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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 11, 2015

Entry Decorated for Summer

Oh friends. When I think about how I used to over-complicate seasonal decorating I feel shameful.

I mean, seriously, the LAST thing decorating should be is complicated. I know I’ve talked about it before here but I think it’s worth revisiting.

Decorating is merely a creative extension of our personalities. It’s a physical manifestation of our likes, dislikes and way of living.

fresh flowers on entry cabinet for summer atthepicketfence.com

And I’ve realized that the more I over-think or overanalyze it, the less my decorating choices actually reflect me. Funny how that works, right?

Never is this more true when it comes to decorating for summer. When we choose to battle the strands of white lights at Christmas, we know we are inviting in the possibility of some frustration and possibly a few choice words muttered under our breath.

But who wants to spend more than a few minutes decorating your house indoors when all of the glories of summer await you outside? Not me!

And a few minutes is really all you need to add a vase of fresh flowers.

Lisianthus flowers atthepicketfence.com

A bowl of seashells.

seashells in bowl on entry table atthepicketfence.com

A framed photo of something summery or if you happen to have a poem your grandmother wrote to you and your sister back in 1977 you could frame that too. 😉

framed poem on entry table

And a favorite summer quote written on a chalkboard.

summer chalkboard quote and decor ideas atthepicketfence.com

Aside from how quick and easy this was, the best part about this kind of summer decorating is that it was practically free!

Easy summer entry table decorating atthepicketfence.com

OK, on second thought, the best part was actually that it only took a few minutes which meant that I had more time to enjoy the best parts about summer…watching my kiddos run around in the yard on a warm evening, catching up with friends over a meal cooked on the grill, sitting with my hubby on the deck drinking cocktails after the kids are in bed and just simply feeling the warmth of the sun on my head.

And frankly, I’m even more determined now to take this approach when it comes to the other seasons too. Because really all we need is to add touches which simply enhance what we already have and give a nod to the time of the year.

So, picture me nodding to summer right now! 😉

I’m so excited to be joining these lovely ladies again this month for our ongoing Budget Decorating Series. Be sure to pay them a visit!

Budget Decorating updated

TIPS FOR ARRANGING GARDEN FLOWERS-button for Budget Friendly Ideas-stonegableblog.com

STONE GABLE

grain-sack-placemat-with-strpe-budget-event

CEDAR HILL FARMHOUSE

And as always, thanks so much for meeting me at the Fence today,

Vanessa signature

9 Comments Filed Under: Budget Decorating Series, Decorating, Summer Tagged With: budget decorating, decor, decorating, summer, summer decorating

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Comments

  1. Peg says

    June 11, 2015 at 3:59 AM

    Simple is always oh so lovely.
    Love all you do Vanessa! : )

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 11, 2015 at 8:39 AM

      Thank you so much Peg!! Appreciate you!

      Reply
  2. june says

    June 11, 2015 at 5:27 AM

    Vanessa,
    Lovely as always…the most important message I have taken in from the blogs I follow such as yours is less is more. I use to fret and work to exhaustion for it to all be perfect. No more.
    Unfortunately it took until 60 to get it.

    Embracing each day and being grateful for our blessings is what is best for all of us. Our homes are the jewelry of our life.

    Love the flowers but cannot tell what they are. Please share.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 11, 2015 at 8:39 AM

      Thank you so much June! The flowers are Lisianthus which are one of my most favorite because they were used in my bridal bouquet many years ago. 🙂

      Reply
      • june says

        June 11, 2015 at 11:32 AM

        Thanks…my son’s wedding is a year from today. I will have to show this flower to my future d in kaw.

        Reply
  3. Yvonne @ StoneGable says

    June 11, 2015 at 6:44 AM

    Perfectly decorated for summer!!! Yes, I so agree with your decorating philosophy!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the chest had holds all your easy-breezy summer decor!!! I love visiting… always leave inspired and filled! xo

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 11, 2015 at 1:41 PM

      Thank you so much sweet friend! I love doing this series with you!

      Reply
  4. Lauren says

    June 11, 2015 at 3:20 PM

    I absolutely LIVE for summer so I agree — spending time fussing inside is not my thing but I love decorating for summer. I so enjoy the lighter curtains, bedspreads and pillows I bring out and yes, of course, fresh flowers! Your entry looks just perfect to me!

    Reply
  5. jane@Bluebird1959 says

    June 11, 2015 at 7:47 PM

    Words of wisdom Vannessa! I plan on taking your words to heart. 🙂 Jane

    Reply

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The month of June is coming to a close and it has The month of June is coming to a close and it has been JAM packed! The highlight by far though was my son's graduation from high school. When I started blogging, he was only 6 years old and some of you have been apart of my community here for that entire time. Now, he's 19 and there is a reason parents are told not to blink because the years truly do go faster than I ever could have imagined. He has become such an incredible young man we are so excited to see how God is going to unfold the next chapter of his life. We celebrated with parties galore (SO many open houses to attend!) and made memories we'll forever cherish. My mama heart was filled to bursting with the joy of it all! Now we're taking some time to just enjoy these warm, summer days making even more memories because, when you’re at this stage of parenting, you know all too well how much you need to grasp every opportunity to spend time together.

I hope your summer is off to a great start too dear friends! 🪴
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts o “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Happy first day of summer dear friends!! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted something new here but life has been crazy. I’ll have some new photos of house projects and life events to share with you soon but, got now, I’m just going to enjoy this gorgeous first day of summer after our ridiculously long, wet spring. ☀️
“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. Th “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” (Maud Hart Lovelace) 

Welcome June!
“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. May we honor their sacrifice by being vigilant too. #memorialday
“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? 😉
We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most we’ve had in a LONG time) and now we are back to pouring rain. This has officially confirmed what I’ve know to be true for awhile now.

I’m a MUCH better version of myself when the sun is shining! 🤪 So I’ll just be over here today plotting and planning how my husband and I can be snowbirds someday when the kids are out of the house.

If you could spend your winters (and apparently most of spring too!) in any part of the country, where would it be?
Happy weekend sweet friends!! We’ve had a LOT of Happy weekend sweet friends!! We’ve had a LOT of rain lately (which is saying something when you live in Oregon) and I’ll admit that it’s affecting my moods a bit. I feel like I’m dragging and struggling to find the energy to get stuff done. So don’t mind me if I’m over here looking at photos of my garden in the summertime and finding that it keeps me hopeful about those days to come. They will come, right?! 🤪. 

What are your favorite plants that you look forward to seeing in the summer?
We’re going to be giving our laundry room a make We’re going to be giving our laundry room a makeover soon. It’s LONG overdue! In fact, the folks from the counter company were just here taking measurements. While we have made some simple, inexpensive updates over the years, it still has many of the original elements from when the house was built in 1992.

Two of our bathrooms are also in need of major makeovers. And we’ve saved up enough money over the years to tackle those projects. But, for the most part, we made the decision to use the bulk of that money in another way. While we knew that it was financially wise to invest in our house, we also knew that the greatest investment we could make was in our children. 

I’ll admit, there are times where I see other people doing massive overhauls of their entire home in a matter of months and I feel a prick of envy. But, we decided that if our choice was between waiting a bit longer to enjoy a renovated bathroom or going on adventures as a family, we would choose adventures every time. And we don’t regret that decision for a single second. It’s not that we haven’t tackled home projects (we’ve done a lot!). It’s just that it’s been a slow and steady process. 

Most recently, we let our son pick where we would travel for spring break since this is his senior year of high school and we are trying to make up for lost time. With so much of life ‘paused’ for two years, we have appreciated these moments more than ever. And, since he’ll be heading to college in the fall, we are very aware of how important it is to spend this time together while we still have a modicum of control over everyone’s schedules.

We have many years left to remodel our home but only so much time left to make memories with our children.

And, while I’m always happy to look around my home and see rooms that are updated and more reflecting of our style, it doesn’t compare to the joy I feel when I look around my home and see the people I love the most who have been shaped by the many adventures we’ve experienced together.
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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