• 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 3, 2017

My Television Debut!

I got the email on a Friday.

“We would like to have you on our show, AM Northwest, to promote your book and we happen to have a time slot we need to fill THIS coming Monday. Are you up for it?”

My reply to them was a resounding YES with the added reassurance of  “Oh no, having such little warning is no problem at all!” while inside I was trying to figure out how on earth I was going to get everything ready in time. It didn’t help that my very first book signing was that Sunday and my son had a swim meet too. Oy vey!

In hindsight, though, I think it was much better to not have more advanced warning because that would have just meant more time for me to have panic attacks and nightmares about being on live TV!

I left the house very early Monday morning for the drive up to Portland and after pulling into the studio parking lot my nerves really kicked into high gear.

What if I miss a step in the craft demonstration?

What if I forgot some of the supplies?

What if I forget how to talk?

What if my nose looks big?

You can see how quickly my thoughts went into a downward spiral.

I made my way to the studio door and was buzzed in and directed to the ‘green room’ (which wasn’t actually green at all) and was shown where I could freshen up and then told to just wait there until the producer came to get me. Before I knew it, I was being whisked backstage where they showed me where to set up my craft demonstration.

backstage at AMNW

The plan was for me to show how to make these Book Page Bird Nest Ornaments which are included in our book ‘Life in Season‘.

Book Page Bird in Nest from At The Picket Fence

I quickly got all of my craft supplies laid out on the table and quadruple checked to make sure that I had everything just right.

A production assistant came and got my microphone hooked up and before I knew it the table was being wheeled into the studio. I was introduced to the lovely host of the show, Helen, and given minimal instructions before we went LIVE in 3.2.1.

AMNW Studio

Are you ready to see how I did? Click here!

Whew! I’m not gonna lie. I had such a hard time watching it back afterwards and was very critical of myself, that I looked in the camera when I wasn’t supposed to, my shaking hands and the fact that I said the word ‘awesome’ one too many times but at the end of the day I chalked it up to a really cool once-in-a-lifetime experience.

AMNW with Helen

That was until…they asked me to come back again! What?? That’s right! Just last week I had the opportunity to do another craft demonstration live on the air!

This time I decided to show how to make these fun and easy Valentine’s Day Poppers.

diy valentine's day poppers

And let me tell you, this time I was WAY more relaxed.

Want to see how I did this time around? Click here!

I can honestly say that I never would have imagined that I would have these opportunities and it’s so incredibly humbling and frankly just a lot of fun!

And I’m so grateful to have you join me in this adventure and meet me here at the picket fence,

Vanessa signature

10 Comments Filed Under: Book, Good Ideas

Subscribe

Get the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « Window Treatment Ideas
Next Post: Budget Friendly Valentine’s Day »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle says

    February 3, 2017 at 3:45 AM

    You were great on TV! Very natural and beautiful. I foresee you becoming a regular guest on their show!! Thx for sharing the fun popper idea. Will be making these with the grandkids!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 3, 2017 at 7:29 AM

      Thank you so much Michelle! Have fun making the poppers. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Margaret Allegretto says

    February 3, 2017 at 5:17 AM

    Congratulations Vanessa!!!!
    Well done!! You’re beautiful!!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 3, 2017 at 7:30 AM

      Awww…thanks so much Margaret!

      Reply
  3. Bonnie says

    February 3, 2017 at 7:25 AM

    What a great opportunity! I’m so happy for you.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 3, 2017 at 7:30 AM

      Thank you Bonnie!

      Reply
  4. Rose L. says

    February 4, 2017 at 12:28 PM

    Cool! I probably would stutter and drool! LOL

    Reply
  5. Richella Parham says

    February 8, 2017 at 1:16 PM

    You are just the best. I am so happy for you! You looked beautiful and sounded great. Proud of you and for you!!

    Reply
  6. Angie g says

    February 11, 2017 at 9:35 PM

    I love you Vanessa! You were so wonderful on TV!!!!! I finally got a chance to check it out and I was so delighted. You sound so confident and at ease. I am sure you were a ball of nerves, but I couldn’t tell.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 12, 2017 at 5:06 PM

      Oh thank you so much for your kind words Angie! I was definitely a ball of nerves. LOL!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Bonnie Cancel reply

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

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Search This Blog

Get the book!

Invite Vanessa to speak at your event!

Stay updated!

Must Reads

Celebrating Everyday Life May/June Cover

Recent Posts

  • Why We’ve Chosen Vacations Over Projects April 26, 2022
  • A New Look for the Family Room March 1, 2022
  • Christmas Kitchen and Family Room December 19, 2021
  • Christmas Home Tour Part One December 10, 2021
  • Easy Hot Cocoa Station November 21, 2021

Footer

Stay Connected!

Instagram

The month of June is coming to a close and it has The month of June is coming to a close and it has been JAM packed! The highlight by far though was my son's graduation from high school. When I started blogging, he was only 6 years old and some of you have been apart of my community here for that entire time. Now, he's 19 and there is a reason parents are told not to blink because the years truly do go faster than I ever could have imagined. He has become such an incredible young man we are so excited to see how God is going to unfold the next chapter of his life. We celebrated with parties galore (SO many open houses to attend!) and made memories we'll forever cherish. My mama heart was filled to bursting with the joy of it all! Now we're taking some time to just enjoy these warm, summer days making even more memories because, when you’re at this stage of parenting, you know all too well how much you need to grasp every opportunity to spend time together.

I hope your summer is off to a great start too dear friends! 🪴
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts o “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Happy first day of summer dear friends!! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted something new here but life has been crazy. I’ll have some new photos of house projects and life events to share with you soon but, got now, I’m just going to enjoy this gorgeous first day of summer after our ridiculously long, wet spring. ☀️
“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. Th “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” (Maud Hart Lovelace) 

Welcome June!
“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
General Douglas MacArthur

Grateful today and every day for those who were vigilant to the point of death in the preservation of our freedom. May we honor their sacrifice by being vigilant too. #memorialday
“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
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?
Load More... Follow
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2022 At The Picket Fence