Fall Farmhouse Porch

It is my favorite time of year here in the mountains, and nowhere is that more evident than out on the porch where I try to reflect the amazing color that surrounds us.

Fall in the Victorian-inspired parlor

Fall is the season I look forward to all year, and I love for the inside of my home to reflect the warm, colorful and inviting feeling the outside has. My living room is ablaze with fall color in a big way.

 

Far Above Rubies is now Whispering Pines!!

Well hello friends! Yes I am still Anita from Far Above Rubies, but I have made a change I've been wanting to make for a while😊 

Autumn in the farmhouse kitchen

Hello friends! I'm so excited to again be part of these Fall Home Tours always hosted so beautifully by Marty from A Stroll Thru Life. This particular tour, however, is different. 

Marty and her husband both contracted Covid-19 this summer, and although Marty recovered, her husband, sadly, lost his battle. I know many virtual arms immediately wrapped around her because she has impacted so very many people through the years in such a positive way.

She wanted these tours to go forward, and the icing on the cake will be her tour at the end of the week. So be sure to check out all the tours each day, and go by and give Marty a big virtual hug on Friday. I'd also like to thank Linda at It All Started With Paint for stepping up to host this season's tours.

I'm leading off today's tours with my kitchen and dining area, so be ready for some color because fall is not neutral in these parts friends😊

I'm a firm believer that fall cannot be found in the aisles of a store. For me, it's crisp air, Carolina blue skies, farmers' markets, corn shocks and scarecrows and so much more. When the leaves finally turn here, the mountains will come alive with a symphony of color that leaves one breathless. I want the inside to reflect that, and I do it with color - fabrics, rugs, dishes and anything I can find outside.

Summer Bedroom

Hello everyone!! Here we are in the dog days of summer, and a cool bedroom is seriously inviting at the end of a hot, humid day. I'm excited to join 15 amazing bloggers as we share our summer bedrooms. Thanks so much to Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for putting this fun tour together. Welcome to everyone coming over from Laura's beautiful home at Decor to Adore.

It gets hot - even here in the mountains, and I don't want my bedroom to be light and bright, I seriously want it to feel like a cool, dark cave.  I remember as a kid visiting caverns nearby in the summer, and the joy I felt at getting out of the hot sun into those cool, dark caverns is exactly the joy I find in this room. 

Bold and colorful summer home tour

Well hello friends! I hope you and your families are well, safe and full of hope. I thrive on any glimmer of hope and finding the good in situations, and always strive to share positive and uplifting posts here and on social media. 

Today, I'm so happy to be joining a group of 28 other bloggers to share some summer home inspo. Thanks to Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for putting this diverse group together because there's something for everyone throughout the entire week.

First, I would like to welcome all of you who are coming over from Jenn's beautiful home at Clean and Scentsible! Her flavored water bar is such a great idea!!

I am going to start my tour here in the living room...

Franciscan Desert Rose on the porch

I used to share a pretty table at least once a week, and I'm not sure what happened along the way, but it's something I'd sure like to get back to so I pulled out the Franciscan Desert Rose and headed out on the porch.

The pink kitchen

Well hello everyone! I wanted to pop in and share a little change I made in my kitchen😊

I am inspired frequently by fabrics and nature, and I kept thinking about pulling out the pink in the Kaufmann Queensland fabric I have in the kitchen, so I got out the leftover peachy/pink paint from the girls' bathroom project several years ago, and started painting.

Spring Centerpiece

Hello everyone! I know, I know, I've been missing since my spring tour. Things have been busy here, and with the craziness and uncertainty that has ensued with quarantines and closures, I've tended to focus on instagram. Anyhoo -- I wanted to share this sweet little centerpiece.

Victorian Spring Home Tour

“Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom.” -Margaret Elizabeth Sangster
And so it is even in times that seem uncertain, so I am choosing hope and joy, and I certainly hope to spread some happy spring spirit as I share my home today.

I'm excited to join Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for her Spring Home Tour series along with 29 other very diverse bloggers, and I'm so happy you are here stopping by from Julia's beautiful home at Cuckoo4Design. 

Picture rail and dark gray

I am a lover of history and my current obsession is the Victorian era, during the reign of Queen Victoria, 1837-1901, and beyond.  So many of the antiques and architectural details from the old house I have inherited are from the late 1800s in particular, so I love to read about styles, colors, etc., from that era.

Great grandmother's Eastlake chaise

My grandmother promised me great grandmother Knight's chaise lounge when I was a young girl. I always loved it, and it went with me to my college apartment.

Winter buffet

It is no secret I like to change things up using what I have. There's no better way to freshen up a space and get a new look than by removing everything and shopping my own house.

Antique millwork restoration

If you've been here long, you'll know I've been restoring and installing in our house the 100+ year old millwork that was stored from my great grandfather's house here. I'll link to some of those posts at the bottom.

This is a project I'm really passionate about, and I've certainly improved my woodworking skills in the process😊

Continuing in the living room, I worked on the baseboards and window trim last week. Oh what a difference millwork makes!! The rich texture of this old wood is just beautiful, and I'm so happy to give it new life in our home.

What makes a kitchen the heart of a home

Y'all knew I had to bring some color back to this kitchen, didn't you? 

I get really bored and need to add color to spice things up, so I brought back my Indian sari curtains and sink skirt, the red velvet table runner and some red towels😊

Victorian Chairs

Oh the joy of facebook marketplace😊 You just never know what you might find there, and I have discovered it to be the best resource in my particular area for all things antique and the best deals.

Winter kitchen

I always enjoy the blank slate after Christmas, and never feel like the house is bare, but just clean and fresh. Dinnerware is a big thing seasonally for me, and whatever I use sets the tone for everything else. I generally bring out my Wedgewood Queens Plain/Shape creamware as it was the first pattern I chose in the early 1990s and is a classic from 1763.

Winter mantel

I'm still in love with the mantel I created with the wood from the old house. It has offered so many opportunities for decor, and winter is no exception.

Favorite posts last year

 Happy New Year everyone! I enjoyed two wonderful weeks with my family, making memories and savoring the Christmas season. Now it's back to work, and I have lots of fun projects planned for this year.

First, though, I wanted to recap my favorite projects from 2019 because they really foreshadow the projects I have planned for this year.

Christmas at Balsam Mountain Preserve

Here we are the day before Christmas Eve, and I'm just now sharing the work I did at Balsam Mountain Preserve! 

BMP is such a beautiful place here in the mountains, so I always keep things pretty simple and very natural to reflect the mountain landscape. We had a dusting of snow the day I shot these photos for just a bit of Christmas magic!

A centerpiece for mother plus 8 more Christmas centerpieces using a long board

I love to create a pretty centerpiece for Christmas, and the last few years I've used a long board as the base, so I thought I'd share one I created for my mother then eight more of those ideas with you all in one post.

Christmas Home Tour - Farmhouse kitchen and dining

It's that time of year again, and I am more than excited to join with 29 other bloggers to share our homes as part of the 2019 Christmas Home Tours hosted by Marty at A Stroll Thru Life!! 

Welcome to everyone coming over from Julia's beautiful home at Cuckoo 4 Design!

I shared my Victorian-styled living room Friday so be sure to check that out as well😊

Victorian farmhouse Christmas

I love Christmas. I love everything about it from the most important aspect - celebrating the birth of Christ, right on down to the cultural traditions and customs, from trimming the tree and hanging stockings by the fire to singing Christmas carols and the first taste of my mother's fruitcake. My memories of Christmas are absolute magic and the stuff dreams are made of, not because we had lots of gifts, but because of the wonderful family times, church services, and brown paper bags filled with an orange, an apple and a few candy canes. 

The older I get, the more I want to keep that old-fashioned magic alive so I went back in time for a late Victorian-style Christmas.

Cozy winter bedroom

I might be in the minority, but I love when the days get shorter, and we get back on standard time. I love those cozy nights, dinner around the table by candlelight, and the clear, starry skies that only appear in winter. 

When it starts to get colder, I like to bring out the down comforters, quilts and flannel sheets for each bedroom as well. Our house is heated by a heat pump, which is just not the warmest kind of heating, and I like everyone to be warm and snug without turning up the heat.