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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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May 3, 2014

Parade of Homes Tour ~ Hymns and Verses

We are so thrilled to have another beautiful home for you to tour today as part of our ongoing Parade of Homes Series here At the Picket Fence!

hymns and verses home tour

We absolutely adore our friend Doreen from the blog Hymns and Verses. Not only because she inspires us daily with her inspiring creations, but also because she exudes grace and beauty and her faith in God shines through in all she does.

Now, grab that cup of coffee or tea, sit back and enjoy taking the tour of Doreen’s gorgeous home!

at the picket fence parade of homes

 

I’m so excited today to be here At the Picket Fence!  I’ve followed these two girls since before I began my own blog!  I was so excited to meet them in person last year at the Haven Conference.  I was lucky enough to sit near Vanessa while she watched Heather’s presentation!  She was so proud of her sister!

I’m Doreen and I blog at Hymns and Verses, a DIY and home decor blog. Hymns and Verses is also the name of my Etsy shop where I sell home decor items based on song lyrics.   I love it when you listen to or see the words of a song, you remember all the memories that go with it!
My home is in Lancaster County, PA, where I live with my husband and my three sons.   Last spring we painted the front door and shutters.  I have to say, I’m still in love with my blue front door!

My living room was one of the first rooms I made over when I began my blog.  The barn door sign that hangs above the sofa is one of my favorite projects.

There is a lot of DIY decor throughout my home – like this hymn page wreath.

I love to decorate with natural elements – like this wire vine topiary on my mantel.

This is a shot from the living room into the dining room.

This is another project piece that I love and we actually use!  It’s an old door turned into a family message center.  You can see all the details here.  This song kept running through my head when we had our first real taste of spring a few weeks ago and I decided to write the lyrics on the chalkboard.

This little cottage style buffet has a real trash to treasure story – isn’t the power of paint amazing!

Some of my favorite pieces of furniture are those that have been passed down through my family.  The corner cabinet belonged to my grandmother  and my dad had his first meals at the yellow high chair (although it wasn’t yellow then!).

This past winter we did some work in the kitchen area.  We updated our cabinets with some trim and paint, build the range hood,  and made over the formica counters with concrete.

This eye chart is one of the newer items for sale in my shop!

This is a view of the other side of the kitchen – my antique bucket bench decorated for spring.

Off the dining room is my favorite place this time of year – the screen porch!  Last spring I found the vintage glider and chairs!  They were in pretty rough shape, but I took them to a local shop to be sandblasted and powder coated and love them!  Where the back yard ends, the farmer’s field begins.  When I’m outside late at night, I can hear the horse drawn Amish buggy’s clip clopping down the road.

I love the outdoors and my back yard almost seems like an extension to my home.  Here’s my potting bench made from an old door.

My sister’s Schwinn bicycle circa early 1960’s.


My potting shed shutters and window boxes are the same blue as my front door!

Thanks, again, Heather and Vanessa, for having me today!   If you’d like to see more of my home, I’d love for you to come by for a visit at Hymns and Verses.

Doreen

14 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Parade of Homes

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Comments

  1. Holly says

    May 3, 2014 at 9:08 AM

    L.O.V.E. it all!! Ü

    Reply
  2. Kerry Purcell says

    May 3, 2014 at 9:15 AM

    What a beautiful area and a wonderful inspiration! Thanks so much for sharing . . .

    Reply
  3. martina says

    May 3, 2014 at 9:38 AM

    Fabulous tour ladies…love Dorren’s beautiful home!!

    Reply
  4. FABBY says

    May 3, 2014 at 11:36 AM

    Thank you so much for the tour, it’s great and I enjoyed it so much! Very charming, lovely and cozy home!
    Enjoy your weekend ladies!

    FABBY

    Reply
  5. Shannon @ Fox Hollow Cottage says

    May 3, 2014 at 4:19 PM

    Hi girls! Love seeing Doreen over here with you. Such a treat to get to see lots of her pretties in one post. I don’t recall seeing her porch or that darling patio set before. And her door turned mail station is an all time fav in all of blog land!

    Happy weekend 🙂 Shannon

    Reply
  6. Barbara from 21 Rosemary Lane says

    May 3, 2014 at 6:20 PM

    Oh what a fairy tale home!!! And such beautiful photos to boot. I love Lancaster Pa…it is where I went to college back some 30 years ago and never stopped loving all of the captivating farms and countryside. Truly a very special place indeed. The porch and its view are really spectacular! Thank you so much for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend!!
    XO Barbara

    Reply
  7. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    May 3, 2014 at 7:24 PM

    I just recently found Doreen’s blog and have enjoyed seeing the pictures of her home. She has done a great job! So nice to see her featured here today. I have to go back and check out her concrete counters post now because my husband and I were just discussing some way to update our kitchen counters.

    Reply
  8. Ginny says

    May 4, 2014 at 5:56 AM

    I too loved this tour! What color is your front door?I am redoing my kitchen and would love that on my walls!

    Reply
  9. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    May 4, 2014 at 2:33 PM

    I so love Doreen’s home…the details in her home are so wonderful and I love seeing her outdoor areas…the property is beautiful and such a beautiful sense of serenity…Her home is one that from the moment you approach the front door says a very loving family lives here!!

    Reply
  10. Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads says

    May 4, 2014 at 6:03 PM

    Loved seeing more of Doreen’s home here today! I think I realized how talented she was when I saw her home decorated for Christmas! And I was so delighted to actually meet her last year at Haven.

    Reply
  11. Yvonne @ StoneGable says

    May 5, 2014 at 6:44 AM

    Heather and Vanessa, you picked one of my very favorite bloggers! I adore Doreen and her home! Couldn’t you just move right in! What a wonderful, God centered home!!!!

    Thanks so much for Parade of Homes! I love seeing every guest’s house! And you picked such a lovely lady and a beautiful home this week!

    Love to all 3 of you!

    Reply
  12. Julie says

    May 5, 2014 at 7:57 AM

    Beautiful Home! Loved everything, Doreen!

    Reply
  13. Sharon says

    June 22, 2019 at 10:24 AM

    I love that your home reflects both your unique decorating style and your faith in God.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      June 24, 2019 at 3:26 PM

      Thank you so much Sharon! Your encouragement words mean so much!

      Reply

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What do you do when you want to use a bunch of boo What do you do when you want to use a bunch of books in your decorating but it can cost $50 or more for just ONE brand new book? Head to the secondhand bookstore of course! I’m so excited about this new look in my family room and this easy, inexpensive decorating tip I’m bringing to you for this #tiptuesday
Today feels like one of those days that is worthy Today feels like one of those days that is worthy of a chef’s kiss. Blue sky with nary a cloud in sight, perfect mid-70’s temps, a gentle breeze blowing through my hair as I walk around my yard to see the status of my flowering plants.

This morning I was running errands and the weight of hard things that are happening in the world, the culture, my own community and even in our circle of friends just felt so heavy.

But, as I was exiting a store, I passed a couple who were in their late 60’s/early 70’s and holding hands as they walked through the parking lot. I happened to glance over just as the husband lifted his wife’s hand up and planted a kiss right on it. It was a moment that reflected such love and tenderness and it was made sweeter by the fact that they weren’t spring chickens. I felt honored that I had been the one to observe and appreciate that moment.

What an incredible thing it is that as humans we are able to hold so many emotions in our souls all at once. To feel sorrow for the pain a friend is enduring, grieve the decline of a culture drifting further from the Lord, ponder how to navigate a challenging school situation, marvel at and enjoy the beauty of creation right outside my door and feel joy at getting to see a tangible example of lasting love while walking through a parking lot.

I truly believe that as we mature in our lives and in our faith, we learn to embrace the tension that comes with the collision of different emotions and recognize that they can all coexist at the same time without one taking something away from another. Simple joys make the hard stuff a bit easier and hard stuff makes us appreciate those simple joys even more.

What’s a simple joy that you are thankful for today?
Oh what an absolutely lovely weekend we had!! Here Oh what an absolutely lovely weekend we had!! Here are some highlights…

*Friday night I joined some wonderful ladies at church for a time of fellowship and yummy desserts. I made a strawberry lemon coffee cake and it was amazing if I do say so myself. ☺️ We are new-ish to this church and have just felt so warmly welcomed and folded in which has been very healing.

*Saturday was filled with getting our outdoor spaces spiffed up and my guys got our new table put together!

*Sitting outside for lunch with a yummy salad and iced tea felt like a little slice of heaven.

*Sunday we went to the iris gardens with my in-laws and then came home for naps and the most mouth watering ribs that my sweet husband had on the smoker all day.

*This glorious weekend ended with some ferocious rounds of UNO-corn (a hilarious version of UNO) and brownies my sweet daughter made for our dessert.

How was your weekend sweet friends? 🌸
I am absolutely and completely a better version of I am absolutely and completely a better version of myself when the sun is shining! Raise your hand if this is true for you too.

And, not only do I feel myself seeming to physically rise up from a slumbered state to greet the sunshine we've been longing for, I find that it seems like my house is rising up too. Every room, every nook and cranny (even though I now see dust bunnies that I missed during my cleaning on the dreary days), every leaf and flower outside...it's all coming to life and breathing fresh hope into my spirit. What a gift it is to be able to enjoy this home in all of the seasons of the year and of our lives. Now, I'm going to head outside and clean our deck and maybe there will be some time leftover for those dust bunnies!
I’m slightly obsessed with these glass dispenser I’m slightly obsessed with these glass dispensers! They come with pre-made labels for SO many different options and would make a great Mother’s Day gift! I love how they add a bit of pizzazz to my kitchen. And they go perfectly with some of my antique accessories like the little dish my mother in law gave me for salt and pepper and the tiny toothpick holder which belonged to my great grandmother. 

If you’d like the link to order them, just leave a comment with the word ‘bottles’ and I’ll send it your way. They’re even on sale right now! 🙌🏻
The lilacs are coming! The lilacs are coming! This The lilacs are coming! The lilacs are coming! This is what I’m thinking (and sometimes saying out loud) every time I pass my dining room window and see my lilac tree bursting forth. I should probably just go full Paul Revere and ring a bell while I shout the news for all to hear. I’m sure my family would love that!

Lilac season is so bittersweet because it’s over way too soon but, fortunately, I’ve figured out how to capture the deliciousness of the fragrance by making my own lilac scented room spray. It’s SO simple!

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.

This sweet little project was first featured in my book Life in Season and is definitely one of my favorites.

Have the lilacs started blooming where you live?
The cherry blossoms on the tree in our backyard ar The cherry blossoms on the tree in our backyard are at their peak and I’m here for it!
It’s time for another #tiptuesday! One of the gr It’s time for another #tiptuesday! One of the greatest joys of this stage in my parenting journey is getting to see the results of the years spent pouring into my children. The worry, the sleepless nights, praying, questioning our decisions and learning to trust in the Lord Who loves them even more than we do. We definitely didn’t do everything right, but what an an amazing experience it is to watch them become these incredible teens/young adults. My tip this week might seem simple, but I believe it can make a major difference in the lives of our children, in our homes and maybe, just maybe, in the culture too. 🌸
It was the most glorious day to celebrate my best It was the most glorious day to celebrate my best friend! Oregon came through with perfect weather for my wonderful husband’s birthday and we made the most of it by taking the convertible to our favorite winery and soaking up the sunshine, yummy food and wine. Then we had a lovely time celebrating with family at our home. Robb is truly the most amazing husband and father and all around incredible man. He loves and leads us well so it’s such a joy to get to honor him on his special day. 🎂

“The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good.” Matthew 12:35
It’s time for another #tiptuesday! Today I’m s It’s time for another #tiptuesday! Today I’m sharing with you two critical things to determine if you want to create order in your home which leads to a much more peaceful experience for everyone. As a recovering perfectionist, this has been one of my greatest lessons and I hope it encourages you today! 🍃
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