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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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October 28, 2015

My Inspired Family Room Mantel

These days I seem to find it a bit hard to look at old photos. I think it has something to do with feeling like time is passing WAY too quickly and my kids are getting WAY too big and I’m getting WAY too much older. But, that being said, there’s a reason why we take photos. We’re trying to capture a moment, right? Hold onto a memory.

Fall mantel details atthepicketfence.com

 

As I look back at my family room mantel over the years, I realize how thankful I am that I’ve captured it as it’s gone through an evolution of sorts. I’m thankful that, even when I wished it was a different color, even when I had different plans for it, that I embraced it as it was and had fun with it. I didn’t wait until it was just perfect in my mind to make the most of it.

Fall 2013

picket-fence-fall-mantel from atthepicketfence.com

This philosophy, this idea of embracing the now, was so beautifully captured by Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room in her first book aptly titled ‘Love the Home You Have‘.

 

And now, another amazing book by Melissa is being released on November 1. Another book filled with wonderful insights and tips and wisdom but this time with loads and loads of beautiful photos.

In her gorgeous new ‘coffee table’ book, “The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have“, Melissa weaves together inspiring photos, easy DIY projects and wonderful tips for personalizing your home, room by room.

The-Inspired-Room-a-new-coffee-table-book-Simple-Ideas-to-Love-the-Home-You-Have

One of my favorite quotes from Melissa in this new book is this, “The journey of creating a home is your unique and inspiring adventure.”

And that’s exactly what I think of when I look back over the years of decorating my mantel. I see how I began to hone my style. I see what I would do differently.

Winter 2013

Christmas-mantel-with-boxwood-garland-from-atthepicketfence.com_

I see when I finally felt more confident, more sure of my tastes.

Fall 2014

Fall mantel with corn husk wreath atthepicketfence.com

I see things I would like to do again.

Winter 2014

Christmas mantel with magnolia garland bottles and candles atthepicketfence.com

And I see the moment when, after 6 years, I finally pulled the trigger and gave my mantel a facelift. You can see more of our family room makeover here.

January 2015

white french country styled fireplace makeover atthepicketfence.com

And just like Melissa said, the journey getting here was a unique and exciting adventure. Because, the truth is, the evolution of your home is reflective of the evolution of your life. The older I get, the more comfortable in my own skin I become and the more confidence I have in my choices, the more my home reflects all of that.

Spring 2015

Spring-mantel-decorating-ideas-from-atthepicketfence.com_-641x1024

And each new season, I have an opportunity to practice and challenge myself and test the style waters.

Summer 2015

easy-summer-decor-in-family-room-atthepicketfence.com_

I used to feel that my cherry fireplace was alone amongst the sea of white ones I saw everywhere online and in magazines.

But now, I look back on it and can appreciate it’s beauty. Don’t get me wrong, with cherry woodwork everywhere here in our Oregon home it felt very dark so I’m thrilled to have brightened things up.

Fall 2015

French-country-fall-mantel-decor-atthepicketfence.com_

But what I really love the most is that we’ve taken our time with our home. We’ve saved and planned and done things bit by bit. It has definitely been an adventure and has made me appreciate it so much more than if we had hurried through it all in the first year we lived here.

I have more plans for my home, but I know now how wonderful it is to do as Melissa does. To get to know the nuances of each space and work towards enhancing them.

And I’m so thankful for the simple ideas she shares in this new book that help me love the home I have even more!

The Inspired Room Tour - Celebrating the Launch of the New Coffee Table Book - The Inspired Room - by New York Times Best Selling Author of Love the Home You Have - Melissa Michaels

 

Would you like to join us in celebrating the launch of this new book AND be entered to win a $300 gift card to Anthropologie? Find out how here !

Thanks for meeting me at the Fence today sweet friends,

Vanessa signature

5 Comments Filed Under: Autumn, Decorating, Good Ideas, Mantels, Reviews

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Comments

  1. terry Funtash says

    October 28, 2015 at 6:04 AM

    love your stuff

    Reply
  2. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    October 28, 2015 at 12:53 PM

    I love the evolution of your mantel and your home….What I love about you is that you have always remained true to yourself…your journey.

    Reply
  3. Melissa Michaels says

    October 29, 2015 at 7:22 PM

    Hi Vanessa! I just loved seeing how your mantel evolved with you! I really enjoyed seeing how you decorated your mantel each step of the way. I love that you embraced the season you were in!

    I’m inspired by your post now that I’m in a new house again, I am remembering how it feels to not have everything exactly like I want it and yet I want to be grateful for each season.

    Thank you for sharing your story and photos, and for graciously sharing my book, too. I am very grateful. xo

    Reply
  4. Lisa Mothersead says

    October 31, 2015 at 4:50 AM

    It’s so obvious you love your home and family. Beautifully said.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      October 31, 2015 at 10:25 AM

      Oh thank you so much Lisa!! It warms my heart to hear you say that because I truly do love my family and my home too. <3

      Reply

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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?
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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.

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Where are things collecting in your house right now?
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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.

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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.

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