Shop of the Week! Maison de Lucille

So I don't know if everyone knows that I am kinda a vintage freak-- I like my fair share of new stuff, but I love the designs, the aesthetic, the colors of pieces from the past. Maison del Lucille combines the best of both worlds! It's a truly fabulous shop for classic vintage inspired clothing for kids! Timeless fabrics, classic patterns all sewn up for today! The shop owner, Angela, is super sweet and will help with any ideas you may have-- from custom orders to a certain size; Angela is more than helpful!

Ok, so now I order you-- yes I said order you, to go now and check out Maison del Lucille! You will not regret it! Remeber Christmas is coming-- time to get the kiddos something for under the tree!

 

Tell us a bit about yourself and family! How did you get your start in crafting and making childrens items? My shop name is Maison de Lucille on Etsy. I also have a blog at maisondelucille.blogspot.com. My website is www.maisondelucille.com. I live in the North Houston suburbs where I grew up. I have lived all over the US but proud to call Texas home!

I am single mother a charming 3 year old daughter, Amélie. I also have another baby, 13 year old Lucy the Cat. Thus the name of my shop, Maison de Lucille, aka House of Lucy. My grandmother taught me everything I know in the crafting sense. After I had my daughter I really wanted to make her clothes and was inspired by other mothers who did the same. Without my grandmother's help and patience, I would never be able sew like I do. She also taught me to knit years ago and I have recently added little legwarmers to my shop. It is very hard to find classic children's clothing these days. I really pay close attention to detail and only like to use quality, soft fabrics with natural fibers. My favorite fabric source by far is Liberty of London. You will see a fewe more Liberty prints in my collection in the next week, including lovely holiday dresses. I love vintage patterns from the 40's and 50's. At the end of the day, I would rather have 5 quality outfits that we will cherish for years to come than have 20 cheap ones that fall apart and we throw away. Where's the fun in that?!

What are your 2 favorite items in your shop right now? My two favorite items right now are the Sophie Legwarmers and the Wonderland top. My legwarmers are super-cozy for the Fall/Winter. I make them with cashmere or alpaca. I have a few more colors in process and love to take custom orders as well. Some of the best ideas are from customers themselves! The Wonderland top is just that - wonderful! I used limited edition Liberty for this piece.

Where do you see yourself and your shop in 5 years from now? Five years from now I would like to have an established site off Etsy. I work full time in another career and at this time, this is a nightly/weekend gig for me. I'd love to start designing for older girls, ie the 7-10 year old range. I think this age group definitely needs some help with the variety of clothes that are out there. A lot of things look like they belong on 17 year olds! I'd also like to add a few items for boys. In a perfect world, I'd love to open a brick and mortar shop. Nothing would make me happier than having my own shop, with the ability to sew on the spur of the moment in the shop.

List 3 favorite sellers on etsy and why.

I love Etsy and everything it represents. I can not fathom starting this business without the tools and resources Etsy has provided. Some of my favorite shops are:

Tic Tac Dough - need I say more ;-)
Matilou - lovely french children's illustrations, books and coloring books
Goldilocks - awesome barrettes. She is truly talented and imaginative
Sweet Petula - divine scents, pretty soaps, everything a girl needs

Favorite Books and or Movies? I am an avid reader so there are too many to list. I'd say my all-time favorite books are: The Great Gatsby, Marie Antoinette - The Journey, of course every red-blooded female loves Twilight, Stolen Lives, Diary of Anne Frank, and Sarah's Key. As far as movies go, of course Amélie, Marie Antoinette, and Sound of Music. I love the classics. I fondly remember during my childhood staying up late with my grandmother watching Meet Me in St. Louis and That Darn Cat. They certainly don't make them like they used to!

YAY FOR DISCOUNTS!

All Tic Tac Dough Readers will receive a 15% discount on their total order! Just convo me before checkout and I will create a reserved listing or include Tic Tac Dough (my other blog) in the message to seller upon checkout and I will reimburse you via Paypal.

Vintage Cameras-- Kodak, Polaroid, Canon, Imperial...

If you all haven't noticed The Lost and Found Shop has some rather cool vintage cameras in stock right  now!! Perfect for the photography enthusiast! Think Christmas gifts....

GIVEAWAY!

Orglamix GIVEAWAY! If you love makeup-- and what woman doesn't? Then come by my other blog, Tic Tac Dough,  and enter to win your favorite shade of Orglamix Cosmetic!

SALE!!

Have you had your eye on something in my vintage shop? In honor of my 100th sale, I am giving all Lost and Found Readers 10% off any purchase (excludes the Coronado table and Coretta Watercolor)! For sales 96 through 101-- please put in the message to seller section at check out "100blog" and I will refund 10% back after purchase!

Thank you for being loyal readers and customers!!-- Maryann

Collage of the Day! Handbags!

I love a classic handbag-- not frilly or outlandish, but useable and beautful at the same time. A handbag with function and usablility, but also something you feel good about wearing over your shoulder or clutched against your hip. I adore the 1950's raffia straw handbag-- I guess I am still in summer mode.

Collage of the Day! Aprons

There is absolutely nothing better than a vintage apron. So many styles, so many colors-- not enough days. From frilly organza for the dressed up hostess of a cocktail party to the mellow terry cloth apron of the everyday 1960's home cook. There is such variety right now on Etsy! Go check out the vintage aprons now! I am in love with the rooster!

Collage of the Day!

I used to have a dark room-- that is before the chitlens came along--full on with enlarger and trays and dark lights-- I miss the smell of developer in the morning...

Vintage Shop of the Week!

....Ok, so before I get into the nitty-gritty about this weeks shop of the week-- I just want to say I LOVE HER PHOTOGRAPHS... there- now we can continue....

Lore Vintage is pure nostalgia mixed with a whole lotta fun! From the beautiful dresses, the cool skirts, the models that look like they are straight from 1948-- this had to be a shop of the week!

Lore Vintage is owned and operated by Markia, but you can call her Kia!

Where you are located? Here in the suburbs of Point Pleasant, West Virginia- home of the folklore legend The Mothman. If you’ve ever seen that horrible film The Mothman Prophecies with Richard Gere, or if you’re at all familiar with American folklore, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. The whole Mothman thing is really big here, and I just so happen to be huge fan of folklore. (That’s why I named my shop Lore Vintage by the way!) It’s really pretty cool to live in such a significant little town. There is history and mystery all over the place here.

What are your favorite 3 vintage items in your shop right now?
Oh, such a hard question! I love everything in my shop so much. But if I really had to pick three, I think it would have to be my Romantic Teal Summer Dress
the Delicately Detailed Dress (I nicknamed this the Amoeba Dress) and last but not least this Lovely Summer Dress.

What inspired you to open your own vintage shop?
I have always had a passion for vintage. The old house that I use as the background for most of my photos on the shop was my mothers house when she was a little girl. Her parents died when she was a child, and she left the home exactly the way it was when they died. I was born 20 years later and the house has always been like a vintage adventure land to me. I spent my childhood in that old house. I would play dress up in my grandmothers clothes and then pretend I was a housewife in the 50’s trying to feed 5 children on my coal miner husband’s salary. Haha! But anyway, I’ve always wanted to open a shop but never had the money to purchase a building to have one in. One day someone that knew I loved vintage told me about Etsy.com and told me I should open a shop on there, and I did! May 18th of this year to be exact. My shop is still just a newborn baby and I can’t wait to see how much she grows in the years to come.

When you come across something that catches your eye, what are the characteristics of it that make you buy it?
Its all about the details. The perfect item looks like someone really put a lot of love into creating it. I love buttons, pockets, lacing, and ruffles. I also have to check and make sure that the item is in good shape because one I can’t sew that great and two I would never sell a badly damaged item.

Do you have certain loves that you seek out (i.e. kitchen items, a certain era of clothing, retro themes...)?
I love sailor-y things and dresses. Dresses, dresses, dresses! There is just something about them! If I could wear a dress everyday of my life I would.

Favorite Old Movie? Song?
I really love the film Roman Holiday. It is definitely one of my all time favorite films. I also really love Disney’s The Aristocats. That movie is just timeless to me, I’ll be watching it when I’m 80. As far as music goes, I love Cindy Lauper. I think she and I would be best friends if we met. She is just such a cool chick and her music is some of the best I’ve heard. I also love a lot of more modern music as well. I can listen to just about anything except gangster rap. Haha!

If you could be one starlet from the past, who would that be and why?
You know as generic as this answer might be, I’m still going to say it. Audrey Hepburn. I have always looked up to her as a role model. She is just a timeless beauty and she was such an amazing and unselfish human being. We could use a lot more people like her in this world. Plus, she had a pet baby deer! How cool is that?! I want a pet baby deer too!

**I would also like to add that I am running a clearance sale on over half of my clothing items, hopefully there is something that you would adore! Thank you so much!**

Dame of the Day- Rita Hayworth

Margarita Carmen Cansino was born in New York on October 17, 1918 into a family of dancers. Her father, Eduardo was a dancer as was his father before him. He immigrated from Spain in 1913. Rita's mother met Eduardo in 1916 and were married the following year. Rita, herself, was trained as a dancer in order to follow in her family's footsteps. She joined her family on stage when she was 8 when her family was filmed in a movie called "La Fiesta" (1926). It was her first film appearance, albeit uncredited, but by no means was it to be her last. Rita was seen dancing by a Fox executive and was impressed enough to offer her a contract. Rita's 'second' debut was in the film Cruz Diablo (1934) at the age of 16. She continued to play small bit parts in several films under the name of Rita Cansino until she played the second female lead in Only Angels Have Wings (1939) when she played Judy McPherson. By this time she was at Columbia where she was getting top billing but it was Warner Brothers film Strawberry Blonde, The (1941) that seemed to set her apart from the rest of what she had previously done. This was the film that exuded the warmth and seductive vitality that was to make her famous. Her natural, raw beauty was showcased later that year in Blood and Sand (1941) filmed in Technicolor. She was probably the second most popular actress after Betty Grable. In "You'll never get Rich" (qv) with Fred Astaire, in 1941, was probably the film that moviegoers felt close to Rita. Her dancing, for which she had trained all her life, was astounding. After the hit Gilda (1946), her career was on the skids. Although she was still making movies, they never approached her earlier work. The drought began between Lady from Shanghai, The (1947) and Champagne Safari (1952). Then after Salome (1953) she was not seen again until Pal Joey (1957). Part of the reasons for the downward spiral was television, but also Rita had been replaced by the new star at Columbia, Kim Novak. After a few, rather forgettable films in the 1960s her career was essentially over. Her final film was Wrath of God, The (1972). Her career was really never the same after "Gilda". Her dancing had made the film and had made her. Perhaps Gene Ringgold said it best when he remarked, "Rita Hayworth is not an actress of great depth. She was a dancer, a glamorous personality and a sex symbol. These qualities are such that they can carry her no further professionally". Perhaps he was right but Hayworth fans would vehemently disagree with him. Rita, herself, said, "Every man I have known has fallen in love with Gilda and wakened with me". By 1980, Rita was, wracked with Alzheimer's Disease. It ravaged her so, that she finally died on May 14, 1987 in New York City. She was 68.

Collage of the Day!

Love this color combination-- so vibrant and sunny! Check out that apron-- so cute and fun!