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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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September 17, 2011

A Harvest of Ideas and a Feature!

We were so honored when the lovely sisters of Wayward Girls’ Crafts asked if they could feature us as part of their Saturday Sister Spotlight Series! Say that 5 times fast! It is just so neat to connect with other sisters who blog together and we were more than thrilled to be included in this fun series.
But then, they put a little twist on the Feature by issuing us a Challenge!
They give us a Theme. We come up with the Craft.
Our theme was: Harvest
Heather immediately began “pinning” ideas on Pinterest while Vanessa began to sweat. You see, over the years, Vanessa has loudly and proudly declared herself to be somewhat Craft “Challenged”. So to be issued a Craft “Challenge” caused a bit of anxiety. But, as all good big sisters do, Heather talked her down from the crafting deficient ledge and encouraged her to take a look at the board of ideas she had “pinned”.
Up first…Vanessa’s Harvest Challenge!
Did anyone see pigs flying overhead last week? Because I, who swore I would never do this in my lifetime, finally caved to the crafting pressure.
I made a WREATH!!
Those of you who know me well can pick yourselves up off of the floor now.
And I didn’t tackle just any wreath.
I aimed high!
This is my version of the Martha Stewart Harvest Wreath.
It only took about an hour to complete it and I absolutely love how something as simple as folding cornhusks (which have been soaked in water to make them pliable) in half and layering them on top of each other can look so elegant!
Not bad for a Grand Total of $10!
All it took was a straw wreath form ($4), one package of cornhusks with LOTS left over ($3)
and a box of tacks ($3).
Pin It
Now, we won’t be holding our breath for another wreath from Vanessa anytime soon, but now she can finally say she did it and survived!
Let’s take a look now at what Heather has been up to!
Wow! Harvest…so many ways you can run with that.  Since I like to kick off my fall decorations with my mantel (it tends to set the stage) I thought I’d create a simple and easy craft to add a fresh new look this year! White pumpkins are all the rage and well…I LURVE them!
monogramed-pumpkin-4
I wish I could tell you this was a complex and detailed craft but well…that would mean me lying and my blogging integrity might be brought into question. grin. This sweet little pumpkin couldn’t have been easier or cheaper to make…cheap as in $1.00!
Fall Photos1
Pin It
I picked up a little carvable pumpkin at my local Dollar Tree. Now these pumpkins don’t even remotely look “natural” in their well… natural state.  They’re a pretty garish orange.  But with a little white and brown paint I had on hand and a simple monogram. This Dollar Tree pumpkin could almost pass as real. I love it on my mantel. It really personalizes my fall display.
Fall Photos
It’s so easy to monogram anything with a little paint and a stencil…even a pumpkin! Happy Harvest!
We’d love you to visit us over at Wayward Girls Crafts to meet these lovely sisters and see our Feature! Come on over and say “hi!” and a big thanks to the Wayward Girls for our Saturday Sister Spotlight!
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Our weekly Inspiration Friday Party is still going strong and we would love to have you share some of your own projects and ideas with us there!
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This post is partying at:
Project Queen: I Turned The Daunting Into The Doable Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia: Tuesday’s Treasures
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesday
DIY By Design: Sizzle into Summer
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party

22 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Good Ideas, Guest Posts

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Next Post: Corn Husks…they’re not just for Tamales! »

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Comments

  1. Lori says

    September 17, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    Omagah! I saw those the other day and I need white pumpkins for a bridal shower. I’m going back today, and the monogram thing will be just the right touch.

    Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
  2. Kelly says

    September 17, 2011 at 1:51 PM

    I love both of those ideas. I haven’t begun to decorate for Fall yet, but I’m enjoying seeing everyone elses. I particularly like that pumpkin idea. I’ve even seen white pumpkins each with one letter that spells out BOO staggered down front porch steps for Halloween. So cute.

    Reply
  3. https://findingsecrettreasures.blogspot.com says

    September 17, 2011 at 1:55 PM

    I love both projects! I’ve started my decorating, but have plenty of space to “copy” these to add, Thanks for the inspiration!

    Lorrie

    Reply
  4. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    September 17, 2011 at 3:14 PM

    Hi Ladies, I love seeing all these wonderful new Fall projects popping up on blogs now. This has me anxious to start decorating for Fall. Great job!
    Hugs,
    Sherry

    Reply
  5. Marla and Steve @ Always Nesting says

    September 17, 2011 at 3:30 PM

    Looks like we’ve all scarfed up those dollar tree pumpkins! Great minds think alike 🙂 I have to say, my creation does not look near as classy as your creation but it is white. My hat is off to you for getting the monogram to look so good working with those ridges.

    Reply
  6. marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says

    September 17, 2011 at 5:19 PM

    Oh my word, you both did a fabulous job. Love the cornhusk wreath. What a great idea and it does look so elegant. I love the monogramed pumpkin also. I really need to buy some stencils. Your mantel looks fabulous. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
  7. Michele Smith says

    September 17, 2011 at 6:30 PM

    Beautiful wreath! I just ordered a vinyl monogram for a pumpkin on my porch after searching michaels for stencils.
    Thank you for the inspiration.

    Reply
  8. NanaDiana says

    September 17, 2011 at 8:06 PM

    You girls both did a GREAT job! Wow! Vanessa-for being UNcrafty you did pretty darned good! LOVE it! And Heather-GREAT job! Love that little monogramed pumpkin!

    Happy weekend, girls- xo Diana

    Reply
  9. sissie says

    September 17, 2011 at 9:09 PM

    Ooh, the cornhusk wreath is stunning….love it! And the little white pumpkin is adorable. Love the monogram.

    hugs
    Sissie

    Reply
  10. Jordan McCollum says

    September 17, 2011 at 9:17 PM

    Thanks so much for participating! I love both your crafts. I pinned the corn husk wreath earlier this week, even though I’m anti-wreath, too!

    Reply
  11. Just Jaime says

    September 17, 2011 at 11:29 PM

    Awesome job on our challenge! So glad you stopped by! I love that wreath! I got one of those Dollar Tree Pumpkins too!

    Reply
  12. Karen says

    September 18, 2011 at 12:34 AM

    loving the cornhusk wreath~ just where did you find the cornhusks? I haven’t seen any.

    Reply
  13. Catie @ Catie's Corner says

    September 18, 2011 at 2:19 PM

    Hi Ladies, Lovely wreath Vanessa! I can’t believe that’s done with corn husks. Just gorgeous. And Heather I love your painted pumpkin. I’ve already been pinning a few myself. My daughter wants one spray painted hot pink! That should be interesting. ; ) Hope you two are having a great weekend!

    ~ Catie

    Reply
  14. Lori says

    September 18, 2011 at 3:38 PM

    Yesterday, I got all nine pumpkins that $ tree had left! Painting today! I’ll post. Lori

    Reply
  15. Liz says

    September 19, 2011 at 1:23 AM

    The corn husk wreath is so festive for fall, I absolutely love it! XO ~Liz

    Reply
  16. Marianne says

    September 19, 2011 at 1:15 PM

    You ladies never cease to amaze me with your creativity. I just love that corn husk wreath. I was reading this blog post the other day so I ran to the dollar tree yesterday and bought some of those lovely $1 pumpkins…..hope you don’t mind if I copy! The poor dears do need some sprucing up…and I’m a bit tired of waiting for the real deal to be ready for picking. So I’m off with my pumpkins and some white paint!
    Marianne 🙂

    Reply
  17. Shannon@vintagerestyled says

    September 22, 2011 at 2:05 AM

    I am running to Dollar Tree! Love it!

    Reply
  18. Judy says

    September 27, 2011 at 10:29 PM

    Heather, I just love those monogramed pumpkins. I will be featuring them tonight at my Fall into Fall party (formerly Sizzle into Summer). Please stop by and pick up an I’ve Been Featured Button. Thanks so much. BTW I think I will be doing this with my kids this weekend…it’s really too cute.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A Tale of 3 Pumpkins … Pumpkin One: Book Pages says:
    January 27, 2013 at 5:38 PM

    […] Tree pumpkins! I shared with you a couple of weeks ago my first use of a Dollar Tree pumpkin, my Monogramed Pumpkin.   I have since found three more ways I just love!  Up first, the Book Page Pumpkin! I first […]

    Reply
  2. Corn Husks...they're not just for Tamales! - At The Picket Fence says:
    August 6, 2013 at 6:57 PM

    […] to use $3 worth of Corn Husks! 1. Make a Corn Husk Wreath On Saturday, we showed you two of our Harvest projects and I shared with you that I, after years of saying that I would NEVER make a wreath, […]

    Reply
  3. Dollar Tree Valentine’s Day Ring of Roses Wreath - At The Picket Fence says:
    August 24, 2013 at 7:14 AM

    […] for me here At The Picket Fence. It started with my Dollar Tree Pumpkins! We came up with a Monogramed Pumpkin, A Faux Nail Head Pumpkin, A Ribbon Pumpkin and the most popular one my Book Page Pumpkin. For […]

    Reply
  4. Dollar Store Pumpkins - Done 25 Ways - A Night Owl Blog says:
    September 15, 2013 at 2:22 PM

    […] Monogrammed Dollar Store Pumpkin / At the Picket Fence […]

    Reply

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Happy Friday!! I’m working on a blog post to sha Happy Friday!! I’m working on a blog post to share all of the details of our family room shelving makeover but I’m super impatient and just had to give you all a sneak peek!! We are SO happy with how they turned out and it finally looks like I’ve always envisioned. Our quick fix years ago (scroll to see the before photo) never felt quite right but now? Soooo much better!! 🙌🏻 Big shoutout to our amazingly talented friend Matt @redemptive_woodworx for bringing our vision to life and doing such impeccable work.

I hope you all have a great start to the 4th of July weekend and make sure to check my stories later for Friday Funnies!
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.
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