Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Christmas at our house

So another Christmas has been celebrated and it seems everyone has suddenly realised how tired they are. It's always such a race towards the end of the year thank goodness for Boxing day and left overs in the fridge. We have all been laying low with a nasty cold that I so kindly shared with everyone, so I haven't ventured much further than the couch, sleep sleep sleep, heaven!
As promised I have a couple of snaps of our Christmas table, while I was at it I took a few others around the house.



Roses from my sister's garden
 
My favourite baubles stay out all year round, I can't bare to put them away.

I must shamefully admit our tree is still up from last year....

I love it so much I may just leave it up permanently.

Christmas seems to have infiltrated every nook around here.



This is my favourite icon

 Post Christmas reading list


I'm watching..

I'm listening to...

and eating.......

Hope you are relaxing too.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Twas the night before Christmas

This is so the best ever Christmas album cover, I'm not sure if he is playing the drums or just lit up a cigar, either way it's pretty funny.
 I can't believe it is the night before Christmas already, still so much to do, you can't see our dining table for buttons and other l'uccello related items and we are having the family to Christmas lunch. The fridge is bulging with lovely produce from the market and I am looking forward to getting started on the cooking, I love the cooking, don't love the cleaning up. I also love the table setting, every year we have a different look, this year we are having one of our beautiful antique french linen and doily runners, lots of tea light candles in pretty glass votives and carnations in red and pink, I have just remembered I haven't bought the bon bons, something else for the list.
 I'll take a picture of the table to post after Christmas, I'd love it if you want to take a snap of your table to send to us and we can post them all together, send it to info@luccello.com.au.

l'uccello will close at 3pm on Christmas Eve and will re open on Wednesday the 5th of January at 10am.

Have a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate it and a brilliant New Year, enjoy time with friends or family and make sure you find time for a nap or two. Thank you to everyone who made l'uccello's first Christmas such a special one.

Merry Christmas xx

Friday, December 17, 2010

Behind the grey door.....

We are still waiting to hear what our options are regarding the ugly old steel door that is currently covering the entrance to l'uccello. Here are a few treasures that are behind the grey door, just ring the bell if you decide to drop in, we will come and help you with the door.
 
Lovely new arrivals, beautiful old velvet violets, pretty vintage stamens and ribbons.

A Christmas present to myself, this fabulous flag cushion is made from WW1 bunting, made by the ever clever and stylish Miss Pen Pen, I love love love it!

This is part of our mural on the back wall, how funny is Grumpy Cat?!

Also from our mural, old Semco sewing cards, who remembers these? I'm sure I had some once.

So cute, these patterns by Marg Low are a perfect match with our new range of pure wool felts, Janet whipped up this sample isn't she clever!

I'm so in love with these new flowers, ribbons and stamens I don't know if I can part with them, they look especially good all piled up together.

This is a Christmas present from a dear friend, it is a Japanese dolls sewing room cabinet set, it even has a tiny pin cushion, I am so spoilt.

Pretty vintage swans just arrived this week.

And so did these sweet little chaps, hummingbirds, robins and sparrows.

We hope you are all coping with the pre Christmas craziness that seems to have kicked in this week, if you need a little respite pop into l'uccello, as the sign on the door says, it's lovely inside.


Saturday, December 11, 2010

You'd better put the kettle on.......

Next time you visit l'uccello the entrance may look like this.... I know it's a bit like an old episode of Prisoner, but for the time being we have to live with it. So you'd better put the kettle on, we have a bit to get through in this post.
Yesterday the young man from the City of Melbourne insisted that it be closed as a safety measure, another man at the same council has said that may not be the case, however the first young man seemed to think it was essential, so until the men at the council decide which it is we must endure heaving this big old door to enter the lovely l'uccello.
However the most remarkable event yesterday was the safe arrival of our dear friends' little son so all things considered it was a blessed day. 

So don't be afraid when you arrive, if you're feeling feisty let yourself in, otherwise ring the bell and we will come and give you hand, especially if you have a pram etc, (of course the first customer to come in after this happened had to be a poor young woman with a sleeping baby in a pram!)

Press firmly, it's a bit spongy, we will be there in a second, it's so magic far away tree!

However once you make it inside there are all these great new treasures that have just arrived, including at last lots of gorgeous things from the prestigious French haberdashery and embroidery company Sajou. I'll make the tour as quick as possible...

Our own range of festive bunting, hot off the press is now available for sale by the meter, an eclectic mix of fabrics including lots of French General.

More French General books and beautiful table runners made from antique French linen and vintage crocheted doilies, they look gorgeous layered with the antique French linen laundry cloths.

Divine new antique lace, seriously beautiful.

Fabulous new buttons, art deco Bakelite cubes, 1930s Czech glass, mirror back filigree and some very glamorous rhinestones.

Amazing 1920s beret, crocheted with fine rayon thread and embellished with little celluloid leaves, in great condition, and we found this lovely hat pin holder.

Photos just do this beautiful piece if hand embroidered ribbon justice, the colours are much more beautiful. It is an Indian piece of silk ribbon beautifully hand embroidered, probably Victorian in age, it is one of the loveliest pieces in our ribbon collection.

Boxed sets of Valdani hand dyed colour fast 3 ply cotton floss, yummiest colours ever!

Now for the Sajou, we have a few of these pretty kits to embroider and then put together to make these lovely little tins for pins, buttons or other odds and ends. They come beautifully gift boxed and only require a small amount of thread to complete.

We also have these sweet little pin cushion kits too.

These lovely scissors are reproductions of Palais Royal designs made from resin, they are made in France, even the tassel!

 Soooo pretty!

Fine quality assorted needles presented in these charming vintage reproduction cards, all of the Sajou range is so beautifully presented, thay are the perfect gift for stitchy friends.

Finally their gorgeous thread winder cards, such a great way to keep stranded cotton tangle free and so lovely, we have a few designs left (most have sold out already) we hope to get a new delivery in by Wednesday.

Well that's it for now, if you have made it all the way, well done and thank you. If you have already been to store despite the big door issue Thank You, if you are planning to come in don't be put off, we are right here to help. Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks there is some really, really special things on the way.




Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Christmas shopping hours

l'uccello Christmas opening hours
Monday - Friday 10-6
Saturday & Sunday 10-4

We will be open every day until Christmas to make gift shopping a little easier, don't forget we can do mail order, just give us a call, and we always offer complementary gift wrapping.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Midnight magic

You may have heard about our Christmas Market, Marche Rouge.... it starts today at 10am, so many fabulous gifts, come to Level 2 of the wonderful old Nicholas Building. We have all been working away like Santas elves to have lots of lovely things ready, it's after midnight and everything looks a little magic. I am so the kid that never got bored with Christmas, I love the decorations and fairy lights, anything a bit glittery and sparkly.
It's too late to write much and we have so many lovely new things to photograph, I will have to do that next post. So for now here is a little midnight magic.













Saturday, November 27, 2010

Too beautiful

It is looking rather beautiful at l'uccello, our delivery of Sophie Degard handmade accessories arrived today, it is the most exciting parcel we have ever unpacked. The colours are just breathtaking and they are so beautifully made, mostly very fine crochet in either very soft wool or linen.

This handbag is so stunning, there is also a scarf in this design and colourway.







We sold almost half our shipment on the first day so if you see something you love give us a call.

How lovely are these antique lace making bobbins?

Lovely old rayon crochet thread still in purrrfect condition

Perfect for this steamy weather we are having, these fans keep you cool and glamorous at the same time.

Tooooo cute

We are starting to get all the Christmas decorations out, so pretty.



Gift ideas for kids and grown ups.

Great gifts for kids and grown ups, Crafty Cards are little kits containing vintage treasures to make into unique gift cards

Also fun are these Cutie Doll Kits, we have a Christmas variety too that includes holly and a halo. They come with instructions for making her outfit and she would look so cute on top of the Christmas tree.

These sweet children's books are French and are in perfect mint condition, they are originals and are around 50-60 years old.

Also great for presents, old fashioned paper dolls, with lots of outfits in each book.

Vintage ephemera kits for scrap booking, collage or altered art projects.

Don't forget Marche Rouge is on next week