Off the Rails

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Someone over at the Old House Web's Forums asked for a closer look at the plate rail in our dining room.

Seeing that we live in Earthquake Country, I suppose displaying anything on this tiny shelf is probably a bit foolish. And now that I've written that, I guess I'd really better go dig out the Museum Wax, and glue down our antique thingamajiggers. (For those wondering, you're looking at cookie molds, unspecified mashers, and a sock darning egg. I'm not sure what the nutcracker-looking thing might have been used for.)




Plate rails make a dandy home for our extensive collection of vintage shoe-lasts. Remarkably, neither Robb nor I have tried our hand at shoe-making. We do have a friend who is an incredible cobbler, and who makes utterly beautiful custom footwear.





Robb and I are stupidly pleased with how well our odd-ball possessions fit into our little house.




So, here you go, old house folks! Here are more detailed photos of plate rail than you could ever hope for.




Pretty thrilling isn't it?




What can I say? We live Life in the Slow Lane, around here.

Comments

Anonymous said…
It is the details that provide the depth of charm!

Grinch
Kellyann Brown said…
Ooooh! I have some plate rail from IKEA that I've been thinking of mounting!! Yours is so... authentic!
Knit Wit said…
I love that black phone! Please tell me it still works! My grandparents had one just like that and I still remember the weight of that dial.

The cookie molds are great! Friends of mine in Germany have some of those and use them to make Springerle at Christmas.
Martha said…
Those mashers could be used for making sauerkraut.
Lisa said…
Sauerkraut!

Since developing my strange and horrible allergy to almost every fruit and vegetable on the planet, I've only been able to eat cabbage.

I've eaten more sauerkraut in the last month than I have in the last two years.

Sigh.....
My dad was a shoemaker by trade. I spent many years watching him carve, nail, glue, sew and polish worn shoes and make them look brand, spanking new again. Though he'd never allow me near the knives or heavy machinery, I studied everything he did so well, I'll bet I could resole or reheel any shoe you put in front of me. I treasure the collection of knives and other tools he used as well as the wooden lasts he used to make my mom's shoes from scratch.

Sure do miss my dad.
Kristin said…
What a great sense of style you both have. Thanks for sharing it.
Anonymous said…
Nice stuff! I collected some of the butter molds from an Amish place around here somewhere- like the old wooden ruler as well. beautiful and utilitarian- your place will look like a confortable museum soon enough. If its not an earthquake that knocks your stuff down, it will be the cats.

Its a good chance to take out, display and enjoy stuff you have been hauling around in boxes for years, right?

Annalisa
Anonymous said…
Hey, Rabid, I bet those shoes your dad made were great, not like the cheap peices of crap from China we get today.

Annalisa
Unknown said…
Wow this is exactly what I was looking for! I have the 1925 bungalow on old-house-web that is missing a lot of this trim. Thank you for the closeups!
Janine said…
Very useful! Thinking of replacing the plate rail that was removed from my 19th century dining room. Thanks for posting.

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