Military Mom Acquires a Yellow Pine Farm Table

Back in 2012, one of our customers came to visit us with her daughter.  After walking through our display room, she ordered a custom-made yellow farm table.  She asked if it would be possible for us to build and delivery it before the start of the Holiday season that year.

I knew it would be a tough deadline to meet.  But we were motivated to meet this challenge.

You see, the individual ordering this particular kitchen table serves as a nurse in the military.  As a working mom who has seen much suffering from war, she really wanted to enjoy a special time at home with her children before heading back into the Middle Eastern combat theater. 

Her nursing job entails picking up wounded soldiers right off the battlefield by helicopter.  She shared with us the reality of seeing some terrible things firsthand.  As it turned out, she was scheduled for re-deployment to Afghanistan just a couple days after Christmas.

She wanted (and we really wanted for her) to be able to sit down on Thanksgiving with her whole family together around a new custom yellow pine table!

Crafting a Yellow Pine Farm Table Made with Old Barn Wood

From our standpoint, yellow pine is typically a southern wood. It was logged and sent up north from Southern States on river barges.  Much of it probably came to us from the Carolinas during the 1700s and 1800s.

 Yellow pine is probably the hardest of the pines we use to build farm tables.  Table tops made from our stock of re-claimed yellow pine barn wood can range from 1 ¼” to 1 ½” thick.  (That feature is very important to some of our customers.)

We have, on a couple occasions, made yellow pine farmhouse tables with tops up to 2-inches thick.  The result is a very thick, heavy table.   Such tables are exceptions, not the norm.  We can build them though.

One noticeable quality of our yellow pine wood is its grainy texture.  One can also see its hues are definitely more yellow in color than modern species, which are fairly light in comparison. 

That being said, we often mix in darker pieces of yellow pine with the lighter ones.  There were certain elements that contributed to the coloring of these darker pieces.  Mixing them with lighter-colored boards offers a lovely contrast in the final product. 

A Yellow Pine Farmhouse Table for the Holidays

Along with her new farm table, our customer also had us build a bench and corner cabinet for her.  We all looked forward to the delivery of these pieces to her kitchen. 

 After originally placing her order, it seemed as if she almost couldn’t believe she’d found us here at Furniture From the Barn.  The old-world look of the yellow pine tables we showed her on display was exactly the look she was after. 

It turned out she’d wanted a table like this for a long time.  We’re so glad she let us be the ones to make it happen.

Of course, we know from experience that our customers love receiving a hand-crafted farm table from our shop any part of the year.  But for this military mom, receiving her yellow pine table just in time for the holidays in 2012 was the perfect time to enjoy it with her family.  For her, it was the best way to sit down to her first meal on a new farm table constructed with antique wood.

Please visit the following pages for even more information:

Furniture Gallery Page: http://www.furniturefromthebarn.com/reclaimed-barnwood-furniture-gallery.php

Farmhouse Tables Page: http://www.furniturefromthebarn.com/reclaimed-farmhouse-tables.php

Customer Showcase Page: http://furniturefromthebarn.com/customer-showcase.php

Have any questions?  Contact us anytime: http://furniturefromthebarn.com/contact-us.php

Table for a “Farm Girl at Heart” … Near New York City

Dolores discovered us about 3 years ago.  I remember our first phone chat.  It took place on a Sunday afternoon. 

I often don’t answer the Furniture From the Barn business line on Sundays.  Sundays are usually reserved for family time.  We go to church.  We have dinner together.  Stuff like that.  But I happened to answer the day Dolores and I first met over the phone. 

Dolores lives in North Jersey, just across from New York City.  Many of her family and friends work in NYC.  Much of her life is rooted near there. 

Yet, there is another side to her.  Even though anyone who knows Dolores can see clearly she is an Italian gal from Northern New Jersey, those who get to know her really well discover she is a “farm girl at heart.”

Drawn to a Farmhouse Table Built with Douglas fir Wood

When Dolores first contacted me, she was in search of a very square farmhouse table for her kitchen.  Photos of ones we’d built out of reclaimed Douglas fir barn wood immediately attracted her attention.  She ended up ordering one 48” x 48” in size.

Douglas fir wood is similar-looking to pine, but darker.  It also has a more refined look to it, meaning any knots in the wood are smaller and better defined than knots found in most pines.

We’ve found re-claimed Douglas fir barn wood often displays very red undertones.  Most individuals who love the appearance of Cherry are attracted to the Douglas fir pieces we design.   

Customers who want thicker table tops can get them in Douglas fir too.  It’s a harder wood and a very good choice for kitchen tables.

Moreover, we find more people wanting other types of pieces made in Douglas fir nowadays. It has become a popular wood for bathroom vanities and kitchen islands.  We’ve had lots of interest in those pieces of furniture in particular.

When It Came Time to Deliver Her Farm Table…

About the time Dolores’ table was ready for delivery, Michael and I were scheduled to display some of our pieces at a furniture show in North Jersey.  As it turned out, this show happened to be only about 10 miles from her home.

It was the perfect opportunity to deliver her new kitchen table.  That was only the beginning of our time with her, however.

When Dolores discovered we were going to be in her area, she insisted Mike and I stay at her home.  Not only that, she volunteered to help us at the furniture show.  And on top of that, she cooked delicious meals for us throughout our stay with her.

To say we were smitten by her kindness would be an understatement.

One thing none of us knew at the time was that first table we custom-built for Dolores would end up being the start of a whole interior home make-over.  Her journey began with that farmhouse style table.

Among the furniture we’ve been privileged to build for Dolores are: a dining room set, living room set, hutches, chairs, and sideboards.  Most recently, Dolores asked us to build an Oak bedroom set -- as a present for her husband. 

Looking back now, it’s easy to see how all my conversations with Dolores over the years have allowed us to become close.  Neither my husband nor I knew, however, this “farm girl at heart” would turn out to be such an amazing person and friend!

 

Please visit the following pages for even more information:

Furniture Gallery Page: http://www.furniturefromthebarn.com/reclaimed-barnwood-furniture-gallery.php

Farmhouse Tables Page: http://www.furniturefromthebarn.com/reclaimed-farmhouse-tables.php

Customer Showcase Page: http://furniturefromthebarn.com/customer-showcase.php

Have any questions?  Contact us anytime: http://furniturefromthebarn.com/contact-us.php

Cloud, the king cat

It’s march 2^nd and they’re calling for more snow! I don’t know about y’all but were ready for some sunshine and the blooming of some pretty flowers!!

Winter can easily be a beautiful and unpleasant season all at once. It brings coldness that chills our bones, and darkness that shortens our days and binds our productivity, and for some unexplainable reason it pushes us closer together—humans to humans, and humans to their animals.

If you can’t tell we love our critters here at FFTB! We’re either rescuing, adopting, babysitting, cleaning up after them, feeding, washing them off after they’ve rolled and wallowed in the mud, snuggling up with them, making vet trips, having the vet come do farm calls and the list can go on and onnnn..

Recently we lost one of the farm cats to feline diabetes, his health may have had a different outcome but the brutality of this winter was just too much for him.

Cloud was a special cat that loved dogs and food; he was the “king cat” who snuggled with whom he wanted at anytime he wanted. He let the other cats do all the  “hunting” for him, he loved to frolic and hide in the garden, and he enjoyed lying out and sunbathing—he really was one of a kind!

 (squeezing between the pups)




















(snuggling up with his buddy Cosmo)

The reason I’m sharing this with y’all is because it’s saddening and heart wrenching to lose a loveone (yes animals are love ones!) but Cloud lived a peaceful life, gave us many laughs, and filled our hearts with love. The way I see it is we can look at this bitterly cold and harsh winter in two different ways, 1) sad and depressing because it took our Cloud or 2) joyous because the last few months brought Cloud inside where he was closer to us and we shared more memories with him-- I’ll chose choice number two.

We don’t have control over what and when things happen to us any more then we have a say about the color of the sky or why pigs can’t fly. If this winter hasn’t taught you that than I don’t know what will but what we do have control over is how we spend our time here on earth. So I’m asking and telling you PLEASE please please use your time wisely! Hug your mama, kiss your kids, snuggle with you pets and share some love because you just never know. 

Rest in peace Cloud Lasagna Kelly, forever in our hearts 

-Caitlyn