Sunday, September 17, 2006

What is on the shelf?

If you look at the previous post you will see that there is a shelf above the sunflower quilt in our entrance. LindaJ spotted some items up there and was curious to know what they were. So, here is a closer look.

The first two items belonged to my husband's great-grandfather. They are woodworking tools used to plane lumber. They are made from wood and are well worn.


The next item is an old scale, confiscated from a discard pile somewhere. This was not an item passed down through our families--just interesting and old.


The next two items are from my grandfather and are irons. I have tipped the one on the left on its side so you can get a view from the top. These irons were used before electricity and were heated up on the old wood stoves of the day then applied to clothing to remove wrinkles.

This is a metal crayon box. This came from my great aunt Eva who was a school teacher.


This bell was from my grandmother who was also a school teacher. This is what the teachers in the small one room schools on the prairies rang to let the students know it was time for class.

My husband and I enjoy old things, aka antiques. I don't like just any old things, I prefer old things that belonged to members of my family. I currently seem to be the only one in my family who really enjoys this old stuff so I have become the curator of the family museum. I often end up with items that someone feels should be preserved, but which that person does not want to store. I don't mind, it makes for an interesting home.

10 comments:

  1. Hey, I also had a Great Aunt Eva - I was named after her! Neat little momentos you have up on your shelf... and nice fall quilting hanging there too!

    Cheers!

    Evelyn

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  2. looks a lot like my mother's house with all the little bits of family members lives gone by...

    You were asking re half square triangles on Patti's blog -- I extend the "wall" she uses and simply line the points of the square up on the wall (this way you don't have to draw the line across the middle) and sew 1/4 inch from the centre diagonal...

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  3. Thanks, Norma. Good mix of family items and found items then. Hey, even your wallpaper border is quilty!!

    I have some wooden items (rolling pin, ladle, spoons) that were made by great grandfather, I think--should check with my mom. They used to be in a large crock in the kitchen but now, no room for them.

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  4. Very neat - I like old things too but don't really have a bunch of them around. When we bought this house, a family member who is a decorator, helped me find a bunch of old items and place them on the large shelf above my door.

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  5. What an interesting collection! I love old tools- useful things. I have some old saws on my walls. I also have an Aunt Eva- and named my daughter after her. You fall quilts are lovely.

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  6. Love the fall quilts and the antiques. The nuns in elementary school used to have bells like that. They'd ring them at the end of recess to get us all in line. It was a big privilege to be allowed to carry the bell for Sister.

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  7. We have a bell thatlooks very like yours. It belonged to my Grandmother in Law and as I was a teacher too thought it would be nice to keep. ( We use it sometimes) As a little girl I remember using those irons that we heated up on the wood range and you clipped the handle on...but then we got electricity.

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  8. what a lovley collection. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. I treasure the pieces that have been handed thru the family, too. Sometimes I just stumble on a gem at a shop and I know it has to come to live with me *s*

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  10. Hi Norma, what a neat collection of old treasures..*VBS* I'm like that too, really love the old and quaint, occasionally lucky enough to have it come from family.
    All your fall and pumpkin quilts look just wonderful! What a great collection you have going...I've gotta get busy..*S* Hugs, Finn

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