Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Red for Thanksgiving and a giveaway!

Just when you thought I was using pink and blue:-)

A couple years ago I received an email from someone at Lifetime Brands asking if I would be interested in hosting a giveaway for Mikasa. After getting up off the floor and recovering from shock, I went to work on my first giveaway of the Brava Rooster pattern. You see, I am not one of those bloggers with thousands of followers and companies and magazine editors filling up my inbox with offers. Even today, after three years of blogging, I'm still fall in the newbie/baby blogger category. So you can see why I was shocked. I was honored they would choose me to host a giveaway.

The lovely people at Lifetime Brands have been just fabulous to work along side of the past couple years giving me the opportunity to host several incredible giveaways, so I wanted to celebrate my three-year-bloggiversary, which was actually October 1, with three, yes three Mikasa giveaways!

So, to thank all of my faithful followers and friends for sticking with me,  I will be offering some lucky winner 6 place settings of Mikasa "Pure Red!"


With the beautiful red maple leaf, this would be so nice for Thanksgiving, and even Christmas. I used a Ralph Lauren plaid throw, burlap placemats, paisley napkins, pine cones, raffia and lots of boxwood to keep things natural.


The flatware is Mikasa "Italian Countryside" and goes so nicely with this dinnerware pattern.












To be entered in the giveaway there are several options:

1. Follow Far Above Rubies on blogger for one entry. 

2. "Like" Mikasa on Facebook for one entry. 

3. "Like" Far Above Rubies on Facebook for one entry.

4. Blog about the giveaway, or post it on your sidebar or facebook page for one entry.

Please stop back by here and let me which of the above things you have done so I can enter you in the drawing. You can leave one comment letting me know which of the above you do. The deadline for entries is Thursday, November 8 at midnight EST so don't wait!

Thank you all so very much for stopping by here, leaving such wonderful comments, and for sticking around as I share our life in the country. 

Anita

I'll be linking up to:

Wow Us Wednesdays
Tablescape Thursday
Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday




A winner will be selected randomly from all the entrants. 
The Mikasa Pure Red was provided by Lifetime Brands, and the opinions expressed here are entirely my own. 



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

No more Persian and more...

Hi everyone!
I shared my antique chaise lounge last week after having sold my leather couch and chair, and we have really enjoyed the change. Then, after adding the antique settee that we were using in the bedroom, I decided to sell the blue persian rug as I just didn't like it with the settee. 


 I decided since everything in here is vintage or antique, I needed a dose of modern, so I added a creamy shag rug. Really, I did. 


And I LOVE it!


The kids are always here on the floor, and they love it too.


Oh...here is the settee. This was also passed down from a relative and I had it reupholstered several years ago for another house. 




Everything was fine until I took some things to consign at the shop of a friend who is a designer and saw this chair. I fell in love immediately.


Oh yes, just the color I am loving these days!!! It has a down cushion too! 



BTW...I also switched out the drop cloth shades I had made for the windows with the bamboo ones-- again to keep things from looking *too* antique. 


This is the first time I have been without a Persian or Turkish rug in years, but I'm really enjoying the neutral/no pattern look.  

This was about three posts in one but I could not wait to share my chair. I basically traded for the chair, so all of this has been no cost, plus I actually have money left over. Who can argue with that?? 

Thanks SO very much for stopping by! Come on over to my Far Above Rubies facebook page if you have questions or just want to chat. 

And some BIG news:  SIX huge boxes arrived yesterday from Lifetime Brands Mikasa, so you know what that means!! I have three, yes three fabulous Mikasa dinnerware giveaways coming so don't go too far:-)

Anita

I'll be joining:

Wow Us Wednesdays
Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday






Thursday, October 18, 2012

Taking vintage back to 1900

Hi everyone! We are finally really beginning to see the vibrant colors that make western NC so beautiful in the fall. And to make it even better... today is drizzly, which if you know me, is my favorite kind of day. 
I wanted so share some MAJOR changes around here. I sold my leather club chair and couch. I had a plan to replace them with maybe a sectional or something very clean-lined, mid-century styled and American -made. I looked online, and finally found a few couches I liked. But thinking ahead to Christmas (the economy) I knew I should just head over to my parent's house. 

I decided to bring back the early 1900s chaise lounge my grandmother had given me that belonged to my great grandmother. 


Is this beautiful carving or what??? 


Originally upholstered in black leather, it went through several transformations, then I re-upholstered it in this creamy fabric about 10 years ago when I was going through an all white furniture phase. This was my first upholstery job. 


I'm not sure if I will recover it, or leave it like this. Also involved in the switch was this antique settee I was using in the bedroom. My plan was to have it reupholstered, then when I got it in here, I liked it as is, so we'll see. I might just add a creamy area rug. At this point, this makeover was free, and I love the smaller scale furniture in this small room. Plus, the kids all love the chaise. 




This is such a great spot to enjoy the fall color outside. 

Thank you so much for stopping by! If you have not been by the store, please come by and visit Knight's Store on etsy. Just follow the link. Here is a peek at the handmade items for sale...

Knight's Store



I would also love to have you join me at Far Above Rubies on facebook!

Anita


I'll be joining:

Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
Metamorphosis Monday



Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Autumn Apples

I really wanted to do something different this year for fall as I had added so much blue over the summer. So I decided to use apples instead of pumpkins. Apples are a big crop here in Western North Carolina and I start craving them this time of year. 


For the table setting, I used hand painted Fondeville New York salad plates with Mikasa "Italian Countryside" dinner plates.





I used my mom's 1961 casual wedding stainless flatware, "White Lily" by Oneida...


Vintage Indiana Glass "Whitehall" iced tea glasses and a crochet-edged napkin. Sheets of music serve as placemats. The problem for us is we sit there reading the music.


I filled the box with my grandmother's blue Mason jars, hydrangeas, fruit, pine cones, nuts and berries. I replaced the zinc lids with just a canning ring since I have votives in the jars.



These are just a few of the leaves that have started to turn. 




You might notice I lit up the cabinet (black hole) in the corner with a work light. I got the idea from Kelly, at The Essence of Home, then I went down to my mom's sewing room and realized she uses these same lights there. I got this one at Walmart for $7. 


I attached pine cones with blue ribbon and lace from the chandelier...


I used one of the runners I have for sale in my new etsy shop, Knight's Store. 







 I am loving the blue for fall, and I am super excited about Christmas because I'll get to use all the those beautiful mid-century colors of pink and blue that my grandmother used. I can't wait to get those Shiny Brites and bubble lights out!! 

As for the apples, I also used an apple pattern on my very first blog post three years ago. You can see it here:

Autumn Lunch for Two

Thanks so very much for stopping by! Also thank you all for the nice comments on my porch decor:-) Please stop by my facebook page and follow along so you will not miss the great giveaways I have coming form Mikasa and Ramsign. 

Anita

I'll be joining:

Tablescape Thursday
Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday



Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Fall in the Country

Hi everyone! We are enjoying the most beautiful fall weather here in the mountains! Leaves are really just starting to turn, so I think the next couple weeks here will be incredible. I wanted to share our country porch...


Working with a $0 budget, I used mostly things I had here...corn stalks, ferns, birch logs, driftwood, etc. I did get three pumpkins, and my mom let me borrow the spaghetti squash.


I added these candles in the jars with lids because I didn't want them to get wet. 



Instead of mums, I used weeds, flowers, corn husks and leaves at the bottom of the steps. 



Come on up on the porch...


I found these antique bed springs in the guest house and thought the iron skillets my dad found would look great hanging there. He also found an old waffle iron for me. I made the sunbonnet years ago so I could be Laura Ingalls Wilder:-) I forgot I had the wagon wheel in the smokehouse. 


I didn't do much on the porch...just added a wreath and some fall candles. We love to sit out here this time of year. 




So that's our fall porch this year!


We are starting to get some color...


You can barely see the house now as everything has grown in so nicely. 


Thanks so much for stopping by! I very quietly passed the three-year blogging anniversary October 1, but I will be sharing the celebration with all of my followers with some multiple giveaways from Mikasa(!!!) coming soon.

In case you missed it, I have a new store called Knight's Store open on etsy with all kinds of country and vintage-inspired items from burlap and lace runners to tea towels and wood boxes. You are welcome to come by and take a look.

Anita

Knight's Store



I'll be joining:

Wow Us Wednesdays
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday