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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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February 18, 2011

Inspiration Friday Party No. 3


Wow are we already at Inspiration Friday Party Number 3 here
At The Picket Fence!
Thank you so much for being a part of this fun party every week!


Boy do you all ever inspire us!  We can hardly keep up with all of the awesome inspiration around here.

If you are a new friend to At The Picket Fence, you might be asking 


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!

Each week we start the party off with some highlights from the week before.
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 “I’ve been featured” button from our sidebar!



Hi it’s me Heather here again!  Whoo hooo…I’ve hijacked Inspiration Friday again from Vanessa…okay well actually I’m just letting her have a little break from the pressure of having to pick just four highlights from all of the AWESOME, WONDERFULNESS that you people link up!  I mean really it’s almost too much to take in! All of the creativity, the ingenuity, the beauty, the heart warming, tear invoking stories.  It makes us feel honored and humbled to be in such good company with so many talented designers, crafters, foodies and writers!

But alas, since you all come to the party to link up and probably don’t want to spend hours reading my big long post…ok don’t really answer that. grin! I will limit my highlights to a manageable amount!



So without further ado here are my inspirational highlight picks from last week!


Up first we have Heather from What It’s All About. And no I didn’t pick her because she has such an awesome name..ok well maybe a little bit. Nah, not really.  We chose her because of the incredible job she did re-purposing this garage sale headboard. 


She took a $29 headboard from this:



To this!



Talk about a headboard face lift!  Wait until you read the simple way she did the tufting on it.  It gave me hope that I could actually do something like this..since I am not quite the seamstress Vanessa is!  Head on over to visit Heather at What’s It All About and read more about her 

Simple Headboard Redo.

Now this next project caught my eye because of it’s beautiful simplicity.  I personally tend to be somewhat fru-froo French Country but I often LONG to streamline my style a little.  I have been leaning towards the soft blues, crisp whites and espresso browns I often see around blogland.  In fact I will be sharing on Monday my guest bath remodel where I did choose all of those colors.  


Now how many of you decorators out there have a million paint swatches lying around?  I know there are times my purse is full of them!  Well, Mindy at Heart Maine Home was inspired by another blogger after seeing a great use for them.  She decided to take on the challenge herself to put those paint swatches to good use!
She took them from this:


To this:


To this!


All for the cost of a $12 frame!  I just love the one little pop of orange in the artwork!  Visit Mindy at Heart Maine Home and see all of the details behind creating this artwork as well as a link to her inspiration behind the project!

Now for a wonderful little project for you Crafters out there…think we’ll ever get Vanessa to admit she can be pretty crafty?..and no not crafty like the Beastie Boys song ;)..but crafty as in cute projects involving paper, and glue and pretty embellishments.  I think we can convert her yet! This adorable project from Stacey at A Sort of Fairytale just might convince her to give crafting a try!


These are Vintage Playing Card Tags



They are just so precious and springy and sweet!



There are several steps to making these cards but they are really quite easy! Think about all of the different things you could do with them…well actually Stacey did!


Pay Stacey a visit at A Sort of Fairytale and see the step by step process of putting these together!  She also has a sweet vintage Etsy shop you might like to visit too!


And I will leave you with this wonderful story of the Lord’s tender mercies and how much he cares about every aspect of our life.

Maria at

shared a heart warming story of homesickness and hope!  Maria lives in Paris with her husband..this is where I interject and say that I am just a wee tad bit jealous of Maria living in Paris…I was meant to live somewhere in Europe. I really was.  
Maria’s family lives back here in the USA and it had been more than two years since she had been home.  It is so expensive to fly back and forth from Europe and the US as you can imagine.


Her story shares the twists and turns of trying to save to get back home and how the Lord cares about all of the details of our lives.  I cried reading about her reuniting with her sister in the airport in Dallas after having not seen each other for five years!  

(Maria’s sister)

Of course we LOVE sister stories here At The Picket Fence. 

Hop over and read the entire story at Busy as a Bee in Paris!  I bet you will be inspired be the Lord’s provision as much as we were.  Here At The Picket Fence we love stories about “creativity” and about our “Creator!”  Thanks for sharing your story with us Maria! 



Now don’t forget to grab your “Featured At” button ladies!

Before linking up we’d love it if you’d take a second to become a friend of At The Picket Fence through google friend connect, email or our RSS Feed.  We’d love to get to know you better! We also love to see tweets about Inspiration Friday, if you feel like sharing with your twitter friends!  The more the merrier when it comes to a party!

And now, let’s get this party started! Here’s how to link up!

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 by grabbing our Inspiration Friday button code on the sidebar or creating a text link so that those who visit your blog will be able to find some wonderful Inspiration from everyone else. (mandatory)
4) Give some linky lovin’ to some of the other Inspiration Friday link ups!  It’s always nice for others to hear how they’ve inspired you!  Of course we love to hear from you too so please leave us a comment and say hi!
We can’t wait to be inspired!
Thanks so much for stopping by the Fence today!

love to you from the girls at the fence!
Heather and Vanessa




After linking up to Inspiration Friday click the graphic below and pay a visit to French Country Cottage our Friday Party Friend! 

19 Comments Filed Under: Good Ideas, Inspiration Friday

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Comments

  1. Melissa Miller says

    February 18, 2011 at 12:22 AM

    Wow, that headboard is gorgeous.

    Thank you for hosting Vanessa. I always enjoy your party.

    Happy weekend to you!
    ~Melissa

    Reply
  2. Sue says

    February 18, 2011 at 12:31 AM

    There are so many talented and inventive people out in blog land. I always like visiting everyone. :=)
    Sue

    Reply
  3. AshTreeCottage says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:15 AM

    I love all of the inspiration I get from your party. Thanks so much!!

    Love,
    Susan and Bentley
    xxoo

    Reply
  4. ⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜ says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:16 AM

    WOW what inspiration at every turn we take. I love it! Thanks for hosting your party girls! Have a wonderful weekend. XO
    The headboard is awesome!

    Reply
  5. A Vintage Vine says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:26 AM

    Thanks for hosting….So many great ideas already!

    Reply
  6. The Decorative Dreamer says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:27 AM

    Those were some really wondeful posts last week! I love the headboard! Heather that’s so nice of you to help your sister out! :))

    Reply
  7. Karen says

    February 18, 2011 at 4:19 AM

    Wow what great inspiration! Can’t wait to visit and maybe get a little motivation for around here. Thanks girls for hosting, such a fun time on Fridays. 🙂
    Have a great weekend.

    Reply
  8. Sylvia says

    February 18, 2011 at 4:23 AM

    Thank you for hosting your party ! It’s my first time being part of it since I am a fairly new at this blogging world !

    I wish you both a wonderful weekend !

    Reply
  9. Suzy says

    February 18, 2011 at 7:08 AM

    Thanks for hosting. I’m looking forward to exploring all of the great posts!

    Reply
  10. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:11 AM

    Hi girls~ what a great headboard re-do!! All linked up- thanks for hosting! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Stacey@A Sort Of Fairytale says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:25 AM

    Thank you so much for featuring me!
    I love the other features as well…wow, what a headboard!!

    Reply
  12. Mindy says

    February 18, 2011 at 12:32 PM

    Wow, thanks for featuring me! I love that gorgeous headboard and those adorable playing cards (especially the one on the mason jar). Thanks again, ladies!

    Reply
  13. NanaDiana says

    February 18, 2011 at 12:50 PM

    I love how fast your site is growing! 3 weeks already! Wow! xxoo Diana

    Reply
  14. Jodie says

    February 18, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    Good Morning Ladies! Thank you so much for your sweet comments! Your headboard makeover is genius! Thank you for hosting this wonderful party; there are so many inspirational posts! Warm Weekend Wishes!

    Jodie

    Reply
  15. Creative Escapes says

    February 18, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    I adore that headboard!!!!!
    I just posted #57 a “upcycled” cradle I made for my daughters birthday. Thanks for hosting, I know there is a cost now – I really love and appreciate the parties!

    Reply
  16. kara@elements-interiors.net says

    February 18, 2011 at 4:36 PM

    Hey sweet Girlfriend! WOW! This new Blog is AMAZING!!! I LOVE IT!
    SO WISH I had a sister to do thid with! {Well I have a sister, but…LONG STORY, I dont have
    her 🙁 } Im LINKED UP! Thank you for hosting

    xoxokara

    Reply
  17. By the Bluegrass says

    February 18, 2011 at 5:59 PM

    Very nice! Thanks for hosting a fun party. I linked up.
    xo,
    Sena

    Reply
  18. Lynn at Cottage and Creek says

    February 19, 2011 at 1:54 AM

    I love vintage playing cards too! The graphics are so great. Thanks for hosting this fun party. I love seeing what everyone has done.
    ~Lynn

    Reply
  19. Heather says

    February 20, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    Thanks for all the nice comments about the headboard. You all had some great inspiration as well!!! Can’t wait to see what’s up next week.

    Heather
    whatitsallabout4u.blogspot.com

    Reply

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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?
“The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and “The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and boast, the pangs of life will sting for a while longer, but don’t worry; the forces of evil are breathing their last. Not to worry…HE’S RISEN!” (Charles R. Swindoll).

Happy Easter! He is risen indeed!
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

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)
I try to always remember to put a water bottle in I try to always remember to put a water bottle in my car before I go to pick up my daughter from school. She didn't ask me to do this, but a few months ago I began to notice that she was often thirsty when she would get in the car. Her water bottle filled up at the beginning of the day was empty by the time school got out and she would ask if she could have some water from my hydroflask. So I make sure to have one waiting for her. It's just a simple thing, really. But, I want her to know that I'm paying attention, that I see her.

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.”
― Charles Dickens
“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
When the Lord blesses you with a glimpse of the pa When the Lord blesses you with a glimpse of the payoff of your investment in your children, it is truly one of the greatest gifts. We had that experience twice this week with our 18 year old son and were overwhelmed by this opportunity we had to watch as he handled two very different situations (one personal and one professional) with grace, maturity, integrity and courage. Those of you mamas of little ones, don't ever minimize the job you are doing in raising this next generation. 

Every story read at bedtime
Every correction made to strengthen character
Every outdoor exploration
Every nose wiped
Every bandaid applied
Every time you say no when the world says yes
Every night of helping with homework
Every difficult conversation
Every prayer uttered

The final pieces of the puzzle of his childhood are falling into place and the picture revealed is one that is more wonderful than we could have imagined. And we know that it is only by God's grace on us as we sought His wisdom and guidance that we have come to this point. We have been FAR from perfect parents, but one of my most sincere prayers for the past 18 years was that the Lord would stand in the gaps that were surely to be revealed by our imperfections. And He has answered those prayers again and again. He's taken my humble petitions and most sincere intentions and knocked our socks off with the young man we are so privileged to call our son. And we can’t wait to watch as his future unfolds!
Happy Saturday!! I haven’t posted all week (exce Happy Saturday!! I haven’t posted all week (except for in stories) because I was soaking up the sunshine and time with my family in San Antonio for spring break. One of our favorite activities was a bike tour of the missions and I found myself obsessed with all of the beautiful architecture, especially the doors. What is it about doors that is so fascinating? Is it knowing that these were so lovingly hand carved? Is it thinking about how many people have crossed through them? Whatever it is, I couldn’t get enough of them and had to stop and admire each one. 

I hope you are having a wonderful kickoff to spring too dear friends! 🌸
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