Sputnik Tree Topper

Ohhhh.... really wish I had stumbled upon this one earlier. 'Tis a little too late in the season to be ordering one in time for a Merry Christmas now.


Gold Sputnik Christmas Tree Topper - BillyBobBossen
"This is a fabulous piece that comes to us from the old Nordstrom display sale a few years back. The box these and the other colors came out of was labled al-tree topper-098. This is wild, and comes apart in pieces. It measures in at almost eight inches tall! We have four colors, and not many of each, there is aluminum red, aluminum green, aluminum silver, and aluminum gold."

Acres of Vintage Space-Themed Fabric

Sometimes I wonder if the title of this blog is a bit of a misnomer. It's going to be another trip into the Space Age life as I give a little update on a few finds I've managed to snag over the past month.



Space-themed flannel fabric
These two panels of orbiting rockets and rocketting robots remind me so much of my beloved space jammies I had as a kid. I loved those things so much that I've made sure that Junior's grown through several pairs of his own space themed sleep wear.

Perhaps these can become pillows? Junior really needs to stop growing up so fast.



Space Curtains
Futuristic USAF jets flying in formation, over a background of stars, rockets and telescopes. Can you believe I won two paired sets of these vintage barkcloth space-themed curtains for just 99 cents? There's some slight fading in areas, but I cannot complain at a price like that. These are now up in Junior's room.


Space Age Blanket
The pattern on this huge home-made bedding covers the dawn of the space age, with images of Sputnik, a Redstone rocket, and a realistically rendered Mercury space capsule ascending off the launch tower (dating the design to around 1961). The colors are vivid and the blanket's never been used. This will look just right on Junior's bed along with the new/vintage curtains.


Oh, to be a kid again! With all these fun space graphics to dazzle the eye in Junior's bedroom, I think I just might have to be a little jealous.

Guard your Frigidaires People, it's Mr. Potato Head from Outer Space!

50's Pressman SPACE FACES Playset
Create your own vegetable space people.

Tele Radar Helmet Disc - check...
Sonic Resonator Headpiece - check...
Super Sight Eyes - check...
Fission Control Nosepiece - check...
Sound Stabilizer Earpieces - check...
Anti-Gravity Feet - cheeeck!

I've seen this Pressman set before, offered for quite a bit lower (and lost my a bid on it too - boo!). Toys like this make me feel like I missed out on something special by not growing up in the Fifties. I love the whimsical slant that seemed to permeate so many of the space toys dreamed-up during the pre-dawn of the Space Age. It's a shame much of that had to disappear. Thanks to Sputnik, Americans seemed to have lost any sense of humor when the reality dawned upon them that they were suddenly behind in the great Race for Space.


But seventy-five dollars for the opening bid??? *Gasp* I'll have to let this guilty pleasure pass, this time. Let some one else with much deeper pockets have the fun of creating their very own veggie army of spacemen, and I shall keep typing up posts about those who do.

It's a Blizzard Out There, but Inside it's Cool

Yep, it definitely is getting wintry outdoors now. Today the temp dipped from a grand high of 11 degrees (and plummeting), the blizzard winds are making the house creak, and the snow is whipping across the landscape in wispy white torrents trying to snake it's way into every crack and corner. But it's not getting into my home sweet home... Especially not after an emergency call to the furnace man to kick my heater a few times and getting it to work again!


As suddenly as if waking from a dream I realized that Mr. Winter has indeed arrived and Christmas is tagging inevitably along, not too far behind. Maybe I should start throwing a few decorations on the house?

It had all started a week ago with an unplanned visit to a Christmas tree stand and being uncontrollably drawn by a tree which beckoned me to please take it home. From that point on, there was no turning back.


Yes indeedy. Christmas has definitely arrived at the atomic man cave :)

I've clung to my Grandma's genuine aluminum tinsel Christmas year after year (and have incurred some unfair ridicule from friends over it!) Oh the memories of setting it up with her in the corner of the living room and hanging those really old decorations. But this holiday for some inexplicable reason I had a craving to go traditional and trim the real deal. There's nothing in the world like the smell of a real Scotch pine living inside your home, after all...

And Grandma's decorations look just as much at home on a traditional tree, don't ya think?


Oh, and here's the Sputnik lamp, decked out in an appropriately colorful attire of Christmas lights.



I've been waiting almost the whole year to fire up the electric fireplace...


Keep warm and toasty out there. Wear those wool socks and the long underwear, 'cuz Summer's a whole 4 months off yet. Until then, Ho ho ho ...and pass on down another margarita!

It Came. I Saw. I'm Conquered.

They say good things happen in bunches. Finally. The mail truck stopped at the curb, the doorbell rang, and the postman cheerfully handed me a big cardboard box. Hooray! Today's Sputnik Light Day! Thankfully the light arrived all in one piece - no bent or broken arms or any unmentioned problems (unlike most of the vintage Sputniks I've seen on eBay in the recent past). Even the gold finish looks good like it appeared in the dealer photos. The wiring looks to be in good condition too, but as with any out-dated cloth wrapped wiring it ideally should be replaced by a licensed electrician.


Overall I think I got lucky, considering things with the dealer didn't work out so well. I can finally breath again. And I'm pinching myself. A longtime Sputnik light dream has become a reality!



Did you know, that the famous atomic (space age, Eames-era) Sputnik light (ceiling, pendant, lightolier) was originally designed by Paul de Haan in the late 50's, taking it's inspiration from the Brussles "Automium" and the world's first satellite "Sputnik?"

On October 4, 1957, the Russians launched the world's first space satellite. The satellite, named "Sputnik 1" was a metal sphere with a diameter of 58 cm, a weight of 83.6 kg and 4 protruding antennae. The news broke all around the world like a bombshell. It was "the beginning of the space age".

And also on April 17, 1958, the World Exhibition opened in Brussels with the "Atomium", an enormous 102m high structure, as its central feature. The 9 metal spheres, each with a diameter of 18m, were linked by means of connecting tunnels 23m in length. The "Atomiun" represents a metal crystal 165 billion times its normal size. Once inside this gigantic model, visitors can use the connecting tunnels to move from one sphere to another.

Thanks to Lamplust.com for the light's historical background.