fallhometourart22

 Happy, happy Fall Sugar Pie darlin’s! It seems like I’ve been decorating, taking photos and working on this blog post for weeks! What should have only taken me maybe a few days has been drawn out so much longer. Goodness! You know how it is…the stuff of every day life sometimes gets in the way of us getting things done! 

But here we are! Finally, I bring to you, dear ones, my Fall Home Tour!

May I first tell you that it is an honor to have you here, that you would take the time out of your busy schedule to come visit me blesses my heart! I hope you’re able to gather a few ideas that get you excited about celebrating this glorious season of fall!

Well, are you ready to come inside and get cozy! I’ve got candles glowing with the sweet aroma of apple pie baking…

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…the sparkling and festive sounds of the Little Women Soundtrack, my official Autumn-time music, is creating an ambiance of joy and whimsy throughout the rooms of Sugar Pie Farmhouse! These are little things but they make such a difference in the feeling of warmth and welcome in our home. 

HEARTLAND

My other NEW FAVORITE background music that will make southern joy-bells ring in your heart is this most amazing collection titled, HEARTLAND: An Appalachian Anthology. Oh. My! LOVE THIS!!

IMG_1288      Here’s a peek through my front window…

“The cheerful joyous season,

The Autumn time is come.

With song and shout we welcome

The Golden Harvest Home.”

~Author Unknown

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One of the things I love to do when decorating for the seasons is to create little vignettes that seem to tell a heartwarming story. As you know I adore anything “farmy” (my own silly word! It’s a combo of the words farm +homey = farmy!! hee hee!) so that certainly has an influence on the kinds of things I decorate with. Rusty buckets, chippy dishpans and white pitchers– fresh from the farm–these are things I use over and over in every season. They were part of someone’s life somewhere long ago. In my “Granny’s Apple Farm” story, the white enamel bucket in the photo above held the milk from a gentle cow named “Daisy” that was churned into butter to spread on hot buttermilk biscuits from the wood burnin’ stove in Granny Pearl’s kitchen. Her straw hat still hangs on the orchard ladder (I actually did find this ladder on the homeplace when we moved here, for reals!). The washpan, hung to dry,  was used to give the fresh-picked apples a good scrubbin’, then they were peeled and sliced into pies and cooked in a kettle to make cinnamon apple butter. Yes I add a lot of whimsy…sappy yes, but it makes me happy! I guess you could call me sappy-happy! :D 

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I painted this sign last year to sell in my shop but it didn’t sell so I pulled it out this year and decided to use it. Then I found a vintage photo of a cute granny and I decided to name her Granny Pearl.

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 Granny Pearl; farmer’s wife, prayer warrior, maker of delicious pies,  wore an apron from sunup to sundown, looked for ways to comfort her family with sweet acts of kindness, always had a kettle of soup simmering and an encouraging word to warm the hearts of folks she loved, kept the cookie jar full in case her grandchildren or neighbor-folks came by for a visit, loved to snap beans on the front porch, said “Glory be!” whenever she was thrilled about something, hummed old hymns with a fancy vibrato while tidying up her home,  counted her blessings all day long, stocked her pantry early in the fall to provide for her family during the long cold winter, quilted by  firelight, cherished her Bible which was well-worn and underlined, was nicknamed “Honeybelle” by her groom of 62 years…

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…Granny Pearl looked forward to when her children and grandchildren traveled “over the river and through the woods” to gather together with grandpa and herself for Thanksgiving… “hooray for the pumpkin pie!” And they all lived happily ever after. The End. (I wanna be like Granny Pearl when I grow up!)

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I saw this idea of  buckets sitting on the steps of a ladder with pumpkins nestled inside on Pinterest, and thought hey! I can do that! I looked for the source of the idea to give that creative someone credit, but couldn’t find it. So where-ever you are…thanks for sharing this pumpkin-in-a-bucket-on-a-ladder idea!

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I love to collect vintage photos of farm-folk! Here, I’ve clothes-pinned them to this straw tree. Take a lookie at their sweet faces!

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More buckets, old books, pumpkins and leaves…oh yeah, and Daisy the cow! 

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When all the leaves are off the boughs,

And nuts and apples gathered in,

and cornstalks waiting for the cows,

And pumpkins safe in barn and bin,

Then Mother says, “My children dear,

The fields are brown, and autumn flies;

Thanksgiving Day is near,

We must make our Thanksgiving pies!”

~Author Unknown

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IMG_1213 Moo!

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 Don’t even get me started about chalkboards!

I love ’em so much I wanna…you know! 

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I found this cute metal folk-art turkey at Harrison House ,one of my new favorite vintage shops in Ozark, Missouri. We have so many wild turkey walking through our yard every day, it just seemed fitting to have one to decorate with!

IMG_1193For the beauty of the earth,

for the beauty of the skies,

for the love which from our birth

over and around us lies,

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our grateful hymn of praise.

(~Folliott S. PierPoint 1835-1917)

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 ~The Great Room~

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 I’ve had these lights strung along my mantle for a year now and just don’t want to take them down. They are so festive and provide a soft happy glow in the room.

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For my bunting, I took some light colored burlap and cut the edge in a zigzag design. Then hot-glued seam binding to the edge and hung it up. Easy!!

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At an antique mall recently I found this long wooden box for $12. It may have been a farmers tool box at one time, although it didn’t have a handle. It fit perfectly on my coffee table to display some of my favorite seasonal books.

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 When I just want to snuggle on the sofa with a hot cup of tea, it’s so nice to have some of my favorite fall books at my fingertips to pick up and read. I’ve also got a few books for my grandkids. A wooden flower box would work well for this idea too.

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Some of the books I’m enjoying right now are: Hoosier Mama, The Apple Pie Papa Baked, Hardscrabble Harvest,

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 Homecoming Cooking with Gloria Gaither, Autumn by Susan Branch,

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 Taste of Autumn and The Many Blessings Cookbook.

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 Come on into the kitchen…

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 I’ve got my windows open to bring in the cool and sweet fall air.

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 “When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be in the kitchen,

because it was warm, and that’s where my mother was.” ~ Dolly Parton

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This Turn of the Century telephone reminds me of the one at Disneyland at the corner market on Main Street USA. 

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Although I try to change things up for my Fall Home Tour, there are just some things that I look forward to bringing out each season. Like this Freshly Baked Pies sign painted by a friend in California. This year I added my little collection of vintage pie pans. I love that there are several cut marks on the tins revealing pie was served and most assuredly enjoyed! 

“Tradition gives us a sense of solidarity and roots,

a knowing there are some things one can count on.”

~ Gloria Gaither

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This one is my favorite!! I’ve enjoyed many of Mrs. Knott’s Boysenberry pies from her beloved restaurant at Knott’s Berry Farm in California. My hubby and I spend a lot of our dating days there. After we married and had kids we brought our family there several times a year. Lots of happy memories!

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Here is sweet Cordelia Knott making her famous pies!

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And this is where I make my pies!

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“Into all our lives, in many simple, familiar, homely ways,

God infuses this element of joy from the surprises of life,

which unexpectedly brighten our days,

and fill our eyes with light.” ~Samuel Longfellow

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Here I’ve filled two vintage food mills with mini pumpkins. Back in the day almost every farm kitchen had one. They were used to puree or strain all kinds of cooked fruits and vegetables for soups, baby food and canning. I’m sure there are some farm-gals that still use them! These are well used and have that farmhouse charm that I love! The fun part about renting a booth at an antique mall is that I can try out my new/old finds at home–to figure out how to re-purpose and decorate with them, and enjoy them for a while– then I can turn around and sell them at my little shop! 

vintage childs hutch

The other day I was out junkin’ with my sister-in-law and I found this darlin’ child’s hutch. It was singin’ my name so I had to take it home! It’s very old, chippy and farmy…just the way I love it! I can imagine a farmer-daddy building this for his little girl…maybe as a Christmas present! I just know that sweet girl had lots of fun playing house with this endearing childhood treasure!  Oh honey! I could not wait to bring it home, give it a good scrubbin’ and bring it inside to decorate! Along with my cow creamers, milk glass hen and candleholders, white enamel platters and  pumpkins, I added a vintage photo of my hubby’s grandma as a little girl and a copy of her Pound Cake recipe clipped to the cupboard door. 

grandma

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Ya know, I think you can tell that I really do love decorating but all of it wouldn’t mean much if it wasn’t backed up with love…love for my family. One of my biggest passions is to make my house a home, a place my family loves to be. A place where they find comfort, compassion, joy and laughter.Where grace and mercy are served fresh daily. A place where honor lives. Where Thanksgiving is a way of life. A safe place, nurturing and warm, where happy memories are made.  I love to share my ideas and thoughts to encourage you to set the tone of warmth in your home. To keep the “home fires burning” and to be a blessing to your family. 

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“Women can do no greater thing than to create the climate of love in their homes.” ~ Eugina Price

( the darling farmgirl apron in the middle was made by my dear friends Sara and Abbey from Sweet Magnolias Farm...they make the cutest stuff!)

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 Be a ray of sunshine in your home…bright, warm and welcoming to your loved ones. Light up the rooms of your home with comfort and love. Celebrate this season of harvest-time with thankfulness. Add little touches of pumpkin-joy in the nooks and crannies. Make your house clean and cozy…simmer some soup and bake something yummy.  Be generous with your hugs, pats-on-the-back and smiles. Your dear ones will feel pampered and loved. As homemakers we have the ability to change the atmosphere in our home. 

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp then puts it under a basket. Instead a lamp is placed on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” ~Mathew 5:14

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Pampered and loved…that’s how I hope you feel when you visit me here at Sugar Pie Farmhouse! Thank you for stopping by for my fall home tour!

 

hot spiced cider

If you would like my Hot Spiced Cider recipe that you make in a Crock Pot then click here: Aunt Ruthie’s Hot Spiced Cider

Please do take a moment to say hello! I would love to know where you call home! (State, town or country). I’d also love for you to share something you do to make your home cozy or  how you bless your family during this glorious fall season!

Sugar and hugs!

Aunt Ruthie

 P.S. My Fall E-book Pumpkin Pickin’ & Hayrides will be available for just a few more weeks! You can click the button on the banner at the top if you’d like to get it!

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