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??

I thought I would share with you some of the last photos I have of my summer beauties. Fall is just around the corner and even in sunny So. Calif. many do not last.

Above is a vibrant and lovely blue Lobelia.

The tail end of my beautiful foxgloves. I hope they come back next year. Some times they do.

Eye popping inpatients! They should be around for most of the year. Yippie, because I love them! And they are super easy.

This is an unusual one… its called a thistle flower or bush. It grows kinda wild, but is really quite pretty. This one is a really bright and intense fuchsia color.

I hope that you have enjoyed some of my floral beauties these past couple of months.

Leave a comment and let me know your favorite or share a summer beauty of your own!

I hope you enjoy every last minute of Summer.

Best wishes!!

Chris

Fuchsias babies just ready to pop!

Lovely large pom pom style Hydrangeas!

A splash of color with Orange Nasturtiums!

And last but not least, sun brightening Gerber Daisy’s!

If your garden this year seems a little BLAH... add flowers, add color, add beauty!

Any flowers will do the trick!

Look for more posts and pics of my English Cottage Garden flowers soon.

It starts with a lovely pink vintage tablecloth of red roses and pink hydrangeas. Add some very pretty dishes with a delicate cottage rose design.

Of course there should be fresh cut roses from the garden, displayed in a old English vintage pitcher.

A perfect setting for a delightful brunch, an English tea luncheon or just a fun get together with the girls. This was my Mothers Day table scape this year and  I figured since I am the only woman in my house,  I’m going to go for sweet and feminine. It was a fun and lovely Sunday for me, spent with my family!

Try using cottage pink and shabby roses for your next get together!

Awh! Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer have come to an end. They go so fast don’t they? To salute the summer of 2008, we are so delighted to present Curby’s Closet’s “FLOWER BED BABIES“.
All the models who participated in the Curby’s Closet Vintage Baby Fashion Shows this past summer are featured in this adorable (Ann Geddes inspired) garden video. I think if Ann Geddes saw this video even SHE would be impressed. I promise you will find it ever so sweet and adorable!!

I got the inspiration for this video from my wonderful husband who built me this very unique and darling flower bed from an old youth bed headboard and foot board. I painted it and my 2 awesome sons filled it with flowers. (It was actually my Mother’s Day gift this year. Pretty cool huh?) It is quite the conversation piece in our backyard. And I thought that it would be perfect for our babies!

If you love gardens, flowers, cute babies and the Beatles (”Good day Sunshine” is featured in the background music) then you are going to absolutely go NUTS over this video.

Enjoy it, share it, send it to Ann Geddes!! (Just kidding! Well, unless you really want to)

SPECIAL THANKS: A really big THANK YOU to all my beautiful babies and their wonderful mothers, grandmothers and aunts who were so wonderful to work with on all of the Youtube videos. You are Fantastic!!
And a HUGE THANK YOU to my son Brett who is so talented and amazing!! There would be no “Curby’s Closet website, blog, or fashion show videos without him… he did it all!!

Hello Everyone,
Thank you so much for viewing and commenting on our “Curby’s Closet” vintage baby fashion show “Through the Garden Gate”. The response was wonderful and your comments truly meant the world to me. Because of this experience I feel that I have come to know many of you a lot better now, and that is so nice! And I hope that you have come to know “Curby’s Closet” better also.
We filmed two other videos at the same time. Another fashion show featuring “One of a Kind” baby dresses made from vintage tablecloths and a very fun garden video set in my “Flower Bed”. They will both be ready for viewing soon.
This has been an interesting and fun experience and I sure do appreciate the support and encouragement from all of you.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch the fashion show video or didn’t even know there was a baby fashion show… look at the blog post before this one (July 31st) and click on the Youtube video. It’s sure to bring a SMILE!!
Thanks again, Chris

Well, everybody… here it is…(big drum roll)… “Curby’s Closet’s” first ever Vintage Baby Fashion Show!!! I can’t believe it’s finished. I’m so excited I can hardly type!!

This has truly been a labor of love. I hope that you will enjoy this Youtube video as much as we did making it. I hope you will be thrilled to see all the wonderful, unique vintage baby clothes. And I hope that you will get a “kick” out of all the darling babies and sweet little girls who modeled for us.

Most all of the vintage baby dresses and outfits are available for sale on my etsy shop and a few on ebay. Just click the link shown here http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5833076

GET READY TO BE DELIGHTED WITH CUTENESS!!

Was that adorable or what?? Please feel free tell your friends and family to come to the “Curby’s Closet” blog and watch it too! We would love to hear your thoughts, comments or suggestions. (But please be kind, I cry easily)  We would also be happy to answer any questions you might have. Just scroll to the end of this blog post and click on the word comments.

Thanks so much and remember: “Once you try vintage, you may never go back to retail”

Those of you who are familiar with “Curby’s Closet” know that we sell unique, one of a kind, vintage baby clothes. Most of these precious items date from the 1930’s thru the 1980’s. They are amazing pieces of fashion history. They are sweet and lovely with delicate details and fine workmanship. They are sentimental to many of us who remember wearing them ourselves or dressing our babies in them. They have stood the test of time and in my opinion should be loved and treasured.

As I thought about how best to show people these sweet pieces of clothing.. The idea hit me… do a vintage baby fashion show! I did many a fashion show for Nordstrom when I worked there in the 1980’s, but never one like this. This project has been a lot of hard work, it has taken a lot of time and preparation. But working with these adorable babies 2 months to 4 years old has been an absolute joy!! They are each as beautiful and unique as the wonderful clothing they are wearing.

So… please check back on Thursday July 31st for our Youtube video premier showing of “Through the Garden Gate” a Vintage Baby Fashion Show. Feel free to tell all your family and friends.

“Once you try Vintage, you may never go back to retail”

July is a great, HOT month and it makes me think of Sunflowers. Almost every year my husband plants sunflower seeds in our garden and every year I hope that it will be in a spot where the big full beautiful heads of the sunflowers will face our yard ,so we can enjoy their beauty.

But it never fails…no matter where he plants them they always turn away from our yard, because sunflowers always turn their heads toward the light. (Did you know that?)  My husband has even tried bracing them to polls or anchoring them to the fence. But no matter what we do they still fight their way toward the sun. I always have to get into crazy positions just to take pictures of them.

It got me thinking today, that hopefully we are each like these sunflowers and are trying each day to look toward the light. The good, beautiful, wonderful things in our lives that bring us and others joy.

Just a thought!