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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

  • Book
  • Speaking
  • Meet Vanessa
    • Featured

March 18, 2011

Inspiration Friday Party No.7

Top o’ the morning to ya!
Or afternoon or evening!
Whatever time of day it is where you are, we want to welcome you to
We would say that without a doubt the “luck of the Irish“ was with us last week when we found ourselves elbow deep in the pot of gold that was at the end of our party rainbow!
All of these lovely lasses (we are lacking in laddies around here) being featured are new friends to us here At the Picket Fence.
And let us just say, that aside from all of the amazing talent and creativity on display each week, we are having the most fun just getting to know all of you a little bit better. 
You are warm, witty, welcoming, and…ummm…another ‘w’…let’s see…way cool!

So raise your pints of Guiness and let us make a toast to our Features from last week’s Inspiration Friday Party!

First up we have Emily from Lovely Beasts and this is her
“La Bete Premiere“
She transformed this Beast
Into this Beauty!
Ooo la la! You must go visit Emily at Lovely Beasts and see more of her chez magnifique creations!
Next up we have Shelley from Crazy Wonderful who shared an amazing kitchen makeover with us.
She said that she felt like she was slowly being swallowed by oak!
Here is her kitchen Before
And here it is After!
Doesn’t it make you just go…ahhhhh
Light, bright, cheerful and we are so happy that the oak didn’t end up swallowing Shelley after all!
Now, Shelley just kept sharing her lovely self with us and also linked up a wonderful tutorial on how to make these absolutely fabulous ruffled shades for her dining room.

You won’t want to miss out on meeting Shelley so pay her a visit at
Crazy Wonderful!
Now we want to introduce you (if you haven’t already met) to Ann-Marie from
 Brambley Home and Garden.
When we saw these photos we were certain that the first one was from a magazine and the second was from her home. And then, it dawned on us! Well, actually, it dawned on Heather first. I mean, she is the oldest after all. And with age comes wisdom right?
These two UNBELIEVABLE “Kindred Arches” are situated across from each other in
Ann-Marie’s stunning kitchen!
This area they use as an Espresso counter.
We like ours with extra foam Ann-Marie!


And it’s “kindred spirit” across the way she uses as her baking station.
Uh huh….that’s right…we know your mouth is hanging open. Ours were!

Can you believe the gorgeousness?
And here is the thing. Not only is Ann-Marie’s home lovely and charming and gracious, but so is Ann-Marie herself!
Pay her a visit at Brambley Home and Garden!
Can you tell that we have kitchens on the brain here?

Maybe it is because Heather is getting ready to make BIG changes to her own kitchen!

You will have to stay tuned for that!

And in honor of St. Patrick’s Day we would like to feature the lovely St. Patrick’s Day Inspirations that were linked up this past week!

It is never a surprise when Sue from Munchkin Munchies links up some beautiful treats!  She shared these beautiful St. Patrick’s Day inspired cookies with us.

  
Michell from Girl In Air shared these adorable “Lucky Penny” necklaces she made! Cause who couldn’t use a lil bit o’ luck on St. Patrick’s Day!

Christine shared these delicious Mint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies on her blog Great Oak Circle.  Seriously…Mint and Chocolate?!  One of the best combinations ever!


And we fell in love with these adorable St. Patrick’s Day Burlap Pillows from Messy Mimi! Talk about your cute holiday decorations!


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

Before we sign off we have two more guests Bear Bryant (left) and Zoe (right) who Heather claims as her second two babies…most days, that would like to tip their top hats to all the lassies and laddies who hang out at the fence and wish them very Happy St. Patrick’s Day!



Now it’s time for you to share you inspiration with us! Please take a moment to read the instructions and then link up your favorite posts!

We can’t wait to be inspired!
Love the girls at the fence,


After linking up to Inspiration Friday click the graphics below and pay a visit to our other
Friday Party Friends!

The lovely Courtney at French Country Cottage

And our beautiful friend Alison from Stuff and Nonsense

It’s so easy to link-up…here’s a few rules to help you:

Just a quick reminder since it’s so easy to just skim over the instructions.  We’ve noticed lately several people have forgotten to link back to Inspiration Friday.  While we we’ve decided we won’t delete your entry or “call you out” on it we pretty please ask that you take an extra minute to link your post BACK to At The Picket Fence.  It’s a pretty standard “rule” for linky parties and is a way to “thank” your hosts for well…hosting the party!  We want “your guests to be able to come back here and see all of the wonderful inspiration in blogland and to maybe link up one of their posts.  Thank you for honoring this mandatory requirement!

  •  Friend At The Picket Fence in some capacity
  • Link Up any post you’ve written that has Inspired You and will Inspire Others-it can be a home improvement project, craft, recipe, story, devotional…if it inspires link it up!

  • Be sure to link back to your original post and not just your url (main blog address)

  • Please post our button (code in the sidebar) or a text link on your blog so others can join in the fun! (MANDATORY)
  • Visit another guest Please try and visit at least the link directly above and below you!  We are trying so hard between writing posts, homeschooling, and taking care of our families..grin..to visit everyone’s posts. Sometimes we miss one and for that we apologize.  It makes us feed good knowing others are visiting people as well!  Thank you..it truly means a lot to us! 
So go on now and link up!

28 Comments Filed Under: Inspiration Friday

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Previous Post: « At the Kids Table…For St. Patrick’s Day
Next Post: Simply Sundays….Create In Me A Clean Heart »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michell @Girl in Air says

    March 18, 2011 at 12:07 AM

    Thank you so much for featuring my Penny!

    Reply
  2. Ange (Love From My Kitchen) says

    March 18, 2011 at 12:09 AM

    Ok guys, am I missing it? Wait, don’t answer that! Anyways, I can’t find where to link my blog to. Maybe I ate too much spaghetti.

    Reply
  3. Melanie says

    March 18, 2011 at 12:12 AM

    @Ange You are not alone. I don’t see it there either.

    Reply
  4. Martina says

    March 18, 2011 at 12:13 AM

    Hi guys trying to link up but I don’t see the button. Martina

    Reply
  5. Katie says

    March 18, 2011 at 12:22 AM

    Love all the features this week! Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  6. Mimi says

    March 18, 2011 at 12:30 AM

    Oh wow – you are the cutest sisters with one of my favorite blogs. I was just checking your blog {’cause I love it} and saw you featured my Burlap Shamrock pillows! I am so honored! Thanks so much.
    Big hugs! Mimi

    Reply
  7. ⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜ says

    March 18, 2011 at 12:31 AM

    Thanks for hosting gals! Lots of inspiration around here!
    Have a great weekend.
    Hope you join me next Friday for my color my world partay.

    Reply
  8. Sue says

    March 18, 2011 at 12:32 AM

    Thanks SO much for the feature, girls. It’s a wonderful St. Paddy’s day surprise! There’s always so many fantastic ideas linked! Pat the pups’ heads for me:) Happy St. Patrick’s day!

    Reply
  9. Sherry @ No Minimalist Here says

    March 18, 2011 at 12:44 AM

    Hi Ladies, Thanks so much for hosting and Happy St. Paddy’s Day.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

    Reply
  10. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    March 18, 2011 at 12:44 AM

    Thanks girls for hosting!

    Reply
  11. Honey at 2805 says

    March 18, 2011 at 1:00 AM

    Hi girls! Thanks for hosting…you are so gracious! Hoping I don’t get kicked off this week for have 3entries. They were all screaming to be here!
    Hugs, Honey

    Reply
  12. molly susan strong says

    March 18, 2011 at 1:54 AM

    So much loveliness to see!!!

    Reply
  13. Linda@Coastal Charm says

    March 18, 2011 at 2:12 AM

    I’m lovin’ that kitchen makeover! Thanks for hosting girls.

    Blessings,
    Linda

    Reply
  14. Susan (My Place to Yours) says

    March 18, 2011 at 2:22 AM

    Great features, girls! I just love that you actually used “Ooo la la” in your post. It’s been the most fun word around our house this week. You should see the grin on my 19-mo-old grandson’s face when he says it. Priceless! Thanks for making my night. 🙂

    Reply
  15. Vivienne @ the V Spot says

    March 18, 2011 at 2:30 AM

    Thanks for hosting. LOVED Crazy Wonderful’s shades!

    Reply
  16. Colleen @ MuralMaker&More says

    March 18, 2011 at 3:22 AM

    Thanks for hosting! Sorry, I was having Linky problems and there’s a duplicate link. Would you delete one of them? Sorry!

    Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  17. Emily@LovelyBeasts says

    March 18, 2011 at 5:42 AM

    Ahhhh! Thank you so much for featuring my blog Vanessa and Heather! I’m beyond excited…scary excited actually. I had to share with everyone via Facebook and mention it in my blog. It means so much to me.

    Thanks for taking the time to read all the entries. I was hoping one day to be able to display a “I was featured” buttons and now I can. And by one of my favorite blogs. 🙂

    You girls are the best! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
    Emily

    Reply
  18. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    March 18, 2011 at 2:23 AM

    Thanks for hosting ladies!!Love the features ~ Happy St. Patricks Day! 🙂

    Reply
  19. alison says

    March 18, 2011 at 11:25 AM

    hmmmm…great minds think alike? too funny…happy friday vanessa and heather!

    blessings,

    alison
    stuff and nonsense

    Reply
  20. Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads says

    March 18, 2011 at 1:39 PM

    Thanks so much for hosting this party. I have visited one of your featured bloggers and hope to find time to get around to all of them. This is my first time to link up. I’m a newbie and I’m just joining parties.
    https://cottageatthecrossroads.com

    Reply
  21. poindextr says

    March 18, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    thank you so much for hosting! Your featured projects are awesome. I can’t stop looking at Ann Marie’s kitchen photos, they are lovely. And the mint chocolate cookies? Oh my. hope you have a wonderful weekend 🙂

    Reply
  22. Shelley says

    March 18, 2011 at 2:05 PM

    Squeal!!!!! Thank you SOOOO much for featuring my kitchen and chandy shades! My husband thought there was something wrong with me when he heard me squealing with excitement when I saw your post 😀

    Have a great weekend ladies!

    Shelley

    Reply
  23. Megan @ Cut the Craft! says

    March 18, 2011 at 3:07 PM

    LOVE those necklaces! Thanks for hosting.:)

    Reply
  24. Sarah @ Modern Country Style says

    March 18, 2011 at 10:21 PM

    Those necklaces are gorgeous. You pick out such lovely things to feature. That’s such an original idea too. Love it!!

    Sarahx

    Reply
  25. Kristine~Lakeshore Cottage Living says

    March 19, 2011 at 2:02 AM

    Vanessa,

    Thank you for always taking the time to visit and write the SWEETEST, MOST encouraging comments. I really appreciate them. That chair redo in the first pics is so wonderful and I am going over to visit Ann Marie right now! That is one amazing picture.

    I hope you have a wonderful weekend and thanks for hosting such a fun linky party!

    Reply
  26. Becky says

    March 19, 2011 at 2:46 AM

    New follower and participant in Inspiration Fridays! Thanks for hosting! Happy Weekend!

    Reply
  27. Kristi says

    March 19, 2011 at 3:50 AM

    I’m your latest follower! Thanks so much for hosting. What an adorable site you have!

    {hugs},
    kristi

    https://ishouldbemoppingthefloor.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  28. Emily@LovelyBeasts says

    March 21, 2011 at 4:47 AM

    Thanks Vanessa and Heather for checking out my latest French chair entry! You leave such cute personal notes, I don’t even want to know how you find the time or the words to respond to everyone…but it’s pretty amazing.

    You both are the best bloggy friends any blogger could ask for 🙂

    Hope you had a great weekend!
    Emily

    Reply

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Yesterday on the way home from school I had the ra Yesterday on the way home from school I had the radio tuned to my daughter's favorite station and a song that was playing had a line in it that really stood out to me. It made reference to a 'season of the sticks' which I think its safe to say must mean winter. I thought that was such an accurate, albeiet kind of depressing, picture of this time of the year.

While we definitely have more than our fair share of evergreen trees here in Oregon, we also have plenty of trees and bushes that are reduced to sticks during the cold months. But, this morning as I looked out my kitchen window, greedily sipping from my mug of coffee, I marveled at the beauty of the winter sunrise. The sky was all pinks and oranges with frost on the rooftops and a little bit of fog. And, I realized that part of why it was so amazing is because I could see it more clearly through the sticks. The bare branches allowed me a view that I wouldn't be able to see if those same branches were covered in leaves. Being stripped down to almost nothing revealed something magnificent.

We have seasons of the sticks in our lives too, don't we? Times when we feel as though we've been stripped bare and left exposed. It's easy to think that this is a place where all is ugly and dark. And yet, just like the winter sunrise was more visible because of the bare branches, the vulnerability we feel in the winter season of our souls allows us to get a glimpse of beauty that we wouldn't see otherwise. In the lush, warm seasons it's so easy to become comfortable. But in the bare, cold seasons we recognize just how much we need to rely on the One who placed the stars in the heavens and is sovereign over all.

If you feel like your soul has been stripped bare and you've been left exposed and vulnerable, may I encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you to see the beauty in this 'season of the sticks'.

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:7
I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake a I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake and grabbed a banana out of the freezer and was about to put it into my shake before I realized it was a frozen egg roll. Sooooo that's how my day is going so far! 🤪How about you?

It's honestly fairly representative of my state of mind these days as I can't seem to make the date on the calendar match the date in my spirit because it feels like it should be January 45th. Every year this month drags on and every year it seems to surprise me for some reason. In addition, my heart just feels heavy as I witness a lot of darkness and sadness around me. So, I'm choosing to control what I can control by making my house feel as cozy as possible, relishing the sunshine whenever it dares to peek through the clouds, gathering inspiration for warmer weather projects and, most importantly, resting in the comfort of the sovereignty of my Father.

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that everyone he has made may know his work..." Job 37:5-7
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The day after Christmas I found myself laundering The day after Christmas I found myself laundering and folding all of the linens we used the previous night as we hosted my husband's side of the family for dinner and other festivities. As I laid out each cloth napkin and folded them one by one, I couldn't help but be struck by what a simple, yet meaningful, task it was. It's such an honor and privilege to be the hostess and, at this stage of my life, I realize that this has almost one hundred percent become my role now. Our parents are in their 70's and have either downsized significantly or simply don't have the energy to take on hosting duties for a large group. I could resent this. I could feel overwhelmed by it. But, instead, I'm choosing to embrace it knowing that, someday, I too will pass the hosting torch and I hope that I will be welcomed with love and attentiveness. So, I fold the linen napkins, taking pleasure in the way all of the creases line up and how neat and tidy they look in the drawer of my dining room buffet. These seemingly simple chores are part of the lifeblood of homemaking and my attitude towards them can either be one of gratefulness or grumbly-ness (yes, I'm making up words now). 

And I’m choosing gratefulness. 

“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.” (Elisabeth Elliot⁣)
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“He has made everything beautiful in its time. H “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” 

Here’s to beginnings. Happy new year friends! May you experience the majesty and sovereignty of the Lord in 2023 like never before! ✨
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