• Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Collaborate
  • Blog
  • Parties
    • Children’s Parties Ideas
    • Holiday Parties
    • Adult Party Ideas
  • Holiday Ideas
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Spring
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Seasons
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Project Gallery
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY
    • Good Ideas
    • Tutorials
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

  • Book
  • Speaking
  • Meet Vanessa
    • Featured

February 4, 2011

Inspiration Friday Party No. 1!

Welcome to the very first Inspiration Friday Party
here At the Picket Fence!

Previously, this party was hosted by Vanessa at her Southern in my Heart blog.
But, you know what?
New Blogs mean New Beginnings!

So, even though this is technically the 22nd Inspiration Friday party, we are starting fresh this week.

Just what is Inspiration Friday?

Well, this is one of the very few Linky Parties where you can share pretty much anything with us.
Decorating, Cooking, Crafts, Great Ideas, Poetry, Inspiring Stories, they are all welcome here.

We hope you will be inspired just as you inspire others!

And for the first time ever, this week we are unveiling our
“Featured At” Button

At the Picket Fence

In keeping with tradition, we will be mostly featuring bloggers who are fairly new to our little community here. So, if you are featured this week, or even in weeks past, please feel free to grab the new button from our sidebar!

And now, just like the roots of my hair, it is time for some High-Lighting!

Here are the Featured Inspirations from Last week

Katie from Craptastic (just typying that name out makes me giggle) shared her latest project that she lovingly did for her mom.

This was her inspiration.
A wonderfully aged and “chippy” barstool.

Her mom’s barstools started out looking like this

And Katie transformed them into this

Now that’s a good daughter right there!
We love the detail you put into this Katie and think you did a fantastic job!


Next up is Agatha from Audistree.
She shared her favorite Before and After Project.
Taking this hutch from this…
To this!
Doesn’t it just pop up against that gorgeous shade of blue?
And, last but not least, we have Kim from Dear Sweet Home.
She found this darling plaque with what has now become their Family Verse for the year.
She decided to hang it from a frame she found in her attic and displayed it on the mantel above her cooktop in the kitchen.
I covet that mantel.
Thanks for sharing this with us Kim!
Don’t forget to grab your “Featured At” button ladies.
Now, make sure to mark your calendars for the next installment of
Valentines’ Day Edition!
Link up all of your fabulous Valentine Crafts, Recipes, and Decor on
Saturday, February 12th.
And now, let’s get this party started at the very first
Inspiration Friday
At the Picket Fence!
Link it on up friends!
Here’s how…
1. Add your Permalink to your entry but not your General Blog Address. To get your Permalink, click on the title of the blog post you are wanting to submit and copy and paste the address into the URL box. You will also have to add your email address but it will not be visible to anyone else.
2. Do not try and Link up until you have actually published that particular post on your blog.
3. Please link back to the host blog, At the Picket Fence, so that those who visit your blog will be able to find some wonderful Inspiration from everyone else.
We can’t wait to be inspired!
Thanks so much for stopping by the Fence today.
Heather and Vanessa

29 Comments Filed Under: Inspiration Friday

Subscribe

Get the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « Launch Party Giveaway…Day Five..Overstock.com rocks!
Next Post: 5 Launch Party Giveaways…2 Days Left! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen says

    February 4, 2011 at 12:52 AM

    I am so excited to be at the first party and it looks like I’m the first one there. (I’m usually late for everything!) Can’t wait to see what everyone brings to the party!

    Reply
  2. Andrea at Opulent Cottage says

    February 4, 2011 at 12:56 AM

    Love the new blog! I’m a big picket fence lover, you know :)) Can’t wait to see what everyone has to show!

    Reply
  3. Melissa Miller says

    February 4, 2011 at 1:04 AM

    The new blog is wonderful! Thank you for hosting. 🙂

    Reply
  4. shopannies says

    February 4, 2011 at 1:24 AM

    very cool blog I linked up this week as well

    Reply
  5. Laurie says

    February 4, 2011 at 1:31 AM

    Congrats, girls, on your great new blog! I love it and have come by several times this week. Also linked up today. Best, best wishes!!! And thanks for the linky!

    Reply
  6. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    February 4, 2011 at 1:43 AM

    Great new blog, girls! Thanks for hosting.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

    Reply
  7. Linda@Coastal Charm says

    February 4, 2011 at 1:45 AM

    Hello ladies,
    Thanks so much for hosting!

    Blessings,
    Linda

    Reply
  8. AshTreeCottage says

    February 4, 2011 at 1:47 AM

    Hi girls! Thanks for a great party and lots of inspiration!!

    Love,
    Susan and Bentley
    xxoo

    Reply
  9. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. says

    February 4, 2011 at 1:49 AM

    You girls are off to a great start! Congrats! And thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  10. Susan (My Place to Yours) says

    February 4, 2011 at 2:04 AM

    Vanessa and Heather, congratulations on your new blog! I LOVE the idea of meeting at the picket fence. I’m so far away from my sister, too… I hope you’ll stop by if you get a chance.

    Reply
  11. A Vintage Vine says

    February 4, 2011 at 2:31 AM

    Thanks for hosting this party! I have been over here alot these last few days….love the new blog, you are off to a great start!

    Reply
  12. sheri says

    February 4, 2011 at 2:39 AM

    Those are some great project pics – and i might have to steal (like i do a lot of stuff here) that verse idea – that’s gorgeous. Can i have her mantle too?

    Off to visit some links.

    And since i have been honored to have been featured before for my front doors – can i grab a button – huh – can i – can i ??? 😀

    Reply
  13. NanaDiana says

    February 4, 2011 at 2:44 AM

    I love your new blog…and I love you girls. Congrats on what is looking to be a very successful first week! You did good, girls…you did good! Hugs- Diana

    Reply
  14. At The Picket Fence says

    February 4, 2011 at 2:50 AM

    Sheri….you go right ahead and grab that featured button! It’s all yours! lol

    Heather

    Reply
  15. Katie says

    February 4, 2011 at 3:18 AM

    Congrats on the new blog ladies!! It looks like you all have been busy this week and it’s definately paying off!! Thank you so much for the feautre!! How exciting to be a part of the first party on At The Picket Fence!!!

    Reply
  16. Chrissie says

    February 4, 2011 at 3:44 AM

    Great new blog! I am excited to be part of the first party!

    Reply
  17. Infatuated with Homes and Gardens says

    February 4, 2011 at 7:28 AM

    Happy 1st party of your new blog!

    Reply
  18. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    February 4, 2011 at 1:43 AM

    Hi ladies~ Thanks for hosting! 🙂

    Reply
  19. Sarah @ Modern Country Style says

    February 4, 2011 at 10:49 AM

    Just to say that I’m LOVING your blog. It’s fast turning into one of my daily reads.

    Thank you so much for hosting. Have a fab, fab weekend.

    Sarahx

    Reply
  20. Debbie says

    February 4, 2011 at 12:07 PM

    I love that verse framed on the mantel. I have a primitive frame at the house just waiting for a project like that.

    I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. I love the way “The Picket Fence” has come together.

    Reply
  21. Happier Than a Pig in Mud says

    February 4, 2011 at 12:39 PM

    Thanks for hosting-Happy Weekend:@)

    Reply
  22. Katie @ This Chick Cooks says

    February 4, 2011 at 12:59 PM

    Congrats on the new blog and happy weekend!

    Reply
  23. michelle says

    February 4, 2011 at 2:43 PM

    Great features and it is going so well!! Thank you for hosting, I am having fun this week with everything you gals have been doing! 🙂

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply
  24. Bethany {3SonsPlus1} says

    February 4, 2011 at 8:33 PM

    What fun!! So glad you’ve had a great week at the fence! 🙂 I can’t wait to read through all the wonderful entries!

    Reply
  25. Lynn at Cottage and Creek says

    February 4, 2011 at 9:15 PM

    I love your new blog and linky party. I’m your newest follower (#134) and look forward to reading more. My sister and I are very close and she’s the one who designed and built my blog. Sisters are such a blessing! Thanks for the fun party … I’ll go check out all the inspiration right now!

    Reply
  26. Honey at 2805 says

    February 4, 2011 at 9:26 PM

    You are off to a great start. Congrats!

    Reply
  27. Christie says

    February 4, 2011 at 1:36 PM

    Hey girls! It does look like you are off to a GREAT start! Ya’ll have done an awesome job! Nothing new to link up! I will have to work on that for the next party!! Have a great weekend! I will link these up on the 12th too!!!
    Christie at threepixielane

    Reply
  28. Jo says

    February 4, 2011 at 2:58 PM

    It’s gonna be fun girls! I’m excited to be part of the adventure, We will be inspired!
    whoo hoo.
    ~Jo
    LazyonLoblolly

    Reply
  29. CAS says

    February 5, 2011 at 7:01 PM

    I hope this new blog is as much fun for you and your sister as it appears to be for all of the rest of us. It’s crazy good bloginess!
    CAS

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Linda@Coastal Charm Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search This Blog

Take the Quiz

Stay updated!

Get all the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Get the book!

Invite Vanessa to speak at your event!

Must Reads

Recent Posts

  • Open Now December 17, 2020
  • Tradition and a Christmas Home Tour December 9, 2020
  • Tabletop Hot Cocoa Station November 29, 2020
  • A New Front Door November 10, 2020
  • Gaining Perspective October 26, 2020

Get all the latest straight to your inbox

Footer

Instagram

I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 y I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 years now and every year I ohhhh and ahhhh over the blossoms like it's the first time I've ever seen them. I gush and I take photos (that look exactly like the ones I took the year before and the year before that) and I make my family come outside and look at them with me which you know they just LOVE to do. 😉 I think that is one of the main reasons why I love spring so much. On the one hand, it's predictable and yet, on the other hand, it still feels like such a surprise after the long months of barren branches.

And yesterday, as I was staring at the gorgeous blossoms for the umpteenth time, I couldn't help but think that I hope this is how I feel when our lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that the predictable feels special and that the typical feels anything but. I hope that I ohhh and ahhh over the simple things I've realized I've taken for granted. And, most of all, I hope that feeling doesn't go away for a very, very long time! 💗
Are you living with great expectation friends? Bec Are you living with great expectation friends? Because He is risen!

Happy Easter from my home to yours!
Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to be a different kind of Easter for sure but some things don’t change. Have you been baking and getting ready for tomorrow? What’s one thing on your menu that you have to have every year?
If this is Good Friday, why doesn’t it feel so “good”? It all seems backward doesn’t it?

What could be good about the unspeakable pain he suffered? What could be good about the shame and betrayal?

Easter Sunday is so joyful, bright and cheery. Shouldn’t that be the day we call “good”? It just feels so much better!

But, I don’t know how to rejoice over His resurrection, unless I have felt the pain of His death. I have realized that in life the sweetest victories are the ones which were realized after a pain-filled journey.

And, so it is with Good Friday. I know there will be victory over death, but I can’t skip ahead in the story.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what he would experience. And he knew why he would go through it. He did it for me. He did it for you.

Do you know that? Have you felt it down in the very core of your soul? 
Sometimes it makes me squirm a bit. Why would anyone do that for me?

Well, because, I can’t do it for myself!

There is nothing I can do to earn that kind of love and mercy.

That is why it is called GRACE.

His grace is freely given. We don’t have to pay for it. He paid the price for us already.

Do you remember that movie from years ago called “Ransom”? A couple’s young son was kidnapped and the parents went to hell and back trying to find him and pay the “ransom” demanded by the kidnappers.

Well, Jesus is our “ransom”. (1 Timothy 2:6) His life was the payment.

Why is it called “Good Friday”? Because that wasn’t the end of the story….
.
…It was just the beginning!
Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house that’s become the landing zone for ALL THE THINGS! 🙋🏻‍♀️🤪 I’ve never been more thankful for our rarely used dining room table as it’s become command central for school books and laptops and games.

Where are things collecting in your house right now?
“Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every si “Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every single one of these emotions has made their way through our home in recent days and, my guess is, they have in your home too.

I SO needed this reminder today from the new book ‘Adore’ by @sarahagertywrites.

Adoration isn’t just sitting at His feet gazing longingly with stars in my eyes. It’s bringing my fears and my sorrows and gray roots in my hair that desperately needs to be colored and my messy house and all of the things that threaten to send me over the edge right now and laying them down before Him, soaking up His word and His presence so that when I stand back up, I am changed for having spent the time adoring the ONE who is... Healer, comforter, peace-giver, deliverer, redeemer.

What do you need to bring to Him today? I’ll share mine in the comments and I’d love to hear from you too!
I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole lockdown thing began, I’ve come to appreciate this time of day even more.

It feels the most...normal. Daytime is strange and foreign right now. My husband has taken over our home office, I’m suddenly taking over the responsibility of managing my kids’ distance learning and let me just say that teaching 7th grade algebra to my daughter is hugely ironic since I struggled with math all the way through school. I’m trying to do my own work but it feels utterly futile with the constant interruptions which take precedence right now. In the daytime, I’m constantly reminded of how upside down life feels.

But, in the evening, I cook dinner like I’ve always done and we gather around the table like we’ve always done and we laugh and tell stories and then clean up and play games or go on a walk or watch a show. And that feels SO gloriously normal.

So now I love evenings even more than I ever did before and I’m so grateful for this little chunk of time where the rhythms we established years ago are helping to sustain us now when so much of life feels outside of our control.

What feels ‘normal’ to you right now? Whatever it is, keep doing it. 🌿
When I was in college I would frequently call home When I was in college I would frequently call home and pour my heart out to my mom, sharing with her all that was happening in my life in that completely unfiltered way that you can talk with the person who potty trained you. These phone calls usually took place at night and my mom would patiently listen as I vented frustrations about professors, roommates, boyfriends and the food in the cafeteria. And, inevitably, they would end with my mom saying, “Everything seems worse when you’re tired. Try not to overthink things or make any major decisions tonight, especially when you are feeling emotional.” Dear friends, may I pass along this advice to you today?

If you don’t absolutely HAVE to make a decision right now, I want to encourage you to wait until life gets back to normal. If you are finding yourself over-analyzing relationships and family dynamics, I want to encourage you to remember that everything seems more dramatic when looked at under a microscope. And, let’s face it, being homebound with our loved ones non-stop makes us all feel like lab rats in an experiment.

If you are tempted to quit a job, start a business, start homeschooling permanently, stop homeschooling permanently, move to a new city, buy a farm, quit pursuing your dream, join a commune or make any other major life decision just…wait. Because, if it is in fact the right decision, it will be made even clearer once our lives return to their ‘regularly scheduled programming’. Instead, in this strange season, let’s all just take a deep, collective breath and let it out slowly, releasing the anxiety that threatens to overtake us. Let’s help each other maintain some perspective and not slip into a posture of over-thinking every little thing in our lives. Let’s remember that the enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to use this time when things feel dark to manipulate us into thinking that aspects of our lives are worse than they actually are.

My prayer for you in these days is that you will have the clarity to know what is true and that you will be filled with peace even while we live in this season of so many unknowns.
Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking thes Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking these days! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m trying to avoid gaining the #corona15 but my daughter and I LOVE baking together and it does help to pass the time plus it counts as a science lesson right?

If you’re able to find flour in the stores (for the love people please stop overbuying!) and you’re doing more baking at your house too you need to add this apricot bread to your list of new recipes to try!

Normally I’d point you to my blog for the directions but I’m going to do you a solid and leave the full recipe in the comments.

What have you baked so far during this time of social distancing? I’d love some new ideas!
There are a LOT of people out walking in our neigh There are a LOT of people out walking in our neighborhood right now (but still social distancing!) and she decided that she wanted to bring them some joy and put a smile on their face when they pass by our house. Also, the square with ‘say no to coronavirus’ is priceless. 😂 I just love her so much!
Follow
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 At The Picket Fence