Meet The Yankee

When I shared with hubby that I was
contemplating periodically adding posts of our family life,
he was concerned that people might find that type of post boring. 

He reminded me that one of the major themes I had decided to cover in this blog
was the blending of two entirely different decorating styles.
And...did I really want to confuse the issue with too much information?
 
That was a brief conversation we shared just before he left for work—
one I pondered throughout the day.

Image Souce: Incandescent light bulb (no labels).svg; YassineMrabet

Then a light bulb went off in this Southern noggin of mine. 

Hey...wait a minute! 
Women will make up the majority of the readers of this blog...and WE LIKE DETAILS!

Since The Yankee is a major player in this whole decorating challenge
here at the cottage, I'm giving him the honor of being the first to be introduced to you all.

I know, I know.  Real Southerners are suppose to say y'all, right?

He's a very hands-on kinda guy and can do

just about anything with respect to a home. 

I tell people all the time,

"He can build a house from the ground up

and design and construct all the cabinetry and furniture needed to fill it!" 

This is a bathroom cabinet he built

from scratch for our old house. 

I had found an inspiration picture in a

decorating magazine and asked if he would build it for me—

when we remodeled that particular bathroom.

Of course, I had my own ideas about some of the alterations

that were necessary to make the design EXACTLY what I wanted.  After all,

the style of the cabinet had to be just so in order to complement

all the other elements I had chosen for that room.

So, as I showed him the picture, I asked in the sweetest voice I could muster—that's

 a Southern thing—"Honey, instead of the door and

drawer trim shown in the picture, would you make it like that

(pointing to an old cabinet outside his workshop)?"

"And would you mind making it a bit longer? 

Oh, and I would really like it to be constructed of solid maple...

with a warmer colored stain."

The end result...TOTAL PERFECTION!

When we remodeled the kitchen of that same house,

I desperately wanted an island—something there had

not been room for prior to the remodeling. 

We discussed the features I most desired: 

drawers that pulled out from both sides, open shelving on both ends, black paint

with a distressed finish, and the feature I desired most...

a checkered top.

Bless his heart!  He painted every single square

 of that top individually—just for me! 

Thanks again, Honey!

XOXOXO

Now would you mind indulging me a bit further,

as I brag on him a little more?

This is a piece he designed and built for the den of our old house. 

I'm using it here at the cottage—temporarily—until he can find the time

to finish building our kitchen cabinets.

  Umm, exactly how much longer will that be, Dear?!!

And he also made this cute little bench—with a top constructed

from one-hundred-year-old barn wood and old cut nails.

By now, I'm sure it has become obvious that that home
was decorated in a country primitive style—which suited
The Yankee's New England tastes quite well.

Now let's move on to the style that I prefer
and some of the projects we've worked on since moving to the cottage, several years ago.

 

We pulled some old beaded boards out of a Victorian house in our little town—one

being torn down to make room for a parking lot. We repurposed the boards

 for lots of projects like these cute storage boxes.

Hmm...

Are you up for a tease?  Good!  The next four images are actually only partial images.
 I will share these pretties in their entirety in future posts.

Sorry!  You'll just have to come back!



This transformation started out with an antique vanity
from the 1920s or 30s—well past its prime.

With The Yankee's ingenuity,

it was given new life. 

Hint:  What once was one, now two has become.

The Victorian beauty below was in much need of a face-lift,

though she still had wonderful curves in all the right places. 

The Yankee performed his magic to give her

a more youthful appearance—

while maintaining the character that time had graced her with.

And you won't believe the incredible

 transformation of this tired old buffet from the 30s. 

Many would have given it its last rights and put it to rest on the spot—

but not The Yankee. 

He lives for this type of challenge!

You can get the full scoop on this particular piece on Monday—

when I link to a few other bloggers' hosted events. 

I told you you were in for a tease!

Hopefully, by this point, you've begun to recognize the challenges I face,

while attempting to blend our two distinctly different decorating styles—

my "ABOUT ME" gives a few other clues.  

Now, please don't let the introductory photo of my Yankee sweetheart fool you

 into thinking he's a softy.  He is very much a man's man!

You know the type...

loves fishing, camping out in freezing temperatures—

outfitted with nothing more than extreme-cold gear—enjoys hunting...

Need proof?

That's him standing in one of the fields of our little farm...

holding two Canebrake rattlesnakes that made the fatal mistake

of venturing a tad to close to the cottage.

I have to admit, at times like those,

I REALLY appreciate our differences!!!   ; )