargers to accent the green plates from the green tablecloth. Then used vintage white linen napkins in a cute clay pot napkin ring.

Have you ever seen carrot eggs?? This was a really cute and easy idea I found online. ( I can’t remember where) You blow out the raw eggs. Dye them orange. Then at the top of the egg where you have the largest hole, you cut some green tissue paper and insert it in the opening. I decided to write every one’s names on them and use them as place cards. They are held in egg cups.

The centerpiece was another idea I found online. (Not sure where on this one either)  I took a basket and filled it with lots of lovely assorted house plants. (Got them at Home Depot) and then just added a large chocolate bunny. I found some darling green and brown polka dot ribbon at Jo Anns and added a bow on each side.

Then I decorated the base of the centerpiece with ecru shredded paper, more greenery in pots and then accented the table with some fun “Glamour Eggs” (I call them). I found the idea for these eggs on the DIY Dish.com.

Here are a couple of styles. They are made with plastic eggs that you mod podge fabric pieces onto and then embellish with gathered ribbon, gems and paper scrapbook flower pieces. I will show you closer pics and how I made them in my next blog post.

I thought that this table scape looked so springy that I am keeping it up all month. I must admit the chocolate bunny may not make it!! Yum!

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.

Come join in the fun as we celebrate February with our love for all things Vintage (that are lavender or purple) at the Etsy Cottage Vintage Purple Party! Let me share with you some of my vintage favorites. My 1940’s  lovely Nancy Ann doll. She is “Beauty” from Beauty and the Beast. I love these dolls they are so cute and have the sweetest little faces. Another delight of mine is collecting tea sets and cups and saucers. These are precious sets that have been given to me as gifts over the years. Here are a couple of little florals I’ve had placed around the house. The dried heart wreath is from the early 1980’s. And I still love it! I almost forgot about this cute little bear that I bought back in the 80’s from a darling little tea shop in Monrovia, CA called “FRILLS”. My girlfriends and I, used to just love to go there for their yummy tea sandwiches and to die for scones. ( complete with a lit sparkler on the top!) There antiques and gifts were wonderful also. And last but not least…. an old vintage white birdhouse that I adore. It is embellished with a vintage hankie and lots of lovely flowers. Even purple wisteria!! Here’s a closer look! I hope that you have enjoyed seeing some of my Vintage Purple treasures as much as I have enjoyed sharing them with you. I’d love to hear your comments. Now off to check on all your blog posts!!!

This one is an absolute dandy cookie recipe!!

They are easy and yummy too!

SUPER EASY CHOCOLATE MINT COOKIES

1 Devils Food Cake Mix

2 Eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Approx. 2 Boxes of Andes Mint candies

Mix the first 3 ingredients together and drop in spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. (For best results line cookie sheet with Reynolds “release”foil.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. It’s really important that you don’t over cook them.

Remove from oven and place an unwrapped Andes Mint candy on the top of each cookie.

After it starts to melt, use the back of a spoon to gently move the Andes Mint around on each cookie until it is completely melted and cover the top of the cookies like frosting.

Allow to cool before serving or stacking on a plate. Or go ahead and eat immediately for a delicious rich warm cookie. Don’t forget the milk!

TRUST ME EVERYBODY LOVES THESE!!

I hope that you all do to!

Best wishes and Happy Holidays!!

I must say that lately I have been asked that question quite a lot. And I am totally thrilled to say that there are several places that you can buy our “Quilted Baby Shoe Pattern“. So get your mouse ready or jot this info. down.

ONLINE

CURBY’S CLOSET BOUTIQUE

SHABBY FABRICS

FAT QUARTER SHOP

BLACKBERRY PATCH

CURBY’S CLOSET ON ETSY

Or stop in and take a look at the following quilt shops:

QUILT SHOPS

FRESH PICKED FABRICS in Yorba Linda, CA

PINE NEEDLES at Gardner Village in So Jordan, Utah

ADRIANNES ATTIC in  Youngsville, LA

NANCY’S QUILTS in Palm Dessert, CA

GINGERS QUILT SHOP in Upland, CA

Take your pick and have lots of fun making our fun Quilted Baby Shoes.

Happy Quilting and Happy Sewing!!

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!!

Be sure to CELEBRATE!! Get out your red, white and blue duds! Throw your hair back in patriotic ribbon!

Don’t forget to DECORATE!! Your tables, porches and cars! Fly “OLD GLORY” high and proud!!

REMEMBER we are so blessed to be AMERICANS!!

Oh, and always “BUY VINTAGE” cuz that’s totally American!!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!!