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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

September 14, 2012

It’s Inspiration Friday No. 82! Welcome!

Inspiration Friday Graphic_thumb[3]
Wowee!! We think we might have broken a record at last week’s party with 435 links!
Want to know something about us?
Each week it still amazes us to see those links pop up after we publish the party post.
We never stop being humbled and honored that you would choose to share your talent and creativity here with us and we hope you know how much we appreciate all of you!
Now, speaking of being appreciative…we still can’t believe that we get to host the incredible GIVEAWAY we have going on right now.
Would you like to go to New York City??
LG is offering one lucky At the Picket Fence Reader a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly to NYC and attend the Food Network Wine and Food Festival!
Click here to find out more about how you can enter to win this incredible prize!

We’ve got a lot of fun projects coming up in the next few weeks so be sure to come on back and see what will be happening around the Fence!
But, for now, let’s get so some Features, shall we?
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INSPIRED ROOMS

Shirley from Housepitality Designs shared her gorgeous Foyer complete with her incredible Stained Glass Window…which has it’s own story!
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Pam from Simple Details revealed the incredible transformation she made to her son’s room and we think she lived up to her blog name and then some. This room is so cool and has amazing details!
MAKEOVERS

Cindy from Beaux R’eves gave a pair of benches she found at the ReStore a beautiful makeover and now they fit perfectly in her gorgeous mountain home!
We absolutely love this Mudroom Makeover from Maury at Life on Mars. Details like those beautiful corbels add so much character!
Laundry Room Makeover

CRAFTS and CREATIONS

How clever is this Mirror Pendant from our Danish friend at Monster’s Circus? She gives an excellent tutorial on how to make this and don’t worry, you can translate it into English!
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Rukmini from the blog Trumatter showed us how to make a beautiful DIY Vintage Pouch from Shirt Sleeves. So clever!
So, technically this one should be under our “Fall” category but since it filled up so quickly we had to share it here! We absolutely love this idea for a Fall Activity Tree shared with us by Alex of Alex Nguyen Portraits.

FALL PROJECTS and INSPIRATIONS

It’s easy to see why BHG would come knocking on Becca’s door to feature her fall mantel from last year when you see the amazing job she did with it this year! Head on over to Adventures in Decorating for more awesome ideas!
Debra from Common Ground can give just about anything the “Fall Treatment” including this Vintage Chicken Feeder!
Jennifer from Decorating Made Easy showed us how she made this adorable ghost using a tomato stand!
Keri from Shaken Together showed us how she made this darling Rustic Wooden Candy Corn Banner. It’s the only kind that won’t give you a cavity!

RECIPES

Kale Chips are all the rage these days and Jenni from Mom Essentials shared with us the recipe for an easy version that is big on healthy flavor!
Laura from Storybook Reality tried out this Giada De Laurentiis recipe for Prosciutto Melon Soup and declared it to be a new family favorite!

INSPIRED POSTS

Tricia from Thoroughly Modern Me shared a beautiful story of 1,000 Wishes made in honor of an important milestone in her daughter’s life.
The lovely Lauren from mercyINK shared a wonderful “Prayer of Surrender” for new moms and we just love her insights into this sweet yet challenging season of life.
Are you following At The Picket Fence on Facebook? Don’t forget we feature many of your links during the week on our Facebook Page! If you’ve been featured there, grab a button as well!
We have a SPECIAL REQUEST of you, if you visit INSPIRATION FRIDAY and like to PIN the great projects you see here! Please pin from the ORIGINAL SOURCE and not our blog…unless it’s one of our own creations, then by all means pin away from here…we won’t mind!


Thank you to everyone who shared so many fabulous posts with us last week! We appreciate you!
Now it’s time to share with us what has inspired you this week!
Thank you so much for joining us for Inspiration Friday at the Fence,

When you are done linking up head over and party with the other Friday Party Friends:

vif187Fridays Unfolded
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Now all ya PARTY PEOPLE it’s time to link on up…here’s some instructions for Inspiration Friday
  • 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 on our Buttons Page found at top of blog) or a text link on your blog so others can join in the fun! (MANDATORY to be featured At The Picket Fence)Tutorial on how to link up a button: Blogging 101
  • Visit another guest. Please try and visit at least the link directly above and below you! We try to visit as many posts as we can but as Inspiration Friday grows sometimes we miss some and for that we apologize. It makes us feel good knowing others are visiting people as well! Thank you..it truly means a lot to us

This Inspiration Friday Party is Sponsored By:

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Disclaimer: At the Picket Fence may feature any of the projects linked up to Inspiration Friday in other posts or on Facebook, twitter andhometalk with all credit being given to the original source. If you would not like your projects featured please email us.

Don’t forget to enter the GIVEAWAY for a trip to New York City!

70 Comments Filed Under: Inspiration Friday

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. keri @ shaken together says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:12 PM

    Thank you SO much for featuring my candy corn banner!! I love joining the party each week – thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  2. Nicole {WonkyWonderful} says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:14 PM

    Thanks for hosting another great party & the awesome giveaway! Have a wonderful weekend 🙂

    Reply
  3. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:18 PM

    Vanessa and Heather…thanks so much for featuring my foyer makeover…I am truly honored to be among the fabulous features from last week….Always love joining the party!!!…Have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply
  4. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:19 PM

    Thanks for hosting, girls.

    Reply
  5. Jessica Kielman says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:20 PM

    Thank you for the lovely party every week, girls! Love the features this week…definitely trying the kale chips!

    Reply
  6. Gina says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:20 PM

    Love the features! Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  7. Honey at 2805 says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:25 PM

    Thanks for hosting this lovely party each week!

    Reply
  8. How to Nest for Less says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:26 PM

    Thanks so much for hosting again girls. LOVE your features … and love your sponsor 😉

    Reply
  9. suzyq says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:29 PM

    Thanks so much for hosting! Fantastic features!!!

    Reply
  10. Cindy says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:30 PM

    Heather and Vanessa, Thanks for featuring my benches! You girls host such a fun party each week! Love it!

    Reply
  11. SwedishCorner ~ DownUnder...Pernilla says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:39 PM

    Thanks for hosting, ladies! Have a lovely weekend 🙂

    Reply
  12. Eclectically Vintage says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:45 PM

    I’m still dreaming of winning that NYC Wine Festival trip!!

    That ghost is the cutest!
    Kelly

    Reply
  13. Confessions of a Plate Addict says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:47 PM

    Love the features! Thanks for hosting!…hugs…Debbie

    Reply
  14. ℳartina @ Northern Nesting says

    September 13, 2012 at 8:53 PM

    Great features girls! Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  15. Sherry says

    September 13, 2012 at 9:01 PM

    What a giveaway! Lovely features! Thanks for hosting! Try to be kind to the Statue of Liberty! LOL
    Sherry

    Reply
  16. monsterscircus says

    September 13, 2012 at 9:05 PM

    Hi gourgeus girls!!!! Thank you so much for featuring my pendant mirror! You really saved my weekend, I’m definitely 20 inches taller now! Love the other features, and your wonderful sponsors! Have a great weekend and thank you so much for hosting! going to grab your button!

    Reply
  17. Athena at Minerva's Garden says

    September 13, 2012 at 9:06 PM

    What a lovely batch of features you selected this week, Vanessa and Heather–all beautiful. I appreciate the giveaway, and I thank you both for hosting Inspiration Friday. Have a lovely weekend doing something you love!

    Reply
  18. Rosemary@villabarnes says

    September 13, 2012 at 9:09 PM

    Thanks for hosting.

    Reply
  19. Paula@SweetPea says

    September 13, 2012 at 9:22 PM

    Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  20. Aimee - ItsOverflowing.com says

    September 13, 2012 at 9:26 PM

    Thanks for the party! XO, Aimee

    Reply
  21. Becca says

    September 13, 2012 at 9:56 PM

    You guuuuuys *blush* … truly flattered for the sweet mention of our mantel. Thank you so very much! I love the other features!

    Reply
  22. Lyuba @ Will Cook For Smiles says

    September 13, 2012 at 10:09 PM

    Thank you so much for hosting your great party!

    Reply
  23. Doreen @ Hymns and Verses says

    September 13, 2012 at 10:52 PM

    What great features this week. I especially love the boy’s bedroom makeover – so cool! Thanks for hosting ladies!

    Reply
  24. Anita says

    September 13, 2012 at 10:53 PM

    Great features again girls!! Thanks so much for hosting!!

    Reply
  25. Donna Heber says

    September 13, 2012 at 11:10 PM

    Heather & Vanessa,

    I’m so excited to be joining everyone this week. It is my first time at your party and hope to meet some new friends. Fabulous features from last week. Thank you for hosting this lovely party. Wishing you both a wonderful weekend.

    Reply
  26. Bonnie and Trish @ Uncommon says

    September 13, 2012 at 11:27 PM

    Thanks for hosting girls! Hope you are doing well!

    Take care,

    Trish

    Reply
  27. Alderberry Hill says

    September 13, 2012 at 11:53 PM

    Happy Friday, thanks so much for hosting this great party!

    Reply
  28. Jenny@daysofchalkandchocolate says

    September 14, 2012 at 1:30 AM

    So glad to be linking up! Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  29. Mel says

    September 14, 2012 at 2:00 AM

    thanks for hosting, enjoy your weekend

    Reply
  30. Lauren @ mercy(INK) says

    September 14, 2012 at 2:09 AM

    Ladies, you’re wonderful! Thanks so much for featuring my post… means so much! Vanessa- I need to email you back… forgive my slowness!
    blessings,
    lauren
    http://www.mercyinkblog.com

    Reply
  31. Thoroughly Modern Me says

    September 14, 2012 at 2:12 AM

    Thank you for the feature. You all are so sweet and humble with your kind words about the success of your blog and link party. Best of luck. Tricia @ Thoroughly Modern Me

    Reply
  32. Nancy says

    September 14, 2012 at 2:24 AM

    So fun to link up! Thank you for hosting!

    Reply
  33. Kerry Rossow says

    September 14, 2012 at 2:38 AM

    NEW YORK CITY? Woohoo, fancy pants! Thank you for hosting!
    Kerry at HouseTalkN

    Reply
  34. Laura says

    September 14, 2012 at 2:51 AM

    Thank you so much for the feature!! I’m so excited!!

    Reply
  35. CAS says

    September 14, 2012 at 3:54 AM

    Thanks so much, Vanessa & Heather, for hosting another great party!

    CAS

    Reply
  36. Sonya@Beyond the Screen Door says

    September 14, 2012 at 4:22 AM

    Hi, girls! Thanks so much for a lovely party!

    Reply
  37. Carmel @ Our Fifth House says

    September 14, 2012 at 4:30 AM

    Thanks for hosting girls! Love these features – off to check out the kale chips!

    Reply
  38. Leslie Harris says

    September 14, 2012 at 5:52 AM

    These are lovely features, I continue to be amazed by all the talented bloggers that come here. Thanks for creating such a nice place to come.
    Leslie (aka Gwen Moss blog)

    Reply
  39. Leslie says

    September 14, 2012 at 12:41 PM

    Good Morning, Girls! Thank you for hosting! So glad I can link up here this week. I am sharing a more personal post since my sister is getting married next week. I’ve shared some pictures, memories, and I talk about the personal shower I threw her!
    Have a beautful and blessed day!
    Leslie

    Reply
  40. melissa @ daisymaebelle.com says

    September 14, 2012 at 1:26 PM

    Thanks so much for hosting! Life to the full, Melissa

    Reply
  41. Molly says

    September 14, 2012 at 1:43 PM

    Thanks for hosting! I love linking up here anytime I have a new project 🙂
    -Molly
    JustALittleCreativity.com

    Reply
  42. twelve-O-eight says

    September 14, 2012 at 1:51 PM

    Thank you so much for hosting Ladies! Have a fabulous weekend, hugs

    Tanya 🙂

    Reply
  43. Maury @ Life on Mars says

    September 14, 2012 at 1:52 PM

    Hey girls! Thank you so so so much for featuring my mudroom reveal! That made my day. I’ll be linking to it on my Facebook page today. Thanks for hosting too! Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  44. Kristin @ Simply Klassic Home says

    September 14, 2012 at 2:12 PM

    Realized I forgot to leave a comment and add your link to my post – DOH! Done, and done!

    Thanks for hosting ladies!

    Reply
  45. Foy Update says

    September 14, 2012 at 2:16 PM

    I’m sharing how I juice grapes for jelly making and then a seasonal favorite at my house fresh tomato pasta.

    Thanks for hosting!

    We also host a blog hop called Eat Make Grow and are always looking for quality bloggers to submit their links.

    Stop on by if you get the chance:
    https://foyupdate.blogspot.com/search?q=eat+make+grow&max-results=20&by-date=true

    Foy

    Reply
  46. Richella says

    September 14, 2012 at 4:04 PM

    Hey girls! I linked up earlier, but was having trouble with my computer and wasn’t able to leave a comment. (Gave me the willies to think about my computer’s being messed up–too much work on here that’s not saved anywhere else. Yikes!)

    Anyway, I just wanted to tell you thank you for hosting. Y’all do such a wonderful job with this party–no wonder you have so many linkers!! (Is that what we’re called–linkers?).

    Have a great weekend!

    Reply
  47. Nici - Posed Perfection says

    September 14, 2012 at 6:26 PM

    Thanks for hosting, ladies! Hope you have a great weekend!
    Blessings,
    Nici

    Reply
  48. Marla and Steve says

    September 15, 2012 at 12:05 AM

    Hi Vanessa! It’s been a long time and I see you are having wonderful success at your Friday party. Wonderful! It’s nice to be decorating and posting again.

    Reply
  49. pam {simple details} says

    September 15, 2012 at 1:46 AM

    What a sweet surprise after a day of jury duty! Thank you so much for featuring my boy’s room, quite the honor among everyone’s amazing projects!

    Reply
  50. Zuni, Chickadee Home Nest says

    September 15, 2012 at 4:15 AM

    Thank you for hosting; it’s a great party with lots of fun projects and ideas!

    Reply
  51. Jenni@MomEssentials.Net says

    September 16, 2012 at 11:57 AM

    Hi!
    Thanks for letting me share my own recipe of tasty and delicious
    Healthy Pumpkin Cookies!

    Here’s the link:
    https://www.momessentials.net/jennis-favorite-healthy-pumpkin-cookies/

    Reply
  52. Good Time Charlie says

    September 16, 2012 at 10:20 PM

    Love the mudroom makeover, plus all the wonderful Fall creations! Nothing finished around here either. All primed, prepped, no show pieces yet. Hopefully this week!

    Reply

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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?
“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!
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