All posts by Patricia

California Pottery, Figurines, I love lucy, I love Lucy Props, Restoration Project, Stewart B McCulloch

Project: I love Lucy Asian Statue Repaint

Asian statues on mantelpiece of I Love Lucy
Asian statues on mantelpiece of I Love Lucy

I have a pair of Asian man and woman statues similar to the pair of Asian statues on the mantelpiece of I love Lucy, however the colors are quite different from the pair on the show. I decided to try to repaint them to look like the I love Lucy set. I could use a special paint for use on porcelain that I saw at Dick Blick’s, and which can be baked on. However I decided on an ordinary acrylic paint because it will get the look I want and can be scrubbed off again to preserve the original statues as they were. Here is how they looked.

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Asian Statues Before Repainting

Continue reading Project: I love Lucy Asian Statue Repaint →

California Pottery, Figurines, I love lucy, I love Lucy Props, Stewart B McCulloch

Lucy’s Pair of Chinese Statues

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A rare and easily recognized Asian figurine from the mantelpiece of the I love Lucy living room set appeared at a Premiere Props auction on Sept 28, 2013. It sold for $24,000. This statue was one of a pair that was seen on the mantelpiece throughout most of the series. Continue reading Lucy’s Pair of Chinese Statues →

50s Retro, I love lucy, I love Lucy Props, Kitchen, Mid-century, Salt & Pepper Shakers

Lucy’s Plastic Salt and Pepper Shakers

Plas-Tex Salt and Pepper Shakers
Plas-Tex Salt and Pepper Shakers

The I Love Lucy kitchen had several sets of salt and pepper shakers. You many have already noticed the ivy shaped shakers that belong to the Francisan Ivy dinnerware set. Today we are looking are a plastic set by The Plas-Tex Corporation, Los Angeles,. Calif., that were patented by the same company -see patent figure below. Following are examples Continue reading Lucy’s Plastic Salt and Pepper Shakers →

50s Retro, Art, Bedroom Furniture, Framed Prints, I love Lucy Props

I Love Lucy’s Bedroom Set Framed Ballet Pictures

The Ricardo's bedroom set - framed ballet pictures
The Ricardo’s bedroom set – pair of framed ballet sketches

In the bedroom Set of “I Love Lucy” prominently displayed on the wall behind the twin beds are a pair of ballet sketches in matching frames. One of these original prop sketches turned up on eBay in 2006 and the story that was related in the auction description is an interesting one.

Original pastel drawing from I love Lucy bedroom set
Original pastel drawing from I love Lucy bedroom set

Description from the auction lot:
“This is an ORIGINAL set piece or prop off of the Desilu set for the I LOVE LUCY show! It has been stored for the past forty odd years — and recently found — by me because it was in my family’s storage area since the early sixties!
It is the actual pastel and ink on art paper — an original piece of artwork, not a print — AND the original frame that was used as a prop on the set of the original I LOVE LUCY show starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.” Continue reading I Love Lucy’s Bedroom Set Framed Ballet Pictures →

I love Lucy Props, Kitchen

Lucy’s Anchor Hocking Juice Decanter and Glasses

ilovelucyjuiceglasses
ANCHOR HOCKING ORANGE JUICE GLASS DECANTER WITH MATCHING GLASSES on the I Love Lucy Kitchen Set
Anchor Hocking Orange Juice Glass Decanter with 4 Matching Juice Glasses on eBay
VINTAGE ANCHOR HOCKING ORANGE JUICE GLASS DECANTER WITH MATCHING GLASSES on eBay

Seen above is a vintage anchor hocking orange juice glass decanter with matching glasses featuring an orange & leaf design marked Anchor Hocking & made in USA. It consists of 1 decanter with lid with 4 matching juice glasses.
The decanter measures 9″ tall and holds 48 oz to the neck
juice glasses measure 3 1/2″ tall and hold 6 oz

See listing at :http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Anchor-Hocking-Orange-Juice-Glass-Decanter-with-4-Matching-Juice-Glasses-/141386856553

See more like this at: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Orange+Juice+Set&_sacat=25474

Reference Books:
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Gene%20Florence&page=1

I love lucy, I love Lucy Props, Quaker Lace Tablecloth

Lucy Ricardo’s Lace Tablecloth

Lace Tablecloth in Episode "Fred and Ethel Fight"
Lace Tablecloth in Episode “Fred and Ethel Fight”

In the episode of I Love Lucy entitled Fred And Ethel Fight
Lucy and Ricky try to patch up the Mertzes’ quarrel by inviting each to dinner without the others knowledge. On the dinner table we see a fancy lace tablecloth of a type that was very popular in the 1950s. This is a Quaker Lace tablecloth model no 4161. It has a pretty floral design with baskets of daffodils around the edge and a distintive oval motif in the center. It is a cotton machine lace tablecloth measuring 65″ by 80″.

You can find vintage  Quaker Lace tablecloths on eBay and Etsy,  I located one like Lucy’s on eBay this week   – photo below – at http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lovely-Quaker-Cotton-Floral-Lace-Tablecloth-Daffodils-Looped-Hem-Label-65×80-/390948616851

Quaker Lace Tablecloth like the one on I Love Lucy - seen on eBay
Quaker Lace Tablecloth like the one on I Love Lucy – seen on eBay
Model Number of Tablecloth
Model Number of Tablecloth

Usually you can remove stains from vintage Quaker Lace tablecloths using Oxyclean, the one I wanted had several stains and I had to use a whole box of Oxyclean, and spot clean the worst spots with scoops of Oxyclean and hot water. but the result was well worth it.
Important: never use chlorine bleach on vintage Quaker Lace.

Figurines, I love lucy, I love Lucy Props

I love Lucy’s Mantel Statues: Seated Chinese Man Figurine

Lucy's Chinese Statue
Lucy’s Chinese Statue

This week on eBay there is a rare Chinese statue that will no doubt be familiar to I Love Lucy fans because it is just like one seen on the mantelpiece in most of the episodes, I did not know much about this statue until I saw the listing  of a similar one on eBay Click here for details. See also picture below. It is a seated figure of a man with what could be a bundle of Taro and holding a scythe in his left hand. This statue was made in the 30’s – 40’s and seems to be quite rare. It is a well made porcelain statue from the Jingdezhen region of China that was known for fine ceramics for centuries. This one listed as Famille Rose period that takes its name from the opaque paint used in made for export porcelain items from China.

Chinese Famille Rose Porcelain Man Figurine on eBay
Chinese Famille Rose Porcelain Man Figurine on eBay

From the listing description:

ANTIQUE 1930’s CHINESE PORCELAIN STATUE

REPUBLIC PERIOD (1912-1949)

中华民国 / 中華民國

FROM THE JINGDEZHEN KILNS

SIGNED: YOU LONG SHENG (游隆盛)

I love Lucy Props, Morgan Jones Bedspread

I Love Lucy’s Chenille Bedspreads

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We can get a good view of Lucy’s colonial style chenille twin bedspreads in the Season 2 of “I Love Lucy” episode titled “The Girls Go Into Business” (October 12, 1953) in the very first scene when Lucy and Ethel come home from shopping and go into the bedroom.

The Ricardo's bedroom set - twin chenille bedspreads
The Ricardo’s bedroom set – twin chenille bedspreads

The bedspreads are hobnail chenille type bedspreads produced by Morgan-Jones, in style “Minuet” Early American. From the screen capture above it looks like Lucy’s bedspreads are placed with reverse side up compared to how they appear in the display photo below.
Fortunately for collectors you can find this make and model in the vintage bed linens section on eBay. I found a listing on eBay of this exact style still in original box in a full size, vintage unused and currently for sale on eBay – see pictures below, click on any picture to view the actual listing. Continue reading I Love Lucy’s Chenille Bedspreads →

SS Constitution

The Ricardos Sail on the SS CONSTITUTION

SS CONSTITUTION 40" cruise ship wood model seen on eBay
SS CONSTITUTION 40″ cruise ship wood model see on eBay

The SS Constitution was an ocean liner owned by American Export Lines. She was commissioned in 1951. She sailed on the New York-Genoa-Naples and Gibraltar route to Europe. Constitution was a sister ship to the SS Independence. lucy desi on boardIt was featured in several episodes of the television situation comedy I Love Lucy starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, starting with episode 140, “Bon Voyage,” which first aired December 1, 1955. It was then featured in the 1957 film, An Affair to Remember starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.
Continue reading The Ricardos Sail on the SS CONSTITUTION →