where it all began
Where it all began – my love of all things vintage!
First of all, I can’t even tell you how excited I am to be writing my first blog to you all. Launching This New Old House is a dream come true and let me tell you…I have so much more in store ahead. SO much more that I can’t even tell you how exciting of an adventure ahead it will be. Come along and join me for the ride. I hope to inspire you along the way with my creative design talents and my positive passion for life and chasing your dreams!
I was like, where do I begin when I sat down at my computer. I have so much to tell you and so many ideas to share! So, we will start at the beginning. I think to truly understand me and my design style the WHY is important.
Take a trip back in time with me…my husband and I bought a charming historic home on a brick street in a small town in Iowa a year after we were married. High ceilings, natural woodwork, original hardwood floors, the old door knobs and iron register grates, claw foot tub, wrap around front porch, gazebo with fish pond and about a 1,100 flowers in the gardens. We were with my in-laws the first time we set eyes on that Victorian beauty. My mother-in-law sat down on a chair in the living room. When I asked her if she wanted to see the rest of the house, she said “No, I just know this is the house you are going to buy.” And, that night we made an offer. Which, I have to say this is huger than huge because my hubby is such a thoughtful and slow decision maker. If I am being honest, this drives me crazy because I am the total opposite. If I want something I dive in and go for it immediately and follow my heart. I guess opposites attract and we balance each other’s crazies out…LOL! His friends tease that the only other fast decision he made was when he asked me to marry him 3 months after we started dating. I guess they were both meant to be!
We loved that house and worked on projects like crazy for 14 years and got everything exactly how we wanted it. That is where my passion for all things old and vintage began.
Fast forward 14 years and 2 kids later, we outgrew the house and started chasing our next dream for more space and more land. I had my heart set on finding an old farmhouse with a party barn. We searched and searched for two years looking at existing acreages and property. We came close and actually had an accepted offer on an old farmhouse with a century old barn. I was heartbroken when the deal fell through, but it was not meant to be and God has his own plans.
Ironically, we ended up buying the first lot we looked at when our two year search began for property in a 100 year old forest reserve. I still remember that summer day perfectly when we looked at it with our real estate agent. We came back to the top of the hill after quite an adventure packed hike through the ravine. When we got to the top of the hill, our real estate agent said, “Rebecca, you have a butterfly on the top of your hat.” Yes, in the middle of a 100 year old forest reserve I had a butterfly that landed on the top of my hat. My late mother-in-law loved butterflies and every time after she passed away that I would see a butterfly I would think of her and know she was close. Yes, that was also a God sign that this was meant to be!
And, our building adventure began…