Hannah scored big time on ebay recently with this New Old Stock swag light kit — 42 little glass balls combine to create a dazzling grape cluster light. Just imagine the thrill. Hannah, who paid $54 for this treasure, writes:
Hi Pam,I’m sorta excited about you showcasing my grape lamp kit! My 15 minutes of fame finally rolled around (unless you count that time I was pulled over for being Patty Hearst in the early 70s while she was on the lamb with the SLA) 🙂
I also ask Hannah to tell me what’s going on in her house. She says:
This house was a foreclosure. I originally signed in October 2010. We didn’t close until April 8, 2011.Long wait and lived among boxes for many, many months. All my MCM goodness packed away! In that time however, I did find my Heywood-Wakefield set, two Lane end tables (mint), and a Lane blanket chest that just happened to match the end tables! Now, I didn’t plan for the living room to turn out ‘tiki’ style. But it certainly did. It’s what’s been coming my way at reasonable prices so I’ve been going with that flow.The kitchen cabinets will be painted out aqua (walls will be something called Pot of Cream), I’m addicted to orange so have to balance that. We hope to put up some faux aluminum behind the fridge and stove (saw the tiles on Amazon for a great price and equally great reviews).J ust a half wall. Found some peel and stick ones on Amazon that have great reviews, and people say you can’t tell they’re not real stainless. Plus, they’re reasonably priced. They come in copper too, which I’m very fond of, and I’m thinking the copper would warm up the kitchen more, and tie in with the orange living room set, just a tad..Not much to tell at the moment regarding renovations. I think I mentioned that my kitchen won’t get painted out until Mr. Wonderful’s busy season is over (painting) and that should be fall or after. Frammit! It’s all so monotone now, as the beige color tile we picked is all to close to what the countertop and cabinets currrently are. The ‘clutter’ of vintage canisters, salt and pepper shakers, crocks, vases, and mod trivets at least give it some color for now.I want to change out the kitchen countertop also, but we’re not even ‘going there’ yet! I’ve been googling retro formica countertops for a year now, and seems the patterns are limited to boomerang or the marble effect. I’d really like to find one with the gold (or silver?) flecks instead. Haven’t run across any such animal thus far.The bathroom is still a WIP. The flooring in there was really, REALLY bad fake wood vinyl peel & stick tiles. That’s been torn up and replaced with black carpet. Since the tile surround is original to the house (yellow) I couldn’t figure out anything but a black/yellow combo as that was popular back then. The original tiles are in great condition in the tub, but someone tried to add a half wall of a different color yellow with speckles and that looks awful and some of those tiles are broken. Those are coming OFF. We do eventually want to tile the floor, and I wish to GAWD that I lived near that World of Tile you posted about ! OMG! I’d go nuts. Oh, off topic – ever since I read on your site that you won’t allow pictures with open toilets “bad feng shui” – lol – I keep mine closed. Tried to anyway, but that statement hit home for some reason.My love of MCM is a very sentimental one. My Mom, Dad and brother have all passed in the last 14 years, and I found myself being drawn to it when I’d see things at swap meets, flea markets or on random eBay searches. Wow! WE had that! Surrounding myself with MCM reminds me of better days, younger days, good times, the parents cocktail parties….I just wish there were more of it available in Maine. There’s a dealer in Rockland, ME – who’s got a whole warehouse of furniture, but most of his prices are outrageous.Anyway, thanks for asking!Regards,hannah
Thank you, Hannah, you have a lovely house and surely are doing your memories proud. A few thoughts: (1) Even if wiring is intact on NOS or vintage lighting, I am told the professionals always rewire it. Do the right thing – get informed, consult with a professional. (2) No, no… No speckled gold laminate countertops available currently. And (3) Good girl, you’re keeping your toilet seat closed! This is one of the things you can do to try and keep your money energy from flowing down the drain. Now I will up the ante: Keep bathroom doors closed, especially if they are en-suite. Mal odors coming into a living area are… mal!
Good luck with your updates/backdates. It sounds like you have some work today but that you are starting from a good base and that you’re taking it all in stride. Send me a pic when you make the grape cluster light and get it in place. Yowza, that will be rockin’!
Chutti says
Hannah! You’re here! And you’re in your house too! Yay!
Shout out from Gabby, I’m Chutti here.
Looks so great. I know how long it took to wait to get in there.
I echo the others about grey as a color to partner with yellow. I’ve recently seen two great vintage baths that were yellow and maroon. I had a friend who rented a place with yellow and jade green tile, too. Any of which could look swell.
The kitchen looks fab. I know what you started out with…those floor tiles are great. You’ll get your colors going soon enough.
We’re in limbo waiting the red, yellow and black VCT we ordered to come before we have any color in our kitchen. It’ll happen. Just not as soon as we’d have liked. I can relate.
You’ve made a ton of progress, and it looks like you’re having fun. Enjoy the ride, and glad to see you here!
hannah says
GABBY!!! I’ve been wondering who you are here!!! I knew I’d run into you or recognize you’re writing style eventually!
Yes, you surely know what we’ve been through and have far we’ve come! The house is no where near what I see in my minds eye, but 1. Rooms have morphed since these pictures were taken, 2. I think I got a good deal on the bamboo set, but I’m not in love with it like I would be having an actual MCM sofa/chairs. That, will have to continue to be a WIP (work in progress) for now. 3. Nick-nacks help fill the void of unpainted kitchens. 😀
I’ll take some good ‘artistic’ close-ups of things and submit them to Pam for a follow up on this page a couple months from now.
We’re hoping to plan a grand “outcoming party’ for the house next summer. If you’re in Maine…..you and Slim are always welcome!
What is VCT? No, nothing happens as soon as we want it to. I got two great MCM chairs for the kitchen (local yard sale, $5 EACH!!) that need new pads and oiled up, and reinforced. Mr. Wonderful is more focused on the yard. Hey it calms him down, so you pick your battles, yes?
Good luck with the new house and hope to catch more of you around these parts.
xxx
ooo
hannah
vintigchik says
I have a small “pineaapple” lamp made out of yellow glass balls, complete with plastic leaves coming out of the top. It is soooo kitschy! I call it my Spongebob’s house lamp 🙂
hannah says
Yup, that’s exactly how mine look. One is amber and one is purple!!! Does Sponegebob have a pineapple lamp? Never seen the show.
vintigchik says
He lives in a pineapple under the sea 🙂
Kate H says
Can you post a pic of the grape light once assembled and in situ?
hannah says
You bet I will! Just send a mantra that I get the courage to do it!!! The instructions are rather sparse, and urge you to make sure the first (bottom) ball is securely affixed, because all the other balls weight will rest on that. That’s when I folded up the instructions and put them back in the box. 😀
Marion Powell says
I agree. I’m dying to see that light.
sudha says
so cute..i would love to buy one too :)..such neat looking place..liked her kitchen a lot!!
hannah says
My belief is, just KEEP LOOKING! Everything comes around again on eBay/Etsy and what you once lost out on is totally obtainable at some other point in time. There have to be more kits out there I’d think….I mean, there must be someone who got it as a gift and gagged, and just put it away. Aside from the person who let my kit go. lol
LMc says
OMG!! I am SO OBSESSED with those grape clusters!! I remember them from when I was a kid, and managed to rummage one up as an adult, but this lamp???
SWOOON!!!
and ps: gorgeous house!!
hannah says
Well, you and me BOTH! I think it was about 4-5 years ago I went on a total ebay binge with grape clusters. Five coffee table sorts (hot pink, 2 amber, one purple and one green). I gave away one amber one and the green one. I love my set with a bubble or two inside each grape bulb!
I have two pineapple lamps – both gifts. And now this amazing swag lamp! The completed ones on ebay go for so much and I’ve watched them forever. When I saw this kit last year I about fainted. The starting bid was very low and it was just one of those ebay experiences where not the whole world was watching the same item. Seemed to be me and one other person. I don’t enjoy bidding wars, but I was determinded to have this and was shocked I got it for the low price of $54!
Wendy M. says
Great house! I hope you enjoy the process of making it your own.
The grapes are fantastic, as is your story about being mistaken for Patty Hearst… 🙂
hannah says
Thank you Wendy.
I’m completely enjoying it, though we have a long row to hoe. I want a more eames effect in the living room. The bamboo (which is real wood made to LOOK like bamboo, and the seller said she believed it was by the McGuire company) set is nice. And what I could afford for an entire suite at the time. But I want a real sofa, and chair set from the time. As I’ve said, hard to locate in Maine as a rule, but of course now that I spent $400 on this set, things are popping up on Craigslist that I could afford!! **ack** Isn’t that always the way? At any rate, I’m going to force myself to live with the bamboo set for a couple of years and see what I come across. We’re planning a build out of an area in the basement on down the line and the bamboo set can go down there!
Re: the Patty Hurst story, the cop even had a gun pulled on me!! :-O
Jana (Berniecat) says
Love your house and what you and your husband have done with it so far. Keep up with your “sentimental” motivations for your retro renovations and decorating your house. You will discover that you will find more items at a reasonable price rather than deciding to decorate using a certain motif, designer or period. I like your idea of considering using the copper wall tiles (instead of stainless) in the kitchen. This will certainly “warm” it up and will also go with your favorite color orange. 🙂
hannah says
Thank you Jana! I’m most definitely driven by the sentimental factor, but I suspect a lot of MCM fans are (aging baby boomers, for one). I find surrounding myself with these items and styles transport me back as I said “to more simple times’. I’m lovin’ it! I do it right down to the period music my folks listened to while making dinner with my apron on, setting the table and calling Mr. Wonderful for dinner and filling his plate. It’s just such a kick. We giggle about it. Ever watch Seinfeld? The episode where Jerry wanted to get married and Kramer said your life will be nothing but sitting down at the dinner table and asking, “how was your day? Was it a good day or a bad day?” We laugh and mimic that at the table.
Lynne says
May I be so forward as to suggest a dove gray in the bathroom to go with the yellow? I saw this combination in a bath at an estate sale, and it was beautiful. Good luck putting your grape light together!
LMc says
Agreed. Dove gray/yellow = lovely combo.
vintigchik says
Those are the colors my grandma had in her 1959 kitchen. She had ranch cabinets that went all the way to a 9′ ceiling without a soffit. The countertops were yellow cracked ice and dove gray walls. It was nice.
hannah says
Lynne, I will take your (and the others) suggestions under advisement re the dove gray. I will say that will take me some warming up to, as I always think of gray as being in a more modern home. But, this is what paint samples are for, yes? 🙂
Thank you for the input!
Urbanitra says
Your house is just cute cute cute!!!
hannah says
Thank you! It looks even better now since the yard has been tended to, and the bushes/trees all trimmed up. I need to get together some updated pics to share. I love this place more than I can say. It’s my first owned home at age 57 – and I’m very, very grateful to take stewardship of it. 🙂
Jon Hunt says
AWESOME — I had no idea they were kits! We have a grape cluster that’s NOT a light and then a pineapple cluster that WAS a light but with no light inside! Gorgeous house, too — a real find!
hannah says
Hi Jon,
I had no idea they were kits EITHER! But, when I saw it I thought back, and never once growing up did I see these for sale in a furniture or lamp store. It all made sense then.
Now the only question is, what sort of stores sold them? J.J. Newberry’s? White Front stores? Thrifty Drugs? I’m very curious about the history of them now, and can’t find anything on the net about who made them, when they came out, etc. I’ll have to check my box again, but I’m pretty sure there’s no company name on it. And I know for a fact the directions don’t reference anyone.
Alan says
I have been searching the web for one or these. I never did see them in kit form. I grew up in Anaheim Ca. in the 60’s We would shop for craft supplies at Hobby City http://ochistorical.blogspot.com/2010/05/hobby-city-before-after-part-i.html My Mom used to make them by mixing and coloring the resin and pouring it into molds. She would insert a piece of florist wire with a loop twisted in the end into the resin before it set up. The “stem” would be branches we would find on hikes in the mountains. Mom would bake the branches in the oven to dry them out and kill any critters that might be in there. She would pull them out of the oven and brush on clear laquer while they were hot. The result would be a high gloss that would bring out the beauty of the wood. Next, she would break the glass molds, much like you do with hard boiled eggs, and the resin balls would be ready to attach to the stem. Mom drilled a few holes in the wood, and attached the balls using the wires that were inserted in them earlier. Add a chain and a cord and socket, and it was ready to hang. They looked so cool back in the day, but became dated in the years to follow….But now, they seem to be “in” again.