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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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August 1, 2011

Design Challenge presented by Common Ground!


A Design Challenge. Now who among us doesn’t have one of these on a regular basis? You know that corner of your bedroom you just can’t figure out how to decorate. Or, whether you should paint your fireplace or rearrange the mantel. Should you paint some of your traditional cherry furniture white or leave it alone?  Or, you could be like me and have a WHOLE ROOM that is a design challenge!
That is why we were so excited when Debra from Common Ground introduced her Design Challenge Series…
Common Ground
where blogland can come to the rescue of the “design challenged”! Every week Debra will be showcasing a different challenge and we bloggers (and non-bloggers for that matter. grin.) can help solve the challenge submitted.  Isn’t that awesome?! Do you know how much people PAY for design advise, and now we have an opportunity to receive it for free!
So…not only did Debra invite us gals At The Picket Fence, along with several other fabulous bloggers, to be sponsors of Design Challenge…but gasp! I get to BE the first challenge! Yikes! Exciting and scary all at the same time!
As most of you know, I have s.l.o.w.l.y. been working on a DIY kitchen remodel. So, of course once you start on one room all the others start looking a little…well..in need of an update…to put it nicely.  Enter..my formal dining room.
dining-room-entry
It is the first room you see when you walk in my home. 
dining-room-kitchen-view
and it also looks straight into my (in the process of being) remodeled kitchen.
I would love to have it blend better with the Vintage Formal Farmhouse feel I’m going for. Is that even a design style, or did I just make that up? grin. And, I am hoping YOU will be able to help me!

So, how can you help my ho-hum dining room you ask? You did ask right? grin. WELL… you can visit Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday this week, where Debra will be sharing my dining room as the inaugural Design Challenge and offer your suggestions and ideas….did I already say, “Yikes!”?
I thought it would be fun to give you some idea of the look I’m going for to get your creative juices flowing. You can visit my Pinterest Dining Room Board to see some of my inspiration! If you can’t see it, just click to follow us on Pinterest!
So, be sure to join us over at Common Ground this Friday..where you can tear apart gently offer suggestions for my dining room makeover and then I will reveal my newly redesigned room in the next month…or so! Smile 
We would love it if you’d help promote Design Challenge by placing the Design Challenge button in your sidebar!


Thanks for joining me today at the picket fence and we look forward to seeing you at the Design Challenge at Common Ground!  And don’t forget about our $100 e-shopping spree giveaway from Joss & Main going on all week here at the fence!!
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This post is partying at:

DIY by Design: Sizzle Into Summer
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesdays

21 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Design Challenge, Good Ideas

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Becca says

    August 2, 2011 at 9:09 PM

    What a fun series! I’m sure you’ll receive fun suggestions for your already beautiful dining room!

    Reply
  2. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    August 2, 2011 at 9:19 PM

    I looked at your board and obviously you want wainscotting. I say get to work.

    Reply
  3. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    August 2, 2011 at 9:32 PM

    Ooooh, exciting Heather! I’ve already got ideas just from looking at your room that involves moving stuff around a little. I’m heading off to study your pinterest board! I have a feeling you are going to get so many ideas you won’t know where to start! : )

    Reply
  4. Judy says

    August 2, 2011 at 9:34 PM

    What a great idea. I looked at your board and love all of the inspiration photos.

    Reply
  5. Debra @ Common Ground says

    August 2, 2011 at 10:19 PM

    Thankyou thankyou! This is going to be so much fun…can’t wait!!! I’m heading off to your Pinterest board!
    xoxo Debra

    Reply
  6. pamq says

    August 2, 2011 at 11:22 PM

    Very cool idea!

    Should be very interesting to see/hear all the thoughts of bloggers and then to see what you do with them!

    Always fun to find out how differently everyone sees the same thing…….

    Love all the ruffled skirts on the chairs on your Pinterest board!

    Reply
  7. Shannon Jacobyansky says

    August 2, 2011 at 11:25 PM

    Hmmmm…you’ve got my creative juices flowing. This is my second time to your blog and I LOVE IT!!! Please visit me at my new blog…a work in progress…only a few days old at…

    http://www.grapevinewreath.wordpress.com

    I’ll be back!!!

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    August 3, 2011 at 7:30 AM

    wood floors and wainscotting

    Reply
  9. Debbie says

    August 3, 2011 at 12:20 PM

    This sounds so fun! Of course, I can’t offer suggestions since I’m so remedial. I sure would love to have the help for one of my design space nightmares, though.

    Reply
  10. Paula Jo @ Home and Garden Decor says

    August 3, 2011 at 6:17 PM

    Gosh, this sounds like fun, but interesting. I’m anxious to hear what people suggest.

    Reply
  11. Lazenby Family News says

    August 4, 2011 at 1:48 AM

    Oh, this just became my fav blog. Happy, happy…joy joy! I LOVE everything!

    Reply
  12. Ivy and Elephants says

    August 4, 2011 at 2:09 AM

    Wood floors and crown moulding are a must. Wow this is going to be so much fun.

    Paula

    Reply
  13. Shannon Jacobyansky says

    August 4, 2011 at 2:11 AM

    Hey just wanted you to know that I posted your blog on my blog today and wrote a brief article about Heather’s dining room dilema…lol…hope it sends some traffic your way! Thanks for visiting my blog!

    Reply
  14. At The Picket Fence says

    August 4, 2011 at 2:21 AM

    Hi Shannon! I hope you see this. 🙂 Can you post or email me your blog name? I would love to read what you wrote about the design challenge and share it on our facebook page. I tried to email you but your profile is set to no-reply. I think you might have left your blog name for us before and I am so sorry that I can’t find it. Looking forward to seeing what you wrote!

    Heather

    Reply
  15. At The Picket Fence says

    August 4, 2011 at 2:43 AM

    Found you Shannon! Ignore the post above. 🙂 Heather

    Reply
  16. Michele Smith says

    August 4, 2011 at 6:51 AM

    How exciting! What a great series. I’m looking forward to popping in over there on Friday and reading all the suggestions…hopefully I’ll have some for you myself LOL

    I also want to thank you for your sweet comment and keeping me in your prayers. You are one of the sweetest women I have met here in the blogging community.
    Michele

    Reply
  17. Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking says

    August 4, 2011 at 12:39 PM

    This sounds like a lot of fun! Such a great series!

    Reply
  18. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    August 4, 2011 at 9:25 PM

    Thanks for hosting girls. Great features.

    Reply
  19. Anonymous says

    August 4, 2011 at 11:13 PM

    woodfloors,wainscotting,crown molding,paint a light blue

    Reply
  20. Sue says

    August 5, 2011 at 8:02 AM

    Your pinterest has some beautiful ideas. Your kitchen looks GREAT!

    Reply
  21. Natasha in Oz says

    August 8, 2011 at 12:00 AM

    I can’t wait to see what you come up with. What fun!

    If you have 5 minutes to spare please drop by and check out my latest post. I have started a new Weekend linky party where you can link up posts about your favourite songs or your your favourite Pinterest Pins, or even both! This post would be so great to link up!

    Best wishes and happy weekend,
    Natasha.

    Reply

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“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
General Douglas MacArthur

Grateful today and every day for those who were vigilant to the point of death in the preservation of our freedom and the principles upon which our country was founded. May we honor their sacrifice by being vigilant too. #memorialday
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Now we’re ready to head into this beautiful weekend! ☀️
What do you do when you want to use a bunch of boo What do you do when you want to use a bunch of books in your decorating but it can cost $50 or more for just ONE brand new book? Head to the secondhand bookstore of course! I’m so excited about this new look in my family room and this easy, inexpensive decorating tip I’m bringing to you for this #tiptuesday
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This morning I was running errands and the weight of hard things that are happening in the world, the culture, my own community and even in our circle of friends just felt so heavy.

But, as I was exiting a store, I passed a couple who were in their late 60’s/early 70’s and holding hands as they walked through the parking lot. I happened to glance over just as the husband lifted his wife’s hand up and planted a kiss right on it. It was a moment that reflected such love and tenderness and it was made sweeter by the fact that they weren’t spring chickens. I felt honored that I had been the one to observe and appreciate that moment.

What an incredible thing it is that as humans we are able to hold so many emotions in our souls all at once. To feel sorrow for the pain a friend is enduring, grieve the decline of a culture drifting further from the Lord, ponder how to navigate a challenging school situation, marvel at and enjoy the beauty of creation right outside my door and feel joy at getting to see a tangible example of lasting love while walking through a parking lot.

I truly believe that as we mature in our lives and in our faith, we learn to embrace the tension that comes with the collision of different emotions and recognize that they can all coexist at the same time without one taking something away from another. Simple joys make the hard stuff a bit easier and hard stuff makes us appreciate those simple joys even more.

What’s a simple joy that you are thankful for today?
Oh what an absolutely lovely weekend we had!! Here Oh what an absolutely lovely weekend we had!! Here are some highlights…

*Friday night I joined some wonderful ladies at church for a time of fellowship and yummy desserts. I made a strawberry lemon coffee cake and it was amazing if I do say so myself. ☺️ We are new-ish to this church and have just felt so warmly welcomed and folded in which has been very healing.

*Saturday was filled with getting our outdoor spaces spiffed up and my guys got our new table put together!

*Sitting outside for lunch with a yummy salad and iced tea felt like a little slice of heaven.

*Sunday we went to the iris gardens with my in-laws and then came home for naps and the most mouth watering ribs that my sweet husband had on the smoker all day.

*This glorious weekend ended with some ferocious rounds of UNO-corn (a hilarious version of UNO) and brownies my sweet daughter made for our dessert.

How was your weekend sweet friends? 🌸
I am absolutely and completely a better version of I am absolutely and completely a better version of myself when the sun is shining! Raise your hand if this is true for you too.

And, not only do I feel myself seeming to physically rise up from a slumbered state to greet the sunshine we've been longing for, I find that it seems like my house is rising up too. Every room, every nook and cranny (even though I now see dust bunnies that I missed during my cleaning on the dreary days), every leaf and flower outside...it's all coming to life and breathing fresh hope into my spirit. What a gift it is to be able to enjoy this home in all of the seasons of the year and of our lives. Now, I'm going to head outside and clean our deck and maybe there will be some time leftover for those dust bunnies!
I’m slightly obsessed with these glass dispenser I’m slightly obsessed with these glass dispensers! They come with pre-made labels for SO many different options and would make a great Mother’s Day gift! I love how they add a bit of pizzazz to my kitchen. And they go perfectly with some of my antique accessories like the little dish my mother in law gave me for salt and pepper and the tiny toothpick holder which belonged to my great grandmother. 

If you’d like the link to order them, just leave a comment with the word ‘bottles’ and I’ll send it your way. They’re even on sale right now! 🙌🏻
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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.

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Have the lilacs started blooming where you live?
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