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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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June 17, 2015

Ballard Designs Monogrammed Wall Plaque Knock-Off

I have a bit of a ritual when it comes to receiving the latest issues of my favorite catalogs or magazines.

I never look at them right away. Oh sure, I might allow myself a quick glance through. But rarely does the mail come to our house at a time with things are calm and relaxed. Frankly, sometimes I wonder if those times are just urban legends. 😉

I want to savor that new catalog or magazine. I want to peruse it at my leisure.

Preferably without anyone asking me for a snack.

Ballard Designs wall plaque knock-off

So, when the summer issue of Ballard Designs arrived, I waited. Waited until the kids were having their allotted ‘screen time’ and I was happily ensconced in a deck chair with a tall glass of iced tea in front of me. I may or may not have told them that I was actually outside as I figured it would give me some extra time if they had to try and find me before asking for a snack.

As I flipped through the pages, carefully studying each vignette, something caught my eye. It was the Arched Monogrammed Plaque.

I couldn’t quite place at the time but it reminded me of something.

Later on that evening as I went out the back door to water the garden I realized that the reason it looked so familiar was literally at my feet.

black scrollwork outdoor mat

The shape, the color…it was almost exactly the same as the door mat there.

So, I decided to save myself a huge chunk of change and make my own Arched Monogrammed Wall Plaque.

Door Mat Turned Wall Plaque Ballard Designs knock-off

I picked up a thin round piece of wood for less than a dollar at the craft store.

wood round

Then painted it black, stenciled on the monogram and attached it to the mat with hot glue.

DIY indoor outdoor monogrammed wall plaque atthepicketfence.com

Could that possibly be any easier?? I think not!

If you love a good knock-off too then you won’t want to miss all of these other amazing creations being shared today as part of this awesome new series!

home hacks graphic

Here’s a sneak peek to wet your whistle.

Best Hacks in Blog Land

PB-Inspired Stenciled Flag Pillow by The Everyday Home

Olive Garden Salad Hack by Redhead Can Decorate

Homemade Fruit and Vegetable Wash by My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Sonic Inspired Strawberry Limeade Slush from Domestically Speaking

Country Living Inspired Firecracker Favors by Confessions of a Plate Addict

Thank you so much for meeting me today at the Fence,

Vanessa signature

P.S. Don’t forget to take my Summer Home Tour!

wood sailboat on coffee table

13 Comments Filed Under: Crafts, Decorating, Five Minute Crafts, Good Ideas, Outdoors Tagged With: decor, knock-off decor, summer, summer decorating

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Comments

  1. Kim says

    June 17, 2015 at 4:03 AM

    Now you need a new door mat LOL! Looks great!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 17, 2015 at 2:19 PM

      LOL Kim!! It was an old one but yes, any excuse to buy something new, right? 😉

      Reply
  2. Confessions of a Plate Addict says

    June 17, 2015 at 5:19 AM

    What a great idea! A doormat…who would have thought! Love it! Hugs…Debbie

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 17, 2015 at 2:19 PM

      Thank you Debbie! So fun to be part of this with you!

      Reply
  3. Peggy says

    June 17, 2015 at 6:21 AM

    Looks great. I’ve got to try that.

    Reply
  4. Susan says

    June 17, 2015 at 6:56 AM

    This is a great idea!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 17, 2015 at 2:18 PM

      Thank you Susan!

      Reply
  5. Julie says

    June 17, 2015 at 9:11 AM

    Clever, clever, clever!!! I love it, Vanessa!

    Reply
  6. kristin says

    June 17, 2015 at 6:47 PM

    Love this Vanessa, such a great idea! Pinned

    Reply
  7. Maryann @ Domestically Speaking says

    June 18, 2015 at 12:18 AM

    So cute & simple… love it!

    Reply
  8. Julia says

    June 18, 2015 at 7:31 AM

    You are very clever! I think I will give this a try soon.

    Reply
  9. Kim says

    June 19, 2015 at 12:07 PM

    I love that idea. I would like to try a variation hanging on a fence. Nice.

    Reply
  10. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    June 20, 2015 at 8:47 AM

    Wow!!!…What an epiphany!!!….Great idea and great hacked plaque!!!…Have a great weekend!

    Reply

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“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
This is one of my most favorite projects from my b This is one of my most favorite projects from my book Life in Season! 

Because, if heaven has a fragrance, I’m fairly certain it smells like lilacs.

I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

Once you’ve made this lilac scented room spray you will be very tempted to spray it in every room in your house. And someone may want to use it in the bathroom to cover up other less…ummmm….pleasing aromas.

But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

You’ve captured the fragrance of heaven in a bottle and you wouldn’t want to go and tarnish it now would you? 😉
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Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and h Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and hail and snow) we are finally getting some sunshine and warmer temperatures. I’ll be honest, it’s really affected my spirits having one gloomy day after the next. So this is a much needed reprieve. Our cherry trees are showing off outside my kitchen window and we plan to get outside and make the most of these days while we have them.

What’s the weather like where you are?
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For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; he has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried; yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

But he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. (Isaiah 53)
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Isn't it amazing how small gestures can make us feel less invisible? Knowing that someone is thinking of us and takes the time to meet a need that we might not have even realized we had? These little acts can have big impacts. What is something that someone has done for you recently that made you feel valued and seen?

What have you done for someone else to remind them that you are paying attention to their needs?

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
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“The next day the large crowd that had come to t “The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ – John 12:9-19
#palmsunday
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